Big Balloon BopThis is a simple game. Go to your local art supply or party supply store and buy the biggest balloons they carry. (16" are cool, 3' are better). Divide the crowd in two. Have numerous staff throw the balloons in the crowd and have the crowd try to hit the balloons to the other side of the crowd.
A fun twist to the game is, when done, tell the kids to pop the balloons and have #'s in a few of the balloons. Bring the kids with the #'s up front to use in an up-front game or to give a prize to.
Candy HuntThis game works very well as a crowd breaker for large crowds. Gather a few distinctly different types of candy and tape them under the chairs of your audience before the meeting. Keep in mind when deciding how many types of candy you use that you will want the teams to be as evenly numbered as possible. Have your MC explain the activity as follows:
1. Groups must look underneath their seat, grab the candy bar (or individually wrapped small candy), and then find the other people in the room with that candy bar.
2. Once all team members have found their respective group, they must eat their candy and present their wrappers to one person on the team who will bring them all to the MC.
This gets the crowd up and interacting and provides a boost of energy to your meeting. It is also a good idea to have some high energy back ground music.
Cell Phone ChallengeThis is a cool little modern game idea. Have someone hidden in the crowd with a cell phone on. You have another phone up front with the number for the other one programmed in it. Bring up a kid from the audience, dial the other phone, hand him the phone and tell him to find the other one as fast as he can.
Hints: Test the room to make sure that cell phones work. Also, most cell phones will only ring four times and then will go to voice mail . . . so tell the kid to hit end and send again every four rings!
Cell Phone Pizza ChallengeFind two local pizza places that deliver. During the beginning of the evening, divide the crowd in two and bring up a representative from each side. Hand each representative a cell phone and phone # of two competing pizza places. Have them each order a large pizza, tell the delivery person the situation, and that there's a $20 tip for the one that arrives first. Clearly announce to the crowd which pizza place is coming for each team.
As you are continuing your program, one side of the room will erupt into applause when a pizza driver comes in representing their side of the room. Interview the deliverer and give him the $20 tip in front of the crowd. (You can then have up front games lined up where winners get a piece of pizza.)
Christmas QuizHere’s a quiz you can give out at Christmas time to kill time.
Name That Christmas Carol!
1. Bleached Yule
2. Castaneous_colored Seed Vesicated in a Conflagration
3. Singular Yearning for the Twin Anterior Incisors
4. Righteous Darkness
5. Arrival Time2400 hrs _ WeatherCloudless
6. Loyal Followers Advance
7. Far Off in a Feeder
8. Array the Corridor
9. Bantam Male Percussionist
10. Monarchial Triad
11. Nocturnal Noiselessness
12. Jehovah Deactivate Blithe Chevaliers
13. Red Man En Route to Borough
14. Frozen Precipitation Commence
15. Proceed and Enlighten on the Pinnacle
16. The Quadruped with the Vermillion Probiscis
17. Query Regarding Identity of Descendant
18. Delight for this Planet
19. Give Attention to the Melodious Celestial Beings
20. The Dozen Festive 24 Hour Intervals
Answers: (Don’t include these on the quiz . . . duh!)
1. White Christmas
2. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
3. All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
4. O Holy Night
5. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
6. O Come, All Ye Faithful
7. Away in a Manger
8. Deck the Hall
9. Little Drummer Boy
10. We Three Kings
11. Silent Night
12. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
13. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
14. Let it Snow
15. Go, Tell It on the Mountain
16. Rudolph, the Red_nosed Reindeer
17. What Child is This?
18. Joy to the World
19. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
20. The Twelve Days of Christmas
Duct Tape ChallengeDivide into even teams and have each team select a volunteer- preferably a small, light one. Give each team a roll of duct tape. The object is to tape a team member up on to the wall, using no more than the provided role of tape. The one who stays up the longest is the winner. (At one event, a middle school kid was on the wall for 30 minutes!)
Hint: Make sure you use the tape that doesn't leave sticky stuff on the wall or tear off paint (especially in rented or borrowed facilities!) Provide a soft landing for youth as they drop off the wall!
Added by Michael Holt
Fill In The Blanks (aka Mad Lib)Draft a small piece of writing - a letter, a recipe, a narrative, a solo, or instruction sheet, etc., leaving out descriptive words. At your group ask for an appropriate word - adverbs, adjectives, nouns etc. Fill in the blanks without telling the club what you are filling out. Read the finished product. Here’s an example of a simply a story with key words left out. Without letting the kids in on the story, have them (orally) supply the missing words as you tell them the type of word needed (noun, part of body, adjective, etc.) Tell them to be as creative and wild as possible while thinking up words. Then read back the story after all the missing words are filled in.
