Game Materials

1. Easter symbols: Choose from among the following symbols based on the size of your group.

Easter items related to the Biblical account:
Gray fleece or donkey (Matthew 21:2-5), Palm branch or a coat (Matthew 21:8-11), A vial of perfume (Matthew 26:7-13), A lock of hair (Matthew 26:7-13), 30 silver coins or 3 10-cent coins (Matthew 26:14-15), A strip of terry cloth fabric or towel (John 13:4-11), A communion wafer or bread (Matthew 26:17-29), A communion cup or grape (Matthew 26:17-29), , Praying hands (Mark 14:32-42), A watch (Mark 13:37), Rooster or a feather (Luke 22:61), Piece of rope (John 18:12), A leather whip (John 19:1), Small piece of soap (Matthew 27:20-24), A piece of scarlet cloth (Matthew 27:28), A crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29), A cross (John 19:16-22), nails (John 19:16-22), Dice (John 19:23-24), darkness or Black circle (Luke 23:44-45), sponge with vinegar (John 19:28-30), spear (John 19:32-37), A shattered or split rock (Matthew 27:51, 54), Purple cloth (Matthew 27:51), Clean linen cloth or gauze (Matthew 27:57-61), Spices (Luke 23:55-56), A stone and wax or paraffin (Matthew 27:65-66), an empty tomb (Matthew 28:5-8), Sign reading “King of the Jews”

Easter items NOT necessarily related to Biblical account:
Basket, Bells, Bonnet, Bunny Hop, Candies, Chicks, Chocolate, Chocolate Rabbit, church, Cottontail, Daffodil, Easter Card, Easter Egg, Egg Hunt, Egg Tree, Faberge, Hard Boiled egg, Hot Cross Buns, Jelly Beans, Lamb, Lilies, Marshmellows, New Clothes, Parade, Passover, Pastel Colors, Peeps, Pretzel, Rabbit, Ribbons, Spring, Straw, Sunday, Sunrise

2. The normal mat in the boxed game that forms the playing surface is decorated with six circles each of red, yellow, green and blue. Instead of the standard twister mat, cut Easter shapes from colored construction paper and use sticky-tack to adhere them to the floor. You can place them randomly or in rows of a single symbol for each row like the original twister game. Vary the number of symbols and rows to accomodate the size of your group.

3. There are two spinners. If you don’t have a spinner you can easily make one. Make a twister spinner that includes right hand, left hand, right foot, left foot. You can also paste these onto the side of a die and roll the die in place of a spinner. The second spinner must contain the same symbols as those placed on the floor. In place of a second spinner you can put the symbols on small cards and place them in a bag.

Game Objective
Touch the symbols on the floor with the correct body part as indicated by the spinner and the color and phrase of the symbol drawn from the bag. Do not let any other part of your body touch the ground.

Game Play
1. An appointed person spins the spinner and chooses the symbol (rolling the die or pulling the card with the symbol on it from the bag) and calls out instructions for the players to follow, such as: “left hand: Blue: Cross”, “right foot: yellow: Empty Tomb”.
2. The players follow the directions, moving their hands and feet to the relevant symbols and try not to fall over–a knee or an elbow on the ground and they’re out. Use the wrong body part or the wrong symbol and you are also eliminated from the game
3. The board can get quite crowded and the participants quite distorted hence the name “Twister.” How flexible are you?

Variation
Instead of playing on an individual basis, divide the group into teams. The team with the last remaining members in the game wins.

Easter Collection

Get more than 80 creative ideas for planning a Youth Easter celebration or Easter Party. You can immediately download my best Easter Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Easter activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Materials
1. Sealed Plastic Easter Eggs with small objects inside
2. Paper and pencils for everyone.

Game Objective
The person who correctly guesses the most objects inside the Easter eggs is the winner.

Game Preparation
Place objects inside hollow plastic Easter Eggs and place them in an Easter Basket. Tape the eggs shut with clear tape so no one can take a peek. By shaking them, participants try to identify the contents. Number each egg for easy reference.

Some objects that you might use are:

paperclips, salt or sugar, coins, a marble, a rock, sand, nails, pins, jacks, a ring, a small bell, buttons, hershey’s kisses, jelly beans, screws, keys, M&M’s, dice, thumbtacks, staples, aspirin, flour, rubber ball, cork, cottonballs, rice, beans, peanuts, beads, a chain,
an eraser, scrabble tiles, raisins, etc.

Game Play
Give everyone a piece of paper and pass the sealed plastic easter eggs around. Participants can shake and smell them but cannot open them. Have them write down what they think is contained in the egg beside each number corresponding to the numbers written on each egg.

Variation
List the objects included in the Easter Eggs. Kids try to match the objects with the correct egg that contains it and write the egg number beside the object on your list. For your list you can use some of the objects from Easter Egg Hunt.

Easter Collection

Get more than 80 creative ideas for planning a Youth Easter celebration or Easter Party. You can immediately download my best Easter Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Easter activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Materials
A variety of simple Easter images as designs to be copied. (You can also use simple Easter cards for the design.)

Some secular examples can be found here:
http://www.preschoolcoloringbook.com/color/cpeaster.shtml

Some Christian examples can be found here:
http://www.teacherhelp.org/easter.htm#coloring

Activity
1. Form teams of six or more people.
2. Instruct each team to sit in a line, one person behind another.
3. Youth may not talk, make any sounds, or communicate in any way except to draw on the person’s back in front of them.
4. Give the first person in each line a pencil and a piece of paper.
5. Show the last person in each line a simple image of an Easter object. That person must use his or her finger to draw the object on the back of the person in front of him or her.
6. This continues until the drawing reaches the first person in line. He or she must draw it on the piece of paper.
7. Have judges determine which team’s picture closest resembles the original picture.
8. If time permits, play more rounds, letting team members change positions if they wish.

Application
Things get distorted the farther we get from the source, especially when we have our backs turned on God. In todays world, too often the meaning of Easter has degraded to eggs, chocolate, and bunnies. But the true meaning of Easter could be summarised by John 3:16.

Debrief
1. What does Easter mean to you?
2. What are some of the things the world associates with Easter?
3. In what ways has the Bibical concept of Easter been distorted over time?
4. If you had to identify a single word to associate with easter, what would it be?
5. How can we promote the true meaning of easter with friends and family without alienating them?

Easter Collection

Get more than 80 creative ideas for planning a Youth Easter celebration or Easter Party. You can immediately download my best Easter Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Easter activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Materials
1. Bingo cards for each participant. Make Bingo cards using a grid of squares (5X5) and placing Easter related items in each square. Make each card different in the choice of items on it and the placement of the items. (Bingo cards are typically unique for each individual. There are also usually more items than spaces on the bingo grid so that not every card has all the items.)
2. Coins or markers to cover squares. Jelly beans work well. You can also simply allow them to mark on the cards.
3. Bingo items in bag to pull out. Write them on small peices of paper or ping pong balls.

