Category Archives: Announcements

Connect with Youth Online During Home Quarantine or Social Distancing

In this time of social distancing due to Covid-19, it is important to connect with youth online using the available social platforms. You may not be able to meet in person for Church Worship, Bible Lessons, Sunday School or youth group meetings, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose contact with your youth. In fact, in this time of uncertainty, they need your guidance and care more than ever!

With today’s technology, meeting online is easier than it has ever been before. Most youth will have access to a mobile phone, a tablet, or a computer. Not only do they have access, but many of today’s youth are already using these devices and platforms to connect with each other. In fact, you might have a few students in your youth group that can give YOU a few lessons on how to effectively connect online.

Best Online Social Platforms for Connecting with Youth Groups

08 PAX – FREE – Google Duo (Mobile App Only)
10 PAX – FREE – Skype.com * (Voice=25 PAX, BIZ $2 per month = 250 PAX)
25 PAX – FREE – u.cyberlink.com (Paid for more users. 30 Minutes Limit)
50 PAX – FREE – Facebook.com (FB Live = 1000’s PAX, Grp Video – 50 PAX)
100 PAX – FREE – Zoom.us (Free for 100 users – 40 min time limit)

* You can’t start a group video call in Skype for mobile devices. You need the computer version. However, you take part in it with audio only.

In the next few posts, I’ll give some ideas of games and activities for video conferencing that you can use with your youth to build relationships. I’ll give you some teaching ideas as well.

New Year Resolutions from the Dog

  • Try to understand that the cat is from Venus, and I am from Mars.
  • I will try to leave the cat alone, once in a while.
  • I will no longer be beholden to the sound of the can opener.
  • Call PETA and tell them what that surgical mask-wearing freak does to us when no one is around.
  • Take time from busy schedule to stop and smell the behinds.
  • To always scoot before licking.
  • Grow opposable thumb; break into pantry; decide for MYSELF how much food is *too* much.
  • January 1st: Kill the sock! Must kill the sock! January 2nd – December 31st: Re-live victory over the sock.
  • I will NOT chase the damned stick unless I see it LEAVE HIS HAND.
  • Next time I fart I will not whimper – so that someone else gets the blame
  • I will worry less about things I can’t eat and play with
  • To smell more things that look interesting
  • To pick more fights with shoes and pillows
  • To take more opportunities to forget what I am doing and nap instead
  • Pay more attention to fallen cactus to avoid owies on the walk.
  • To hog the bed; stretch & spread out; hog the covers.
  • Stretch out on the couch in such a way where there’s no room for peoples or the pets
  • Only reserve kisses for times after making a public display of licking my butt or burping.
  • Counter surf more discreetly.
  • Have my way with the roll of toilet paper. Drag and decorate DIY style throughout the house. Martha Stewart would be proud.
  • Greet strangers with gusto. (Notice ME!)
  • Wag more, bark less.
  • Have a torrid one-night stand with a street mutt.
  • I will stay out of the trash, off the counters, and certainly never eat snacks from my boy’s backpack.

Book of the Month – Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection

Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection - December Book of the Month

 

Christmas is coming soon and many churches are planning Christmas activities.

  • Small Groups or cell groups plan Christmas party fellowships
  • Sunday School classes or Bible Study Members plan Christmas parties
  • Various church groups plan activities as a Christmas Outreach
  • Youth Groups plan Christmas social outings or Christmas Game nights.

Having been in youth ministry for more than 20 years, we’ve done a lot of Christmas events. We’ve done all the above activities and more.

And we’ve done them for a lot of different age groups:

  • Children’s Christmas Parties
  • Middle School or Junior High Christmas Parties
  • High School Christmas Parties
  • College and University Christmas Parties
  • We’ve even done Christmas Parties for Senior Citizens

Looking for New Ideas?

After 20 years, you start to ask yourself what you can do that is new for this Christmas celebration. Obviously if you repeat something there is someone that will say, “We did that last Christmas.” It becomes a bit difficult to reinvent the wheel every year and find new object lessons to connect unchurched kids to the real meaning of Christmas and also to satisfy those that have been hearing the same Christmas Stories and playing the same Christmas games since they were in diapers. I used to spend hours searching from website to website trying to trying to find useful Christmas party ideas.

That was difficult on me, but now it makes it easy for you. I’ve taken all those years of effort and placed the very best ideas, games, activities, lessons, devotions, illustrations, jokes, children’s sermons and even worksheets and put them together into a comprehensive collection that will last you another 20 years as well.

Download it Immediately

And I put it into a downloadable ebook format so that it is easy to scan through the 200+ ideas (that take up more than 350 pages) and find the Christmas Idea that is perfect for your event or activity. They are labeled by locations, energy levels, and resources needed. Many ideas have variations so you can change up the activity if you have used it before. Most also have notes for leaders to help them create some talking points to break the ice, ask probing questions to get a little deeper, and help the youth to not only learn but to apply the lessons learned in their day to day lives.

You can buy your own copy of the Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection online right here and download it immediately for less than $25.

You’ll love the ebook format for this Christmas resource:

  • It’s Searchable (do that with a real book).
  • Takes up no space on your crowded book shelf. Imagine a 337 page brick taking up space to use it 1 month a year.
  • Has No shipping costs – download instantly. Try that with Amazon.
  • You can print the game I want, not bend the spine of a physical book to make a copy for my leaders. In fact I allow you to share copies with your leaders.

The ideas are clearly aimed at the youth market, but most of these games would be good ice breakers and discussion starters for children and adults and everyone in between.

  • There are low energy ideas that are gentle enough to use among adults as icebreakers to help develop relationships and get the ball going on helping people think about where they want to grow spiritually.
  • Perhaps you are hosting a Christmas party for your neighbors. Several of these games would fit the bill and provide with a way to help bring forth a Christmas conversation that shares Christ.

There’s a complete table of contents you can take a peek at as well as sample ideas at www.CreativeChristmasIdeas.com

Why not take a look today at December’s Book of the Month.

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

In All Things, Be Thankful

Back during the dark days of 1929, a group of ministers in the Northeast, all graduates of the Boston School of Theology, gathered to discuss how they should conduct their Thanksgiving Sunday services. Things were about as bad as they could get, with no sign of relief. The bread lines were depressingly long, the stock market had plummeted, and the term Great Depression seemed an apt description for the mood of the country. The ministers thought they should only lightly touch upon the subject Thanksgiving in deference to the human misery all about them. After all, there was little to be thankful for.

