December, 2020 | Fun Youth Group Games for Kids

Exciting Indoor Youth Group Games (See 4 Unique Games)

Trevor Circle Games, Energizers, Indoor Group Games, Party Group Games, Team Building Games, Youth Camp Games December 31, 2020March 1, 2023Human Pinball, I Love You Honey, indoor youth group games, Poisonous Stump, Silent Tic Tac Toe 2 Comments

As a teenager, I belonged to a youth group. I took a leadership role with the younger youth in the group. Each week we met and my role was to run fun engaging group games with them. Here are some of the kid’s favourite indoor youth group games that I ran. These games make awesome energizers!

Human Pinball

A physical group game played with a ball.

Form a circle with feet touching the player’s feet next to you. One hand behind the back and the other hand is your bat. Feet spread apart are the goals. Each player has a goal. A ball is tossed in. Players bat the ball trying to shoot it between another player’s feet (their goal). If successful, that player is out! Players can also get out if the ball passes between two players, then both these players are both out. Players who get out can try and catch a stray ball on the full. If they manage to do so they can re-enter the game. Keep the game going until only two players remain.

Poisonous Stump

A fun energetic indoor youth group game. Anyone who touches the poisonous stump is out!

Form up a circle around a pile of cushions (the stump). Player all hold the wrists of the players either side of them. Game starts and players try and force another player to touch the poisonous stump, without touching it themselves. Any player who touches the stump is out and the circle reforms around the stump. Repeat the process until only one player remains!

I Love You Honey

A hilarious circle group game where players are not allowed to smile!

Players form a circle with a chosen person to start in the middle. This player holds a bunch of flowers. The player with the flowers approaches another player and presents their bunch of flowers then, using a romantic voice, says “I love you”. The player being presented the flowers must maintain a serious face and reply, “I love you too, but I’m not allowed to smile”. If this player smiles, then he/she is out. This player then takes the place of the player doing the serenading.

Silent Tic Tac Toe

Just like the pen and paper game, Naughts and Crosses, except this one is played with people (Girls vs Boys).

Set up nine chairs or nine mats with 3 rows of 3. Girls form one line and boys another. A player (say someone from the girl’s team) starts by selecting then sitting on a chair (or mat). Then a boy sits in a chair. Next a girl. Then a boy. Keep going until either the girls or the boys forms a row of three (3 boys or 3 girls). That team that forms a row of three wins the round. Repeat until one team wins five rounds to win the game. The game is called ‘Silent’ Tic Tac Toe, because players are not to speak or give any hints to team mates during the game.

Looking for more indoor youth group game ideas. Check out these Circle Games!

Plenty more fun indoor youth group games found on our Wacki App. Check out Wacki App HERE.

Fond Childhood Memories of Traditional Group Games (Easy)

Trevor Night Group Games, Outdoor Group Games, Party Group Games December 18, 2020January 8, 2023Fun Youth Group Games, Traditional Group Games, youth group games 1 Comment

I have warm-hearted childhood memories of playing group games with my cousins and the kids in the neighbourhood. In this article I reminisce and share with you some of those fond childhood memories of traditional group games.

An Awesome Outside Night Group Game

Fond Childhood Memories of Traditional Group Games

On the coastal seaweed banks, whilst camping with family friends, we would play a night group game called ‘Kick the Can’. We loved this game because of the exhilaration of hiding in the dark from our ‘enemy’.

The aim was to kick the Can without being caught by the Spotter who held the torch.

We’d run around late into the night dodging the torch light, hiding behind sea weed banks and sneaking along the sand dune from bush to bush. We’d watch from the dark corners, our comrades getting picked off one by one by the Spotter. They would be sent to the Spotter’s jail!

We’d join forces with those still at large to mount a strategic counter attack to free our captured friends! The only way to free them was to kick the Can.

If you managed to do that, you would most definitely be the hero of the game!

Have you Ever Tried Playing Hid-n-Seek, Back-to-Front?

Another fun traditional group game that we played all the time in the back yard with the neighbourhood kids was a game called ‘Squashed Sardines’.

This game is a reverse of Hide-n-Seek. Rather than one person counting whilst all the other players hid; with Squashed Sardines, one person hides whilst all the other players count.

Once the countdown was complete, we would franticly race around searching for our buddy who was secretly hiding. When found, we would silently slide into their secret hiding spot awaiting others to find us. These guys would also join us in our hiding spot.

When the last poor sole finally discovers us and our hiding spot… we’d jump out shouting, “Squashed Sardines”. It was our worst nightmare to be that last poor sole! (Find more outdoor group games here)

Heads Down Thumbs Up a Traditional Group Game

At school, our teachers would have us playing traditional group games. An old favourite, that has stood the time, is ‘Heads Down Thumbs Up’. Such a simple game that we were so stoked to play!

I bet many of you played this game as well.

Five students were selected to quietly move around the class, each picking a player by touching their thumb. These players had their head buried on their desks and their eyes closed.

Once all five students have made their selections, the coordinator of the game (which was usually one of us kids!) would call, “heads up stand up”.