Game Play
1. Pass out the bingo cards.
2. Give each child a supply of jelly beans for markers on the board. Ask them not to eat them until the game is over.
3. Draw one slip of paper at a time from the hat or box. Read the item aloud.
4. Ask participants to look for the item on their paper. If they find it, they should place a jelly bean over it. (Make sure each participant covers the free space.)
5. Play until someone gets five marekrs in a row either horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The first person to do so must yell out “He is Risen” and wins. Check the grid to make sure the placement of the markers agrees with those that have been called out.
6. Repeat the game a few times or keep on playing the first game until each child has covered five squares in a row.
7. Let everyone eat the candy after the game is over.

Easter Bingo items related to the Biblical account:
Gray fleece or donkey (Matthew 21:2-5), Palm branch or a coat (Matthew 21:8-11), A vial of perfume (Matthew 26:7-13), A lock of hair (Matthew 26:7-13), 30 silver coins or 3 10-cent coins (Matthew 26:14-15), A strip of terry cloth fabric or towel (John 13:4-11), A communion wafer or bread (Matthew 26:17-29), A communion cup or grape (Matthew 26:17-29), , Praying hands (Mark 14:32-42), A watch (Mark 13:37), Rooster or a feather (Luke 22:61)
, Piece of rope (John 18:12), A leather whip (John 19:1), Small piece of soap (Matthew 27:20-24), A piece of scarlet cloth (Matthew 27:28), A crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29), A cross (John 19:16-22), nails (John 19:16-22), Dice (John 19:23-24), darkness or Black circle (Luke 23:44-45), sponge with vinegar (John 19:28-30), spear (John 19:32-37), A shattered or split rock (Matthew 27:51, 54), Purple cloth (Matthew 27:51), Clean linen cloth or gauze (Matthew 27:57-61), Spices (Luke 23:55-56), A stone and wax or paraffin (Matthew 27:65-66), an empty tomb (Matthew 28:5-8), Sign reading “King of the Jews”

Easter Bingo items NOT necessarily related to Biblical account:
Basket, Bells, Bonnet, Bunny Hop, Candies, Chicks, Chocolate, Chocolate Rabbit, church, Cottontail, Daffodil, Easter Card, Easter Egg, Egg Hunt, Egg Tree, Faberge, Hard Boiled egg, Hot Cross Buns, Jelly Beans, Lamb, Lilies, Marshmellows, New Clothes, Parade, Passover, Pastel Colors, Peeps, Pretzel, Rabbit, Ribbons, Spring, Straw, Sunday, Sunrise

Variation
1. Make the bingo cards using items from the Biblical Account.
2. As you tell the easter story, youth / children must cover the appropriate square every time they hear something that matches a picture on their card. Everyone will get to bing before you finish and you will have told the Easter story.

Easter Collection

Get more than 80 creative ideas for planning a Youth Easter celebration or Easter Party. You can immediately download my best Easter Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Easter activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Description
Spruce up your next scavenger hunt or photo scavenger hunt by adding some of the items in the form of riddles. Riddles may rhyme or simply present a conundrum.

Example Riddles for your Scavenger Hunt
* What runs around a house but doesn’t move? [Fence]
* I grow when I eat, but die when I drink? [Fire]
* Alive without breath, As cold as death; Never thirsty, ever drinking, All in mail, never clinking. — J.R.R. Tolkien [Fish]
* I march before armies, a thousand salute me, My fall can bring victory, but no one would shoot me; The wind is my lover, one-legged am I, Name me and see me, at home in the sky. [Flag]
* The more of them you take, the more you leave behind [Footprints]
* When I am filled, I can point the way; When I am empty, Nothing moves me. I have two skins, One without and one within. [Glove]
* Strum me, I’m lovely, I have lots of strings, steel, nylon or catgut, with me you can sing! [Guitar]
* The more you take away, the larger it becomes. [Hole]
* Stiff and stout / I swivel about, hold some in and others out [Key]
* I have keys that open no locks, I have space, but you cannot fill it, You can enter, but you cannot leave. [keyboard]
* A strange attraction compels me to hold your things most dear, yet I know it not, and feel no warmth in my holding. My brothers and I stick close together until one faces me, and then is pushed away. [Magnet]
* I have streets but no pavement, cities but no buildings, forests yet no trees, rivers yet no water. [Map]
* Tear one off and scratch my head, What once was red is black instead. [Match]
* What turns everything around, but does not move? [Mirror]
* The point has been made. You say I have a big head, What I need most, Is someone to drive me home. [Nail]
* Take off my skin and I won’t cry, but you will, what am I? [Onion]
* What kind of coat can be put on only when wet? [Paint]
* Taken from a mine, Shut up in a wooden case, from which I am never released, and yet I am used by almost everybody. [Pencil Lead]
* I am a box that holds keys without locks, yet they can unlock your soul. [Piano]
* A skin have I, more eyes than one. I can be very nice when I am done. [Potato]]
* Has to be broken before it can be used [Egg]

Create your own
Create riddles for specific locations and items specific to you church, town, or area. For example, use the riddle for a river, but then add a couple lines to indicate a specific river near your location for participants to take a photo of.

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

=> Tell me more about the Creative Scavenger Hunts

Materials
soccerball, colored strips of cloth

Game description
Just as a spider has eight legs, so does this soccer player.

Game Play
1. Form two teams.
2. Within each team, have kids form groups of four. Give each group of four a supply of colored cloth to tie their ankles together so they form a square facing outward. They must also lock arms.
3. You may also use colored armbands or baseball caps to differentiate teams.
4. Play a normal game of soccer, normal rules, with each foursome acting as one player.

Materials
List of Onomatopoeia

Preparation
Make a list of words that represent sounds – onomatopoeia

Scavenger Hunt Desription
Onomatopoeia are words that represent sounds. Use this for a photo scavenger hunt. Youth must photograph the object or creature that makes the corresponding sound. For example: if the clue is “meow” then the youth must take a photo together with a cat. “clippety-clop” is the sound a horse makes as its shoes strike the ground so they would need to take a photo together with a horse.