But it was Dr. William L. Stiger, pastor of a large congregation in the city that rallied the group. This was not the time, he suggested, to give mere passing mention to Thanksgiving, just the opposite. This was the time for the nation to get matters in perspective and thank God for blessings always present, but perhaps suppressed due to intense hardship.

I suggest to you the ministers struck upon something. The most intense moments of thankfulness are not found in times of plenty, but when difficulties abound. Think of the Pilgrims that first Thanksgiving. Half their number dead, men without a country, but still there was thanksgiving to God. Their gratitude was not for something but in something. It was that same sense of gratitude that lead Abraham Lincoln to formally establish the first Thanksgiving Day in the midst of national civil war, when the butcher’s list of casualties seemed to have no end and the very nation struggled for survival.

Perhaps in your own life, right now, intense hardship. You are experiencing your own personal Great Depression.

In all things, Be Thankful!

1 Thessalonians 5:18
“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Source: The full text of the sermon is available at www.eSermons.com. Sign-up today at: http://www.esermons.com/signup

Fathers Are a Gift from God

Fathers are a voice of wisdom.

  • My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, “You’re tearing up the grass.” “We’re not raising grass,” Dad would reply. “We’re raising boys.” ~Harmon Killebrew
  • Fathers represent another way of looking at life – the possibility of an alternative dialogue. ~Louise J. Kaplan, Oneness and Separateness: From Infant to Individual, 1978
  • When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. ~Author unknown, commonly attributed to Mark Twain

Fathers are examples for youth

  • He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland
  • I love my father as the stars – he’s a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart. ~Terri Guillemets

Fathers inspire youth to greatness.

  • Love and fear. Everything the father of a family says must inspire one or the other. ~Joseph Joubert
  • The words that a father speaks to his children in the privacy of home are not heard by the world, but, as in whispering-galleries, they are clearly heard at the end and by posterity. ~Jean Paul Richter

A Father’s true wealth is found in his children.

  • A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. ~Author Unknown
  • Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance. ~Ruth E. Renkel
  • A father carries pictures where his money used to be. ~Author Unknown
  • Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope. ~Bill Cosby

Fathers are a gift from God

  • The greatest gift I ever had Came from God; I call him Dad! ~Author Unknown

 

 

Creative Youth Ideas eBook of the Month

Book of the Month Special: Creative Holiday ideas
Book of the Month Special: Creative Holiday Ideas

CREATIVE YOUTH IDEAS RECOMMENDED eBOOK OF THE MONTH:

Creative Holiday Ideas

 

319 page e-book Includes more than 200 ideas for common holiday activities.

It Contains:

  • 43 New Year’s Day Ideas
  • 46 Valentine’s Day Ideas
  • 39 Mother’s Day Ideas
  • 33 Father’s Day Ideas
  • 26 Halloween or Fall Festival Ideas
  • 38 Thanksgiving Ideas

It’s targeted to the youth, but children and adults love it too!

Get it NOW at only $24.97

 

Get "Creative Holiday Ideas"

Follow Me On Twitter

twitter.jpghttp://twitter.com/youthideas

I’ve recently created a Twitter account. I’ll be using this twitter account as a “news flash” / “news wire” for information, stories, ideas, and other things I am interested personally as someone who works with youth both in secular and faith based situations. It is something new for me so I am not sure how everything will eventually work out, but I see great potential in this platform to impact youth and those who work with them.

  • If you already have a twitter account you can follow me @youthideas for all the youth related things.
  • If you want to see the wackier side you can also follow @In_the_Fishbowl

If you are new to twitter, it is sort of a free short text message service (140 characters max) where you can update people on anything you want. Some people use it for more esoteric purposes like telling the world what they are doing moment by moment. Others use it to inform people about the things they are reading, the links they find interesting, etc.

You can check out my twitter page and sign up if you are not already signed up at http://twitter.com/youthideas

I won’t promise to tweet (that is what the messaging is called) every day.. but when I find something interesting I’ll let you know using this twitter profile! I also can’t promise I’ll respond to all the direct messages… If I get even a portion of followers on here from the 25,000+ people on the newsletter list it will be impossible to respond to everyone personally.

God Bless you and your ministry!
With YOUth on my heart

Ken

 

Facebook

I’ve had several people ask me if I am on “Facebook”… (www.facebook.com)?

Yes I am… I have also set up a special group on “Facebook” so we can mingle and get to know each other a little better….

You can join the group by following the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/creativeyouthideas

While there, why not answer my question on the Creative Youth Ideas discussion board at facebook:
What is one of your most pressing questions you have in working with youth?

With YOUth on my heart
Ken

 

About Me

Some of you have asked to know a little more about me, so here it is:

Ken Sapp: International Youth Specialist

For almost 20 years, Ken Sapp has worked with thousands of youth from around the world as a mentor, a teacher, a basketball coach, and as a youth specialist. He has touched the lives of young people from many nations including USA, England, Scotland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Korea, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, and others.

He has mentored youth one-to-one and led youth camps and international workshops for groups as large as 1000 youths. With the experience and understanding he has gained, he conducts training and workshops for parents and others who want to make a positive difference in the lives of the youth.

Currently, he resides in Singapore and is Vice-President and Head of the Training Academy for PromiseWorks (www.promiseworks.org). PromiseWorks has become internationally renowned for Youth mentorship and our volunteers are passionate about impacting the youth generation to become one that has promise and hope. In November 2003, the Singapore National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) recognised the efforts and successes of PromiseWorks and awarded us the Outstanding New Initiative Award. Working closely with the Singapore National Youth Council and Singapore Secondary schools we are determined to create a positive future by impacting the lives of youth today!

He has a diverse background in speech communications, Youth Ministry, education, website development, and computer programming. He has a BS in Speech Communications (Organizational Communications) which is communications within a company or organization. He currently works as the Web Content Manager for an e-Learning Company that provides online educational seminars during the day and spends much of his other time doing youth related projects and on his personal website committed to the development of youth.

