Young Children Games

Before your participants arrive, rip 3-4 inch pieces of colored tape (1 color per team... We usually play with two teams). Bend over about a half inch at one or both ends of the tape.When ready to play, line each student up shoulder to shoulder and have them close their eyes. Position two of the same colored tape on each player's back, around each shoulder blade, to signify which team they are on.

Pick out two people to be the "chasers" and two to be the "chasees". Have everyone else line up like a grid with 3 feet in between the person in front, behind to the left and right of them, like this diagram here:. . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . . . .Everyone should bring out their hands facing one direction to create"streets" in one direction like this diagram:--.-- --.-- --.-- --.----.

Instruct everyone to grab and chair and arrange themselves in a circle and sit in the seats.The leader will call out "Everyone who has.......... must shift ......... seats to the ............". The first space is for a trait (e.g. Blue shirt, the oldest sibling, age, birthday month, etc.)The second space is for the number of seatsThe third space is for either the right or left.

This is a very simple game and loads of fun!Everyone starts in a circle facing inwards. One player then "snorts" another by looking at them and making a snorting sound. If the participant "receiver" of the snort smiles, laughs or speaks before passing the sort on, they are out and must leave the circle. Snorting twice (called a "double snort") causes the direction of play to reverse.

Get everyone to stand up, then read through the following list. The last person standing is the winner!Sit down if you…have eaten chocolate today are wearing purple were born in Septemberhave blue eyesare the youngest childhave broken a bonehave gone for two weeks without a showercan speak more than two languagesThis game is similar to True or False and works great for large groups.

Each participant creates their own distinctive "sign" - a discrete action such as the peace sign, thumbs up or down, pat on the head, tap on the nose, etc. It should not be too obvious or attract a lot of attention.Everyone sits in a circle facing inwards and demonstrates their sign to the group.

Slit into groups of 3 or 4.Each group gets a balloon covered in shaving cream and a razor. Their job is to shave the balloon. The first group to complete the task is the winner.The trick is - when the balloon breaks, the shaving cream goes everywhere, so be prepared! A little nick on the razor's edge beforehand will help ensure the balloons will break.

On the back of some Post-it Notes (i.e. the sticky side), write some good get-to-know-you questions. Ensure that you write at least as many questions as there are people - you can double up with the questions if there's a lot of people in your team.Stick them all on a whiteboard or wall so people cannot see the question on the back.

We all know the Rock Paper Scissors game. But can you base a Youth Group night on it? The answer is No! But you can keep kids entertained for at least 20 minutes and it works really well as an icebreaker or time filler.The key to its appeal is to promote it as a "Rock Paper Scissors" tournament.

As an alternative to the standard photo scavenger hunt, this idea involves sending groups of young people out with a less descriptive list of things to capture with a camera. It encourages them to be more creative.For exampleEveryone agreed that one look at THIS and you just knew all the beauty in the world was a gift from God.

Get everyone to sit down in a circle.One person is chosen to be "it”. Blindfold the youth and spin them in circles. Hand one other person in the circle something that they shake to make noise (e.g. maraca, a bottle of pebbles, tambourine). It works well if you have something that is hard to pass on without making noise. The students really have to pay attention to.

Poison is a good physical activity to get people moving. It is also not as dangerous as it sounds!Organise everyone in the group to make a circle and hold hands. At the center, place a chair (or similar object).The concept is simple - if you touch the chair (which is "poisonous"), you're out.