Example items
argh, baa, bam, bang, bark, beep, belch, blare, boing, bonk, boo-hoo, boom, bray, burp, burr, burst, buzz, cackle, caw, chime, chirp, chop, clang, clank, clap, clatter, click, clippety-clop, cluck, cock-a-doodle-doo, coo, crackle, crash, croak, crow, crunch, ding-dong, drip, fizz, gasp, gobble, groaning, growl, grunt, gurgle, gush, hee-haw, hiccup, hiss, honk, hoot, howl, huff, hum, hush, ka-boom, ka-ching, kerplunk, knock, meow, moaning, moo, mumble, neigh, oink, ouch, ping pong, plop, poof, pop, puff, purr, quack, rattle, ribbit, ring, roar, rustle, scratch, screech, sigh, sizzle, slurp, smash, sniff, snort, sob, splash, splat, squeak, squeal, squish, swoosh, thud, tick, tick-tock, tinkling, tolling, tweet, vroom, whack, wheeze, whimper, whistle, whine, whinny, whirr, woof, yelp, zap, zoom, zzzzz

Variation
Give each group of youth a tape recorder and have them record the sounds.

Icebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

This 170 page resource not only provides 52 of the world’s most popular group icebreaker activities and games, but also includes lesson ideas and discussion questions to smoothly transition into conversations about the issues common to most groups.

Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!

Description
Spruce up your next scavenger hunt or photo scavenger hunt by adding some of the items in the form of riddles. Riddles may rhyme or simply present a conundrum.

Example Riddles for your Scavenger Hunt
* Come up and let us go; go down and here we stay. [Anchor]
* You use it between your head and your toes, the more it works the thinner it grows. [Bar of Soap]
* He can shave 25 times a day and still have a beard? [Barber]
* What is it that has four legs, one head and a foot? [Bed]
* What is white when its dirty and black when its clean? [Blackboard]
* Stiff is my spine and my body is pale, but I’m always ready to tell a tale. [Book]
* A hundred brothers lie next to each other; Each white and fine — they’ve only one spine. I am the tongue that lies between two. Remove me to gather their wisdom to you. [Bookmark]
* Man walks over, man walks under, in times of war he burns asunder. [Bridge]
* It stands on one leg with its heart in its head. [Cabbage]
* My life can be measured in hours, I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick, Fat, I am slow, Wind is my foe. [Candle]
* I’m usually old, in a yard with a fence, here someone rests, and another is of English descent [Cemetary]
* What is bigger when new and grows smaller with use? [chalk, pencil, soap]
* What’s black when you get it, Red when you use it, And white when you’re all through with it? [Charcoal]
* A slow, solemn square-dance, Of warriors feinting. One by one they fall, Warriors fainting, Thirty-two on sixty-four. [Chess]
* Throughout history, there have been thousands of well-documented cases of horses jumping over towers and landing on clergy and small men, forcing their removal. What am I? [Chess]
* Runs, but cannot walk, sometimes sings but never talks. Lacks arms, has hands; lacks a head but has a face. [Clock]
* I have head and tail, but no legs. I am that for which the beggar begs. [Coin]
* I am so simple that I only point; yet I guide men all over the world. [Compass]
* Put on the table and cut, but never eaten [Deck of cards]
* Has to be broken before it can be used [Egg]

Create your own
Create riddles for specific locations and items specific to you church, town, or area. For example, use the riddle for a river, but then add a couple lines to indicate a specific river near your location for participants to take a photo of.

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

=> Tell me more about the Creative Scavenger Hunts

Materials
None

Preparation
Make a list of items, street signs, and other information that can be found while travelling to a destination.

Scavenger Hunt Desription
Next time the youth go on a road trip to summer camp or to any other destination, have a Travel Scavenger Hunt also sometimes known as a Car Rally Scavenger Hunt or Road Rally Scavenger Hunt. Give each youth a list of items to watch for while traveling. The list can be made up ahead of time and adjusted for the specific scenery. These also can be added as part of a road rally.

Example items
[Miles to a specific destination], [Specific breed of dog], [Specific model and color car], Airport sign, Ambulance, Baby Stroller, Barn, Billboard with a child on it, Bus, Cat, Cemetary, Churches of several different denominations, City Dump, Construction, Cows, Cul-de-sac, Dam, Danger, Dead End, Deer, Deer Crossing, Detour, Dirt Road, Do Not Enter, Do not pass, Dog in a car, Exit, Fire Station, Flashing red light, Flat Tire, Food store, For Sale sign, Fountain, Grain silo, Handicapped Parking, Helicopter, High Voltage, Hiring, Horse, Hospital, Hotel, Ice on Road, Intersection, Keep Out, Keep Right, Large clock, Library, License plate that starts with “Q” [or letters – or all letters], License plates from other states, License plate with three identical digits on it i.e. 777, Lighthouse, Low Water Crossing, Merge, Motel, Motorcycle Gang, Museum, Name of a Bank, Narrow Bridge, Neon Sign, No parking, No right turn on red, No Swimming, No Trespassing, No U-turn, Oil Pump, One Way, Palm Tree, Person talking on a phone, Playground, Police Car, Policeman, Pond or Lake, Post Office, Price of Gas, Radio Tower, Railroad crossing, Rest Area, Road closed, Road Narrows, Road Work Ahead, Round about, School, School Crossing, School Zone, Sharp Curve, Shopping Cart, Signs in foreign languages, Slippery When Wet, Slow, Slower Traffic keep right, Someone on a Bicycle, Someone wearing a cowboy hat, Speed bump, Speed Limit, State Park, State Prison, Statue, Steep Incline, Stop, Subway, Taxi, Tow Truck, Tractor, Trespassers will be prosecuted, Various street signs, Watch for Falling Rock, Water Tower, Winding Road, Windmill, Window Cleaner, Yield Sign

Create your own: The more specific the information and the more obscure and difficult to obtain it, the better. Be creative and try to make the list educational as well as fun.

Additional Guidelines
1. Have an adult in each vehicle (besides the driver) to verify each spotting of an item.
2. Only the first person to spot a particular item can get credit for it. If there are more than one of an item, the first person to spot each instance gets credit.
3. You can limit the hunt to streetsigns or combine it with items and information. Information might be the highway numbers, miles to a particular destination or other information found along the way.
4. At the final destination, tally the results and award the youth with the keenest eyesight!

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

=> Tell me more about the Creative Scavenger Hunts

Materials
None

Preparation
Make a list of items that can be found in and around your church.

Scavenger Hunt Objective
Teens will search the church facilities to find the information on the list.