 

Welcome to my Creative Youth Ideas

I have included my most creative youth ideas from almost 20 years of youth ministry with teens from around the world. The youth ideas are grouped according to categories and include my favorite youth games, creative teaching ideas, youth devotions, children’s sermons, illustrations for youth sermons, object lessons for children and youth, and youth ministry training resources. (P.S. The creative ideas are great for children’s ministry and young adult ministry too)

If you find some of the creative ideas useful, please leave a comment or send me a message . It makes my day when I hear how people are using these creative youth ideas and resources to touch the lives of youth around the world.

You are free to use any of the creative youth ideas you find here for your personal ministry but I retain COPYRIGHT for my materials.

Commercial publication is prohibited without my express permission, but I am open to opportunities!

If you Join my Newsletter (the box in the top right) I will send you exclusive youth resources not available on the website as well as important website updates.

With YOUth on my heart!

Ken Sapp   

I am Thankful for YOUth!

We’re truly thankful for a great year. God certainly has a way of blowing our minds when we yield ourselves to Him!

There’s so much to be thankful for. God has indeed been good to us – we never imagined how large our ministry could have grown – over 30,000 youth leaders in over 200 countries. We’ve reached places where we couldn’t have gone on our own. Touched lives in places we barely know about (some of them we didn’t even know existed). We’ve truly been blessed to have you as part of the Creative Youth Ideas community! And it’s all thanks to God’s grace.

Perhaps, this song sums up how we feel best:

 

New Years Ideas 2011

Looking for some ideas on things to do for New Year’s Eve with your youth or even with your family?

Check out some of these ideas from the Creative Youth Ideas Website:

Happy New Year!

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day celebration with your youth. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for the various holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Christmas Party Planning Checklist: Free Download PDF

Here’s wishing you a Blessed Christmas!

A lot of youth workers and people from all walks of life have been asking me for a very comprehensive Christmas Party Checklist in PDF format that they could immediately download and use to plan their Christmas Parties right away. At this time of the year there are office Christmas Parties, School Christmas Parties, Church Christmas Parties, Family Christmas Get Togethers, and many other Christmas activities. It sometimes seems like everyone is having a Christmas Party.

Because of that I have created a free downloadable PDF with everything I could think of for planning a Christmas Party, whether it is for children, youth or adults. I’m sure you’ll appreciate how long and comprehensive it is.

There are so many little details to consider when planning any Christmas Party, and if you are like me, you will usually forget something. (NOTE: If I have forgotten something on the list please drop me an email so I can add it to the list and resend it to everyone so all can benefit from your insight)

Just go to the following link to get the Christmas Party Checklist in PDF format.
BTW, did I mention it is in a PDF format that you can print and use right away!

Christmas Party Checklist

That’s why I love checklists. They keep me from making the same mistakes year after year, and best of all, I don’t have to stress over trying to remember all the necessary details and can spend my time enjoying the Holidays with the youth.

If you missed the link, here it is again:
Christmas Party Checklist

Don’t forget to save it somewhere on your computer once it loads.

While you are at it,
If you are looking for lots of Christmas ideas, including Christmas icebreakers, Christmas games,
devotions, lessons, illustrations and even gift exchange ideas for your party….

Why not check out:

Creative Christmas Ideas

Have a Blessed Christmas and thanks for making Creative Youth Ideas the #1 “Youth Ideas” website on the internet!

Ken

Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection

 

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Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection!

All the Christmas ideas are in our easy-to-read format. There’s a searchable index, an intuitive contents page, detailed descriptions of the games, ideas, and activities, re-printable worksheets for some of the more complicated ideas, and over 200 ideas in total!

To find out more – use this link!

Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection Second Edition

2010 Youth Olympic Games Bible Study Resources

The streets here in Singapore have really been busy with one major event about to explode into action. If you haven’t heard about it by now, it’s the first time this little island nation I call home will be hosting an international sporting event – the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. Not only is it the first time we’re hosting something this big, it’s the first Youth Olympic Games to be held ever!

I thought a great way to celebrate this international youth sporting event would be to launch not one but two Youth Bible Study series / Youth Camp Curriculum that are sports themed. It doesn’t matter which part of the world you’re in, you’ve probably heard of the Olympics. Likely, your youth would have heard about the 2010 Youth Olympic Games too. We hope to support you with these great sports-themed studies, something that they can easily relate to and invite their pre-believing friends to participate in too.

Introducing, “Go for the Gold”

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Click below to learn more…
“Go for the Gold” – Youth Olympic Game themed Bible Study Series

This is an evangelistic youth Bible Study or Youth Camp Curriculum. I’m taking a step of faith here in the vein of the good work of what the Alpha course is doing to reach out to pre-believing youth in five 1-2 hour sessions, to share the truth about salvation using the Olympic rings as a backdrop to the Bible studies. This study can also be used as an evangelistic tool for mature Christians to reach out to their own friends and loved ones.

Plus, “Destined to Win”

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Click below to learn more…
“Destined to Win” – Youth Sports themed Bible Study Series (Great for the Youth Olympics too)

This sports-themed Bible Study or Camp Curriculum covers what it takes to run the Christian race. It’s a great follow-up study to “Go for the Gold” as the content focuses on answering “What’s next?” and “What is my spiritual destiny?” In five 1-2 hour sessions, I hope to impart what it takes to run the Christian race.

Your youth will learn:

  • Put on Your Running Shoes
    “The Spiritual Race and Characteristics of Good Athletes”
    (I Corinthians 9:24-27)
  • Cross Training
    “A Healthy Spiritual Diet and Exercise”
    (I Timothy 4:8)
  • Crossing the Goal
    “Don’t Give Up, Don’t Look Back, Focus on the Goal and Do What It Takes”
    (Philippians 3:12-14, 17-21)
  • Staying In Your Lane and On Track
    “Discovering God’s Will”
    Various scriptures
  • A Trophy or Atrophy
    “Choosing to Live for Christ”
    (II Timothy 4:7-8)

If you’re not running any more camps this season, not to worry, I’ve designed this curriculum to be used for your Bible Studies, Sunday School or Small Groups.

Find out more about how you can challenge your youth to “Go for the Gold” and “run the race” towards their spiritual destiny by clicking on the links below:

Go for the Gold

Destined to Win

With YOUth on my heart
Ken

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Creative Youth Ideas 2010 FIFA World Cup Football Predictions

The end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner.

Who do you think will win in the final soccer match of the FIFA World Cup?
Will it be Spain or Netherlands that takes home the 2010 soccer World Cup title?

