Youth group activities can be challenging. You don’t want to bore your teens, but you also want to use age appropriate activities. The best way to do both is by thinking outside the box and finding new ways to have fun together. Here are some ways your church youth group can come together and have a great time!
Are you looking for activities to keep your young adult church group busy? Something they’ll enjoy doing and it won’t feel like church related activity? If so, these ideas will give you a few interesting options to consider.
Youth groups are always looking for what’s next. What can you do that’s new, exciting, and different that will involve the whole group? Everyone on the lookout for innovative new activities for young people. But there is a problem! You’re creative ideas are really bold and far reaching at a time when budgets are limited and overtime staffing just isn’t possible.
As much as we’d like to fly in to Pope Fluffytail’s ‘Sugar Palace’ in a helicopter, do gun fights with the Boy Scouts or head over to the carnival in clown cars, we have to think of alternative activities for church youth groups instead.
List of Youth Programs in Church
Christian board game options include Bibleopoly, Outburst Bible Edition, and Proverbial Wisdom Bible Edition. Another great game for groups is Giant Jenga Bible trivia! Split the kids into teams and then have each child answer a bible trivia question. If they get it right, then they get to pull a block off the tower.
The church offers a variety of youth programs catered to their spiritual growth and personal development. Some of these programs include:
- Weekly Bible Study: A regular gathering where youth can dive deeper into the Scriptures and explore its relevance in their lives.
- Youth Worship Night: A special time for young people to worship, pray, and seek God’s presence together.
- Mentorship Program: Pairing experienced adult volunteers with youth to provide guidance, accountability, and support in their spiritual journey.
- Service Projects: Engaging youth in community service and service projects to develop compassion and a heart for others.
- Fellowship Events: Organizing social events for youth to connect, build friendships, and have fun in a wholesome and Christian environment.
- Discipleship Groups: Creating small groups for intense spiritual growth, accountability, and deeper friendships.
These programs aim to provide a holistic approach to the youth’s development, addressing their spiritual, emotional, and social needs, and enabling them to navigate through the challenges of life with a biblical foundation.
Youth Group Ideas for Small Churches
Even if a church has limited resources or a small youth group, there are still numerous creative and impactful activities that can be organized:
- Themed Bible Study Nights: Choose a relevant theme, such as forgiveness, love, or courage, and design interactive Bible study sessions around it.
- Movie Nights with a Message: Screen Christian movies or documentaries that carry powerful messages of faith, redemption, and hope. Afterward, engage in discussions to explore the themes covered.
- Community Prayer Walks: Organize group prayer walks in the neighborhood, praying for specific needs and sharing God’s love with the community.
- Praise and Worship Nights: Gather the youth for a night of worship, where they can express their love for God through music and singing.
- Bible Verse Treasure Hunt: Create a treasure hunt around the church premises, where youth must decipher hidden Bible verses to find clues and rewards.
- Outdoor Adventure Retreats: Plan camping trips or outdoor retreats that combine fun activities like hiking or canoeing with spiritual teachings and discussions.
These ideas demonstrate that even with limited resources, a small church can still provide meaningful and engaging activities for its youth, allowing them to grow in their faith and experience a vibrant Christian community.
Overall, the “Activities For A Church Youth Group” play a vital role in nurturing young people’s spiritual growth, facilitating their personal development, and helping them deepen their relationship with God. By engaging in activities that carry a message, organizing youth programs tailored to their needs, and providing creative and inclusive activities, youth are given the opportunity to grow in their faith, develop their spiritual gifts, and become active members of the church and society at large. Through these activities, the church prepares the next generation to embrace their identity as children of God, empowering them to make a positive impact in the world.
Youth activities for spiritual growth
Youth pastors are typically given a lot of haphazard work by the church since they are youthful and energetic.
They also expect you to plan entertaining events and games that rival the multi-billion dollar budgets of the entertainment industry, in addition to writing sermons that are impactful every week.
Yes, exactly.
The position of youth pastor can be challenging.
Have you experienced this?
