More than 2 million young people attend church camps in the United States every summer (Building Faith).

If you're making plans to ensure your students experience all of the fun and life-changing experiences at camp this summer (or maybe you're just looking for some ideas to throw into the mix of all the Wednesday night fun), you need to know these top 15 go-to group games for your youth ministry!

Benefits of Youth Group Games and Activities

There are so many benefits to incorporating fun and games into your youth ministry:

• Form lifelong friendships: The shared experiences, laughter, and fun create companionship and lasting friendships as they learn and grow together in Christ
• Leadership development: Youth Ministry is an opportunity to invest in the leaders of tomorrow. These kids will be the teachers and leaders of the next generation
• Spiritual growth: Many games and activities are designed to incorporate Biblical lessons, providing opportunities for spiritual growth in a fun and engaging way

These are just a few benefits, now let's talk fun and games!

1. Photo Scavenger Hunt

Create a list of items for players to find around the church, or if transportation is available, in any malls or parks nearby. Participants must search for these items within a time limit. The team that locates the most items wins!

Create even more incentive than just bragging rights, with a prize for the winning team!

2. Charades

It's the classic guessing game. Imagine being a pro wrestler, Santa Claus, or a silly farm animal!

Write down various actions, objects, or phrases on paper and put them in a bowl. Players will take turns drawing a piece of paper, and silently act it out, while the others guess!

3. Change Places If...

This is a great game to encourage players to learn more about each other.

Participants will stand in a circle, as a leader says, "Change places if you've ever been out of the country!" and players that have been will change places with the other players that also have.

Before moving on to the next scenario, in this example, encourage players to share where they have been.

4. SPUD (Dodgeball)

This game is a great alternative to dodgeball, that's super fun and easy for small or large groups of all ages.

Everyone will stand in a circle and one player is "it". "It" will throw the ball (kickballs would work great for this) in the air and shout another person's name while everyone else runs away.

The new "it" will shout "stop!" once they have possession of the ball, pick a target, and can take four big steps (saying S-P-U-D) and try to hit their target! If the player gets hit, they're out.

This cycle continues until the final SPUD showdown between the last two players.

5. Four Square

Players will form teams in groups of four, and each will stand in a quadrant of the square. They'll begin to pass a ball back and forth in an attempt to catch another player off guard. When players lose the ball outside their quadrant, they move to the lowest-numbered quadrant, and everyone behind them moves up.

There are many different variations of 4 Square when it comes to determining the "official" rules, how points are accrued, and declaring the winning team.

6. Sherlock

A little game of "you see, you do not observe" inspired by world-renowned detective Sherlock Holmes.

Pick one participant to be the detective. They will study every person in the group closely before leaving the room.

Then the remaining players swap one thing within the group, for example, maybe changing places in the line or switching shoes, before the detective returns and tries to figure out the change.

7. Capture the Flag

This classic game of Capture the Flag involves teamwork and strategy.

Split into two teams, each with their own territory and flag. Each team will attempt to retrieve their flag from the other team's territory and bring it back safely without being tagged by their opponents.

The first team to successfully capture the flag wins!

8. Cat and Mouse

Cat and Mouse is another fun game miming the rivalry between the animated television characters Tom and Jerry!

To play, all the players will sit in a circle, then give the "cat" (stuffed animal) to a player and the "mouse" to the player opposite of them in the circle.

Enlist your worship leader or play a song that alternates between fast, medium, and slow beats. The group will pass both around until the cat catches the mouse.

Whoever is holding the mouse when the cat catches them is out!

9. Sardines

Sardines is a reverse game of hide and seek where one player hides and the other players seek. As the seekers find the hider, they join the hiding spot.

If you know anything about sardines, as the play continues the hiding spot gets packed like a school of sardines in the ocean!

10. Two Truths and a Lie

Players will state 3 facts about themselves: two of them are true and one is a lie! Then the other players have to guess what they think is the lie.

This is the perfect icebreaker game for smaller groups, but even bigger groups can learn more about each other!

11. Penny Chinny

All this game requires is one penny for each player. Each player will balance the penny on their chin and try to have the last penny standing.

The catch is you can't touch the other pennies physically with your hands, so they'll have to get creative: telling funny jokes, jump scares, whatever it takes to make all the other pennies fall to the ground.

12. Face the Cookie

The goal of the game is simple: move the cookies from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands!

You can split the players into teams, set a timer, and keep a tally of how many cookies successfully make it, or decide on a set amount of cookies needed to win.

13. Mummy

You will need A LOT of toilet paper for this game!

First, separate the players into teams of three to five kids and give each team a roll. Each team will select a player to be the "mummy" and they will stand in the middle of the group.

When the timer starts, the other players will wrap them up from head to toe just like a Mummy!

You can declare a winner based on the fastest team to finish or the most creative wrapping skills.

Bonus Game: You could also get some colored streamers for a fun, Biblical take on this game: Joseph's Coat of Many Colors! Set it up in the same way, but the players instead are judged on the most colorful and creative coat of colors.

14. Trivia Night

There are many variations of trivia! Be sure to prepare your trivia questions beforehand and maybe incorporate a whiteboard or projector screen to display the categories.

Always make sure to use questions and categories that are relevant to the kids in your group such as celebrities, sports, music movies, food, or even the Bible!

15. Who's in Charge Here?

This game involves one "guesser" and one "leader"! The "guesser" will leave the room and then the group will appoint a "leader" who will begin some sort of action for the others to imitate.

The game begins before the guesser joins the circle again, and then the guesser will study the players to catch the leader changing actions for the others to copy.

This is a fun game for bigger groups with a more open space to play.

Quick Tips for New Games Your Students Will Enjoy

• Recruit: Recruit church leaders to be game leaders and help with all of the fun
• Prioritize Inclusivity: Make sure to choose group games that are easy for all kids regardless of skill or physical ability
• Incorporate Icebreakers: This helps the kids get to know each other and feel more comfortable
• Safety First: Keep the kid's safety first in mind at all times
• Have Fun: Enjoy the games along with the kids and celebrate all of the big and small victories

The Best Group Games for Your Youth Ministry

What are you waiting for? Summer is quickly approaching! Don't let the opportunity slip away—prepare to make this summer unforgettable for your youth group with these exciting ideas!

If you need even more inspiration, check out some of our other Youth Ministry related articles:

• 25 Perfect Youth Group Icebreaker Games
• 15 Fun Outdoor Youth Group Activities for Everyone
• 23 Super-Soaked Youth Group Water Games
• 33 Impactful Service Projects for Youth Groups

Whether you're planning fun activities for Wednesday night services or preparing games for Youth Camp this summer, you're sure to find the perfect game everyone will enjoy.

Matt Church Engagement