I heard the cephalopod (Paul the Octopus) correctly picked Spain to reach the World Cup final. Apparently the little sucker has been issued with death threats after the Germans were beaten 1-0 in the most recent soccer match. There have been calls from the Germans for him to be “thrown to the sharks” and to be the guest of honor at a paella dinner with himself being the main course. They even aired anti-octopus songs in Berlin. It’s getting so bad that Spain’s Prime Minister, Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero, joked on a radio show: “I am concerned for the octopus … I am thinking of sending him a protective team.”

It’s quite amazing how Soccer / Football fans can get so worked up over a sport but that has been true since the Roman times. In fact the Bible has many references to sports. We still love our sports. And the 2010 FIFA World Cup is no different.

While I don’t know what I think about this “mystic” mollusk predicting the football matches, I do know that World Cup Football is on the minds of viewers all around the world as we approach the final football match.

Appropriately, one of my Creative Youth Ideas subscribers sent me a great little Youth Bible Study centered around football (or soccer) as us Americans call it.

–> Soccer Bible Study for Youth

I thought it was too good to keep it to myself and he has graciously granted permission for it to be placed on my Creative Youth Ideas website.

It’s a great opportunity to take advantage of the world cup football fever and use it as an opportunity to share Christ with your youth.

As Christians we don’t need an octopus to tell us the future. The Bible has already told us what the future holds and how we can be on the winning side in the great game of life.

So here is the Bible study using Football (soccer) as a theme. Click on the link below to download the student and the teacher’s guides. (Thanks to Trevor Lineham at Foxton Bible Camp in New Zealand for his gracious generosity)

–> Soccer Bible Study for Youth

Have a great weekend!

With YOUth On My Heart,

Ken

 

Fruit of the Spirit – Camp Curriculum / Bible Study Series

Announcing…

Fruit of the Spirit

We hope you’ve had a great start to your summer vacation, I know we have! We’ve been working hard to see how we can support you during this season. We know you’ll probably have your hands full with upcoming camps and planning how you can fill the hearts and minds of your youth with activities that will engage them physically and spiritually to truly enable them to worship God with all their heart, mind, soul and strength!

As you may know, we have a whole range of Bible study and Camp curricula that you may have already discovered while browsing our site – “The Great Adventure”, “Jonah: A Whale of a Tale”, and “Who Do You Say That I Am?”.

Today, we’ll be launching a brand new Bible Study series and Camp Curriculum that we’re totally excited about. It features a brand new full color Teacher and Student Guides with a brand new format that we’re sure you will have a blast using.

Introducing, “The Fruit of the Spirit”
Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Series for Youth Camp or Youth Bible Study

This Bible Study and Camp Curriculum covers, in 7 1-hour sessions, what it takes to grow spiritually in Christ, the goal of which is to be fruitful in our Christian walk – to live a life worthy of God’s calling.

Your youth will learn about:

  • Heart Preparation – “The Good Soil”
    (Matthew 13: 3-9, 18-23; Luke 8:5-15; Mark 4:3-20)
  • Sin & Confession “Pulling Weeds”
    (Matthew 13:22; James 1:13-18; I John 1:9-10)
  • The Seeds You Sow Determine the Harvest You Reap – “Planting Seeds”
    (Galatians 6:6-9)
  • Abiding in Christ – “Drawing from the Source”
    (John 15:1-17)
  • Cultivating Spiritual Fruit – “The Fruitful Life”
    (II Peter 1:2-8)
  • Deciding Between Good and Best – “Pruning”
    (Matthew 22:25-29; I Cor 13:4-7)
  • Your Spiritual His-tree and Destiny – “Tree-mendous Fruit”
    (Matthew 22:25-29; I Cor 13:4-7)

If you’ve already worked out what your summer youth camp theme and topics will be, don’t worry! This curriculum is designed to be used not only for camps but for your Bible Studies, Sunday School or Small Groups.

However you choose to use it, our hope is that through this series, your youth will gain a fresh understanding of walking along this spiritual journey and grow into believers who will impact their families, schools, communities, country, and world for God’s glory!

To find out more about how can nurture the Fruit of the Spirit in the life of your students, click on the link below:
Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study Series for Youth Camp or Youth Bible Study

This will be the first of our Bible Study Curricula that will feature this new format, and so, we warmly welcome any feedback you can give us on how you liked using it or how it can be further improved. Our wish is to better serve you in your work with the next generation of committed believers in the spirit of excellence.

with YOUth on my Heart
Ken

Youth Leader’s Night Before Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the church
Youth leaders were panicked, left in a lurch.
The Youth Christmas Party, was one day away
And they hadn’t decided, what to do or to say

The youth were all restless, expectations sky high
Wacky icebreakers, games, and devotions, OH MY!
Stockings a mystery and they didn’t wear socks,
But everyone knew the Church Christmas Party rocks.

Youth leader, in office, was quite discontent
No new ideas, his creativity spent.
“We’ve already done that, this game just won’t work,
And if we do that one, some kid would get hurt.”

He sat at his desk, his head in his hands
Then downloaded email, while he pondered his plans.
His inbox he opened, there waiting within
Creative Youth Ideas had an offer for him.

There were icebreakers, games, and devotions galore
Illustrations and stories and oh so much more!
“Our Christmas Party is saved”, he shouted with glee!
“It even says here, Christmas tangrams for free!”

He spoke no more words, but bought with a click,
Got the Christmas Collection from the downloading link.
A few minutes to download, a few more to plan
Now he could spend Christmas Eve with family and friends.

He sprang to his car, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Click the link below to get your copy of the
–> Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection

Order now and get a bonus link by email to download
Christmas Tangram puzzles that youth love!

Who Do You Say that I Am?

WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?

Who Do You Say that I Am Bible Study materials

Jesus first asked the disciples, “Who do others say that I am?” It was easy for them to answer because it required no conviction, no commitment, and no risk. But then he follows that question with another, “Who do YOU say that I am?”

It was a simple but profound question and one that each of us must still answer today. Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Then Jesus responded, “Blessed are you… For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” It was a defining moment for Peter and he would spend the rest of his life figuring out what that answer meant for who he was and how he lived.

It is God, in His grace that reveals the truth of Himself to us. And when, though His grace, we can come to accept His revelation of truth, then our perspective, in fact our entire life will change. Like Peter, we will spend the rest of our lives figuring out what Jesus means to who we are and how we live.