Have you found yourself so swamped by sporadic church tasks that you are truly unable to dedicate enough time to your primary role as a youth minister?
This happens a lot.
Youth pastors frequently arrive at youth groups weary, having spent the last five minutes searching Google for a mediocre youth group activity.
If that describes you, here are 14 quick and easy ideas that kids will love that you can come up with in a matter of minutes.
To Promote Having Fun
Recall that it’s simple to get into a monotonous habit of last-minute activities that serve only as a means of passing the time (imagine a substitute teacher for the third grade pulling out the VHS and showing a movie that everyone has seen thirty times). Plans that encourage participation from all of the children and students engaged are the most effective ones that youth leaders can make!
To Promote Collaboration
While competitiveness, time constraints, and traditional games have their place, team-building and group activities are meant to be used for a different purpose. The purpose of a group pretzel, or human period, is to break the ice and create enduring memories, even if they are uncomfortable at first.
To Motivate Helping Others
Consider the Boy, Girl, and Cub Scout organizations. What qualifies for a badge? Getting an old person’s groceries inside, helping them cross the street, putting up your friend’s tent before your own. Everything was centered around youth group activities with a message or altruistic acts of service. Adult leaders sometimes find it difficult to put themselves in the position of the younger generation. Pro tip: apply the same ideas that were taught to you as a child, but incorporate some modern technology and culture.
As an illustration, ask someone to make a TikTok video of someone else assisting an elderly customer pack their goods. Post it to the TikTok account for your youth group after adding some entertaining music. Technology with service equals enjoyment.
Youth Indoor Group Activities
Even if you’re stuck inside with your youth group, there are loads of entertaining games to play. Let’s examine a few outstanding ones.
- Soccer Ball on Field: Crab Soccer – Church Youth Group Game Blog
No preparation is required.
Materials, supplies, or equipment required: A soccer ball, an open area, and something to indicate the goalposts
It’s not necessary to play soccer outside. This imaginative, entertaining version of soccer allows you to play it indoors (but you’ll need some room).
Guidelines
Participants must assume the crab position in order to begin this game. This indicates that even though their bodies are facing the ceiling, they are still on all fours.
The children will be divided into two teams, each with a goal and side to defend. To begin the game, the ball will be thrown into the middle of the “field.” Ensure that the “goalkeeper” for each squad is the sole one defending the goal.
Then, soccer’s objectives are applicable. Try to score as many goals as you can by kicking the ball, passing it to a teammate, then scoring!
The children can either be allowed to play for a set amount of time or up to a predetermined number of points.
- Take the Flag
Grab the Flag on the Beach – Blog for Church Youth Group
No preparation is required.
Equipment, supplies, or resources required: two “flags”
One of the most well-known cooperative and strategic games for kids is capture the flag. It can be played indoors in spacious spaces like a gymnasium or meeting room, and it’s ideal for big gatherings.
Guidelines
Split the group up into two groups. It could be advisable to designate two team captains and let them select their own teams in order to ensure that the teams are equitable.
Draw a line down the center of the field to divide it into two sections. One flag should be positioned behind each region. This will serve as the team’s base flag.
Teams will make every effort to seize the flag of the opposition and return it to their own base. On the other hand, they risk losing the game or possibly losing players if they are tagged on the opposing team’s side of the field. Alternatively, you might make them freeze until a colleague arrives to defrost them.
- A church youth group pastor presents the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
No preparation is required.
Materials, supplies, or equipment required: Every player has a chair.
This entertaining game is a biblical take on the classic “follow the leader.” For this game, each player only needs a chair.
Guidelines
There must be a chair for each player, even though they can switch them around.
Inform the children that they must pay attention to the number on the chair they are occupying since each chair has a unique number.
Players are each capable of specific actions, such as:
striking their knees
Putting their hands together
Snapping the fingers of their right hand
severing the fingers on their left hand
The game will start when Matthew, the first player, says “ready.” After then, the players will match the aforementioned moves to begin the “beat.” After then, players will receive precise instructions from Matthew, and they must follow them while the other players carry out the cycle of acts.
