Contents 2 Introduction 5
Why games are important for children
and teenagers
7
Using games in ministry: making it
purposeful 14
How much time should be given to
games? 17
The dos and don’ts of running games
24
Game categories
26
Understanding the terms
Games 28 GTKYG 46
Initiatives
82
Time filler
112 Wide 136 Dualistic 152
Memory verse
170 Index
think: how much time do you spend preparing the talk and/or Bible study for youth group? Now think: how much time do YOU spend preparing the games?
Play is the perfect environment in which to take abstract concepts and ground them in concrete examples.
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Why games are important for children and teenagers To see value in games and activities it is important to know a little about child development. Play is a significant element in a person’s life, whether they are a child, teenager or adult. Every person is unique and learns differently, and so it is essential to be aware of the possible learning styles and intelligences a person may engage with. While researching this book, I posted a question on Facebook asking, ‘What was your most memorable game at youth group?’ The answers posted involved games that were kind of wild: games that involved climbing things, throwing things, and running around chasing each other. Why were these games memorable? Many of them simply involved playing. Stuart Brown has done much research on play and its power. What are the benefits of play? Brown states, ‘It energises us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to know possibilities’. As youth ministers, we see this keenness to play in the youth on a Friday night. And even now, as adults, we still love to play. Brown goes on to talk about how play gets pushed out of the lives
of children (and therefore adults). There is a stigma associated with play that sees it as immature and a waste of time, but play is important for personal and social development. Aside from the developmental benefits, what other advantages does play have? Play solidifies learning. Ask a primary school teacher how they teach young children concepts such as truth or equality. Explaining these concepts verbally to this age group does not work effectively, but discussing such things within a practical scenario enables the child to understand what those concepts mean. Role play or simulation can make difficult or seemingly boring subjects engaging.1 And so it can be said that, ‘A child needs to experience the physical or concrete existence of a concept in order to understand its meaning. Therefore real-life explanations must be given’.2 Play is the perfect environment in which to take abstract concepts and ground them in concrete examples. Through play, memories and things learned are seemingly ‘fixed more strongly and last 1 Brown, S 2009, Play, Scribe Publications, Carlton North, p. 100. 2 Mitchell, K, Miller, L & Pfeiffer, K 2009, CAFS—Community and family studies preliminary course, McGraw-Hill, North Ryde, p. 171.
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longer’3. Play is a valuable tool for reinforcing and cementing learning; it cannot be viewed as an enemy of learning. Therefore play has a prominent place, not only in the classroom, but in learning environments such as youth groups, school Scripture lessons, kids’ clubs and kids’ church.
avoidant; participant; dependant; independent.5 Throw this in with Gardner’s ‘eight domains of intelligence’6 (linguistic, musical, logicalmathematical, spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal and naturalist) and you can see just how diverse a group’s learning styles and preferences might be.
As well as understanding the importance of play, it is necessary to understand different learning styles. God has made everyone unique and each person learns in a different way. Over the years scholars have tried to categorise these learning styles. Some wellknown categories identified include ‘visual learners’, ‘auditory learners’ and ‘kinaesthetic learners’. Here is a brief description:
What is the point of acknowledging this? If you know that your youth group has a varied range of learning styles and intelligences, you will be better able to cater for this diversity in the elements of the gathering. There will be time for the sit down, auditory learning of a talk or Bible study (hopefully with visual displays to help the visual learners), but don’t ignore the individuals who need hands-on interaction to learn. This can really flourish in games and activities that are a part of the program.
Some are ‘visual learners’, taking cues from the teacher’s body language and facial expressions along with visual displays like diagrams or images to help them learn. Others are ‘auditory learners’ who learn best by listening and talking with peers in groups. Another approach to learning is tactile or ‘kinaesthetic learning’ where learners prefer a hands-on approach and like to explore for themselves.4
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Grasha-Reichmann identifies the following as learning styles: competitive; collaborative;
And let’s not forget the social aspect of games and activities. Games can be a great instrument to get to know more about each other. Games where you ask questions of each other, or relate facts about yourself to the group, allow for general interaction in a relaxed and informal manner. They can also help improve communication, levels of trust, problem-solving abilities, and team work in small or large groups. Through these sorts of games, individuals discover more about themselves and others.
3 Brown, op.cit. p. 102. 4 Krause K, Bochner S & Duchesne, S 2007, Educational psychology for learning and teaching, Thomson, South Melbourne, p. 180.
5 ibid, p. 182 (Table 5.5) 6 ibid, p. 232 (Table 7.1)
They help build a group from a gathering to a community. Use games to help facilitate social development between the youth, and between the youth and the leaders, opening the door for deeper relationships through which there can be mutual edification and accountability. Taking into account the importance of play and the diversity of learning styles and intelligences,
there is a good case for using purposeful games in ministry. Purposeful games will help young people learn about abstract and difficult concepts; they will cater for the non-auditory learners; and allow for social interaction and the development of relationships (which we all know is key to discipleship and accountability).