I am please to announce
a new Bible Study / Youth Camp series entitled
Who Do You Say that I Am?

MY OBJECTIVE

In the lessons and activities for this new Bible Study series / youth camp curriculum, my objective is to bring each participant, teacher and student, into a functional personal relationship with Jesus Christ so that each person KNOWS who Christ is to him or her.

This is an update of one of my most successful Bible Studies that I prepared for a large international church a number of years ago. While written a few years ago, the truth of who Jesus is, has never changed. God used this series to bring many youth to salvation and a closer walk with Christ and I know God wants to do the same with your youth.

These lessons are designed to help each participant get to know Jesus Christ in a more intimate fashion by looking at who He was, not only by His own statements, but also through the eyes of several Biblical characters.

And it is my prayer that God might reveal the truth of himself to each student and teacher so that they not only come into a close relationship with Christ, but also live to become a reflection of Him in the way they live their lives.

THE LESSONS

There are 7 Primary Bible study Sessions in the series, but you can pick and choose from these for a shorter youth camp or series:

    • Jesus the Life Saver
      Matthew tells the story of Peter and Jesus walking on water. Peter, like us, has gotten “in over his head”, beyond his ability to handle the situation, and in his moment of desperation is crying, “Jesus! Save me!” Just like Peter, we’ve all been in “hot water”, crying out for God to save us. Through Christ’s response, a power change takes place not only Peter, but also in the rest of the disciples.
    • Jesus, My Friend
      Imagine the thought of being friends with the Son of God! Awesome! But entirely and utterly possible and real to everyday life. John, the writer of the book of John, had a very special friendship relationship with Jesus Christ. Five times in the book of John, he refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He obviously was absolutely sure of Jesus’ love for him. In a Gallup pole of teens in the USA, “meaningful relationships” was one of the top five items that youth listed as needs. What could be more meaningful than to have a relationship with the Creator of the universe!
    • Jesus, Fear Slayer
      God is well aware that we all experience fear. There are 365 “Fear Nots” in the Bible – one for every day of the year. Fear is not uncommon to any of us. We’ve all been there. Done that. But if there are 365 “Fear Nots” in the Bible, should fear rule our lives? No! But how do we deal with the reality of fear in our lives? We can look at the disciples in the boat as a model for dealing with fears.
    • Jesus, the Healer
      Christ’s cleansing is immediate and lasting, but the healing may take a long time… the scars may be with us, not because we haven’t been healed, but because we are not at peace with ourselves. Christ cleanses and heals us instantaneously, but our response is often like that after we have twisted an ankle… we may be healed, but we are afraid to use it… afraid to put our weight on it, not able to trust ourselves.. So often our wounds are also self inflicted. We keep wearing that sandal that causes blisters… eating that food that causes heartburn… grabbing that thistle, but afraid to let go… crying out for the thorns, but desiring to have that rose… A relationship that is abusive seems better than no relationship… negative attention is better than no attention… and hurt is better then dealing with the problem face to face… In this lesson we want to remove the thorns so that festered wounds can begin to heal…but also realize that if the wound has festered a lot of ugly stuff may need to come out…
    • Jesus, The Obedient
      Jesus has been teaching the people through parables and illustrations. He has taught of love for enemies, self-evaluation before we judge others, of how actions reveal the heart of person, and of putting our faith into practice. After these teachings he went to Capernaum. There a Centurion, with a sick servant, sends some Jewish elders to seek Christ’s help! And through that encounter we learn much about what it means to be obedient. Christ would later be tested with the ultimate in obedience as he was obedient even to death on a cross.
    • Jesus, The Spirit-Powered Man
      Jesus returns to Nazareth after having been tempted in the desert. News has spread about him to the entire countryside. Through Him, people discover that the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives will make a visible difference. What a difference a Spirit controlled life will make to our witness to the world!
  • Jesus, The Cleanser
    We begin immediately before the Passover feast, the time when Jews celebrate their deliverance from slavery to the Egyptians, the time when the blood of a lamb, is slaughtered as a symbol of God’s covering over of sin, of God’s forgiveness. Christ will soon be that lamb, his life poured out in suffering, his death upon the cross as the Lamb of God, taking away the sins of the world. Christ has just predicted his death, He is about to predict his betrayal by one of these men whose feet he is to now wash.

Click here to get a free sample and find out more.

Mother’s Day Ideas

Mother’s Day is around the corner and Creative Youth Ideas has lots of ideas for your special mother’s day activity or event.

There are ideas for a Children’s Sermon on Mothers Day and illustrations and stories for a sermon to mothers or youth talk. There are also some great Mother’s Day games and other ideas for that Special Mother’s Day event.

Mother’s Day Games and activities for youth

  • Are You My Mother? – This game can be a fun filled activity for Mother’s Day
  • Baby Animals – In this Mother’s Day game idea, Children or Youth will look at mothers in the animal kingdom as an illustration of the caring relationships between mother and child.
  • Famous Biblical Mothers – Use these youth games as icebreakers which revolve around famous Biblical mothers
  • Guess the Mother? or Child? – Use this activity as an icebreaker for your youth or children’s Mother’s Day event.
  • Mother Child Trivia – This Mother’s Day Game idea for youth makes a great activity to encourage mother-child communication, especially among teens.
  • Mother of Who? – Play a game of charades using the names of Biblical Mothers.
  • Mother Says – Use these games on Mother’s Day for a Mother’s Day children’s sermon.
  • Mother’s Day Games – Use these three games for a Mother’s Day youth Activity.
  • Sayings of Mothers – This Mother’s Day teaching activity can be a Children’s sermon or a reminder that mothers look after us just as the Heavenly Father does.
  • Sock Guess – This game for Mother’s Day reminds children and youth of the numerous roles that mothers play in our lives

 

Mother’s Day Stories and Sermon Illustrations for Youth

 

Mother’s Day Humor

 

icebreaker_book_cover_md.jpgFor Icebreakers and games for any occasion check out….

Icebreakers Ahead: Take it to the next Level
not only provides 52 of the world’s most popular group icebreaker activities, but also includes lesson ideas and questions to smoothly transition into discussions about issues common to most groups.

Click here to find out more!

 

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Recent inactivity

Thanks for your patience with the recent inactivity as I had to make a trip from Singapore to the USA to attend my father’s funeral. My Father is now with the heavenly father. The world has lost a great and compassionate man, but my father has gained the riches of heaven!

