Outdoor Youth Group Games

This game of soccer works best with 2 teams of 3-6 players each. Two cones are placed in the center of a field about 10 to 15 feet apart. Each team tries to score a goal by kicking the ball through the goal in different directions. It’s a great way to play soccer without a lot of space required. We play with only 2 special rules: You can not run through the goal, and the ball must go across the goal on the ground. Having the 2 goalies standing in practically the same spot all game is often amusing.

This is a teams relay, in which you need cone-shaped party hats with elastic to go under the chin. Cut off the top part of the cone on the hat and cellotape a plastic/polystyrene cup into the hole that is left. You’ll need one hat per team, two buckets – one filled with water and one empty, and a cup to pour with. The idea is to have the first person in each team put on the cup hat and another team member fill it with water from the bucket with the cup.The person wearing the hat then has to go over a few obstacles, do a few jumping jacks, spin in circles etc before pouring the water thats left in their cup hat into the empty bucket at the other end. The winning team is the one with the most water in their bucket when the time is up. Heaps of fun, prepare to get wet!

This is a great game to play with your youth and most adults seem to love it too. Basically all that you will need is lot’ of flour, about 2 lbs and a leg or two of panty hose. Fill the closed end with flour till it is as big as a large softball or bigger if you prefer and then play touch football. It will be hilarious to see some of the students catch the ball and immediately sneeze because they got flour in their face.

Find between 8-10 mid to low irons (depending on how many kids, preferably 1 per team). Divide the youth up into teams of 2 or 3. For example’s sake, let’s say we have 6 teams of 3. Get 6 tennis balls and 6 glow sticks. Crack the glow sticks so they glow ( You know what I’m talking about with glow sticks right? Those 4 inch long tubes filled with green liquid that glows when you bend them in half). Cut the glow sticks in half and poor the contents all over the tennis balls. One leader with a flashlight stands 40 to 50 yards away holding a flashlight pointed down. The object of the game is to get the ball within the perimiter of the light in the fewest shots. Find a large dark area and play scramble format golf. Lowest score wins. Whenever everyone finishes a hole the person with the flashlight moves somewhere else. The darker the better. The tennis balls will glow for a good hour so its almost impossible to lose a ball. Areas with lots of obstuction are best. Tennis balls hit with golf clubs don’t break windows so we play around the outside of our youth center. This works best (or to my knowlege has only been tried) with 7th grade and up boys who enjoy general insanity.

Split your youth into two groups. One member in each group has a drain pipe with the bottom blocked straped to their back. This player must stay in a designated circle marked on the ground. The rest of the group are armed with water pistols and the winning team is the first to fill the pipe on the other team players back. They must do this by squirting it in through the hole at the top.

This game is great fun in a beach. Divide into 2 teams(any number, preferably 8-15 in each team). Draw a vertical line from one team and then a horizontal one and then a vertical line that will reach the other team.
When game starts, both the first player in each team will run along the lines(they are running along the vertical lines, as if in a race) and then they will turn into the horizontal one where they will meet each other. When they meet each other, they will play scissors, paper, stone. The loser have to run back and the winner will continue along the line. Once the scissors, paper, stone is played and a winner is decided, the team that lost its first player can sent out its second player.

In this case, the second player from the team that lost the first player will rush up to intercept. They will again play scissors, paper, stone when they meet each other. This carries on until the game time is over.

The objective of this game is to get as many players from one team to the other side (the opponent team). This can only be done if you can run fast, as well as being able to win all scissors, paper, stone encounter whenever the opponent intercepts.

Normal capture the flag rules are followed, except if a player is tagged, they must go to the middle “neutral” zone. In this neutral zone there is a jailer or two. These jailers should be well versed in scripture or have a Bible handy. The players must recite a Bible verse to get out of jail. You can add rules such as a verse may only be used once and so on. We told them that John 3:16 and “Jesus wept.” were off limits. Our youth love capture the flag and this requires them to use a little of their scripture knowledge as well.
[Ed. Note: Make sure you have an alternative means for unchurched kids to get out of jail (e.g sing a song, make up a poem, etc.)]

Just one I didn’t see on here yet:

Each kid gets an Alka-seltzer that has been pre-drilled and put onto a string. They must wear it like a necklace. The each kid either gets a styrofoam cup or a squirt gun depending on how you play. Split the kids into two teams or play every man for himself. The object is to melt the opponents tablet first, thus they are out when the tablet falls off the string. The tables must be in full view and cannot be touched.

At the boundary (whatever you determine) corners place 5 gallon buckets full of water or trashcans full of water (which ever work best for your version) to refill. This is a fun one that can be short or a longer game depending on how it’s played. Make sure the kids wear clothes that can get messy because the depending on the flavor you bought or the alka-seltzer itself, sometimes there is a stained area still left after washing!!

Buck Buck is best played outside. You need two teams of 3or4 each. It is best if you dont let boys and girls play this together, Use your own discretion.

Team one starts out chosing one person from there group to be first, this person Stands away from the other team and bends over so the upper body is parrallel to the the next person stands right behind them also bent over just like the first, the second persons head should be about to the first person’s stomach. Then the 3rd person lines up the same way behind the second and so on. Then the other team stands about 10 or 15 feet away from the bent over group. One person on that team yells BUCK BUCK (to warn the bent over team they are coming. They then run at the bent over group and jump on so that they are spread over as many of the bent over group as possible. Then the next person in the second team does the same team, eventually team two will be stacked up on top of team one.

THE POINT. To make the bent over team fall.

Divide your group into two teams (Team A & Team B). You may be able to use more groups. We had about 5-6 per team, and that worked pretty well.

One person from Team A stands with his back to the two groups (about 10-15 yards away seemed right) and someone from Team B tries to hit him with a dodge ball or some other type of ball. If he hits him, then the Team A person joins Team B. If not, he stays with Team A.

Next the thrower takes his place as the person being thrown at, and the next person from Team B throws at him.

Keep going until everyone has moved to one team. We put the person being thrown at against the side of the shed, and that helped so we didn’t have to chase the ball all the time.

We live in Lancaster County, PA where the Amish are, so we called this “Dutchie Dodgeball”! 🙂