Using games in ministry: making it purposeful Play is important for development, learning and engaging with teenagers and kids. But what does that have to do with games in ministry? Well, if play is a valuable tool for the reasons already discussed, it’s one we need to use for the gospel. Let’s avoid thinking that play and games are the enemies of teaching young people about Jesus. Let’s use them as conduits to engage with God’s word and explore deep theological concepts. Everyone has a different way of running a youth group meeting. At the core, most youth group programs will have a time when the Bible is opened as a talk or small group discussion and a time of prayer but, beyond this, gatherings vary. Programs might include games, icebreakers, a memory verse, singing, or other forms of fun, interactive learning. Groups may also share a meal together or spend time
chatting and catching up. All of these activities, including games, are important elements. There may be the stigma that games are a waste of time and do not contribute to someone’s walk with God. If the whole night is spent just playing purposeless games, this may be true. However, games can be purposeful; they can make a point in a challenging, enjoyable way. Let’s put it another way. A sermon without illustration is often hard to listen to. Games at youth group are like sermon illustrations: they can be engaging, concrete examples that make a big difference to the listeners’ understanding of the biblical point. Youth may feel lost in a sea of chapters and verses, biblical characters and theology, but playing a game that illustrates the main point (or even a part) of the study or talk will help them unpack and clarify that message. 7
So let’s start at the beginning. When planning anything for a youth group gathering, the foundation should always be Jesus Christ! Otherwise we’re just a bunch of teenagers and adults hanging out and playing games. As Christians, the Bible tells us to be distinct, to be shining lights, and salt to the earth. In every aspect, a youth group gathering should reflect Christ and be a beacon of hope to the youth who come. With that mindset, we can start planning the games for our gathering. Here is a four-step process to help us do just that:
G A M E 8
Grab the main idea About the main idea Make a list of possible games Evolve the game to suit
Let’s avoid thinking that play and games are the enemies of teaching young people about Jesus. let’s use them as conduits to engage with God’s word and explore deep theological concepts.
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G | grab the main idea
A | about the main idea
This will start with what the Bible study or talk is about. Find out what Bible passages are to be read and ask the person preparing the study or talk what their main point will be. This first step of understanding the main idea is essential to developing the games for your gathering.
What are you trying to say about that main idea? What key point do you want the youth to take away? There may be several key points, so write them all down.
Here is an example:
Main idea: the sinful nature versus the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16–26
Takeaway: the sinful nature and the Spirit are in conflict with one another.
Galatians 5:16–26
Main idea: the sinful nature versus the Spirit.
Remember! It is important to clearly debrief once a game is done to bring home the key point. How to do this will be discussed in more detail later. Also, use the game’s meaning later on in the gathering to reinforce points being made in the study/talk and discussions you have with the youth. Don’t forget to pray! Asking the Holy Spirit to guide you as you lead the games is essential, as it is the Spirit who will change the hearts and minds of the young people in your group. 10
M | Make a list of possible games E | evolve the game to suit Once you know what biblical concept you are trying to communicate, you can think of the best games to do that. Here are some examples: • • • • • •
Gifts of the Spirit: Scavenger hunt to collect the different ‘gifts’. Prayer: communication games. The armour of God: Bin lid, where the shield protects. Darkness/blindness: Any game that involves not seeing, such as Blind retriever or Orders up. Listening and doing: Head it, Catch it or In the river. Guidance: Mine sweeper.
Every game may need to be tweaked slightly (or considerably) to suit your purpose—that’s OK. Remember, games are the tool we’re using to make a point so mould them, change them, elaborate or shorten them to suit. At this point, bouncing ideas off the other leaders, friends or colleagues can be helpful. Remember: games are adaptable, so there may be a number of different games you could choose to illustrate one key point. Likewise, the same game could be used on different occasions to illustrate a different key point. Galatians 5:16–26
If you can’t find a game that communicates your key point(s), try using a memory verse game and have a verse from the Bible that reflects the main idea.
Main idea: the sinful nature versus the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16–26
Game: Tug of war between the Spirit and the sinful nature. Have a number of different aspects of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, etc.) and of the sinful nature (hatred, jealously, discord, etc.) with two teams tugging back and forth. Talk about the struggle Christians can experience between their sinful nature and the Spirit, and that it’s a very real struggle.
Main idea: the sinful nature versus the Spirit. Takeaway: the sinful nature and the Spirit are in conflict with one another. Game: Dualistic games like Tug of war, Soccer/Netball or Fresh.
Takeaway: the sinful nature and the Spirit are in conflict with one another.
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