(Board game pic brought to you by:   All rights reserved by dennoir)

I know this post may seem elementary and that youth group is NOT about games.   But I need to share why I had so much success using these 5 board games.  By using these 5 board games you can build instant community and fun in youth group in a matter of minutes.

In years past I have had to really work hard at blending different type of student clusters in order to make youth group manageable.  Some student clusters would not talk with other student clusters, so it was very difficult to have a productive time– talking about God’s love in youth group when some youth group students didn’t necessary love the other students.

So how did I “break the awkward ice” and get skater Andrew’s peer group to mingle with homeschooler Tom’s peer group?

BOARD GAMES!!!!!!!  That is right.  No one is to cool for board games.

These top 5 board games have been tried and tested in the most awkward youth group environments especially when the youth pastor is dealing with a diverse group of students who hate each other.  I have found that these board games can be greatly utilized in smaller youth ministries and in small group ministries.  Basically board games are great when trying to cultivate more relational, communal environments.

Trust me… I would wandered the board games aisles in Walmart and Target trying to find the perfect game that was fun, engaging and inclusive.  Here are my findings:

(5)  Spoons:  Spoons is a game that requires alertness and fast muscle reflexes.  The goal of Spoons is to 1) collect  4 cards of one a kind, 2)  get rid of all your cards by collecting all the one of a kinds  (4 queens, 4- 5, 4- kings) and placing them down before anyone else, 3)  not be the last one without a spoon once someone in the circle has no more cards.  You will need 3-5 deck of cards and plastic spoons.   To read a full description of how to play spoons click here 

(4)  Twister:  There are so many variations of twister it is ridiculous.  My favorite twister variation is taping the twister board on the wall and making the students play by the same rules.  Getting students that don’t like each other to get really close to each other is pretty funny to watch.  You can buy the game here

(3)  Scene It?:  This game is a blast.  It keeps the students engaged and challenges their pop culture IQ.  All you need to do is get a TV, DVD player and anyone of the Scene It? versions.  My favorite versions are:  Scene It?  The DVD Movie Trivia Game  Scene It?  TV DVD edition  Trivial Pursuit:  DVD Pop Culture

(2)  Family Feud:  This DVD board game is based off of the game show FAMILY FEUD.  This game really challenges your group of students to rally together as two families.  The answers the students come up with are always hilarious and the students get sooooo into it.  All you need is a TV and DVD player.  Make sure to check out this game here

(1)  Catch Phrase:  Okay I will admit that I had two catch phrase devices in my office at all times.  This game gets the kids talking very fast as one student is given a word or a phrase and then rattles off clues to help get their teammates to guess the word/phrase.  Catch Phrase was my go to game.  Catch Phrase never flops unless you don’t edit the inappropriate words/phrases on the word cards.  Yes I have had some pretty inappropriate words slip through my radar Needless to say: Go buy this game  here now.

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Do you agree or disagree that board games are helpful in building community?  Why or why not.

If so, what board games have you had success with?  Please share.

It has been 3 and half months since I returned from Haiti.

I still have three realities that I have been sitting with since I returned from Port-au-Prince.

1.  The re-entry has still been very difficult.

2.  I was haunted by the question of:  When I am going back? I was somewhat anxious because some of the other YMATH members were able to go back to Haiti.  I really tried to convince myself I needed to go back, but I sensed I would be rushing it.

3.  How was I going to share my Haiti experience with my youth ministry? For two months I tried my best not to really talk about Haiti because I still had re-entry vertigo and I didn’t want to project on my students.  I was diligently praying asking God:  How can I effectively share my Haiti encounter in a healthy and productive way with my students?

Then… I had this idea pop in my head…..

Why don’t you simulate a 30 hour event that mirrors the Tent City– Marassa?

