Game Ideas

Valentines Wink’em

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Game Description
This is a classic Valentine’s Day game where the objective is for the girls to catch a guy or vice versa!

Materials
Chairs for everyone

What to do

  1. Seat all the guys in a circle.
  2. Leave one chair empty.
  3. A girl stands behind each chair (including the empty one) with her hands behind her back.
  4. The objective is for the girl standing behind the empty chair to get a guy into her chair. She does this by winking at one of the guys.
  5. The guy winked at tries to run and sit in the empty chair without being tagged by the girl behind his chair.
  6. If successful the guy takes his new seat and become her Valentine and the game continues with the girl who just lost her guy.
  7. At some point, you may switch and put the girls in the chairs and let the guys do the winking. (But make sure they are gentle when they tag the girls)


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Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

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Game Ideas

Toothless Valentine

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Materials
Love songs to play while the youth are enjoying this game.

Game Objective
Don’t Laugh!

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 Valentine’s Day. For example, “Would you like a rose for Valentines day?”
  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.

Variation
Add a few lines of Solomon and have youth repeat them all the way around the circle. Can you quote them without showing your teeth? When everyone has quoted it go around again with a different verse. Here are some classics from the 4th chapter of Song of Solomon.

verse 1
How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes behind your veil are doves.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Mount Gilead.

verse 2
Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin;
not one of them is alone.

verse 3
Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;
your mouth is lovely.
Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.

verse 4
Your neck is like the tower of David,
built with elegance;
on it hang a thousand shields,
all of them shields of warriors.


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Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan not only your next Valentine’s Day, but also other common holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for the various holidays and celebrations, and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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Teaching Illustrations

Holy Alphabet

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A lthough things are not perfect
B ecause of trial or pain
C ontinue in thanksgiving
D o not begin to blame
E ven when the times are hard
F ierce winds are bound to blow
G od is forever able
H old on to what you know
I magine life without His love
J oy would cease to be
K eep thanking Him for all the things
L ove imparts to thee
M ove out of “Camp Complaining”
N o weapon that is known
O n earth can yield the power
P raise can do alone
Q uit looking at the future
R edeem the time at hand
S tart every day with worship
T o “thank” is a command
U ntil we see Him coming
V ictorious in the sky
W e’ll run the race with gratitude
X alting God most high
Y es, there’ll be good times and yes some will be bad, but…
Z ion waits in glory…where none are ever sad!

Source Unknown: received as an email from internet


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Creative Teaching Ideas

How Does Your Love Measure Up?

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Based on 1 Corinthians 13, How does you love measure up?

LOVE IS PATIENT: I am slow to become angry or irritated. I never yell or lose my temper.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE IS KIND: I am thoughtful and considerate and praise the good qualities in others. I freely give others my time and am always looking for ways to build others up.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE ENVIES NO ONE: I am not jealous when others get more attention than I do and I am not threatened if they accomplish more or have more talent or do better than I do. I don’t sit back and pout or complain or try to see faults in others when I go unnoticed or am not in the spotlight.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE IS NEVER BOASTFUL: I don’t direct or try to control or hog the conversation to make sure others find out about my own accomplishments and abilities. I never stretch the facts so that I leave a better impression than what is actually true. I don’t talk about myself much, but prefer to get others to talk about themselves.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE IS NEVER CONCEITED: I don’t have a elevated view of my own importance or have to be begged, pampered or honored to do my share of the load. I don’t twist the conversation around to the things I am interested in or draw attention to myself. I don’t look for things in which I am better than others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE IS NEVER RUDE: I never cut others down or am rude, harsh or crude, sarcastic or cocky; but instead I am courteous, polite, and sensitive to the needs of others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE IS NOT SELFISH: I’m not self-centered or self-seeking, making others fit into my mold, expecting others to behave a certain way for my interests; I’m not possessive of others or those I love or the things I have, insisting on my own rights. I’d willingly let others use anything I have.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE DOES NOT TAKE OFFENSE: I’m not touchy, cranky, easily irritable, defensive, brittle or supersensitive; I’m not easily hurt or irritated over things that don’t really matter, or offended because of the oversight of a friend or someone else.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE KEEPS NO SCORE OF WRONGS: I’m quick to forgive and forget the offenses of those who hurt me in any way, intentionally or unintentionally. I don’t have to retaliate or defend myself when criticized by anyone, even someone in authority over me.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE DOES NOT GLOAT OVER OTHER MEN’S WRONGS: I’m not
secretly glad when others make a mistake or are proven wrong; I don’t have an “I told you so” attitude, or take pleasure in reminding others of their faults.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE DELIGHTS IN THE TRUTH: I am happy when truth wins out, even when it may show me up as untruthful in some situations or shed a less than positive light on me.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE HAS NO LIMIT TO ITS FAITH: I am not quick to doubt others or God, not pessimistic, always encouraging others to achieve their best, believing they can do it. I do not worry or doubts God work things for my best interests.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE HAS NO LIMITS TO ITS HOPE: I do not get easily frustrated with life, with friends, and am always looking to what others can be instead of what I see.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

