The Best Youth Group Games for Church

On Sunday, the church is a place of reverence and worship, however, during the week, our youth can still get together for good company and wholesome fun! Sometimes they just need some help getting started. With the games I’ll share today, youth will easily forget about their phones and have fun with each other! These youth group games are also great because they are team-building ones.

Team-building games are great because they teach the youth to work as a team, bounce ideas off of each other, and learn respect for others. With that said, here are 7 fun church youth team building games:

1. Water Balloon Volleyball
2. Fruit Basket
3. Balloon Relay Race
4. Family Feud
5. Pass The Sponge
6. Capture The Flag
7. Human Knot

These games are sure to make everyone join in and have a great time! Want to learn more about each game and how to play? Read on!

1. Water Balloon Volleyball

Ages To Play: 10+

Prep: Moderate

This game is great to be played outside on warm sunny days. It’s exactly what it sounds like, volleyball but with water balloons! It is played in groups of two within 2 teams. You will need a towel for each group of two and tons of water balloons!

How To Play:

• Set up a volleyball net or make a sort of pole/net of your own.
• Have everyone find a partner then split into two teams (if you have a large youth group then multiple teams and tournament-style)
• Have the partners hold a towel between them and this is how they will launch and catch the water balloons. No other body parts are allowed!
• Play as you would regular volleyball rewarding a team points if the opposing one breaks or drops their water balloon.
• Have everyone take turns in different positions (“serving,” upfront by the net, etc.)
• You can keep points or just play for fun until all the balloons have been popped.

 

You can play a version of this indoors, just replace the water balloons with bean bags or pickle balls for a fun twist on volleyball.

2. Fruit Basket

Ages To Play: 7+

Prep: None

This game is great for a range of ages and larger groups. Fruit Basket can be played indoors or outdoors. All you need are chairs or some other way to designate “spots”.

How To Play:

• Seat players in a circle. One person stands in the center.
• Each player is given the name of a fruit.
• The person in the middle calls out the name of two fruits. The two people must quickly change seats.
• The person in the middle also tries to reach one of the seats. The one left standing then calls the name of two other fruits. He or she may also call “fruit basket turnover” and everyone must change seats.
• You can either do it like musical chairs where the person caught without a seat is eliminated or just keep playing until everyone has had a few chances to swap and call out.

3. Balloon Relay Race

Ages To Play: 5+

Prep: Easy-Moderate

This game can be easily modified for any level, age, and time frame. You can add in as many challenges as you’d like and have as many teams as you need. You will need inflated balloons and various objects.

How To Play:

• Divide into equally sized teams if you have more than 4 people.
• Establish what the challenge will be (getting a balloon over/under something, through something, etc.) and give each team one or two balloons.
• Establish the finish line and rules (hands remain behind the back, eyes closed, etc.)

 

Ideas for challenges:

• pass the balloon to a teammate without using hands
• carry balloon a certain distance between legs without popping it
• pass the balloon down a path by bopping it on your head, it cannot touch the ground

4. Family Feud

Ages To Play: 8+

Prep: Moderate

This game is perfect especially if you want to add in some religious topics. There are countless questions you can ask, just keep it appropriate for the age.

How To Play:

• Ahead of time, come up with various topics/questions with 3 top responses.
• Split up the youth into 2 or 4 teams as even as possible.
• Have a person from each team come up to a buzzer or a bell each round.
• Ask them the question or topic and the first to “ring in” with one of the top 3 responses will win points for that round. You can give a different point value for each of the 3 responses you came up with.
• Play until all the questions are down and then add up points. You can also have a showdown round for a tie-breaker or winner-take.

5. Pass The Sponge

Ages To Play: 3+

Prep: Easy

This is another game perfect for playing outside when the weather is nice! You can also easily tie in a moral lesson here. (even the smallest acts of kindness have a ripple effect like the water and simple acts can slowly but surely “fill someone’s bucket”).

How To Play:

• You will need lots of sponges of equal size and large buckets or tubs.
• Have a hose accessible to keep the initial bucket filled with water.
• Split up into teams of equal numbers.
• Have the teammates line up at an arms’ length.
• The first player will be next to a bucket of water and a few sponges. They will start by getting as much water inside a sponge and then begin passing it down the line of their team.
• Everyone will take and pass the sponge trying to keep as much water inside the sponge as possible.
• The last person in the line will be next to an empty bucket that they will need to finally squeeze as much water out of the sponge as possible.
• The game ends when either a set time runs out or when all the sponges have been passed down and squeezed. Whatever team has the most water in their bucket wins!

6. Capture The Flag

Ages To Play: 10+

Prep: None-Easy

Capture the Flag is a classic game that is always a favorite among youth and adults alike! It’s another great team-building game because you have to work together and come up with smart strategies. While there are different variations of this game out there, here is one example of a way to play.

How To Play:

• Divide into two teams.
• Have each team choose a base and identify it.
• Players from one of the teams will be on offense and will try to capture their opponent’s flag and return it to their base.
• When caught, players are frozen until they can be freed by someone else from their team.
• Players on defense can strike out at opponents or try to freeze them by tagging them. Once tagged, players are frozen until someone from their team goes and frees them.
• You can decide whatever rule you want but if someone is caught carrying the flag they must drop it where they were tagged or unfrozen. This game is an easy one to modify depending on the number of youth you have and of course, the number of flags you have.
• The game ends when one team captures the flag and returns it to their home base.

7. Human Knot

Ages To Play: 8+

Prep: None

Human Knot is another great game that the entire group can play. Or of course, you can split into two teams and make a race out of it! This can be played outside or inside and can have different “spins” put on it.

How To Play:

• Split into two teams or play as a group.
• Have everyone stand in a circle facing inward with outstretched hands
• Now they must grab the hand of another player but not the person directly next to them.
• Once all hands are connected, they must work together to get untangled without letting go of their hands.
• Once an unbroken circle has been formed again with all hands still connected, the game is won!

Why Are Team-Building Games Good?

Many churches struggle with their youth groups because they don’t have a sense of community. It’s hard to get everyone together and not just the same old kids showing up every week.

Team-building games help create that sense of belonging and unity in a fun, non-threatening way! They let you meet people and bond over something other than church.

It also creates a forum for youth to improve their communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and social skills. These are all important things the youth need to know how to do to be successful adults! Team-building games also encourage more participation so nobody feels left out. They can be less intimidating than board games.

What Types Of Games Are Good For Teenagers?

There are numerous effective team-building games for teenagers, but there are three key ingredients that make them successful. First, they should be engaging. It should have fun in the title! Second, it must have a clear objective. This means your group will know what is being asked of them when you start the game.

Thirdly, it needs to be interactive. It is good if it has a team and individual component to it, but not necessary. This makes for a fun environment that encourages the youth to get involved without being too intimidating or competitive!

With a little time and creativity, you can help foster a great experience for your youth of any age! Use these seven fun team-building games to help build friendships and teach valuable life lessons and skills. Good luck and have fun!