Example items
1. The year the church was built [on the cornerstone]
2. Number of rooms in the church building
3. Number of stairs leading to the sanctuary
4. The name of the first pastor of the church [usually on a plaque in the foyer]
5. The name of the largest book in the church library
6. The number of keys on the church piano/organ.
7. Number of pews / seats in the church
8. [Specific persons who donated hymn books or other items to the church – [usually found on a sticker or metal plate]
9. Number of members in a Sunday School Class [Name the specificclass]
10. Number of beds for toddlers
11. A communion wafer and cup
12. List the names of the various rooms in the church
13. Name of the church secretary
14. Brand of church copier
15. Number of Bibles or hymbooks in the sanctuary
16. Length of the candles at the altar
17. Depth of baptismal pool
18. Number of Choir Robes
19. Last week’s church attendance
20. Last year’s donation amount to Missions
21. Last month’s total offering
22. Pastor’s favorite hymn
23. Most recent couple to get married
24. [Specific images on stained glass windows in certain locations]
25. [Describe specific paintings or statues in specific locations]
26. Names of the missionaries the church supports
27. Oldest living member of the church
28. Day of the week for this year’s Christmas / Easter
29. Number of choir members
30. Street Address of the church
31. [Specific information about a well known church member]
32. Chairman of the church board [or deacons]
33. Title of sermon [from a specific date]
34. Bible Version used by Pastor
35. Height of the cross
36. Number of pillars
37. Place where the Christmas decorations are stored
38. Names of all members of the pastor’s family
39. [Words to a specific line of a specific hymn or song]
40. Church Mission Statement
41. Church theme verse
42. Number of Active members
43. Last year’s high attendance
ETC

Create your own. The more specific the information and the more obscure and difficult to obtain it, the better. Be creative and try to make the list educational as well as fun. This can be done as part of a Sunday School lesson on chuch history.

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

=> Tell me more about the Creative Scavenger Hunts

Materials
You don’t need a list of people to find, but if you want to make it easier for youth, give them a list

Scavenger Hunt Objective
Find the Teachers, counselors, or church members

How to Play
1. All the teachers are assigned a point value. Including negative numbers! Make them crazy numbers and they can be randomly assigned. You may wish to assign the highest value to someone in a very difficult to find location and the highest negative number to someone in a very obvious location (in the open).
2. Choose a crowded mall, or a local park for the scavenger hunt
3. The teachers / councelors / or church members then go hide. Some might may even be disguised.
4. The youth then go in search of the counselors with a piece of paper and a pen. They work best in groups of 4 or 5. They must write the name of the person they found and the location they found them. If you want to ensure the youth actually found the person, have the person autograph the paper. Of course in the process of autographing a group’s sheet, the hidden person may accidentally reveal themselves to another group.
5. After the game, you tally up the points and give out a crazy prize for the winners.

Variation
Teachers can assign the group a wild and wacky task before signing the piece of paper.

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

=> Tell me more about the Creative Scavenger Hunts

Materials
1. handheld camcorder / video camera for each team
or
2. Digital or traditional 35mm camera for each team

Scavenger Hunt Objective
This is merely a photo scavenger hunt with a special title and a couple of items related to the popular “Where’s Waldo” books. Another key factor is that the entire group must be seen in each picture. Teams are awarded bonuses for non-group members they are able to persuade to be in the pictures. When choosing your list be aware of the sensitivities of your youth and their adult sponsors. The intention is not to offend but to have fun. Don’t use all the suggestions in one outing. Save some for a future repeat as this ativity is sure to be a hit. You can use slide film and have a slide show at the end or use regular photos and have special bulletin boards. You can even make a little money if you decide to auction off the pictures or print reprints. For digital photos upload them to a website so everyone can access them.

The List
(Assign points to these based on the difficulty to accomplish each)
* Picture of your team drinking a coke out of one glass with straws
* Picture of your team with a Where’s Waldo Book!
* Picture of a crowd scene. Your team among a large crowd of people, but with everyone’s faces visible. The team with the largest crowd recieves an extra 5000 points.
* Picture of your team standing on their heads.
* Picture of your team holding cereal boxes.
* Picture of your team in front of a fire station.
* Picture of your team on an escalator.
* Picture of your team all licking the same ice-cream cone.
* Picture of your team with the guys on their knees, holding the hands of the girls in the team.
* Picture of your team with (local landmark) in the background.
* Picture of your team with a Police station in the background.
* Picture of your team behind bars (Hint: You don’t have to break the law to do this)
* Picture of your team’s funniest faces
* Picture of your team playing in a playground
* Picture of your team with the parent’s of someone on your team.
* Picture of your team in a mirror
* Picture of your team holding hands stretched across a residential street (be safe)
* Picture of your team with a guy on the team in a dress
* Picture of your team ALL on the same bench in a park
* Picture of your team on a bus
* Picture of your team with a boat in the background
* Picture of your team with a church staff member
* Picture of your team’s bare feet only
* Picture of your team with a museum in the background
* Picture of your team with the guys kissing the girls
* Picture of your team with panyhose over everyone’s heads. (NOT in a PUBLIC place or near a bank)
* Picture of your team with everyone wearing shaving cream beards.
* Picture of your team with one member dressed up like WALLY!
* Picture of your team all in a phone booth
* Picture of your team on a glass elevator
* Picture of your team in a bathtub
* Picture of your team illustrating the classical monkey statues of “I hear nothing, see nothing, say nothing” poses
* Picture of your team’s saddest faces
* Picture of your team with the girls holding frying pans, and rolling pins and threatening the guys with them
* Picture of your team with all the younger brothers/ sisters of someone on your team.
* Picture of your team with a church in the background
* Picture of your team all hugging each other
* Picture of your team all wearing sunglasses
* Picture of your team with everyone blowing bubbles
* Picture of your team with one of the guys wearing a wig
* Picture of your team eating popcorn
* Picture of your team with someone in curlers
* Picture of your team picking each other’s noses – (don’t eat it!)
* Picture of your entire team standing up in one tree. (Double points for each stranger)
* Picture of your team modeling bibs from a local dining establishment. Please ask manager first.
* Picture of your entire team standing on a fire engine. Thank the firemen.
* Picture of your team standing in front of a large public clock that reads exactly 7:15 PM.
* Picture of your of one of your team members kissing a mannequin in a clothes store while the rest of the team looks on. Get permission first!
* Picture of your entire team with their feet immersed in a body of water (creek, pool, etc.).
* Picture of your team with a live amphibian or reptile.
* Picture of your team standing with a pregnant woman
* Picture of your team in front of a school spelling out the letters of the school name using your bodies.
* Picture of your team in front of the church spelling out the letters of your church name using your bodies.
* Picture of your team forming a Christian symbol
* Picture of your team in front of cemetary

Variation
1. Use the standard rules, but add “For each non-group member in a picture, a bonus of 50 points is added.”
2. Print out invitations and have your youth invite every person they involve in their photos to your church.

Awards
In addition to awarding an overall winner, also award prizes for funniest, best dressed, most unlikely Bible character, etc.

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

=> Tell me more about the Creative Scavenger Hunts

Materials
1. handheld camcorder / video camera for each team
or
2. Digital or traditional 35mm camera for each team

Scavenger Hunt Objective
Youth must go to church members homes and video tape those church members acting out Bible scenes on their front yards.