LOVE HAS NO LIMIT TO ITS ENDURANCE: I am not quick to give up, easily frustrated, quick to complain. I always give everything and every relationship my best, regardless of their response, always giving and not expecting anything in return.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Total Score: ____________ / 140


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Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

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Object Lessons

The Greatest Love was not shown on Valentine’s Day!

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Introduction
On valentine’s day, people often show their love to each other. Someone who is special is called a “sweetheart” or a “Valentine.” Chocolates and Flowers, especially roses, are also given to sweethearts on Valentine’s Day. Sweethearts often send little notes to each other with messages of love or with the simple question, “Would you be my Valentine?” But the Greatest Love was not shown on Valentine’s Day, but when Jesus opened the way to heaven for us 2000 years ago!

Description
Use this evangelistic Valentine’s day object lesson as a children’s sermon or teaching activity. Based upon the “wordless book” concept, it uses black, red, white, green, and gold (or yellow) hearts to explain the key points of the gospel message. It is similar to the Jelly Bean Evangelism idea found elsewhere on this website.

Preparation
Create several hearts from colored paper. You will need black, red, white, green, and gold (or yellow)

What to Do
Hearts are the main symbol of love seen on Valentine’s Day. Today I have some special Hearts to tell you a story of a very special love.

Yellow Heart
Our hearts are treasures, which we lay at the feet of God when we get to heaven. The yellow heart also reminds us of Heaven itself. Do you know what Heaven is? Heaven is God’s home. Heaven is filled with the glory, the shining brightness of God. There is no night there. The Bible says, “God is The Light and in Him is no Darkness at all”(I John 1:5). The Bible tells us that in Heaven, the street of the city is pure, clear gold-like glass (Rev.21:21). God tells us many other things about His home. No one is sick there. No one is crippled or blind. No one ever dies. Every person in Heaven will be perfectly happy-always (Rev. 21:4-2Psalm 16:11). The most wonderful thing about Heaven is that God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus will be there. God made Heaven. He made you too. He loves you very much. Because he made you and loves you, He wants you to belong to Him and be with Him in Heaven someday. Jesus promised long ago, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 3:16; John 14:1-3).

Black heart
The black heart is just like our hearts are before Christ comes in to be our Savior. It is black with sin. There is one thing that can never be in Heaven. That is sin. Because you and I are sinners we want to have our own way instead of God’s way. Wanting our own way is sin. Doing, or saying, or thinking bad things is sin. Sin is anything that displeases God. Sin has caused sorrow and sadness in our world. God tells us in the Bible that all have sinned (Romans 3:23). All means every one of us.

This black heart reminds us of our sinful way – that we walk in darkness (Proverbs 4:19). When it is dark, you stumble and cannot find your way. Because of your sin, you cannot find God. Your sin separates you from God, who is holy (I John 1:5). God cannot allow sin where He is. I am sure you can think of a sin which you have done. God has said that sin must be punished. The punishment for your sin is death-to be separated from God forever (Rev. 6:23). The Lord Jesus, God’s Son, said that if you die in your sin, you cannot go to Heaven where He is (John 8:21, 24). God knew there was nothing you could do to get rid of your sin. He knew you could not be good enough to please Him. But He loves you and He made a way for you to be forgiven.

Red heart
The red heart shows the way God made for you to have your sins forgiven-taken away. God loves you. He sent His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, from Heaven to take the punishment for your sin (John 3:16). Wicked men nailed the sinless Son of God to the cross, but while He hung there God put all of your sins on Him. The Bible says, “…God bath laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). (Iniquity is another word for sin). All your bad temper, all your lies, your meaness-all your sin-was laid on the dear Son of God, and He suffered and suffered until He cried out with a loud voice and said, “It is finished.”