"Once upon a time, __number__ years ago, in that crazy place, now known as __local high school__, the __adjective_ Dark Blob __verb(ed.)__. Our story finds him just after he has finished his dinner, which tonight included __animal . Since he was still a little hungry, he decided to catch the next __means of transportation__ to __girl in room__’s house and peek into her __room__ to see if she was __verb — ing._ By chance she was, which brought a __adjective__ smile to his __adjective__ face. Without wasting a second, he __verb-ed__ into her __noun__, startling her so much that she broke her __toy__. "__greeting__" spake the Dark Blob. "I have come to kidnap you and take you out to eat at (fast-food restaurant) !" "__exclamation__" she replied, whereupon she kicked the Dark Blob in the __part of body__ and fled. Not to be deterred, the Dark Blob chased her as far as __place__ where he finally tackled her. It looked like the end for __same girl__ but just before the Dark Blob could pick her up by her (body part) and take her to at (same fast-food restaurant) , __boy in group__ arrived on the scene. Quickly sizing up the situation, he grabbed the nearest __noun__ and smote the Dark Blob so hard it was heard in __place__. "__mushy line__," sighed the girl. "Aw, it was nothing," replied the boy as he flexed his __part of body__ for her. "By the way," he asked. "What’s a nice girl like you doing in the __your church__ high school group?"
Hannah's GameEach player writes a name on a slip of paper and then passes it to the judge. After the judge receives all the slips, he mixes them up and writes the names on the board. The judge picks a person to start.
The person (Frank) chooses someone in the game and guesses what their name might be. "Bob", I think you're Cinderella." If Frank is correct, Bob in now on Frank's team. Later, if Frank's name is guessed, both Frank and Bob join the other's team.
Frank continues to guess people's names until he guesses wrong. The last person he asks now gets to guess. Play continues until all but two players have been guessed. The winner is the player with the most people on his team.
I Need a ShoelaceThis game can be played with small or huge groups. The up-front person divides teams (in audiences of rallies or other large gatherings you can make each section of chairs a group). The up-front person then yells out a demand for an somewhat common item that people might have on them. The first team to bring up that item wins that round. Have each team elect ONE runner to run the item up to the person up front. (Examples:
I need a...
shoelace
student body card
13 shoes tied together
3 belts hooked together
nail file
chewed gum
someone with food in their teeth
sock with a hole in it
movie stub ticket
Mattress PassEasy! Two mattresses in the back- one on each side of the crowd. Get a kid on top of each one and have the audience pass the mattress (with the kid on it) to the front.
CAUTION: Have staff all around the crowd to catch the kid on the edges- very important to avoid any injury!
Move Right IfJust like it sounds. Tell the people in the crowd to "move right if . . ." (e.g. they are wearing green, if they're in eighth grade, if their birthday is this month, etc.) Be creative! (move two seats to the left if . . . ) Kids will end up on multiple layers of laps or under others.
Mummy WrapThis game can be played as both a "Crowd" game and an "Up Front" game. In a big crowd, you can throw out 2 or 3 rolls of toilet paper to different sections of the crowd and have them do it right there.
For "Up front" just pick three groups of three people each. Give each a roll or two of toilet paper. Make sure you give each team the same amount. Two people wrap up (like a mummy) the third person in the group. The object of the game is to: See who can wrap up their "mummy" first or who is most creative in their "mummifying". You may wish to add a few other objects into the game (Q-tips, t.p. rolls, etc.) to aid in the "artistic expression possibilities". You could have the crowd vote or the staff. You need 3 or 6 rolls of toilet paper.
Musical FoodPut pieces of dried fruit, jerky, tomato, etc. in several separate closed lunch bags. Mix them up, throw them out into crowd, start music. When music stops whoever has a bag takes a bite. You may need referees to declare who had it when the music stopped.
Added by Young Life
People Scavenger HuntGood game for a crowd or audience. Divide the crowd into three or four teams, each section with a captain. The game leader calls out certain characteristics.....blue eyes, likes to snowboard, has a 4.0, has red hair, etc. The captain of each team must quickly try to bring someone with that characteristic up to leader. First one to do so wins that round. Keep score and play to 5 or 10.
Submitted by Young Life
Rain MakerThis game involves the whole group - the larger the better. Explain to everyone that you are going to do something once thought impossible: with their help you will make it rain inside.
Divide into 3-4 groups where they are sitting (left, left middle, right middle, and right…sides of the room). Explain that they MUST be absolutely quiet and watch you tell them what to do for this to work. Point to the left side and have them quietly rub their hands together back and forth. Then bring in the next group, and the next, until all are doing it (gets louder as you go).