They are eliminated if they are unable to follow at a fast enough pace.
Activities For A Church Youth Group
Introduction
With all the great resources for churches online it’s getting easier for youth leaders to find activities their kids can enjoy. Nowadays, you can find anything from crafts to games, and even helpful tools like graphic organizers or calculators. But where do you start?
- Bible Squeeze Relay. Have participants get into two teams, form a line and hold hands. …
- Photo Scavenger Hunt. Divide into groups with at least three people who have phones. …
- Team Balloon Race. …
- Bible Brains. …
- Twizzler Tie Up.
The following are some activities for your church youth group:
- Have a game night!
- Go bowling, or play laser tag, or go to an arcade
- Play truth or dare!
- Have a movie night where everyone brings snacks and they watch a movie together as a group
- Do something outside like go on a hike, play sports, etc
Activities for a Church Youth Group
When you’re looking for activities for a church youth group, you want something that’s fun and engaging, but also promotes your mission. These activities are great because they do both!
-A scavenger hunt: This is a great way to get your kids outside and interacting with one another. You can make it as complex or simple as you want, but the main idea is that they’ll have to keep moving, which will help them burn off any extra energy they might have in their systems.
-A game of dodgeball: This is a great way to encourage teamwork and creative thinking. We recommend playing outdoors so that there’s more space for people to run around!
-An obstacle course: If you don’t have space outside for an obstacle course, no worries—you can set up one inside if necessary. If you’re feeling ambitious, build an actual playground (we’ve got instructions on how to do that here). And if not? Just pick up some cones from the hardware store and use those instead!
Youth group is a great way for kids to create friendships with other teens who share their beliefs, spend time learning about their faith, and have fun in the process! If you’re looking for activities to do with your youth group (or looking for ideas on how to start one), below are some of my favorites:
Invite a guest speaker.
Invite a guest speaker
A great way to keep your group involved is to invite a guest speaker to your next meeting. It’s important to make sure that you have enough youth members in the group who are willing and able to participate in an activity or have conversations with the guest speaker. You’ll also want someone who has experience working with youth groups and can relate well to the age range of your congregation’s congregation (8-13).
Play games.
Games are a great way to make youth group more fun. They can be played indoors or outdoors, depending on the weather.
Here are some games you can use for your youth group:
- Musical chairs (you will need chairs)
- Duck-duck goose (you will need a large open space)
- The “chase” game (you will need at least 2 people and lots of energy!)
Go out to dinner.
Going out to dinner is a great way to build community, get to know one another, and deepen relationships. For a group that doesn’t often see each other outside of youth group, this can be a fun activity because it’s easy to talk and get to know each other in a relaxed environment. You can also try something different than your usual restaurant by going somewhere you’ve never been before!
If you have several older kids in the group (or if they’re all adults), they may not appreciate being called “kids” all the time—so try using more adult language when talking about them and their interests rather than just calling them “the teenagers”.
Throw a party.
Throw a party.
- Make it a potluck. The idea here is to make the party as cheap as possible, so you can spend more on activities. And who doesn’t like food? (Lots of kids might not like sharing their food with other people, so this may be better for adults.)
- Invite the whole youth group, parents welcome too! You want everyone there to have fun together and feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves at the same time they’re having fun by themselves in their own way with friends or family members who are also invited but didn’t go with them because they have no interest in whatever activity was planned for that particular evening which means we need more volunteers next time because last month’s event wasn’t exactly ideal either but I’m sure things will be different now)
Go on an outing.
- Outings are a great way to get to know each other.
- Outings can be fun and exciting.
- Outings can be a great way to bond.
- Outings can be a great way to worship.
- And if all of this isn’t enough, outings can also be a great chance for you and your youth group members to serve others by helping out at an event or taking some of your friends somewhere they might not otherwise get the opportunity to go!
Join a club.