So I did it.  On Friday, April 30th and Saturday, May 1st our jr high and high school students pretended to be the Haitian people living in a tent city aka “cardboard box” for 30 hours while worshiping and praying. I stressed to my students when you become uncomfortable, God has your attention so you can become dependent on Him.  During the 30 hours I was able to talk about my Haiti experience through stories, videos, pictures, and simulation.

I made students not eat anything, wear the same clothes, not take a shower, and not use electricity.  They also were highly encouraged to sleep in a card board box and  participate in 4 worship and prayer services, all while staying in the same place for 30 hours.  I warned my students that this Haiti weekend would be tough–physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.

Our mock trial Haiti weekend was a hit!!!  To be honest, I was really worried that it would be to hard for the students and they wouldn’t get it!!  Needless to say, they kind of got it.  At 1:34am I had a dedicated group of student praying and worshiping Jesus together.

Videos:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some stuff our students learned:

1.  When you have no electricity you have to be creative

2.  When you are starving and tired the best thing to do is pray and worship

3.  Praying out loud and together is not so awkward and the Haitian Christians make it look easy

4.  God shows up if you are paying attention and give Him attention

5.  Sleeping on the ground sucks

6.  Jr high boys really start to stink after 10 hours

7.  Drinking water is a big deal and essential for the human body

8.  When your comfort has been stripped, it is easier to experience God

9.  The flesh is not that powerful, when you rely on God

10.  The Haitian people are actually willing to walk out in faith

Why do we do games in our youth ministries?

*  Community building

*  Breaking the ice

*  Fellowship

* For fun

*  To make a point

*  To kill time

* To drain the student’s energy

* The students love them

If we are going to facilitate a game, what should be the point?

I think the best youth ministry games are the games that simulate a situation that challenge the students to think and act.  I am a big fan of experiential type of games.

I love in Luke 4 where the Holy Spirit literally drives Jesus into the wilderness, which is where the devil tries to tempt Him.  In this situation, Satan in his crafty ways tests Jesus.  Satan really wants to see if Jesus is the person He is saying He is.  Jesus is put into a situation where His character and words are tried.

I enjoy the pencil trick scene in the Dark Knight where the Joker is trying to sell the idea to kill the batman.  The Joker directly points out that he knows how to pin point the “squealers”.  When times get hard, the squealers will bail and fail.

My point:  Create games that force the students to be who they are in real life.  Facilitate activities that define who the leaders and followers are.  You will be amazed as you sit back and watch and observe the activity.  The activity will show the students true colors and it is so easy to tie it back to how they actually live their life.  It is my assumption that how they think, talk, act, and behave in the “game” will directly show you as their youth pastor how they think, talk, act, and behave in their every day life.  Do games that give you a preview into your student’s psychology.  It will blow your mind how in a matter of minutes you will immediately determine what students are: lazy, motivated, passionate, sarcastic, go getters, thoughtful, analytical, cynical, argumentative, compassionate, and optimistic.

Simulate experiences, games, activities that test your students character code that they daily live by.

Possible Resources:

John Losey’s book: Experiential Youth Ministry Handbook

Survival Simulation

Cross the Line

RETHINKING YM community building section

Frisbee bowling is a great jr high youth group game because it requires teamwork and movement.

I guarantee the youth in your ministry will love it and it is a free youth ministry resource.  

Needed Items:

3 Frisbee for every 6 students

1 table for every group of 6 students

15 plastic cups for every table

Tape

How to Play:

Divide the group into teams of 6.  Assign each team to a table (a lane).  Encourage the team to decide what three students will be the frisbee bowlers and what three students will keep score, restack cups (pins), and fetch the frisbees.  After each frame, the bowlers will the score keepers, the stackers, and the fetchers and vice versa.

The 15 plastic cups are the pins.  Stack the 15 cups vertically.  Level 1 (Bottom level):  5 cups. Level 2:  4 cups.  Level 3:  3 cups.  Level 2:  2 cups.  Level 1 (top level):  1 cup.