When you finish a job, how much is left? Nothing. What did the Lord Jesus come to do? He came to save us from punishment for sin, didn’t He? And He finished the work. When He was nailed to the cross, what came from His hands, and His feet? His blood. God calls it the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and He says “…the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin” (I John 1:7). There is no other way, for God says, “Without shedding of blood there is no remission [of sin]”-no forgiveness, no payment (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus not only died for you, but He was buried, and He rose again. He is a living Saviour (ICorinthians 15:3, 4). God showed His love for you by sending His own Son to die for you. Now he says there is one way for you to be saved from your sin.

White heart
Tears cannot wash away sin. Prayers cannot wash away sin. Doing good cannot wash away sin. But the blood of the Lord Jesus can wash away all sin (Psalm 51:7; I John 1:7). This white heart reminds us that Jesus has healed our black hearts by washing away the sin with his blood. A white heart is pure again. It is clean again. Did Jesus die for everyone? (YES!) Is everyone going to Heaven? (No, because some do not believe that Jesus died for them. They have not received Him as their Saviour from sin.) God’s word says, “…as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name” (John 1:12). God has promised you when you receive the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, you become a child of God. The Lord Jesus Christ died to save you from your sins. He wants to clean your heart and live in your heart and give you power to obey God. Are you sorry for your sin? Do you believe Jesus died for your sin? Would you like to receive Jesus today? You must decide.

(Ask the Holy Spirit for discernment. Question the person to respond carefully. Encourage them to express to you before they pray: why they need to receive the Lord Jesus; what the Lord Jesus has done for them; what they want to tell God. When dealing with a group, emphasize what each person must personally believe and receive the Lord Jesus. Give opportunity for prayer. If possible, question each person individually after the prayer to clarify the meaning of His decision. Where is Jesus now? Where are your sins? What took them away?)

Any one of the following verses can be used effectively in helping to know what God has done: John 1:12; I John 5:13; Rev. 3:20.) God promises to you when you receive Him, “…I will never\leave nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Ask Him to help you each day to please Him. When you do sin, tell God that you have sinned. He will forgive you right away (I John 1:9). Ask Him and trust Him to help you not to do it again. (Lead the person in offering a prayer of thanks.

Green heart
Green is the color of plants. It is the color of growth, of life. The green heart reminds me of the new life, everlasting life, you have received from God. The color green reminds me of things which are growing outdoors, like leaves, grass, flowers, and trees. When you receive the Lord Jesus as your Saviour from sin, you are like a newborn baby in God’s family. The Bible tells you to “grow in grace in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).

(As the time permits, talk with the person about those things which help him grow as a member of God’s family. Explain you are not talking about growing taller or gaining weight, but the kind of growing which will help others know that he loves the Lord Jesus.)

  • Listen to God- Learn God’s Word reading and memorizing it (II Timothy 2:15; Psalm 119: 11).
  • Talk to God. Pray (I Thessalonians 5:17).
  • Talk for God. Witness or tell others (Mark 16:15).
  • Worship God. Go to Sunday School and Church (Hebrews 10:25).

Blue heart (Optional)
Some will add a Blue heart to represent Baptism

Applications

  1. Use the various colors of the hearts to present the plan of salvation.
  2. Use this as a presentation of the plan of salvation for Valentine’s Day.


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
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Teaching Illustrations

Story of Valentine’s Day

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The story of Valentine’s Day begins in the third century with an oppressive Roman emperor and a humble Christian martyr. The emperor was Claudius II. The Christian was Valentinus.

Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship twelve gods, and he had made it a crime punishable by death to associate with Christians. But Valentinus was dedicated to serving Christ, and not even the threat of death could keep him from following the Savior. He was therefore arrested and imprisoned.

During the last weeks of Valentinus’ life a remarkable thing happened. Seeing that he was a man of learning, the jailer asked whether his daughter, Julia, might be brought to Valentinus for lessons. She had been blind since birth. Julia was a pretty, young girl with a quick mind.

Valentinus told stories of Rome’s history to her. He described the world of nature to her. He taught her arithmetic and told her about God. She saw the world through his eyes, trusted his wisdom, and found comfort in his quiet strength.

“Valentinus, does God really hear our prayers?” Julia asked one day.

“Yes my child, He hears each one,” he replied.