5 Million Hits

I just noticed that you guys broke through to over 5 million hits today.

Wow! I never expected that this little effort of one guy’s love for youth would become so popular and be visited by so many people from around the world. Last time I checked the website had visitors from 205 different countries. That’s almost every country in the world… (One big country still missing is Greenland. Does anyone have a youth pastor friend in Greenland you want to recommend the site to?)

Thanks for all your words of encouragement. While I am not always able to get to all your questions on a personal basis, I do so when I can. In response to this huge anniversary I’d love to hear of any special stories regarding your youth ministry and the role this website plays in it…

Thanks again for making all this effort worthwhile.

With YOUth on my heart!
Ken

 

Blessed Christmas

Here’s wishing everyone a blessed Christmas!

May Christ shine in your hearts the whole year through!

In appreciation for your support of the Creative Youth Ideas website I want to give you a very practical Christmas gift.

It’s a Youth Christmas Party Planning Checklist that I know you will appreciate. It is several pages long and quite comprehensive. There are so many little details to consider when planning any Christmas Party, and if you are like me, you will usually forget something.

That’s why I love checklists. They keep me from making the same mistakes year after year, and best of all, I don’t have to stress over trying to remember all the necessary details and can spend my time enjoying the Holidays with the youth.

Just use the link below to download it.
It is in a PDF format that you can print and use right away!

Christmas Party Checklist

Don’t forget to save it somewhere on your computer once it loads.

Have a Blessed Christmas and thanks for making Creative Youth
Ideas the #1 “Youth Ideas” website on the internet!

God Bless
With YOUth on my heart,
Ken

Once Lost, Now Found: Creative Scavenger Hunts

Announcing…..

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“Once Lost, Now Found: Creative Scavenger Hunts”
http://www.CreativeScavengerHunts.com

On any given day, there are hordes of people going to the Creative Youth Ideas website looking for Scavenger Hunt Ideas. In fact, it’s one of the most searched for phrases people type into the search box on my website.

I’ve put a few ideas on the website and a few hints “on how to conduct a successful Scavenger Hunt”, but for the past one year I have been working to create a one-of-a-kind resource to help youth groups plan their own scavenger Hunts.

Halloween Party or Fall Festival

Pagan holiday or Evangelistic Opportunity? The decision is yours….

Rather than debate the issue, I am going to provide some things that could be done as part of a Christian alternative either as a family or as a church or youth group. (For the rest of you, many of the ideas involving pumpkins and other things could also be used at Thanksgiving or any time during the year for that matter.) And many of them are VERY evangelistic in nature!

Most of the ideas can be found on the index I created in October 2007
Halloween Alternatives for Christians

Here are some other’s not in that list:
Pumpkin Picasso
Sleepy Hollow
Fall or Harvest Festival
A Halloween Message
Pumpkin Patch Relay

May your harvest Festival be a harvest of souls into the Kingdom of God!

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next Halloween Alternative or Fall Festival, as well as games, activities, and meaningful discussions for a variety of other familiar holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Looking for something for Father’s Day?

Father’s Day Games

Searching for Dad
Use this as a Father’s Day game or for a father child event

Who’s father?
Creative game idea for Father’s Day or a Father-Child event.

Father’s Day Relay
A Father’s Day Relay Game Idea

Father May I?
In this Father’s Day variation of “Mother May I?” Youth ask Father rather than mother for permission

Father’s Business Trip
In this Father’s Day game, Youth must remember the business trips of father’s going through the alphabet.

Searching for Dad
In this Father’s Day game, Youth must describe their Father to others to retrieve a photo of their father.

Find Father’s Tie
In this Father’s day game, Youth must find the tie that has been hidden in the room.

Family Dress-up
Youth will play a game to remind them that family is important. It works for Father’s Day too!

Old Testament Men Trivia
Trivia questions of men in the Bible.
 

Teaching Illustrations for Father’s Day
My Father
Food for thought for Father’s Day

Most Valuable Asset
Do we recognise the true value of fathers?

The Origin of Father’s Day
The origin of Father’s Day

Father’s Are Wonderful People
A poem for fathers on Father’s day.

The Right Thing
Ethics are simple matters of right and wrong.

Dream Car
How many times did we miss God’s blessings because we can’t see past our own desires?

The Father’s Eyes
This story about an earthly father illustrates that Life is meaningful if lived for the Father!

A Father’s Words of Wisdom
Traditional wisdom often heard from Fathers.

Involved Dads
Effect of Fathers on Children

When God Created Fathers
Poem about God’s creation of Fathers by Erma Bombeck

Father’s Day: A Tribute
Max Lucado reflects of Father’s Day

A Father’s Support
Children need the support of their fathers

What are Fathers Made Of?
Paul Harvey’s definitions of a father

Wooden Bowl
The wise parent realizes that every day building blocks are being laid for the child’s future.

A Father’s Hugs
Youth need the love of their fathers. But many times fathers are afraid to show it.

Your Father
God is the blessed and loving Father of all of us! Regardless of the good or the bad of your earthly father, God loves you more and gives you a greater inheritance!

Christian home or religious home?
There are some principles and truths that are critical principles for parents who want to nurture spiritual development in teens.

Father’s Influence
A father’s influence makes a difference!

A Father’s Influence
The influence of a father in the life of a child cannot be neglected.

Dad’s Blessings
How many times do we miss Spirit’s blessings and answers to our prayers because they do not arrive exactly as we have expected?

The Price of Children
What the cost and returns on being a parent?

12 Practical Ways for Men to Impact Fatherless Kids
How you can help fatherless kids
 

Father’s Day Devotionals
A Successful Life
Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it in struggles and difficulties.

Father’s Day Humor
Poem for Moms and Dads
Humorus look at raising kids

Father’s Day Humor
A little humor related to Fathers

Outhouse Confession
Sometimes our actions unexpectantly affect others.

Student Excuses
Actual excuses given by students to schools

Top ten things you’ll never hear a dad say
A little humor related to Fathers

Top 10 Things a Teen Daughter Doesn’t Want to Hear from her Dad
A little Father- Daughter humor for Father’s Day

The Fatherhood Cycle
This father’s Day humor, reminds us of the funny stages we go through when thinking of the Wisdom of Fathers

Don’t Eat the Forbidden Fruit
Funny look at God as the father of Ada and Eve. Great for Father’s Day!

