22 church and youth group games

Sword drill

Players

Any number, each with a Bible

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

8 and up

You need

A Bible for each player, the same translation if possible, and a list of references

1. Players stand in a line holding a closed Bible at their side.
2. Call out a reference, such as John 3:16, and repeat it.
3. On 'Go', players open their Bibles and find the verse.
4. The first to find it steps forward and reads it aloud.
5. Pair a younger reader with an older one, or give a hint such as 'Old Testament' or 'one of the Gospels'.

Bible trivia

Players

6 to 40, in teams

Minutes

20 to 30

Ages

10 and up

You need

Bible trivia questions, answer sheets, and a Bible for checking

1. Split the group into teams of four or five.
2. Read each question twice, and each team writes down one answer.
3. After each round, read the answers and the passage each one comes from.
4. Let teams look up a disputed answer in the Bible before you rule on it.

For this game: Bible trivia questions and answers

Bible charades

Players

8 to 40, in 2 teams

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

6 and up

You need

Cards with Bible stories to act out, and a timer

1. Write stories on cards, such as Noah building the ark, David and Goliath, Jonah and the great fish, or Zacchaeus climbing a tree.
2. An actor from one team acts out the story without speaking.
3. Teammates have a minute to name the story.
4. After each story, ask the group where it is found in the Bible.

Without a printer: Write the stories on slips of paper and draw them from a bowl.

For this game: Printable blank charades cards

Bible sketch

Players

8 to 40, in 2 teams

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

8 and up

You need

Cards with Bible scenes and objects, a whiteboard, and markers

1. Write scenes and objects on cards, such as the burning bush, the walls of Jericho, five loaves and two fish, or the lost sheep.
2. The artist sketches the scene on the board without writing any letters or numbers.
3. Their team has one minute to guess, and the other team can steal with one guess.
4. Read the matching passage aloud when a hard one is guessed.

Without a printer: Keep the list in your hand and show each artist the next item.

For this game: Printable drawing game cards

Who am I? Bible characters

Players

6 to 40, in teams

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

8 and up

You need

Three clues for each Bible character, ordered from hardest to easiest

1. Write three clues per character. For Daniel: 'I served several kings', 'I prayed three times a day', 'I spent a night in a den of lions.'
2. Read the hardest clue first. A team that guesses right scores 3 points.
3. If nobody has it, read the next clue for 2 points, then the last clue for 1.
4. Other characters to use: Noah, Joseph, Esther, Jonah and Peter.

Finish the verse

Players

4 to 40

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

8 and up

You need

A list of well-known verses, and a Bible

1. Read the start of a well-known verse, such as 'The Lord is my shepherd...'
2. Players or teams call out the rest: '...I shall not want.'
3. Give the reference after each answer, here Psalm 23:1.
4. Use the translation your church reads, since the wording differs between Bibles.

Books of the Bible line-up

Players

10 to 30

Minutes

10

Ages

8 and up

You need

One card per player, each with the name of a Bible book

1. Hand out cards for a run of books in order, such as Genesis to Esther for 17 players.
2. Players line up in Bible order as fast as they can, without opening a Bible.
3. Check the order together against the contents page of your church's Bible.
4. For a second round, race two teams with the same set of cards.

Without a printer: Write the book names on index cards or slips of paper.

For this game: Printable blank playing cards

Memory verse relay

Players

8 to 40, in teams of 4 to 6

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

6 and up

You need

A memory verse written one or two words per card, one set per team

1. Write the verse on cards, one or two words each, and shuffle each team's set.
2. Put each set face down across the room from its team.
3. Players run one at a time to fetch a card, until the team has them all.
4. The team lays the cards in order and reads the verse aloud together.

Without a printer: Write the words on slips of paper.

For this game: Printable blank playing cards

Bible bingo

Players

6 to 60

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

6 and up

You need

Church bingo cards, one different card per player, the caller's list, and counters

1. Hand out cards and counters, such as buttons or dried beans.
2. Call each word. For older players, give a clue to the word instead of the word itself.
3. Players cover the word on their card.
4. The first full line wins. Play again for a full card.

Without a printer: Players draw a 3 by 3 grid and fill it from the call list read aloud at the start.

For this game: Church bingo

Bible word search

Players

Any number

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

7 and up

You need

One printed Bible word search and a pencil per player

1. Choose the books of the Bible puzzle, or the Genesis or nativity puzzle to match a lesson.
2. Hand them out as players arrive, or as a quiet activity at the end.
3. Go over the answers with the key that prints with each puzzle.

Without a printer: Show the puzzle on a screen and let the group find the words together.

For this game: Bible books word search

Bible couples match

Players

4 to 40

Minutes

10

Ages

10 and up

You need

A sheet with the names from Bible couples in two columns, and pens

1. List one partner from each couple in the first column and the other partners, mixed up, in the second.
2. Use couples such as Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Boaz and Ruth, Elkanah and Hannah, Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Aquila and Priscilla.
3. Players or teams draw a line to match each couple.
4. Read the answers with a Bible reference for each.

Without a printer: Read one name aloud at a time and let teams call out the partner.