Make sure to tape a 3 foot line away from the table.  This tape is where the students throw the frisbee from.  The taped line and the table should be about 10ft apart.

Set up the tables like bowling lanes.  Make sure the table is pointing towards the frisbee bowlers.  You can stack to cups at the end of the table.

You can play as many frames as you want?  It is totally up to you.

BE AWARE of the random flying frisbees.  Sometimes the kids think it is hilarious to start throwing the frisbees at each other instead of at the pins.  At that point cut the game because it can get out of control real fast. I am all about crazy and random youth group games.  True or false:  I got hit in the head twice when leading this game?

If you need a team activity that encourages group decision making this survival simulation will be simply brilliant.  You need to divide your group up into teams of 4 to 8.  On a side note, this simulation is actually used in the military to train soldiers how to think when trying to survive.

SURVIVAL SIMULATION:

You and your team have just survived the crash of a small plane.  Both the pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash.  It is mid-January, and you are in Northern Canada.  The daily temperature is 25 below zero, and the night time temperature is 40 below zero.  There is snow on the ground, and the countryside is wooded with several creeks crisis-crossing the area.  The nearest town is 20 miles away.  You are all dressed in city clothes appropriate for a business meeting.  Your group of survivors managed to salvage the following items:

A ball of steel wool
A small ax
A  loaded  .45-caliber pistol
Can of Crisco shortening
Newspapers (one per person)
Cigarette lighter (without fluid)
Extra shirt and pants for each survivor
20 x 20 ft. piece of heavy-duty canvas
A sectional air map made of plastic
One quart of 100-proof whiskey
A  compass
Family-size chocolate bars (one per person)

Your task as a group is to list the above 12 items in order of importance for your survival.  List the uses for each.  You MUST come to agreement as a group.

EXPLANATION

Mid-January is the coldest time of year in Northern Canada.  The first problem the survivors face is the preservation of body heat and the protection against its loss.  This problem can be solved by building a fire, minimizing movement and exertion, using as much insulation as possible, and building a shelter.

The participants have just crash-landed.  Many individuals tend to overlook the enormous shock reaction this has on the human body, and the deaths of the pilot and co-pilot increases the shock. Decision-making under such circumstances is extremely difficult.  Such a situation requires a strong emphasis on the use of reasoning for making decisions and for reducing fear and panic.  Shock is shown in the survivors by feelings of helplessness, loneliness, hopelessness, and fear.  These feelings have brought about more fatalities than perhaps any other cause in survival situations.  Certainly the state of shock means the movement of the survivors should be at a minimum, and that an attempt to calm them should be made.

Before taking off, a pilot has to file a flight plan which contains vital information such as the course, speed, estimated time of arrival, type of aircraft, and number of passengers.  Search-and-rescue operations begin shortly after the failure of a plane to appear at its destination at the estimated time of arrival.

The 20 miles to the nearest town is a long walk under even ideal conditions, particularly if one is not used to walking such distances.  In this situation, the walk is even more difficult due to shock, snow, dress, and water barriers.  It would mean death from freezing and exhaustion.  At temperatures of minus 25 to minus 40, the loss of body heat through exertion is a very serious matter.

Once the survivors have found ways to keep warm, their next task is to attract the attention of search planes. Thus, all the items the group has salvaged must be assessed for their value in signaling the group’s whereabouts.

FINAL RANKINGS

1.  Cigarette lighter (without fluid)
The gravest danger facing the group is exposure to cold.  The greatest need is for a source of warmth and the second greatest need is for signaling devices.  This makes building a fire the first order of business. Without matches, something is needed to produce sparks, and even without fluid, a
cigarette lighter can do that.

2.  Ball of steel wool
To make a fire, the survivors need a means of catching he sparks made by the cigarette lighter.  This is the best substance for catching a spark and supporting a flame, even if the steel wool is a little wet.

3.  Extra shirt and pants for each survivor
Besides adding warmth to the body, clothes can also be used for shelter, signaling, bedding, bandages, string (when unraveled), and fuel for the fire.