We thought you said Daddy!
A little Father’s day humor to give you a chuckle

 

Father’s Day Teaching Ideas
Father’s Day Discussion
Possible discussion starters for father’s day

God is my father
Youth will explore Fatherly qualities in God. The goal is to help youth learn that God is a father who will never leave and who will always treat them with kindness and love.

3 Million Hits!

It’s hard to believe, but last night Creative Youth Ideas rolled over the 3 Million hits mark! Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and allowing me to be a part of your ministry to Children, Youth and Adults. It’s hard to believe that this dream, started on Thanksgiving day 2005, now 2+ years later is being used around the world by so many people.

Thanks again
And may God bless you and your ministries,

With YOUth on my heart,
Ken

 

Creative Youth Ideas Easter Collection (Second Edition)

easter_collection.jpg

Check out the Creative Youth Ideas Easter Collection (Second Edition)

Easter games and icebreakers, Easter Children’s sermons and object lessons, Easter devotionals and illustrations, Easter and Humor! There’s a bit of everything in the collection making it great for your Church Easter event or for an Easter Party!

Easter is just around the corner!

Get it today!

visit
www.CreativeEasterIdeas.com

Valentine’s Day 2008

Are you looking for ideas for your Valentine’s Day Party or event?

Listed below are just a few of the ideas you can find on the Creative Youth Ideas website. You can find a few Valentine’s Day Games and Icebreakers as well a couple Valentine’s Day Object Lessons!

You can always search for love in the convenient search box in the top left of the Creative Youth Ideas website for a few ideas related to love and God’s love, but here are a few games and teaching ideas specific to Valentine’s Day that you can use:

Valentine’s Games and Valentine’s Icebreakers

Valentine’s related Object Lessons on Love

Valentine’s Day Illustrations, Valentine’s Day stories, Valentine’s Day Lessons and Valentine’s Day Discussions

Of course, be sure to end your Valentine’s Day activity with a discussion on God’s love, the ultimate love, and how we can experience the love of God in our lives by accepting him as Savior!

Icebreakers Ahead: Take it to the Next Level (Christian Edition)

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Get the CHRISTIAN EDITION for
“Icebreakers Ahead: Take it to the Next Level”

This is the same exciting book offered at
www.CreativeIcebreakers.com
but it has ADDITIONAL Ideas for Christian Youth Leaders.

It also includes MORE THAN 350 scripture references.

Want to see what topics are covered?
Click here for the table of contents

If that’s not enough to convince you,
Click here to view a full-sized
sample lesson of the Christian Edition

It’s only $19.97 for the full 52 Ideas.
You MUST Use THIS link to order it now..

www.CreativeIcebreakers.com
is for the General Addition which is suitable for schools and other non-religious organizations.

To get the Christian version you have to use this LINK!

Christmas Collection (Second Edition)

CC2007.jpgWe’ve been keeping it under wraps for a while now. You’re probably wondering why you haven’t heard from us in a while. Christmas is fast approaching, why haven’t I heard hide or hair from them? Where’s all the Christmas entries I have come to expect year after year. Truth be told, we’ve been working ourselves silly to perfect an already wonderful resource in your (electronic) library.

It’s been on our minds for a while. The Christmas Collection was our first attempt at an eBook. And like Steven Spielberg said in his remake of E.T., there were many things about it that bothered us but we didn’t have the time, resources, or know-how to fix it. Well, our experience with working on Icebreakers Ahead: Take it to the Next Level made us realize, hey, we added so many new features to it, why not take the Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection to the next level as well?

You guessed it! We’re proud to announce the Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection Second Edition!

We’ve packed this baby full of new features that you’ve been using in Icebreakers Ahead. All the ideas are now in our easy-to-read format. We’ve added a searchable index, a more intuitive contents page, more detailed descriptions of the games, ideas, and activities, re-printable worksheets for some of the more complicated ideas, and over 50 new ideas!

To find out more – use this link!
Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection Second Edition

 

Christmas is Coming!

Thanksgiving holidays has passed, though a thankful heart continues throughout the year. Now comes the Christmas Rush…. Do yourself a favor and slow down a little and take some time to enjoy the season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

By now, many of you are starting to plan your Christmas activities. I know because there has already been a surge in purchases of my Christmas Collection ebook.

You can still find a stocking full of Christmas Ideas on the website. Just search for “Christmas” in the search box.

But I’ll also let you in on a little secret….

I have almost finished with the 2007 edition of the Christmas Collection. I have added a ton of new ideas. And to be honest, the last edition, upon review was a little dated. It was my first attempt at an ebook. The ideas are still fantastic, but the format has a lot to be desired….

In the new book I have not only added a lot of new ideas…. but I have also added an easy index, more detailed and easier to understand descriptions for many of the games, and even some work sheets that you can print straight from the ebook. And now it looks much more professional.

Here’s the link to the 2nd Edition
Click here to find out how you can immediately download more than 200 of my best Christmas games, Christmas illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook for only $24.97

Have a Blessed Christmas!
Ken

 

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Halloween Alternatives for Christians?

With October comes Halloween. While there is often debate as to whether we as Christians should participate in a holiday with pagan roots, others use this as an opportunity to provide Christian alternatives like a fall festival, a harvest festival or a carnival. You can read more about the debate here:
A Christian Response to Halloween?

But rather than debate the issue, I am going to provide some things that could be done as part of a Christian alternative either as a family or as a church or youth group. (For the rest of you, many of the ideas involving pumpkins and other things could also be used at Thanksgiving or any time during the year for that matter.) And many of them are VERY evangelistic in nature!

Games where you can dress Up!

 

Pumpkins!

