Last Update 9th October, 2016.

Looking for inspiration for your church youth group?

Here are the top 10 tried and tested games and activities that are easy to do, with little preparation required, and so much fun!

These games, although aimed at youth could work just as well with children or even fun-loving adults if they’re up for it.

Each activity has an accompanying video accompanying so you get to see it in action.

If you have a game or activity that you yourself have played with your church youth group, please contribute your ideas and share with us in the comments below.

1. Human Battleships – Watch it here

Group Size: Any

Activity Level: Medium

Setup and Supplies:

• Something to divide room in half (chairs, tables, etc)
• NOT HARD balls (small, medium, or large)

How to play:

• Divide the youth into two teams
• Ask the youth to lay on their backs
• They throw balls to the other side
• Once player is hit by the ball he or she is out
• The ball must bounce once before a player can touch it
• Using a timer, (3-4 minutes works for me) the team with most at the end, or the team who get all of the other side out first wins, whichever comes first.

2. Snow Removal – Watch it here

Group Size: Any

Activity Level: Medium

Setup and Supplies:

• Drinking straws
• Assortment of 3 different marshmallow sizes
• Tables

How to Play:

• Set up a table in each corner of the room
• Divide group into two teams
• Each team has to transfer as many marshmallows from one table to the diagonal table in the allotted time given (I use 5 minutes)

Large marshmallows = 4 points, medium marshmellows, 2 points and small marshmellows 1 point.

The team with the most points, wins!

3. Rush Hour – Watch it here

Group Size: Any

Activity Level: Berserk

Setup and Supplies:

• Chairs
• Ability to stop and start music (optional)

How to Play:

• The youth sit in front of each other in chairs in 2 separate teams.
• At the signal students (or when the music stops) run to the other side and sit in the other team’s chairs.
• Each time remove 1-2 chairs.
• Students left standing sit down in the middle of the running zone (they could sit at the side but this makes it more difficult and more fun for the team members still playing).
• Last student standing from each team wins!

4. Candle Chug –  Watch it here

Group Size: Any

Activity Level: Mild

Setup and Supplies:

• 2 candles
• 2 lighters
• 2 cans of pop

How to Play:

• Ask two of your young people to sit opposite one at a table.
• Put two candles side by side in the centre of the table.
• Give each of the youth a can of pop and a lighter.
• They both start by lighting the candles while the person opposite tries blowing it out.
• They may not drink while their candle is out!
• First one to drink their drink wins!

5. Blob Tag – Watch it here

Group Size: Any

Activity Level: Berserk

Setup and Supplies

• None!

How to Play:

• Either in a room or in a designated area outside
• Select an ‘it’ person
• As the “it” person tags others, they join the blob and must hold hands.
• Only the end people on the blob can tag others
• Play until there’s only one young person left ‘untagged’. They can be the new ‘it’ person.
• With large groups you can pause the game half way through divide the blob into 2 or more multiple blobs. (very fun that way too)

6. Blender Game – Watch it here

This takes a little bit of preparation but I had to include as one of my all time disgusting favourites!

Group Size: Any

Activity Level: Medium

Setup and Supplies:

• You’ll need a blender
• Blending items (We have done McDonalds blender, KFC blender (no bones!), a gross food blender, or just grab whatever you can find and mix it together.
• Cups
• A table (To put blender on)
• A rubbish bin (in case one of your youth feels led to puke!)
• Will It Blend Video (Optional)

How to play:

• Blend Items– Make sure to use a good amount of liquid or it wont blend!!
• Pour into cups, first person to drink all of their liquid wins!
• We usually play a “will it blend” video before. They are fun and give us time to set up!

7. Deathball – Watch it here

Group Size: Any (works best with 10+)

Activity Level: Medium to berserk

Setup and Supplies:

• Chairs
• Ball

How to Play:

• Make a circle of chairs for each player, minus one.
• Students sit in chairs, one player in the middle of the circle. He/she is it.
• One student in the circle holds the ball and throws it to another player in the circle.
• The player in the middle’s goal is to either tag the person who has the ball or catch the ball when it’s thrown to another player. If either of those attempts are successful, then the player in the middle switches with the player in the circle.
• When starting a round, players cannot throw the ball to the person directly next to them.
• If the ball doesn’t touch a player in the circle when thrown to them, they cannot get up and get the ball. The only person chasing the ball should be the person in the circle who touched it last and the person in the center.

8. Bird Hunter

Group Size: Any

Activity Level: Medium to Baserk

Setup and Supplies:

• Ball

How to Play:

• One player is the “hunter” and the others are “birds.”
• The hunter throws a ball at the birds, who may run freely about within the boundaries determined by the players before the start of the game.
• When the birds are hit with the ball, they become dogs and help the hunter by recovering and throwing the ball to the hunter.
• The hunter is the only one that may hit the birds.
• The last bird to be hit becomes the hunter for the next game.
• HINT:  To distinguish between the dogs and birds, have dogs get down on all fours and crawl; make birds flap their arms like wings.

9. Mat Ball – Watch it here

Group Size: 10-25

Activity Level: Baserk

Setup and Supplies

• Ball
• 5 mats

How to Play:

• A lot like kickball but with big mats.
• Set up as per the diagram opposite – four mats in each corner of the gym (plus a home plate mat on the base line even with where the basketball goal is).
• One team then kicks while the other is in the field.
• Instead of 3 outs, there are 5 outs.
• Any ball caught in the air is an out (including off the walls).
• You peg players off base with the ball to get them out as well.
• You can kick the ball anywhere but we have a line 5 feet away from where they kick that they have to pass on a kick or it’s “foul” to prevent bunts.
• A kick into the ceiling is an out.
• If we have more than 6 kids on each team, I make them round the bases twice before they can score.
• Once you reach the mat safely, there is no force rule that you have to go.
• As many people as can stay on the mat safely can occupy a mat.
• Once you step a toe or anything off the mat, you have to go to the next base.
• You can steal at any time and don’t have to tag up on a catch (however, once you go, you have to go).
• A pitcher can fake a pitch to try to catch a runner going.

10. Scatterball – Watch it here

Group Size: 6+

Activity Level: Medium to baserk

Setup and Supplies:

• 2-3 Dodgeball type balls

How to Play:

• You can play this two ways: in teams or individually.
• Once the ball is thrown and bounces off the wall it becomes live.
• It is then free for all dodgeball; if you pick the ball up, you can’t move. You have to throw (neck down) at other players. If you hit them, they sit down where they are at. If they catch it, you sit where you are.
• If neither happen, the ball is live for someone to pick up. Once you get hit and sit on the ground, you are still in the game.
• If the ball trickles to you, you can grab it (without moving, you must stay where you were hit on the ground, obviously you can spin or reach from your location) and throw it at other players still in.
• If you hit a player, they sit down and you are back up in the game.
• One rule you should say is that if you have the ball and release it, you cannot be the next person to touch it or you’ll have kids batting it around or dribbling it. You can pass it to players, but if they catch it in the air, you are out. So all passing is bounce passes which there are always chest pass mistakes that get people out.
• If you play with partners, it’s the same game with more bounce passing with your partner. Also, if you’re up and catch a ball, your partner can get back into the game. You go till only one person or team is eliminated.
• Once they get a hang of the game you could add another ball or two so they’re all going at the same time. This makes it’s more exciting!

If you have a game or activity that you yourself have played with your church youth group, share with us in the comments below.