The List
Make a list of Bible scenes and allow them to do each scene at one home only. Photograph or videotape it.
Examples: Creation, Adam and Eve and the apple, Noah’s ark, David and Goliath, Samson, Jesus, Balaam, Moses parting the Red Sea, Conquering Jericho, Ezra rebuilding the temple, Daniel in the lion’s den, Jonah and the whale, Joseph cast in a well, The plagues of Egypt, Baptism of Christ, Healing the paralytic, healing the blind man, Miracles of Jesus, Scenes from a specific book of the Bible, The angel visits the shepherd, the birth of Christ, the Wisemen, The cross, the resurrection, Easter events, Christmas events, Paul and Silas in prison, Paul’s shipwreck, Scenes from Revelation, Jesus walking on water, Jesus calms the seas, Feeding the 5000, and so many more you can choose from…

Variation
For video, they may also choose to sing the praise and worship choruses with the family watching. Give them extra points if that can get the family to participate.

Awards
In addition to awarding an overall winner, also award prizes for funniest, best dressed, most unlikely Bible character, etc.

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

=> Tell me more about the Creative Scavenger Hunts

Purpose

The primary goal of a scavenger hunt is to send participants out with a list of things to find, obtain, photograph, videotape, audio record, etc. The hope is that while they are working together as a team, relationships will be developed.

Publicity Opportunity

Make invitations to your church, business, or organization and give them to everyone who participates or that interacts with the groups in some way. Or create a small thank you card with your contact information. Participants can give a thank you card to everyone who helps them. Even better, invite them to a party or slideshow where the results will be displayed.

Preparing Item Lists

Lists can be as creative and wild as you want them to be. Design your list around a theme or concept:
Ecological, Bible Objects, Occupations, Food, Canned Goods, Prices of items, Animal Tracks, footprints, Photos at History Locations, People, sounds, clothing, church members, Camp Supplies, Items for the needy, recycled materials, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, New Year, Halloween, Noah’s Ark Party, old family photos, fruits, vegetables, widgets, Posed Photos, Video, etc.

Protecting Participants

1. Don’t let any youth drive – put adults in charge and don’t allow horseplay on the roads like “Chinese fire drills”. Make sure everyone wears seatbelts or take major points away if they are caught on film without them on. You could also conduct the scavenger hunt on foot. You don’t want a participant killed while speeding during your scavenger hunts.
2. Participants must obey all laws and instructions from sponsors
3. Limit the play area and place people at strategic locations if needed to insure the safety of participants.
4. Make sure each group has a mobile phone and contact numbers for emergency.

Points

1. Set a specific point value for each item on the list.
2. Have a point penalty for each minute late to the final destination or to report back with the items.
3. For Video or photo scavenger hunts, give extra points to groups for having a company, organization, or church logo in every picture. You could also require a Bible, a mascot, or some other object in each picture. Some groups have even been known to have to carry a large teddy bear or other object ( a couch) around to be in each picture.
4. Award extra points for having everyone in the group as part of the photo or video.

Planning the Scavenger Hunt – 10 Steps

1. PURPOSE: What is the purpose of your scavenger hunt.
   (Is it an icebreaker? For team building? Just for fun?)
2. TYPE: What type of scavenger hunt is it?
   (Is it to collect objects? a photo scavenger hunt? A video scavenger hunt? A sound scavenger hunt? Others?)
3. THEME: What is the theme?
   (Is it a Pirate’s Treasure Hunt? a Superhero Hunt? Aladin’s Magic Carpet Hunt? Others?)
4. LOCATION: Where will the hunt take place? What are the boundaries?
   (Is it limited to a school or church building? The downtown area? Walking distance? Reconnoiter the location to determine potential problems. Get permission in advance from affected businesses and individuals.)
5. ITEM LIST: What items do participants need to collect?
   (Based on your purpose, type of hunt, and theme, make a list of items that can be found in the specified boundaries. Are subsitutions allowed?)
6. SCORING: How will points be allocated?
   (Are some items worth more than others? Are there points for creativity and quality?)
7. INVITATIONS: Who will be invited to the join in the Scavenger Hunt?
   (What do they need to bring? What do they need to wear? Tailor the invitations to your theme.)
8. TEAMS: How will participants be divided into teams?
9. RULES: What are the rules?
   (Take into consideration the safety of participants as well as minimizing potential problems.)
10. AWARDS: Determine the location and the time for the awards party.
    (How will teams present their items to the judges?)

Hints

1. For a photo or video scavenger hunt, do it early enough in the day so you can see the videotape or photos on the screen (if you don’t all you’ll see is a dark screen and hear them)
2. Give points to the most creative group per category with a prize at the end
3. Give youth enough time to go out and do these things. You can get great footage if they have enough time and aren’t rushed and you could make an end of the year video with some of the shots.
4. Have fun and reward all of the participants at the end.

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

=> Tell me more about the Creative Scavenger Hunts

Game Materials
Newsprint, or two whiteboards and markers
Youth Create a wacky love letter, one word at a time.

Game Play
1. Tell the groups that they as a team will be writing the best love letter they know how.
2. Line each team up in a single file line and one at a time write one word of their letter on a large piece of paper you have taped up onto the wall in front of each group.
3. Start both teams out with the same line such as “Honey, I love you so much that…”
4. One at a time team members will go to the board and add a word to their team’s letter.
5. Tell them ahead of time that they will be disqualified if they write anything inappropriate. Make sure your leaders are watching this as well.
6. When one person is done writing one word he/she will go to the end of their line and the next person will write a word.
7. They cannot talk with one another or share ideas with one another.
8. Give them four minutes to complete the letter.
9. Pick on student from each team to read their letter out loud to the rest of the group and have a panel of leaders vote on the best letter.

Replay
You can do it again, this time writing a break-up letter. This time start the letter, Honey I know we’ve had good times but…

Holiday Collection

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

Game Materials
Chairs for youth arranged in a circle.

Game Objective
Can you get someone of the opposite sex to smile?

Game Play
1. This is a “lose when you smile” game.
2. Everyone sits in a circle and one person is “it” in the center.
3. The goal of the person in the center is to get someone of the opposite sex to smile.
4. He/ she does this by going up to a person of the opposite sex and saying in whatever manner desired to get a smile, “Honey, if you love me would you please, please, smile.”
5. The person chosen must then say, making eye contact, without a smile, “Honey, I love you, but I just can’t smile.”
6. If he/she smiles, then he/she becomes “it.”

Game Application
Conclude this activity by saying that we often place conditions on our love. “I will love you if…” “If you love me you will…” “I love you because..” True love is unconditional.

Cautions
You may want to set specific rules, such as “no body contact” to keep this from getting out of hand.

Holiday Collection

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

Game Materials
1. A cheap, rubber-tipped bow and arrow or dart gun for each team.
2. Heart shaped or red balloons
3. Straight pins
4. Slips of paper

Game Objective
Youth must pop balloons with cupid’s arrows and correctly piece together a love poem or scripture verse.

