Youth Alive is collecting fantastic games that can be used as a resource in your youth ministry!
To submit a game or get more information email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Here are some out-there and exciting games that will connect and entertain the teenagers in your youth ministry!

Card board warriors

This game is great because it involves everybody, but lets them choose their degree of participation. Here’s how you play it.  
For several weeks prior to the game, grab heaps and heaps of cardboard boxes and packing tape (not masking tape, it has to be packing tape).
On the night of your game, split everybody up into 2 or 4 teams, depending on the size of your group. It’s best to have about 5-8 students on each team. So, the larger your group, the more groups you will need.
When you have your groups established, their objective is simple. Using the tape, the cardboard, and some scissors, they must work together to fashion the cardboard into a knight’s armor, shield, sword, etc. Give teams at least 10 minutes to make the armor for their knights.  
When the ‘fabrication’ time is up, allow the 2 or 4 knights to battle each other. The winner is the last one who has his/her armor intact. Because it is likely that each of the knights will sustain a large amount of damage to their armor, you may want to have a few adult leaders play ‘judges.’
OPTION: You could also put a time limit on each battle. That way, the winner is the person with the least amount of damage done when the bell rings.
Have fun!

Black plastic jump

Outside approximately clear a 15m x 4m space. In the last 4m build a Jump 2 meters wide and as high as you want. You can use any resource you want to build the jump as long as it has a flat surface on the top. Lay out some gym mats/mattresses after the jump, or if hot an inflatable pool.

The other 11 meters lay some black builders plastic (Available from most hardware stores) through to the end of the jump.

Attach to ropes to any of the following. . Lillo, inner Tire tube, Knee board, snowboard, blow up boat, boogie board etc. This is the Vehicle.

Put some water and detergent on the plastic so it’s slippery and get 5 strong boys on either side of the run way to pull the vehicle with a teen on it over the jump.

The teen with the longest jump wins.

Happy Nappy

Get some nappies and put a table spoon of Nutella or Peanut butter in each and get some teenagers up on stage to lick their nappy clean, first one finished wins.

Love chair

This is great way to embarrass all those smooth movers in your ministry.

1. Pick 5 Smooth boys. Get them to volunteer if they think they’re smooth or know some good pick up lines.

2. Send them out of the room with a guy leader

3. Get 2 chairs and put them next to each other but with just enough space in-between so third chair could fit.

4. Put a blanket or sheet over the chairs and get two of your beautiful pure youth Girls to sit on the two chairs with the blanket pulled tight underneath them it should give the illusion that there is a spare chair in-between the two girls.

5. Get the guy leader to word up the boys to walk in real smooth and sit down in-between the girl and stick his arm around them.

6. As he goes to sits down the girls stand up and he’ll fall flat on his back.

7. Set it up again and send the next boy in.

Rollercoaster

Send 5 teens out of the room with a leader so they can’t hear you on the mic. While they are outside put a Chair in the middle of the stage and tell all the youth that this is what these 5 do when they are on the loo. While the 5 are outside get the leader that took them out to explain to them that there is a chair in the middle of the stage and one by one they need to go in sit on it and pretend that they are on a roller coast. This is great for laughs.

Dunk 4 Dump

Buy a new Toilet Pan S (Trap) $50 on EBAY. And block up the pipes with gaffa tape. Fill it with yellow soft drink and put lots of chopped up snickers in it. Pick 4 teens, 2 boys and 2 girls. The aim is to bob for snickers with your mouth. Each player has 30 seconds to bob for as many with as the can.

Gladiators

Inspired by the TV show Gladiator this game requires to objects equal in height (two identical tables or two 44 Gallon drums etc) and a strong but narrow length of steel or timber. The length needs to be strong enough to hold two teenagers. Suspend the length up in the air by sitting it on the two objects (one at each end) and lay some mats, pillow, or whatever you have that is soft enough to break a fall when it occurs. This game is all about knocking your opponent of the poll before they knock you off. You will need to make a weapon for each player. The best weapon is a 1.5m piece of poly pipe with a pillow or a block of soft foam taped around each end but you can use things like pool noodles, pillows, tea towels etc. start the game with one teen at each end of the poll and do a few rounds with different teens. Note: the higher you suspend the poll the cooler your teens will think it is.

Sumo wrestling

Tape 3-4 car inner tire tubes together tightly and repeat twice.

Set up a 4m circle approx with tape or rope.

Get some teenagers to jump chuck the tubes over their chest with their head sticking out the top.

Aim: By running at the opponent they must try and knock each other out of the circle.

Coke skull with a twist!

The Coke skull is a classic challenge! However you can mix it up by making the competitors take off their dirty sock and stick it over the can of coke and then skull through the sock. Spring the twist on them after they’ve volunteered to do the skull. It usually works if you get them psyched about doing the skull first.

Spin Kings

This is a great group game where everyone can get involved.

Before you start find a large open space. The bigger the group the bigger the space required

1. Get everyone to stand in a circle and hold their neighbors wrists, monkey grip works best.

2. Put different objects in the middle of the circle. E.g. Chairs, Boxes, 44 gallon drums etc.

3. Instruct you group to spin around in one direction and try and get the opposite side of the circle to bump into the objects while spinning.

If a teen bumps into an object they are out. If the circle breaks the broken links are out.

The last person left wins.