Clubs can be a great way to meet new people and learn new things. For example, if there’s a club for knitting and crocheting, try joining that one! Clubs can help you learn new skills. For example, maybe the knitting club has a few members who are super good at crochet and would be willing to teach you some tips and tricks? Or maybe one of them knows how to make hats and scarves from scratch? Either way, it sounds like fun! Clubs are also an excellent opportunity for self-discovery. For example: have you ever thought about making your own t-shirts? Well now’s your chance!
Have a discussion group.
- Discussing a topic helps people learn about each other.
- Discussing a topic helps people learn about themselves.
- Discussing a topic helps people learn about the world around them.
- Discussing a topic helps people learn about God and their relationship with him, as well as how he relates to the world around them.
The more you know, the better equipped you’ll be to make important decisions later in life that could affect your future career, relationships, or even spiritual path!
Youth group is an opportunity to fellowship with and encourage other kids who are also on their journey toward spiritual maturity.
Youth group is a great opportunity to get to know other people, especially those who are on the same journey toward spiritual maturity as you. Youth group can be a place where you find lifelong friends and mentors. You’ll meet people from all different backgrounds and beliefs, and you may learn about things that are completely new to you.
Youth Activities For Spiritual Growth
Who said Christian youth groups can’t be a little on the silly side? These types of activities can help to bring shy individuals out of their shells and get them to participate in future activities.
Bubble Gum Blow-Out
This is a relay game using bubble gum and a piece of paper affixed at an easily reachable height on the wall for all players for each team. Each player has to race to a table on the other side of the room. They then have to pick up a piece of bubble gum, unwrap it and start chewing it. They then have to blow a bubble and stick it to a piece of paper on the wall for their team using only their mouth. (No hands allowed). The team who finishes first wins. This can be more difficult if you use old-fashioned bubble bum, such as Bazooka.
Baby New Year
Let your imagination guide you in playing various games dedicated to the New Year. Have baby bottle races. Fill baby bottles with juice and players have to drink it to see who can finish first (use 4-ounce bottles). Players can also have a baby buggy race to see who can cross a finish line first with a player pushing and the other player riding in a baby buggy (stroller). Guess That Baby is another game where all attendees have to post a picture of themselves as babies on the wall. Everyone has to guess who the babies are.
Board Games
Participating in age-appropriate board games can be a fun activity for youth group members. Consider setting aside time during one gathering per month or quarter to dedicate to playing time-tested traditional or religious-theme board games. Christian board game options include Bibleopoly, Outburst Bible Edition, and Proverbial Wisdom Bible Edition.
teens playing board games
Fellowship Youth Group Activity Ideas
Fellowship is a favorite activity, especially for new members who don’t know everyone. The following activities will help youth group members get to know each other better.
Progressive Dinner
These dinners require the members involved to visit each other’s homes for a specific course of a meal. This activity will require parents or chaperones to be involved to assist with transportation. Each participant makes one course of the meal or provides a form of entertainment. This activity gets everyone involved, from the youth ministry leader to the parents and other members of each family. Plan to spend 20 minutes to a half-hour at each person’s home.
A to Z
Assigned teams have to find an item that corresponds to each letter of the alphabet. This game works well outdoors in warm weather because the teams can get creative finding the items. As each team discovers an item, they have to get it approved by a youth leader. This game gets more difficult as the end of the alphabet approaches. The team that finishes the alphabet first (or can find the most corresponding items) wins.
Scavenger Hunt
Divide the members into teams and give each group a list of items that they need to find. Be sure the list contains things they can reasonably find on the grounds of the church or in their own homes. Offer a prize to the first team that successfully collects all the items on the scavenger hunt list.
Bible Activities for Teens
Youth group is, after all, focused on the church and should include Christian activities. When you’re looking for something spiritual but not dull, consider playing a Bible game to get kids focused and excited about learning.
Chapter and Verse
Give group members a chapter in the Bible to memorize. Designate a set number of minutes to see how many verses they can memorize. The person who can memorize the most Bible verses in the set amount of time wins. You can also play this as a team; the group who can memorize the most verses will win.