Game Preparation
1. Stick a straight pin carefully through the rubber tip so that the arrow or dart is “loaded.”
2. Create a corny love poem such as: “Roses are red, violets are blue; if you kiss me, you’ll come down with the flu.”
3. Write each word of the poem on a slip of paper and place it in a balloon.
4. Inflate the balloons and tape them to a wall. Have a different color or balloon designation for each team. Red, White, Pink, pastels are nice.
5. Mark a tape line on the floor at least 10 feet from the targets and line up each team single file behind the tape.
6. Have a responsible assistant handle the “ammo.” To avoid dangerous crossfire, ammo should only be collected once all teams have shot all thier arrows.

Game Play
1. Each person gets one shot at the balloons, then moves to the back of the line.
2. When a balloon pops and after all shooting ceases, retrieve the word-clue from any balloon that popped and give it to the team of that color (It is possible that another team may pop the balloon for you if their aim is off)
3. The first team to figure out the poem wins!

Variation
Instead of love poems, use Bible Verses related to love or relationships.

Holiday Collection

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

Game Materials
Valentine’s Day candy conversation hearts (BE MINE, COOL KID, LOVER BOY, KISS ME, MY GAL, etc.)

Game Objective
Play a game of charades using candy conversation hearts as the messages.

Game Preparation
1. For this game to be effective, there must be quite a number of different conversation hearts to choose from.
2. Put all the candy in a bowl.

Game Play
1. One person from a group picks out one of the candies from the bowl and, using the regular rules for Charades, tries to pantomime the message.
2. The person who correctly guesses the saying gets to eat that piece of candy.
3. It’s fun to watch the participants try to do phrases like LOVER BOY, KISS ME, and all the other crazy sayings found on the candy.

Game Variation
Use Valentine Cards instead of Valentine candy.

Game Variation
Use different emotions for the items to be pantomimed. The person who guesses the emotion gets a point. Emotions that can be used are: anger, fear, happy, nervous, bored, bitter, overwhlemed, depressed, at peace, embarassed, loved, proud, detached, shocked, hate, and finally, love

Game Variation
In larger groups you might give each person one of the above emotions. There should be at least two people that have each emotion. The objective will be to display the emotion until you find the other members of your group. When you think you have your partners/group have a seat. Continue until all groups are seated. Then have each group strike a pose of their emotion ending finally with that of love. What does love look like? What actions show love? How did you find your group? How do we find love?

Holiday Collection

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

Game Materials
A Valentine Design

Game Objective
Create random Valentine’s from youth responses.

Game Preparation
Before the party, design a crazy-looking valentine, listing four parts to the message: (Be sure to leave plenty of space between the lines. You’ll want to experiment with different valentine designs and choose the one that works best. See the following example.)
1. Dear
2. I want you to be my valentine because
3. The thing I like most about you is
4. Love,

Game Play
1. At the party. hand out the blank valentines and instruct everyone to write his or her name in blank 1.
2. Then fold and tape the top over his or her name. It is important that no one sees the names.
3. Valentines are then gathered and randomly redistributed.
4. Everyone fills in blank 2 with a funny message. Fold down the top to cover blank 2.
5. Gather and randomly redistribute again
6. Everyone then fills in blank 3 and signs his or her name in blank 4.
7. Gather all valentines.
8. Read the valentines aloud to the group. Be alert to edit any portions of the valentine that might be embarrassing or inappropriate to the receiver.

Holiday Collection

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

Game Materials
None: (For the Variation a Sheet is required)

Game Objective
Each blind-folded prince must follow the directions of his cinderella to return her shoe to her.

Game Play
1. At your next Valentine’s Day celebration, label the girls as Cinderellas and the guys as the princes.
2. The Cinderellas sit in chairs.
3. Each prince kneels in front of his lady and removes her shoes.
4. Each Cinderella is then given a blindfold, which she puts on her prince.
5. Now take all the shoes and put them in a line, all mixed up, behind the princes in the center of the room.
6. On your signal, each Cinderella tries to verbally direct her prince to where her shoes are located. She must stay seated at all times.
7. The first couple whose blind-folded Valentine finds the right shoes and puts them on his Cinderella wins.

Variation
As each girl arrives, ask her to remove her right shoe. After you’ve collected all the shoes, send the girls into another room. Then give each shoe to a guy to hold. In the other room, have the girls step behind a sheet that is hanging from the ceiling. Only the girls’ feet should show under the sheet curtain. Call in the guys and have them each find their partner by matching the shoe they’re holding with the shoe under the curtain. Or, to add some difficulty, have the girls remove the other shoe so the guys have to try to fit the shoes, Cinderella style.

Holiday Collection

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

Game Materials
One or two sets of hearts (as many as you will need for your group size). If you have teams use different colors of hearts to distinguish between them. On each heart write the name of one person in the Bible. Write its match on another heart.

Game Objective
In this scavenger hunt / icebreaker, participants must find the hearts hidden around the building and match the couples together which are written upon the hearts.

Suggestions for Couples
Adam and Eve
Abraham and Sarah
Isaac and Rebekah
Samson and Delilah
King David and Bathsheba
Priscilla and Aquila
Ruth and Boaz
Elkanah and Hannah
Moses and Ziporah
Hosea and Gomer
Joseph and Mary
Jacob and Rachel
Ahasuerus and Esther
Zacharias and Elizabeth
Want to add some more, add a comment with your favorite Bible couple

Game Play
1. Hide the hearts around the room or building.
2. Have the participants find the hearts and match their set together. ie Adam with Eve, etc.
3. First team finished is the winning team.

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

Holiday Collection

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

Game Materials
1. Valentine’s Day Conversation Candy hearts “BE MINE”, “I’M YOURS” etc.
2. The normal mat in the boxed game that forms the playing surface is decorated with six circles each of red, yellow, green and blue. Instead of the standard twister mat, cut heart shapes from colored construction paper and use sticky-tack to adhere them to the floor. Place them randomly. Vary the number of phrases/colors and rows to accomodate the size of your group. Add the common phrases to the various hearts to match those of Valentine’s Day Conversation Candy hearts.
3. If you don’t have a spinner you can easily make one. Make a twister spinner that includes right hand, left hand, right foot, left foot. You can also paste these onto the side of a die and roll the die in place of a spinner.

Game Preparation
Make the game mat using the same colors and phrases as those found on Valentine’s Conversation hearts. Put the real candy hearts in a bag and draw them out. Use the spinner or die to select the body part. Example: “left hand PINK: BE MINE”; “right foot: Green: I LOVE YOU”; etc.