  • Using the pumpkin as a metaphor for a Christian – The Pumpkin
  • Games using Pumpkins – Pumpkin Bowling
  • Here’s an Object Lesson / Children’s sermon using a Pumpkin – Like A Halloween Pumpkin
  • One of those “gross” themed games using pumpkins with several possible Christian Applications – Pass the Brains
  • A game using pumpkin seeds that could be used to teach about Wholesome speech or Christian Goals – Pumpkin Seed Toss
  • A specially carved pumpkin and poem to share the plan of Salvation – Jack-O-Lantern
  • A Children’s sermon on being the person God created you to be – Perky the orange Pumpkin
  • A children’s sermon or Object Lesson on being the light of the World – Peter Pumpkin
  • An object lesson or Children’s sermon on prayer – Pumpkin prayer
  • Use this puzzle game to teach about the destructiveness of sin and Christ’s payment for sin on the cross- Pumpkin Puzzles

 

Games using Halloween Candy

  • Use different Colored Candy to share the plan of salvation – Candy Relay
  • Use this game of “Trick or Treat” to talk about the deceitfulness of Sin and Man’s fall in the garden – Trick or Treat Relay
  • A game that leads to a discussion on using your gifts for God and Sharing Salvation with others – Candy
  • An object lesson or Children’s sermon on appearances vs. having a right heart before God – Cupcake Faith

 

Halloween Related Humor

 

Looking for some fun icebreakers for your Halloween alternative? Find out how you can get 52 of my best icebreakers of all time! (That’s a full year of icebreakers – one a week!) They even lead into lessons on youth related issues! Visit www.CreativeIcebreakers.com today!

 

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Icebreakers Ahead: Take it to the Next Level

icebreaker_book_cover_md.jpgNew eBook published with 52 of the world’s most popular icebreakers!

My new eBook, found at
http://www.creativeicebreakers.com
not only provides 52 of the world’s most popular group icebreaker activities, but also includes lesson ideas and questions to smoothly transition into discussions about issues common to most groups.

There are a lot of icebreaker books on the market, but this one is DIFFERENT!

The book was written in response to common complaints heard in team meetings, training events, youth meetings, and other venues where icebreakers are often used with participants. “Why do we have to endure meaningless icebreakers? We’ve played this so many times before! They’re just for fun and that’s it. They don’t teach anything or have any deeper meaning!”

“We’ve seen those icebreakers in books too. They have the title, they list the materials needed, the duration of the game, and the instructions BUT… they have no application. Icebreakers are supposed to be great lead-ins to the topic you want to teach or discuss aren’t they? So why do these other icebreaker books leave you hanging? That’s what we wondered also. That’s why every one of our icebreakers come with discussion questions and applications for you to take the activity “to the next level.””

The application for each icebreaker is generic enough that you can use it in any setting, not just for a youth group, but also for company events, training, and other types of get togethers. They flow right into discussions that touch on universal issues that youth and adults around the world face.

Topics include: attitudes, diversity, personality, change, dreams, priorities, character, emotions, purpose, communication, friendship, relationships, conflict management, goals, responsibility, courage, identity, teamwork, decision making, leadership, values, discipline, perseverance, vision, AND MANY MORE!

There are a lot of benefits to having a collection of proven icebreakers for use with a group. Icebreakers are a great way to set the tone for any class or meeting. With icebreakers you automatically encourage and increase classroom participation. They are also great motivators! Icebreakers work to create a more relaxed learning environment. They are great energizers – sometimes it is just a good idea to shake things up a bit, especially in the middle of the meeting when feet begin to tap, pencils begin to doodle, and eyelids begin to droop. Of course, as previously mentioned, icebreakers can be great topic lead-ins to discussions that help to identify group and individual goals and objectives. They also help bring groups toward meaningful interaction and group building.

I wrote the book from my experience working with youth and other groups from around the world over that past 20 years. I also regularly leads workshops in a “personal development” focused e-learning company and is often involved with facilitating training events with adults. My co-Author, Joshua Goh is a Singaporean and works with youth in schools and other youth organizations in Singapore.

Both of us know what it is like to spend tons of time and cash on group resources that simply don’t cut it. It was because of this difficulty of finding great resources that we began to compile a list of the most popular icebreakers we had discovered while working with groups from many different cultures around the world.

We have organized a ton of youth events from large scale to small group settings and collected the icebreakers that the youth WANTED and ASKED to play. “We didn’t just pick these icebreakers out of someone else’s book or pull them off websites. We’ve personally used, tweaked and perfected each and every one of these icebreakers! What’s more, our youth love them too.”

Not all the icebreakers are 100% original, BUT all of them have been modified through our many years of experience and feedback from youth groups we have led around the world. You’ll find we’ve also included with the icebreakers a list of variations so that you can use an icebreaker your group has played before but add the variation to give it a new twist. The possibilities are endless!

These icebreakers can be used, not only for youth groups, but for schools, company meetings, family gatherings, community events, and social clubs. Try these icebreakers out for parties, on company retreats, family get-togethers, the first day of school, high school reunions, team building events, and more!

Whatever the occasion, you’ll probably find an icebreaker in here appropriate to it. Included are icebreaker games, get to know you questions, icebreaker discussion questions, energizers, and wacky activities from mild to wild! Simplify them and these icebreakers are great for children. Add a little depth and they are a delight to the most sophisticated adults!

For more information on “Icebreakers Ahead: Take it to the Next Level” visit
http://www.creativeicebreakers.com

Christmas Ideas

The Thanksgiving holiday has passed and now it’s time to think about Christmas.

  • Planning a Christmas Party for Children, Youth or Adults?
  • Do you need creative game ideas for your Christmas event?
  • Would you like some heartfelt devotionals to usher in the Advent Season?
  • Maybe you are looking for some meaningful object lessons or children’s sermons to share the true Meaning of Christmas?
  • Need help to plan a Christmas Scavenger Hunt?
  • Looking for powerful Christmas illustrations for your next sermon or Youth talk?

Click here to find out how you can immediately download more than 200 of my best Christmas games, Christmas illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook for only $24.97

With YOUth on my heart,
Ken

 

Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving and I have much to be thankful for! I am thankful for all of you that make this site worth all the effort. I am thankful for all the lives you touch! I am also thankful for my friends here in Singapore.

May God Bless you all this Thanksgiving!
Ken

 

Thanksgiving Ideas

During the month of November many people in the United States are beginning to turn their attention toward Thanksgiving. There are a host of game ideas, devotions, and other creative ideas for Thanksgiving on the “Creative Youth Ideas” website…. All you need to do to access them is to type “Thanksgiving” into the search box or just click here

I will be adding more through the month!
Enjoy!

Ken

 

Father’s Day Ideas

There are quite a few creative ideas for Father’s Day on the website. Some are listed below:

Father’s Day Stories
Build Me a Son
Dream Car
Poem for Moms and Dads
My Father
The Origin of Father’s Day

Father’s Day Games
Father’s Day Relay
Searching for Dad
Who’s Father?

 

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Holiday Collection" ebook Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection