Space: Open space. She has served in ministry positions such as co-pastor, youth minister, and spiritual director. Space: Open Space. // Leaf Group Lifestyle, Youthwork Practice: Ideas for night time activities. Equipment: Boundary markers. Some games, such as telling scary stories, work best inside. As a youth minister, I know we sometimes run behind schedule, and before you know it, youth group is about to start and we still don’t have a game picked.
The smugglers are given something they must try and get past the custom officials without being caught. Space: Open field. Number of Youth Group Participants: 5+, Equipment: Blindfold. She has been in professional ministry for over 15 years. Number of Youth Group Participants: 8+. Have even more fun with scary games and stories.
by Alexis Waid | May 3, 2019 | Blog, Ministry Resources, Youth Ministry | 0 comments. Space: Open field. Equipment: A Ball. I love this game and so will your youth. They keep adding to the blob as they catch more people. Number of Youth Group Participants: 5+. Last team remaining wins.”, Equipment: None. Space: Open Space. Equipment: none. Space: Open Field. Depending on the size of the space, you may need to establish boundaries, with students automatically becoming part of the blob if they go beyond them. One person in each pair is blindfolded, and then led to a tree … Number of Youth Group Participants: 12+, “The goal of this game is for the Survivors to get back to the starting point without being tagged by a zombie”, Equipment: None. Everything from classic outdoor games like capture the flag to giant outdoor games like Jenga, yard Twister, and more! Space: Open field with nothing in it.
All other members in the group must run and hide. In contrast... Firefly.
A game where players try to get across the playing field without touching the lava. Seriously, super fun and a great way to incorporate all kids in your group. Choose one person to be “it.” The other players …
Space: Outdoors. Space: Outdoors best at night. Oh… you know they all want to go outside and play a game, right? A favorite of many teens especially boys.
The group is split in pairs. She is “it”. The blindfolds are removed, and the person then has to try and locate the tree she was hugging. Equipment: A bouncy ball and something to make the four square divisions like chalk or tape. Space: Open field. Number of Youth Group Participants: 9+ (but its realy suited for a large group), Equipment: Dodgeballs. Equipment: A kickball and four bases. Space: Open field. Space: Open Space.
Space: Outdoors. Sleepovers with your friends create special times and lasting memories. Number of Youth Group Participants: 12+. Space: Open Field. Space: Open space. Number of Youth Group Participants: 5+. Be careful to have everyone spread out so they don’t hurt each other while spinning. It’s a good game for high school students too. Outdoor games for youth ministry are a great way to enjoy the good weather, burn off some energy, form new bonds, and break up a youth group session. Number of Youth Group Participants: As little as 3 or more. To play this game right, you really need a big group of youth. Equipment: None. Flashlight tag. The game ends when all are caught. Number of Youth Group Participants: 6+. One person in each pair is blindfolded, and then led to a tree via an obscure route. This post contains affiliate links to products that I recommend.
Thurlow gained a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, politics and economics at Durham University. They can try and rush past the custom officials, throwing the balloon between them, or one can hide it and try and sneak past the customs officials while the rest of her team make a diversion. Pull out a timer and have all the kids assemble in a field and spin for a minute, including “it”. Play inside or outside, depending on the weather and the availability of space. For more Youth Ministry resources check out these great posts: 128 Small Group Questions For Youth Group. Number of Youth Group Participants: 5+.
Games That You Can Play Outside at Night Flashlight Tag. Think of this as hide-and-seek backwards. Space: Open Field. One person is given a torch and must close her eyes and count to 30, standing at the “base”, which could be a bag or a tent. Oh my gosh, it’s sooo nice out today! If … This is a version of Ghosts in the Graveyard. Equipment: a soft ball (dodgeball, kickball, etc). The winner is the person who steals the candy bar without being caught.
Seriously, super fun and … Space: Open field.
Seriously, right now!
SPUD (with my special instructions) I love this game and so will your youth. Equipment: None. Once there the blindfolded person has to feel the tree, it’s trunk and routes etc. This will get your group to quiet down and test their ability to stay quiet while playing a game. Space: Outdoor on concrete. Number of Youth Group Participants: 3+.
He can even pretend to help her under an imaginary fence, or other such misleading ideas. This game will really bring your youth group together as everyone together makes a knot and then tries to untangle it without letting go of each other. This is such a classic and beloved game for youth ministry, your kids will love it! Space: Open field. Number of Youth Group Participants: 5+. Number of Youth Group Participants: 5+. Equipment: none. Space: Outdoors. Space: Open field. Number of Youth Group Participants: 5+. Number of Youth Group Participants: 10+. Everyone in the group must try and steal the candy bar without being heard. Number of Youth Group Participants: 5+ but the more the better! Have You Lost This Too? Equipment: None. Number of Youth Group Participants: 5+, Equipment: a can. The group is split into two even teams. Ghosts in the Graveyard. Good old freeze tag, you might be surprised how much fun youth will have playing games they played as elementary kids. Space: Open field. Another game that is best suited to night time play is ghosts in the graveyard. Below I have compiled a list of 27 great outdoor games for youth ministry that you can do right now.
One player is “it” and they try to catch someone. Something is placed in front of her, like a candy bar. Flashlight tag combines elements of tag and hide-and-seek into one game. Space: Open Space. One person is blindfolded, and she is the “Sleeping Pirate”. Everyone else in the group must move at least twenty paces from her.
When the minute is up “it” tries to catch everyone they can.
Wearing dark clothes is advantageous for this game. Scary Games to Play at a Sleepover. What are you going to do with your students? Alexis has a Master's degree from Denver Seminary and a Bachelor's degree from Colorado Christian University. Playing outdoor games can be great for team building exercises, a different take for a birthday party and of course great for keeping kids entertained on a camping holiday. Equipment: Potato sacks or towels/sheets or cardboard. A nighttime version of tag arms one player with a flashlight. Number of Youth Group Participants: 10+, “Dragon Tag is an action-based game that is like tag, but with a twist! Once tagged, you form a human running chain until everyone is caught. Number of Youth Group Participants: 5+, Equipment: two flags (can really be anything). I also received some products for free for this post. A personal favorite of mine for middle school youth because they love yelling out poop deck! Great game for building unity and trust in a group. One team is the “smugglers” and the other is the “custom officials”, or any variant on the names. Again, another throwback that your youth will have fun doing, but in order to really play this right you need a lot of kids. Space: Open space. Space: Open field. When it comes time for camps and other summer activities, having a list of outdoor games for youth is big asset for filling up time and keeping your students engaged and occupied. Equipment: balls, cones, and hula hoops. Number of Youth Group Participants: 10+. Sardines. Equipment: None. A tag game that is for everyone. Members must try and reach the “base” without being seen. All outdoors games are supposed to be fun so should not be taken too seriously, and the area should be checked while it is still light to ensure there is nothing dangerous lying around. Equipment: Ball. The group is split in pairs. It’s important to note that you caution everyone to not intensely throw the ball as it can really hurt people. Telling Scary Stories. Number of Youth Group Participants: 14+, Equipment: A ball and two goals. Flashlight Tag. Number of Youth Group Participants: 10+. If that is often the case for you, then you must check out my other post 50 no prep youth group games (which is a big list of indoor, outdoor, icebreakers, and more). When they touch a person, then the other person becomes part of the blob. Night landscape image by Alexander Maksimov from, pocket torch image by Anton Gvozdikov from, Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
The two students link arms or hold hands and, running together, try to catch another student. Equipment: none. Teams of 4-8 people form “dragons” by linking elbows and attempt to grab the “tail” of another team’s dragon. The goal is to evade … The children run around, one child has a flashlight and has to tag the other children … Number of Youth Group Participants: 5+. Equipment: Blindfolds. Number of Youth Group Participants: 12+, “The object of the game is for teams to score 21 points by completing passes in different areas of the field.”, Equipment: A ball and two goals. Soak a bunch of t-shirts in water, place them in plastic bags, and then stick them in the freezer overnight.
This could be anything from a balloon to an old jumper. Number of Youth Group Participants: 10+, Equipment: Ball, cones, and a basket. A fast-paced game where youth run to different parts of the “ship” as fast as they can to avoid elimination. Number of Youth Group Participants: 8+, Equipment: None. They way the smugglers work is up to them.