Game Objective
Touch the Hearts on the floor with the correct body part as indicated by the spinner and the color and phrase of the candy heart drawn from the bag. Do not let any other part of your body touch the ground.

Game Play
1. An appointed person spins the spinner and chooses the heart and calls out instructions for the players to follow, such as: “left hand: Blue: YES”, “right foot: yellow: I’M YOURS”.
2. The players follow the directions, moving their hands and feet to the relevant hearts and try not to fall over–a knee or an elbow on the ground and they’re out. Use the wrong body part or the wrong heart and you are also eliminated from the game
3. The board can get quite crowded and the participants quite distorted hence the name “Twister.” How flexible are you?

Variation
Instead of playing on an individual basis, divide the group into teams. The team with the last remaining members in the game wins.

Holiday Collection

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

Materials
1. Bingo cards for each participant in the shape of hearts
2. Bingo items in bag to pull out.
3. Hershey’s kisses or Valentine’s Heart candy as the bingo chips.

Game Objective
Played as a traditional game of Bingo but using items related to Valentine’s day.

Game Preparation
1. Make Bingo cards using Valentine’s related items in each square, and play Bingo. (Bingo cards are typically unique for each individual. There are also usually more items than the bingo grid. You might use some of the items below or make up your own) Place a heart in the center square as the free space.
2. Place slips of paper with the Valentine’s words in a hat or box decorated for Valentine’s Day.

Game Play
1. Pass out the heart-shaped papers.
2. Give each child a supply of Hershey’s kisses or candy hearts to use as markers on the board. Ask them not to eat them until the game is over.
3. Draw one slip of paper at a time from the hat or box. Read the saying out loud.
4. Ask participants to look for the saying on their paper. If they find it, they should place a candy heart over it. (Make sure each participant covers the free space.)
5. Play until someone gets five hearts in a row either horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The first person to do so must yell out “Be my Valentine” and wins. Check the grid to make sure the placement of the hearts agrees with those that have been called out.
6. Repeat the game a few times or keep on playing the first game until each child has covered five squares in a row.
7. Let everyone eat the candy after the game is over.

Possible Valentine’s Items
Heart, Chocolate, Roses, Carnations, Dinner, Kisses, Cupid, Love, Valentine Card, Be Mine, I’m Yours, Beloved, I love you, True Love, Be My Valentine, Romance, 14th, courtship, Date, February, Arrows, Boyfriend, Girlfriend, Candlelight, Candy, Diamonds, Flowers, Forever, Gifts, Hugs, Infatuation, Love Letters, Lovebirds, Lovers, Only You, Passion, Pink, Red, Poetry, Relationship, Secret admirer, Sweetheart, Flirting, Serenade, Love Songs, Stuffed Animals, Cuddle, Honey, Casanova, Amore, Wink, Heartthrob

You could also use famous Biblical or secular couples as items

Holiday Collection

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

Materials
A variety of simple Valentine’s images. (e.g. Cupid, hearts, etc) You can also use simple Valentine’s cards for the design.

Activity
Form teams of six people. Instruct each team to sit in a line, one person behind another, and take a vow of silence for the duration of the game. Give the first person in each line a pencil and a piece of paper. Then show the last person in each line a simple image of an object associated with Valentine’s Day. That person must use his or her finger to draw the object on the back of the person in front of him or her. This continues until the drawing reaches the first person in line. He or she must draw it on the piece of paper. Have judges determine which team’s picture closest resembles the original picture. If time permits, play more rounds, letting team members change positions if they wish.

Application
Things get distorted the farther we get from the source, especially when we have our backs turned on God. In todays world, too often love has degraded to lust, and commitment in relationships has been replaced with convenience.

Debrief
1. Define “love” and “relationships” in Biblical terms. How would the world define “love” today? What guidelinesdoes the Bible give for intimate relationships? What are the world’s standards for relationships?
2. In what ways has “true love” been distorted over time?
3. How can we get back to a Biblical view of relationships and love?

Holiday Collection

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

Materials
1. 3 to 5 slips of paper for each youth
2. Pencils or something for the teenage participants to write with
3. a bowl or hat
4. Envelopes that can be sealed (optional for closing)

Game Play
1. As youth arrive, each must write 3 personal New Year Resolutions or goals for the new year. Fold them in half then place them in the bowl or hat. Names may or may not be included depending on how you intend to play the game.
2. After everyone has done this, each young person must draw 3 slips of paper from the bowl.
3. One at a time the resolutions are read and the rest of the youth group tries to guess who wrote each resolution.

Variation
1. Give each youth another sheet of paper. In this variation, the youth must also write their names on the slips of paper along with their resolutions.
2. As host, pull one slip of paper out of a hat at a time and read it aloud so that everyone in the youth group can hear it.
3. Youth Group Participants must write down the name of the youth they believe wrote the resolution on their piece of paper next to the number in which they were drawn.
4. Number the slips as they are chosen.
5. The winner is the teen who correctly guessed the most authors.

Debrief
1. What are your spiritual goals for the next year?
2. What areas of your life do you need to get in order?
3. What new Beginnings do you wish to create?
4. What do you believe God’s plan for your life is for the next year?
5. How will you make a difference in the life of others during the next year?

Closing
As a closing, provide envelopes and pieces of paper for each youth. Ask the youth to write their goals and resolutions on a piece of paper. Place the resolutions in the envelopes and seal them. Assure the youth that no one else will read them. Then choose a date (e.g. 6 months, at youth camp, or in one year) to return the envelopes to each youth to check their progress.

Holiday Collection

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

Materials
A list of items commonly associated with New Years and large sheet of paper, flip chart, or a whiteboard for each team. Classified ads also work if you use a broad tip marker.

Activity
Each team selects a person to draw. The person leading the game shows all those who are drawing the first item on his list. Each returns to his/her group and tries to get the group to guess the name of the item by DRAWING ONLY. No Speaking, No sound effects, especially no humming, and no gestures are allowed. As soon as the group knows the item, they must write it down on a peice of paper for you to check. They send the peice of paper and a new person to you. If the item is correct you give the person the next item to draw. The first team to complete the entire list wins the game.

Here are some of the common New Year items
Champaign, cork, ginger ale, party poppers, a toast, clock, midnight, fireworks, streamers, calendar, resolution, noisemakers, party hats, confetti, balloons, time, year, party, health, happiness, prosperity, black-eyed peas, ham, cabbage, tamales, appetizers, Auld Lang Syne, Father Time, baby, firecrackers, January 1st, beginning, countdown, prayer, fasting, watchnight service, Times Square, Dropping of the Ball, church bells

Variation
Instead of items associated with the New Year, use events, movies, and highlights from the past year for items. These could be specific to your church or youth group, or general world events.