Bible Quiz Master
Give each team the exact same passages to read and learn about. Separate the teams to study. After a set amount of time, they will meet again and sit at separate tables. The youth leaders will ask the teams a set number of questions about the chapter they have studied. The team who answers the most questions correctly wins. They can respond to the questions by raising their hand or by using a bell. The team who signals first is allowed to answer first if they are wrong, the second team who has their hand raised (or rings the bell) gets to answer, and so on. The team that answers the most questions correctly, wins.
Bible Instruction
Divide members into groups. Give each group a specific section of scripture to analyze. Have each group lead a discussion about the scripture and what it means. Have the youth group leader provide feedback to each group individually, recognizing participants for their unique contributions to the discussion.
group of teens having bible study
Youth Group Activities With a Message
Sometimes the most important activities for your youth group are the ones that convey a message like kindness, love or compassion. These activities open the door to talking about the message behind them and why it is so important.
In God We Trust
Not only must we trust in God, but it is important to trust in one another. This activity will teach teens how to trust their friends and neighbors.
Materials
Cones and other obstacles
Space
Blindfold
Instructions
Before playing the game, you will need to create an obstacle course using the cones, pool noodles, and other soft materials. Then follow these instructions:
Create multiple groups of 3-4 teens.
Blindfold 1 teen.
Spin the blindfolded teen.
Using their hands and verbal commands, the group will lead the blindfolded teen through the course.
The blindfolded teen must follow the commands to try to make it through the course first.
After the course is completed introduce the verse Psalm 56:3. When I was afraid, I put my trust in you. Have the youth explore together how they had to put their trust in one another.
Kindness Is Key
During the teen years, it’s vitally important to think about being kind to one another. This activity will have youth thinking about ways to be kind to friends and strangers.
What You Need
Writing utensils
Slips of paper
Hat or bag
How It’s Done
Introduce the verse Ephesians 4:32 and talk about ways that we can be kind to one another. Allow teens to offer different suggestions then:
Hand out the slips of paper.
Have each person write their name on the paper.
Put the slips of paper in a bag or hat.
Have teens draw a name. They should keep it secret.
Choose someone randomly to start.
They should say something descriptively nice about the person whose name that they have drawn. While it should be descriptive, it should also be difficult enough to be hard for the other teens to guess who is being discussed.
Teens should now guess who the person is.
The person to guess right goes next. Continue until everyone has gone.
When complete talk about how that made them feel.
Love Is an Important Thing
Another important message that needs to always be reinforced for youth is the importance of love and compassion. This activity can go along with several verses like 1 Peter 4:8.
Activity
Create groups of 5 or 6.
Have each group develop a short skit that shows an act of love or compassion. For example, they might show forgiving a friend that lied or giving food to a homeless person.
Allow the kids to act out their skits.
After each skit, talk as a group about the importance of love and compassion and why the teens chose that specific act for their skit.
Finding More Ideas for Youth Groups
Do you need more ideas? Consider visiting the following websites for more Christian youth group activities:
Youth Pastor: This site is filled with resources appropriate for youth pastors and others involved in youth ministry. You’ll find a variety of games, lessons, reading and musical suggestions and more on this site.
Youth Games: If you’re primarily looking for games, this site is an excellent resource. You can browse the most popular and highest-rated games or use the searchable database to identify options specific to the age group and objectives you are working with.
The Source for Youth Ministry: Visit this site when you are in need of ideas for icebreaker activities, games, discussion topics and other activities appropriate for youth groups.
Vary Activities to Maintain Interest
With so many available activity options, there’s no reason to do the same things week after week. Help young youth group participants stay engaged and involved by providing a variety of age-appropriate faith-based activities on an ongoing basis.
Conclusion
We hope that we’ve given you some ideas for how to get involved in a youth group. We’ve only touched on the wide variety of activities that can be done there, but both adults and kids alike are encouraged to brainstorm more ideas. Most importantly, remember that the reason you go to youth group is not just to have fun, but also to draw closer to God while encouraging others to do the same. If you can keep that at the front of your mind, then every activity becomes a chance for fellowship with Him and with others as well.