The new year begins with January, aptly named for the Roman god of doors and transition, Janus, whose two faces look in opposite directions – forward to the future and backward to the past. Janus might very well shake his two-faced head in dismay as he surveyed the year we are about to leave behind…. Read More »
Going Forward from Here: Some Takeaways from 2020
Alone Together: How to Lead an Effective Virtual Team
We are in enforced isolation, spending our days in the warm glow of a computer screen, perhaps never getting out of our pajamas. But people still hunger for human contact found only in teams. Lucky for us, we’ve got Skype, Zoom, FaceTime, ReadyTalk, and any number of ways to meet virtually. But if you want… Read More »
3 Team Games for Building Trust with Teens
Are you a youth leader? Have you spent hours planning the perfect social event for your teens? Have you put in days’ worth of work developing lessons that deliver the perfect breakthrough message? Have you ever planned events or meetings in hopes of building trust between teenagers in your charge? Do you listen to top… Read More »
Informal Mentoring: Encouraging Effective Professional Development
Each year, school districts spend as much as $18,000 per teacher on professional development. These efforts prove largely unsuccessful – only 30% of teachers improve their performance in the classroom as a result of this training. So agencies and foundations have set out to discover the most effective professional development efforts. A study from The… Read More »
Mousetrap Suspension Bridge
There are many ways to build bridges, both figuratively and literally. You may have seen popsicle stick bridges and spaghetti bridges, but have you ever built a bridge out of mousetraps? How to Set a Trap: Mousetraps really hurt if you are snapped, but they do not remove fingers or jump up to attach themselves… Read More »
Hanging by a Thread
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the game hanging by a thread is to show teams how to make rope from twine, and then have them make one by hand that can support the team. Not only will they have to trust their new skills at rope making, they will have to trust the rope to hold them. Click here… Read More »
Domino Race
Short Description: If you are looking for a fun relay race or table game, with minimal props, that appears real simple but requires some strategy, then a Domino Race might be the right activity. Equipment Needed: Tables or floor, dominos, paper or tape (optional). Perfect for: Fun tournaments, games nights, rainy day activities etc. Domino… Read More »
Air Pong
Short Description: Air Pong is Air Hockey with no fancy table, puck or paddle, just a ping pong and breathable air. Your group is going to need to stretch out their lungs because the only way to score and defend is to use your own reserves of hot air.
Equipment Needed: Table, tape, ping-pong ball and a whole lot of breaths. You also might want to have a few cases of Altoids around to hand out before the games begin.
Perfect for: Small group meeting, fun tournaments, games nights, etc.
Instructions:
- Form two teams at opposite ends of a table with hands held behinds their backs.
- Place masking tape across the middle of the table, two small pieces of tape 3” from the main piece of tape on each side and two small pieces on each long side of the table, and a foot from each end of the table.
- Play rock, paper, scissors to decide which team serves first.
- Teams use their breath NOT their hands to keep the ball in play.
- Teams must stay behind the smaller pieces of tape at all times.
- If the ball falls off between the pieces of tape 3” from the main tape, no points are scored and the ball is placed in the middle of the table.
- The goal is to try to blow the ball off of the other team’s side of the table.
- Play until one team reaches 10.
Source Unknown
Christmas Plates
Tis the season where many youth leaders are looking for fun activities to play during their holiday party. The other day we were looking for some fun activities for the holiday season and we came across this fun activity.
Supplies needed:
Enough paper plates and pens for everyone in your group.
Purpose and group size:
“Christmas Plates” is an ideal activity for groups of any size and is perfect for a fun icebreaker activity during a holiday party.
How it’s played:
The players put their paper plate on their heads and follow the series of instructions listed below. They are to draw on their paper plates (that are on their heads) without looking.
Instructions:
1. Draw a line for a floor.
2. Draw a Christmas tree. Add decorations if you feel so inclined.
3. Draw a star on top of your tree.
4. Draw a fireplace with a mantel next to the tree.
5. Draw a stocking hanging from the mantel of your fireplace.
6. Draw a present below the tree.
After the six steps have been given, let everyone look at their masterpieces.
Get ready for a serious giggle fest.
Then have players count up how many points they received by following this rubric:
1. 2 points if the tree touches the floor.
2. 2 points if your stocking is touching your mantel.
3. 1 point if your star touches your tree.
4. 1 point if your star is above your tree.
5. 1 point for every Christmas ornament ball that is ON your tree, etc.
6. 1 point if your fireplace doesn’t touch the tree (it’s a fire hazard!). 🙂
7. 1 point if you actually drew something decorative on your stocking (or something cute, like a tiny kitten peeking out).
8. 2 points if your present is under your tree.
The player with the most points should receive a really awesome prize.
Source
You Got Bumped
Purpose: Sometimes you need a fun competition to energize your group, kill time, or break the ice. “You Got Bumped” is a great group activity that requires no props for just such situations. Group size: 10-200. Supplies: None needed! Directions for Playing You Got Bumped: 1. Everyone finds a partner to face off with, about… Read More »