After the last group has joined in, go back to the first group and get them snapping their fingers, then the next group and so on. Then back to group one to begin patting their hands on their legs…on to the other groups.
Then back to group one to begin patting harder and stomping their feet on the floor…on then to the other groups.
You can do this process in reverse…back to patting legs, then back to snapping, back to rubbing hands, then back to silence. If it is done right, you will hear your rainstorm!
The Point(s):
1. Things aren't always what they seem (see related trivia below).
2. Gets their attention before you speak.
Added by Young Life
(Related Trivia: Peter Jackson used a stadium of people to create the sounds of Orc Wars in the Lord of The Rings movies.)
Row Organizer (aka LINEUP GAME)The reason that this game is good is because it takes no props! Just tell the crowd that each individual row is a team (make sure all rows have at least 7 or 8 people in them). Then you tell everyone to organize themselves in their row by . . . (height, birthday, shoe size, age, # of speeding tickets, etc.) First row to do it gets a point. Keep score and give the winning row a prize.
Saran Wrap Body PassGet 4 staff members from the crowd (as many staff as you have sections of the crowd- divided by isles) Have each staff member stand in front of a given section of crowd that can cheer for their staff member. Have each staff member grab about 3 or 4 kids to “wrap them.” Hand each group 3 or 4 rolls of Saran Wrap, tell them to mummy them and yell “Go!” (I tell the staff to put their hands in the air so they have them free for later!)
When they are wrapped up- ask the crowd what the best way to judge who is wrapped the best- then announce that you have an idea. “Pick them up and pass them to the back of the crowd and back up front again. First section to do that wins!”
Added by Greg Weisman
Sit Down IfInstructions:
Ask the entire group to stand.
Instruct them to sit down when the statement characterizes them and remain seated.
Encourage them to be as honest as possible.
If you have trouble because most are not sitting down, give them general characteristics (sit down if you are under 15, if you have on white socks, if you are in love).
Sit Down Mixer Number 1
Sit down if:
You haven't used deodorant in a week ... two days.
You haven't won the same socks two days in a row.
You sing in the shower.
You drive a Volkswagon.
Your belly button is an outie.
You haven't taken a shower in a week.
You didn't use mouthwash today.
You are a girl and you didn't shave your legs today.
You are a guy and you didn't shave your legs today.
Sit Down Mixer Number 2
Sit down if:
Your nose is crooked
You believe each person should pay expenses on the first date.
You still suck your thumb.
Your socks don't match.
You are ticklish.
You wear baby doll pajamas.
You weigh less than 100 pounds.
You nose is running and you don't have a handkerchief.
You're going steady but you wish you weren't.
You are good-looking but not conceited.
Sit Down Mixer Number 3
Sit down if:
You have ever eaten snails.
You are cross-eyed.
Your mother still dresses you.
You use Ban deodorant.
You have never lied to your mother.
You have a hole in your sock.
Your zipper is open.
You got a traffic ticket lately.
You are on a diet.
You have never stolen a street marker.
You have a false tooth.
You are really good looking.
Song EnduranceThis game is very simple and can be played with two or more teams. Sometimes this is fun to do with guys against girls. Pick a song theme (at Christmas choose Christmas songs, with a younger or more ignorant group you don't even need a theme- any song can be open game) and let the singing begin.
The object of this game is to keep coming up with songs longer than the other team or teams. One team starts and sings a line of one song. Then the other team has 5 seconds to start singing a line of another song. Then the other team has 5 seconds to sing a line from yet another song . . . Teams may discuss and plan out which song to sing while the other teams are singing.
The first team to repeat a song, sing a song that doesn't fit that category or just not sing within 5 seconds is the loser. If more than two teams play, sit losing teams out until one team finally prevails.
Song MakingSplit the room up into groups and give each group five words on a card. They need to make up a song with those words. This works well on theme nights, for example, holiday or western.
Added by Young Life
Superball PassThis is a great game to be done in a sanctuary with pews. Divide the crowd in half. Have several members from each side of the sanctuary go to the back of the room behind the last pew. Dump a pile (about 20 is good) of superballs in front of the first pew. The kids in the pews must get the superballs to the people in the back of the room by shoving/throwing/passing them UNDER THE PEWS. Nothing can go over a pew. First team to get a certain # of the balls to the back (75%) is the winner!
Tape HeadThe same as I need a Shoelace with an added twist! Have the runners or team leaders have a hat with tape all over it on their head. Teams must stick the items called for to the hat to remain there til the end of the game.