4.  Can of Crisco shortening
This has many uses.  A mirror-like signaling device can be made from the lid.  After shining the lid with steel wool, it will reflect sunlight and generate 5 to 7 million candlepower.  This is bright enough to be seen beyond the horizon.  While this could be limited somewhat by the trees, a member of the
group could climb a tree and use the mirrored lid to signal search planes. If they had no other means of signaling than this, they would have a better than 80% chance of being rescued within the first day.
There are other uses for this item.  It can be rubbed on exposed skin for protection against the cold.  When melted into an oil, the shortening is helpful as fuel.  When soaked into a piece of cloth, melted shortening will act like a candle.  The empty can is useful in melting snow for drinking water.  It is much safer to drink warmed water than to eat snow, since warm water will help retain body heat.   Water is important because dehydration will affect decision-making.  The can is also useful as a cup.

5.  20 x 20 foot piece of canvas
The cold makes shelter necessary, and canvas would protect against wind and snow (canvas is used in making tents).  Spread on a frame made of trees, it could be used as a tent or a wind screen.  It might also be used as a ground cover to keep the survivors dry.  It’s shape, when contrasted with the surrounding terrain,  makes it a signaling device.

6. Small ax
Survivors need a constant supply of wood in order to maintain the fire.  The ax could be used for this as well as for clearing a sheltered campsite, cutting tree branches for ground insulation, and constructing a frame for the canvas tent.

7.  Family size chocolate bars (one per person)
Chocolate will provide some food energy.  Since it contains mostly carbohydrates, it supplies the energy without making digestive demands on the body.

8.  Newspapers (one per person)
These are useful in starting a fire.  They can also be used as insulation under clothing when rolled up and placed around a person’s arms and legs.  A newspaper  can also be used  as a verbal signaling device when rolled up in a megaphone-shape.  It could also provide reading material for recreation.

9.  Loaded .45-caliber pistol
The pistol provides a sound-signaling device.  (The international distress signal is 3 shots fired in rapid succession). There have been numerous cases of survivors going undetected because they were too weak to make a loud enough noise to attract attention.  The butt of the pistol could be used as a
hammer, and the powder from the shells will assist in fire building.  By placing a small bit of cloth in a cartridge emptied of its bullet, one can start a fire by firing the gun at dry wood on the ground. The pistol also has some serious disadvantages.  Anger, frustration, impatience, irritability, and lapses of rationality may increase as the group awaits rescue.  The availability of a lethal weapon is a danger to the group under these conditions. Although a pistol could be used in hunting, it would take an expert marksman to kill an animal with it.  Then the animal would have to be transported to the crash site, which could prove difficult to impossible depending on its size.

10.  Quart of 100 proof whiskey
The only uses of whiskey are as an aid in fire building and as a fuel for a torch (made by soaking a piece of clothing in the whiskey and attaching it to a tree branch).  The empty bottle could be used for storing water.   The danger of whiskey  is that someone might drink it, thinking it would bring
warmth.  Alcohol takes on the temperature it is exposed to, and a drink of minus 30 degrees ahrenheit whiskey would freeze a person’s esophagus and stomach.  Alcohol also dilates the blood vessels in the skin, resulting in  chilled blood belong carried back to the heart, resulting in a rapid loss of
body heat.  Thus, a drunk person is more likely to get hypothermia than a sober person is.

11.  Compass
Because a compass might encourage someone to try to walk to the nearest town, it is a dangerous item.  It’s only redeeming feature is that it could be used as a reflector of sunlight (due to its glass top).

12.  Sectional air map made of plastic
This is also among the least desirable of the items because it will encourage individuals to try to walk to the nearest town. It’s only  useful feature is as a ground cover to keep someone dry.

OTHER COOL GAME IDEAS: Toilet Paper Dodgeball, Frisbee Bowling, Cross the Line, Survival activity.