Holiday Collection

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

Materials
1. Choose a Christmas related word or phrase such as: Christmas, Poinsettia, Candy cane, Bethlehem.
2. Timer

Game Play
Participants are to create as many little words as possible before the timer runs out using only the letters in the chosen word or phrase before the timer runs out.

Example: Christmas
Words: sit, is, his, miss, rat, tar, this, math, chair, rim, ETC

Christmas Collection

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

Materials
List of items

Game Play
Divide everyone into two or more groups and give them a time limit with which to find the items on the list. The first group that returns with the all the items or the most items on the list within the limited time wins.

Christmas items related to the Biblical account:
Star, Gold, Gifts, Herod, Shepherds, Manger, Frankincense, Flocks, Tax, Savior, Bethlehem, Myrrh, Peace, Angel, King, Jesus, Wisemen, Joseph, Mary, Joy, Inn, Gabriel, Immanuel, Swaddling Clothes, Christ, Nativity peices, Advent

Christmas items NOT related to Biblical account:
Christmas Card, Wrapping paper, scotch tape, paper snowflake, fake snow, scissors, bow, Gift for the needy, a bathrobe, Christmas napkins, Christmas cups, Candy Cane, St. Nick (Santa), Snowman, Candle, Plum Pudding, Poinsettia, December 25th, Reindeer, North Pole, Stocking, Holly, Mistletoe, Wreath, Rudolph, Dancer, Prancer, Dasher, Vixen, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Toy, Gingerbread Man, Sugar Plums, Nutcracker, Ornament, Elf, Bells, Sleigh, Christmas Tree

More Christmas Resources for Youth Groups
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

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

=> Tell me more about the Creative Scavenger Hunts

Materials
Based on the classic beach game of “limbo”. Try using a string of twinkle lights, or a strand of sparkly garland as a replacement for your limbo stick.

Game Play
Start the garland at a height that everyone can limbo under. Then progressively lower it until you have a single winner.

Variation
You can make the game a little more challenging by adding a Santa Stomach to each student as they take their turn. For this, you need to provide a couple of oversized shirts, and some fluffy pillows to stuff them.

Christmas Collection

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

The answers follow the letters of the alphabet from A to Z with the answer to #1 starting with an A and #26 starting with a Z.

1. The first witnesses to the miracle of Christmas
2. Heard in churches on Christmas day
3. Used in both decoration and illumination
4. What little girls may like to find under the tree
5. What we all do too often at Christmas
6. Where the stockings should be hung
7. What everyone should have for everyone else
8. Traditional Christmas decoration
9. We like real ones outside and artificial ones on the tree
10.Santa is supposed to be this
11.What a German child calls Santa Claus
12. Christmas parcels, when mailed. should always be
13. Girls like to stand under it
14. They get cracked during the Christmas baking
15. We gather around it to sing carols
16. St. Nick carries it
17. When kids are waiting for Santa they are
18. There are supposed to be eight of them
19. The old guy himself 20. The main course at dinner
21. At Christmas, it’s a lucky child who has a rich
22. Beside turkey, we like a variety of
23. We hang it on the front door
24. Abbreviation for Christmas
25. In England, they always brought one home for Christmas
26. The way some folks walk after an overdose of Christmas spirits

ANSWERS:
1. angels 2. bells 3. candles 4. doll 5. eat 6. fireplace 7. gift 8. holly 9. icicle
10. jolly 11. Kris Kringle 12. labeled 13. mistletoe 14. nuts 15. organ 16. pack
17. quiet 18. reindeer 19. Santa 20. turkey 21. uncle 22. vegetables
23. wreath 24. Xmas 25. yule log 26. zigzag

Christmas Collection

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

Materials
1. Sheet of Paper for each participant
2. Pencil for each participant

Game Play
Give everyone a piece of paper and a pencil. Explain to them that they will close their eyes and you will tell them what to draw. DON’T tell them they’re drawing a snowman!

Instructions
1. Draw 3 circles on top of each other. Each circle gets smaller from bottom to top.
2. In the middle circle draw three buttons going vertically down the center.
3. In the top circle draw two eyes, a carrot nose, and a mouth.
4. Draw a hat on top of the smallest circle.
5. Draw stick arms on both sides of the middle circle.
6. Draw a broom in one stick hand.

Scoring
5 points for each circle that touches the other.
5 points for the hat touching the head
3 points each for the eyes being in the top circle
5 points for the nose in the right circle
4 points for the mouth in the right circle
5 points each for each arm correctly placed
10 points for the broom stick touch the hand.
Etc.

Christmas Collection

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

Materials
Recording of the Song: “All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth”

Game Objective
Don’t Laugh!

Play this game while listening to the song:”All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth”

Game Play
1. Everyone sits in a circle.
2. From this point forward, you may not show your teeth.
3. To speak, you must pull your lips inward around your teeth to hide them.
4. A question is started, related to the Christmas holiday. For example, “Would you like some socks for Christmas?”
5. The person asked then replies “I don’t know I’ll have to ask my neighbor.” He then asks the neighbor the same question without showing his teeth.
6. This keeps going around the circle.
7. When someone’s teeth show due to laughter, he or she is out. Once it goes all the way around the circle, the next person gets to change the question. Smiling is permitted provided the teeth don’t show.
8. The choice of questions can be a source of laughter so question choice is important.
9. When asking or answering, contorting the facial muscles may be used to try to make the person next to you laugh.
10. If a question is vulgar or suggestive, the person is removed from the game.

Christmas Collection

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

Materials
Bowl of Cotton balls, something sticky like honey or vaseline.

Game Play
On one side of the room put a couple big bowls of cotton balls. Then have the participants line up coat thier own chins with vaseline or honey. The bolder they are the more they will cover. The objective of the game is to run to the other side of the room stick your face in the bowl of cotton so that it sticks and forms a Santa beard and then run back so the next person can go. The winning team is the one who has the most cotton balls in a specified period of time, or the first to empty the bowl.

Christmas Collection

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

Materials
A box of Christmas tree tinsel

Activity
Divide the group into pairs and give each pair a piece of tinsel. One person in each pair holds the piece above the other’s head. On the signal to begin, the person with the tinsel drops the piece of tinsel, and must pick it up if it hits the floor. It is the job of the other partner in each pair to blow air at the tinsel, always keeping it above the floor while moving it across the room. No hands allowed. After the pair crosses the room, they switch places and blow the piece of tinsel back to the starting point. First team to have all members complete the relay wins.

Christmas Collection

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

Materials
Long candy (Taffy, licorice,and even a long candy cane), Song: “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause”

Activity
Each team sends up 2 representatives. While the song is playing, each duo will be a given a long piece of candy. The aim is to finish eating the candy without using their hands. First duo to finish wins. The fun comes in when the candy is almost finished and they try to finish it off without kissing.

Christmas Collection

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