“Do you know what I pray for every morning and every night? I pray that I might see. I want so much to see everything you have told me about.”

“God does what is best for us if we put our trust in Him,” Valentinus said.

“Oh, Valentinus, I do believe in Him,” Julia said intensely. “I do.” She knelt and grasped his hand. They sat quietly together praying when suddenly there was a brilliant light in the prison cell. Radiant, Julia shouted, “Valentinus, I can see! I can see!”

“Praise be to God” Valentinus exclaimed, and they knelt to thank God.

On the eve of his death Valentinus wrote a last note to Julia, urging her to stay close to God, and he signed it “From Your Valentine.”

His sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 A.D. near the gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory. He was buried at what is now the Church of Praxedes in Rome.

Source: Email circulating around the internet

 


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Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

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Humor

Angry?

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One man had such a problem with anger that he stopped driving and started taking the bus to work. One morning he overslept and had to drive. When he opened the garage door he saw that the rear wall–the one his teen-aged son smashed when he stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake–hadn’t been fixed. He was angry with the carpenter he had hired to make the repairs. In a rage he ran into the house and telephoned the carpenter. “You said that you would have it fixed by noon yesterday,” he stormed.

“Let me ask you one question,” said the carpenter quietly. “Did your son drive the car in the afternoon?”

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Creative Teaching Ideas

Foil Faces

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Materials

  • Aluminum Foil
  • Permanent marker that can mark on foil
  • Paper and pencil for each youth

What to do
Stage 1

  1. Give each youth a large piece of foil.
  2. Have each youth find a partner
  3. Have each youth make an image of his/her partner’s face by placing the foil up to the person’s face and carefully molding the foil sheet to the face.
  4. With a marker put the owners name on the inside of each.
  5. Line up the foil faces and then have youth number try to match the face with the owner.
  6. Award the person who gets the most correct

Stage 2

  • Have youth form a container or vessel from foil that represents their life, their goals, or their aspirations.

Take it to the Next Level

  • We can become an image or reflection of Christ if we allow him to mold us.
  • We can become vessels to be used by God if we allow him to work through us and mold us.
  • Use it for a lesson on peer pressure and discuss how we conform to the expectations of others instead of being ourselves.

Anytime Teaching Idea
Foil can be used to play a pictionary like game with keywords from a lesson. Instead of drawing out the words, Youth are asked to represent the word using foil. Divide into teams and give each team a roll of foil and words they must mold and get their teams to guess.


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Resource Reviews

Youth Ministry Ideas

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Like you, I often take a look around the net for other websites that might have something I can use in in my own Youth Ministry.

Recently while researching for ideas related to doing a “Survivor” type event for youth I came across this site:
Youth Ministry ( <– click this link to take a look)

The site belongs to Steve Blanchard and his goal is similar to mine, to keep having fresh ideas and to share them with other youth leaders! He’s been in youth ministry almost 9 years so he has the experience and wisdom to help you with your own youth ministry!

There is always something you can learn from someone else who is also in youth ministry. As far as I am concerned our only competition in youth ministry is the world – not other youth leaders. We are all here to win young people to Christ and help them to grow in that relationship! We need to work together with other youth ministers whenever we can!

There’s a lot of other practical things on his site to help you in your own youth ministry. The best ideas and most creative ideas are those that have been tried and tested by people who are also regularly working with youth! He covers a lot of areas and things I simply don’t have time to cover here on Creative Youth Ideas.

While you are there, be sure to check out his “Survivor” Lock-in pages. He’ll also be happy to send you a copy of the document he uses to plan his own “Survivor” lock-in! Just give his youth ministry site a visit and he’ll tell you more!

With YOUth on my Heart!
Ken


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Teaching Illustrations

Turtle Picnic

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A turtle family went on a picnic.. The turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outings. Finally the family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey they found it. For about six months they cleaned up the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements. Then they discovered the had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed.

After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell. He agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. the family consented and the little turtle left.

Three years passed– and the little turtle had not returned. Five years… six years.. then in the seventh year of his absence, the eldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and began to unwrap a sandwich. At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, “SEE I knew you wouldn’t wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt.”

Too often in the church, we are too concerned about what others are doing / not doing rather than focusing on the fact that we are responsible for our own actions, not theirs. When Judgment day comes Jesus doesn’t evalauate our lives compared to others, whether we did better than those around us, but compared to total obedience to his commands.

 


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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