Those who had had their thumb touched would stand. Each would have an opportunity to guess who it was who touched their thumb. If they guessed correctly, they would get to swap with that out the front. Then the game repeats.

I used to try and peek under my arm at the feet of the kids doing the picking. I’d usually end up getting caught!

Do the French Play Cricket?

A cool group game we played on the oval was ‘French Cricket’.

This was played with a bat and a ball. The batter’s legs were his/her wickets.

The aim was to hit the batter’s legs below the knee with the ball! Not as easy as it sounds.

Fielders would work together, passing the ball between themselves whilst moving in on the Batter. The Batter wasn’t allowed to move his/her feet unless he/she manages to hit the ball with their bat when the ball was tossed underarm at their ‘wickets’. When the ball has hit, the Batter could race off to find a new spot on the oval.

As soon as a player picked up the ball again, that player would call out “freeze”, and the Batter would stand with feet still again, ready to defend their wickets. Fielders were not permitted to run when they had the ball.

They had to pass the ball to players closer to the Batter. Attacking the Batter with the ball from behind made it easier to get them out. If the ball was being tossed at the batter’s legs from behind, then the Batter would have to keep their feet pointing in one direction, whilst twisting their body around to defend their wickets with the bat.

French Cricket works best with small groups of about six players. I have no idea if French Cricket was a game the French play!

Do you Remember These Traditional Group Games from Your School Days?

A bunch of other traditional group games that I remember playing as a kid were ‘Four Square’ and ‘Wall Ball’ on the quad; ‘Knuckle-Bones’ and ‘Elastics’ in the hallways; and ‘Brandy’ and ‘British Bulldog’ out on the oval. We loved pen and paper games like Boxes, SOS and Pen Flick; or games to practice number concepts (Buz) or for learning our spelling words (Beat-the-Chalk).

I have so many happy childhood memories. It was a time long before electronic games and social media. Playing group games helped me form the foundations to who I am today.

Now, here I am many years later, a Dad to seven kids and a school teacher, reliving my awesome childhood with my own cool little tribe of kids at home and with the kids I teach!

Sculptor, An Awesome Team Building Game! (Easy and Fun)

Trevor Educational Group Games, Energizers, Indoor Group Games, Party Group Games, Team Building Games, Youth Camp Games December 10, 2020March 1, 2023educational, team building 0 Comment

Are you looking for an awesome team building game that inspires creativity for your youth group?

Why not give Sculptor a go! A perfect game for between lessons in the classroom; as a youth camp game; or as an icebreaker for a corporate workshop. Sculptor requires small teams to cooperatively work together to create an awe-inspiring sculpture made out of people. That’s right… they are human sculptures!

The Aim of the Game

To create an awesome human sculpture.

Sculptor Game Rules

Nominate someone to be the game Leader. This person keeps time and coordinates the game. You’ll see what I mean when you check out the video below.
The Game Leader splits the players into small groups of about five or six people. Each group designates a ‘Sculptor’.
Players are given a minute to have a team meeting to plan their sculpture. Then three minutes is given to the construction of the sculpture.
Each ‘Sculptor’ manipulates their team into a sculpture.
Players must be compliant with their Sculptor and freeze into the positions they are placed in. All players must be joined somehow. The game works best with the expectation of no talking during the creative process.
When the three minutes is almost up, the Game Leader counts down from ten and sculptures remain frozen in place.
The Game Leader asks each of the Sculptors to present their sculpture to the audience. They must name their creation and explain it.
The Game Leader can score each sculpture based on creativity, presentation and complexity. Alternatively, just have fun with the game and not have scoring.

Every time I play this fun group game with kids, they get more and more creative with their masterpieces. Everyone wants a turn at being the Sculptor, so you won’t be able to stop at playing it just once.

Amp it Up!

Once the kids have the hang of the game, try playing with larger teams of about ten players, each with two Sculptors. The Sculptors work together to put their creation together. This could be extended further, with a team of sculptors who create a work of art with the whole group.

Use ‘Sculptor’ as an Educational Group Game

Sculptor can be used as an educational group game to teach a concept or idea- great for classroom teachers looking for innovative ways to impart learning with their students. Use a subject theme, such as ‘3D Shapes’ or ‘Life Cycle of an Insect’. Up the difficulty level by using abstract themes like, ‘Feelings’ or ‘Colors’. With little kids, the theme could be ‘Marine Animals’ or ‘Numbers’. It’s also fun to play Sculptor whereby scenes from a novel or picture book are created. Check out other Educational Group Games HERE.

A Team Building Game for Parties

Playing Sculptor at parties is a lot of fun, especially if you give it a funny theme such as ‘Spooks’ or ‘Candy’. For little people parties try ‘Toys’ or ‘Fairies’. To spice things up, give each team a prop that must be used creatively as part of the sculpture. This could be a teddy bear, a chair or a balloon. The sculptures could have moving parts. ‘Futuristic Inventions’ or ‘Mythical Creatures’.

There is so much you could do with the game of Sculptor. Definitely add this one to your tool box of fun group games for kids!

Check out more ideas on Team Building Group Games HERE.

View our demo video on You Tube.