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 | Jonathan’s Resource Ezine |
Weekly Resources, Ideas and Articles from The Source for Youth Ministry
Wednesday, July 18, 2001
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| JONATHAN’S TEN BEST GAMES FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO DON’T LIKE GAMES! WEEK 1 – Jonathan’s 10 Best and Why They Work |
July 18, 2001
We’re glad to provide you with effective resources, programs, games, events, discussions, and ideas! Whether you are a volunteer, a youth leader, a youth pastor, or DOUG FIELDS, we can use these practical tools to help our ministries.
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STUDENTS WHO DON’T LIKE GAMES!
— WEEK 1 —
Jonathan’s 10 Best and Why They Work
I am consistently asked, “Jonathan, what is the best game you got?” (You notice that proper grammar is not a priority with us youth workers!) I realize I can hold out no longer. I need to give you the best I’ve got! (In actuality, these games are already on my list- but some people want the guided tour!)
Game #1? Grab It
I have a special place in my heart for this game, because it was told to me by a close friend and mentor who helped me get started in ministry years ago. When I started a campus outreach in 1993, this was the first game I played. (I’m wiping a sentimental tear from my eye).
I was reaching a group of unchurched students. About 12 of them showed up to my house for “free root beer floats.” They didn’t know what was going on, all they knew is that their friend told them to come to this fun thing with FREE ROOT BEER FLOATS!
When they got there I told them all, “Hey, thanks for coming. Tonight we’re going to have FREE ROOT BEER FLOATS! Who thinks they can drink more than two? How about three? Four? All right, we’re going to have the floats in a minute- but first … get into two lines. Now I want to see which line has the best reflexes …”
Notice what I did. I didn’t break my #1 rule of my SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF GAME LEADING:
I didn’t tell them we were going to play a game. For this group it was crucial. These are the kinds of kids that if you said “Come on in! We’re going to play some GAMES!” They would have thought I was the clown mom rented for their 10th birthday party.
Before kids knew it they were playing the game. As a matter of fact, they forgot all about the floats and were focused on trying to beat the other team.
Here’s how GRAB IT goes:
** Divide into two teams. Put them into two lines parallel and next to one another (about 3 feet apart) sitting down and holding hands. At the back of the line put a bucket of water with a bar of soap in it (if this is , on carpet, put a layer of towels down- the water tends to splash, then drip … let’s face it … this is a messy game!) between the two lines. Stand at the head of the lines with a quarter in your hand. Instruct them that you are going to flip the quarter so only the first person in line can see the results. They are not to yell out how the quarter landed or even look back at their team. If the quarter lands on heads the persons in front are to squeeze their hands. The rest of the line is to squeeze their hands if their other hand is squeezed so that they can communicate to the last person in the line that the quarter is indeed heads not tails. If the last person in line has their hand squeezed than they are to try to grab the soap out of the bucket before the last person on the other team does. The person successful in retrieving the soap gets to go to the front of the line. The problem arrives however when the message is wrongly communicated to the person in back and they grab the soap only to find out that the quarter was actually tails. At that point the person in front must go to the back of the line. The first team to get their entire team forward in line (back person to front- not front to back), wins. **
When the game is still going good, but has gone on for a while? transition to your next activity. IMPORTANT GAME PRINCIPLE: (not found anywhere else on this web site- cool huh?) Always stop a game while the going’s still good. In other words, stop it while they still want more, not when they’ve already tuned out. It’s always good to leave them with the feeling “Hey, that was fun. I only wish we had more time. I can’t wait til next week!”
So that’s when I transitioned into my next activity (it’s a game, really!)
Game # 2– Newspaper Name Nail
Sad but true. When in doubt, resort to violence. Students love this!
I started by putting everyone in a circle. I had everyone say their name around the circle. Then I grabbed a rolled up newspaper and asked “who would like to hit their friends?” After choosing someone (a lot of raised hands, I’m sure you guessed), I explained the goal at hand. (notice I still haven’t called this a game). Here’s how it goes:
Items needed: Rolled up newspaper or pillow (pillow is actually preferable.)
Group size: Usually for no more than about 30-35 people
Have everyone sit in a circle or something as close as you can get. Then, have each person give their name and make sure each name is clearly said so that all others can hear it. After going through the names once or even twice, have someone start in the middle by asking someone to call the name of someone in the room. The person in the middle proceeds to find the person and try to whop’em with a rolled up newspaper (or pillow) before that person can say both their name and someone else’s name in the room. If they get whooped before they can say their name and someone else’s name, they are now “it”. Also, if the person whose name is called fails to say both their name and another person’s name, they will have to be it. The person who is in the middle takes the place of the person they whoop. This helps people learn each others name and mixes kids around with each other. Great fun? students love it!
STAY TUNED NEXT WEEK FOR MORE GAMES FOR THOSE WHO DON’T LIKE GAMES!
are all on Jonathan’s huge game page!
Check it out:
https://thesource4ym.com/games
Jonathan McKee is president of The Source for Youth Ministry and author of the new book “Do They Run When They See You Coming? Reaching Out to Unchurched Teenagers.” (CLICK HERE FOR THE BOOK) Jonathan speaks and trains across the country and provides free online resources, training, & ideas for youth workers at www.TheSource4YM.comDelivered free via e-mail to subscribers each week. We encourage you to distribute this newsletter freely and ask only that you not change its contents.
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Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.