Ships and sailors

Players

10 to 60

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

8 and up

You need

A gym, hall or open lawn

1. Name the walls: bow at the front, stern at the back, and, facing the bow, port on the left and starboard on the right.
2. Call a wall, and everyone runs to it.
3. Add group calls: 'Captain's coming' means salute and freeze, and 'Lifeboat' means sit in a row of three and row.
4. The last player to finish a call, or anyone in the wrong group, helps you call the next round.
5. Call faster and faster until only a few sailors are left.

Capture the flag

Players

12 to 40, in 2 teams

Minutes

30 to 45

Ages

10 and up

You need

Two flags or bandanas, cones to mark the center line and two jails, and a large field

1. Split the field with cones. Each team sets its flag deep in its own half, in plain view.
2. Get tagged on the opponents' side and you walk to their jail.
3. A jailbreak happens when a teammate reaches the jail and touches a prisoner. Both then get a free walk home.
4. Victory goes to the first team to get the enemy flag across the center line.
5. A tag is a touch with one hand. No tackling or grabbing clothes.

Sardines in the church building

Players

8 to 30

Minutes

20 to 30

Ages

10 and up

You need

A church building, with leaders posted by the off-limits areas

1. Tell the group which rooms are open, and close off the sanctuary, kitchen or offices if needed.
2. One or two players hide while the rest count to 60 together.
3. Seekers search alone. Anyone who finds the hiders joins them quietly.
4. The round ends when the last seeker finds the group, and the first two finders hide next.
5. Leaders stay in the hallways so no one is ever alone with a young person behind a closed door.

Church scavenger hunt

Players

8 to 40, in teams of 3 to 5

Minutes

20 to 30

Ages

8 and up

You need

A riddle clue for each stop around the church building, and a small prize at the end

1. Choose eight to ten stops around the building, such as the baptismal font, the piano, the hymn board, the nursery door and the church sign.
2. Write a riddle clue for each stop and hide it at the stop before, so the clues form a loop.
3. Give each team a different first clue so the teams spread out around the loop.
4. At each stop, teams also collect one letter. Put together, the letters spell a word from the evening's lesson.
5. Post leaders by stairs and outside doors, and keep each team together.

Without a printer: Hand-write each clue on a card or a folded sheet.

For this game: Scavenger hunt riddles and hiding clues

Human knot

Players

8 to 12 per knot

Minutes

10 to 15

Ages

10 and up

You need

Open floor space

1. Form a close circle, shoulder to shoulder, with both hands stretched into the center.
2. Grab two hands that belong to two different people, neither of them standing beside you.
3. Keeping every grip, the group climbs over and crawls under arms until it opens out into a ring.
4. Anyone can step out and coach from the side instead.
5. Afterward, ask the group what helped them solve it.

Would you rather, youth group version

Players

6 to 40

Minutes

15

Ages

11 and up

You need

Clean either-or questions, with a few that lead into the evening's topic

1. Read a question and send each choice to a different side of the room.
2. Ask a few players on each side why they chose it.
3. Every few questions, add one that leads into the evening's topic.
4. Anyone who cannot decide can stand in the middle.

For this game: Would you rather questions for teens

Guess the hymn

Players

6 to 40, in teams

Minutes

15 to 20

Ages

All ages

You need

A piano, a speaker or a confident hummer, and a list of well-known hymns

1. Play or hum the first line of a hymn, with no words.
2. Teams write the title.
3. Start with widely sung hymns, such as Amazing Grace, It Is Well with My Soul and Holy, Holy, Holy.
4. After each round, the room sings the first verse of one of the hymns together.

Church quiz night

Players

12 to 80, at tables of up to 6

Minutes

60 to 90

Ages

12 and up

You need

Rounds of trivia, answer sheets, a score sheet, and a host

1. Plan four to six rounds, mixing Bible, general knowledge and a round about your own church.
2. Seat guests at tables of up to six, with a family table for mixed ages.
3. Read each round, collect the sheets, and mark them while the next round runs.
4. Announce scores after each round and finish with a tie-break question.

For this game: Trivia night kit: rounds, answers and score sheets

Church family bingo

Players

15 to 80

Minutes

15

Ages

All ages

You need

A find-someone-who card and a pen for each guest

1. Fill the squares with prompts such as 'sings in the choir', 'has helped in the nursery' or 'was born in another country'.
2. People move around the hall and look for someone who fits each square.
3. That person writes their name in the square, and no name goes on a card twice.
4. Newer members learn names quickly this way, and anyone may skip a question.

Without a printer: Read out ten prompts. Guests write them on the back of the bulletin and collect names.

For this game: Human bingo

Guess the tea

Players

6 to 30

Minutes

15

Ages

Adults

You need

Six to eight numbered cups or pots of different teas, and answer sheets

1. Brew different teas, such as peppermint, chamomile, Earl Grey and a fruit tea, and number the cups.
2. Guests smell or taste each one and write what they think it is.
3. Reveal the teas in order. The most correct answers wins.
4. Offer water between tastes.

Without a printer: Guests number a napkin or a card from 1 to 8.

For this game: Printable trivia answer sheets

Tea party hat parade

Players

Any number

Minutes

15

Ages

All ages

You need

Hats that guests bring or decorate, and voting slips

1. Invite guests to wear a hat, or set out a table of paper hats and trimmings to decorate.
2. Guests walk across the room one at a time while the host describes each hat.
3. Everyone votes in categories such as most elegant, most colorful and most creative.
4. Give each winner a small prize, such as a teacup or a potted plant.