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Activities for every occasion: creative
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 Getting Started
This resource is for your ministry! Feel free to adapt this as your think is best for your students. Take
the headers off, fix the typos, correct the theology (DOH!); do what ever it takes to make it great for
your students. We ask that you don’t sell these games or distribute it to other ministries, send them
to www.youthministry.com.

We would love to hear from you! If you have a way to make this better, email Matt McGill at
matt@simplyyouthministry.com.
Blessings,

The Simply Youth Ministry Team

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3.0 License. For the details, check http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/legalcode

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Table of Contents

Introduction .....................................................................................................................................4

Indoor Game #1 – Jungle Pong .......................................................................................................5

Indoor Game #2 – 4 Corners ...........................................................................................................6

Indoor Game #3 – Shuffle Your Buns ...............................................................................................7

Indoor Game #4 – Snowless Snowball Fight ....................................................................................8

Indoor Game #5 – Line Tag ..............................................................................................................9

Indoor Game #6 – Q-Tip War ...........................................................................................................10

Indoor Game #7 – Popcorn 10 ......................................................................................................11

Indoor Game #8 – Backdraw .........................................................................................................12

Indoor Game #9 – Bobsled Relay ..................................................................................................14

Indoor Game #10 – Song Jingle Relay ...........................................................................................15

Indoor Game #11 – Electricity ........................................................................................................16

Indoor Game #12 – iPod Idol .........................................................................................................17

Indoor Game #13 – Gorilla, Man, Gun ...........................................................................................19

Indoor Game #14 – Create-a-Game Game ....................................................................................20

Indoor Game #15 – Ups and Downs ..............................................................................................21

Indoor Game #16 – Four on a Couch ............................................................................................22

Indoor Game #17 – Bald is Beautiful ..............................................................................................23

Indoor Game #18 – Psychiatrist .....................................................................................................24

Indoor Game #19 – Guess the Gargle ...........................................................................................25

Indoor Game #20 – Hug the Potholder ..........................................................................................26

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 Introduction
Ever since I started in youth ministry in 1991, I have had the opportunity to talk to a lot of
youth pastors around the country and around the world. When asking them about their biggest
challenge in programming for youth ministry, the answer that I get most often is coming up with
creative and fun games for students to play week after week. Many of the youth workers I’ve talked
to shared that they have about four or five games in their arsenal that they play over and over again
all year long. They are often begging for new games and activities that they can utilize within their
youth ministry.

This desire for access to more games and activities was the reason I birthed the website
pastor2youth.com in 1995. It was my desire to provide youth workers with access to hundreds
of games, activities, resources, and ideas—and to do so for free. It was also my desire for youth
workers to be able to share their own ideas and resources with everyone else—and made a way for
everyone to do so.

It is amazing that in 19 years of youth ministry, the number one challenge in programming
that I hear from most youth workers has not changed—coming up with creative and fun games to
play week after week. Therefore, I have created the resource that you now have before you. Included
here are 20 indoor games and activities that have been tried and tested by many youth pastors and
have been considered some of the most fun and most popular on my site. Each game includes
clear instructions as to how to play the game, the supplies needed, and additional notes, ideas, and
suggestions.

I hope that this resource will help you to have a new arsenal of games and activities to play
within your youth ministry. God bless you in your ministry and may you have all kinds of new fun—
enough to last you close to one entire year.

Dr. Ryan Nielsen

Ryan Nielsen currently serves as the Youth Director at St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Boerne, Texas. He
has worked in youth ministry since 1991, serving in churches in Colorado, Canada, Denmark, Oklahoma,
California, and Texas. Ryan earned an M.A. in Youth and Family Ministry in 1998 and an M.Div. Degree in
2002, and will graduate in June 2010 with his Doctorate from Fuller Seminary. Ryan is the owner and president
of pastor2youth.com. He married Christianna in 2005 and has two foster-daughters.

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Indoor Game #1 – Jungle Pong
Jungle Pong is a high-energy, very active youth group game. It is one of those youth ministry games
that you could play over and over again, and the students seem to never really get tired of it. It can
be used with a small group but also works very well as a large youth group game.

How to Play:
This is a very active game that will require a lot of movement and a lot of attention. You want a large
room where there is plenty of space for each player to be running around the ping-pong table and
also to be able to move out of the way of other players. You need plenty of space around the ping-
pong table to play this game effectively. You can have as many people playing this game as you
have ping-pong paddles for. The more players you have, the crazier and more interesting this game
gets to be. However, you can also play this game with much success and fun with a small group.
• To begin with, you number off each player: 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on.
• Player #1 will serve to player #2 with a normal ping-pong serve.
• Player #2 must allow the ball to bounce on their side (as many times as needed) and fall
off of the table and bounce on the ground. Once the ball hits the ground, player #2 must hit
the ball (before it bounces twice on the ground) up onto the table (anywhere).
• Player #3 must then run around the table to where player #2 hit the ball, wait for it to go off
of the table and hit the ground (again, only once) and then hit the ball back up onto the table.
• This continues along each player. It is essential you remember who it is you follow—not
your number (the numbers were given only for ease of explanation).
• If a player misses the ball, the ball bounces twice on the ground, or they hit it but it does
not hit the table again, then they get a “strike”—when a player gets 3 strikes they are out of
the game.
• If, for example, player #2 gets out, then player #3 will now be following player #1. This is
why it is essential you remember whom it is you follow.
• Game play continues as players are eliminated until you get down to one final winner.
• If a ball comes to rest on the ping-pong table, all players are allowed to blow on it to get it
to move off the table for the next person to hit, but no one is allowed to actually touch the
ping-pong ball or they receive a “strike.”
• If a player does not get out of the way of another player who is moving to get to the ball
during their turn, you can either give the player who got in the way a “strike” or you can just
call a “do-over.”

Supplies Needed:
• A ping-pong table
• Ping-pong balls (only one is used during the game, but it is good to have extra)
• Ping-pong paddles—one for every player playing

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 Indoor Game #2 – 4 Corners
This youth group game is a low-energy game, but one that the students can really have fun with. It
helps get the whole group moving and having fun, takes no preparation to play and requires very few
supplies. It can be played in any room that has four corners, and it doesn’t require that the room be
of any specific size.

How to Play:
Choose an assistant, preferably a leader, to come to the middle.
• Explain that the entire group must choose to stand in one of the four corners of the room,
which are numbered from 1 to 4.
• The assistant will then draw a number out of a bowl, which will have the numbers 1
through 4 written on slips of paper. The assistant will state the number chosen, returning the
number back to the bowl so all four numbers remain in the bowl for every round.
• Everyone in that corner must move to the center of the room and have a seat as they
are “out.”
• Once those people are seated, the people in the remaining three corners are given time to
move to any of the four corners.
• Another number is drawn out of the bowl and called out, and those students must return
to the middle of the room and be seated.
• Continue repeating this process of having students choose one of the four corners and
pulling a number out of the bowl, eliminating those students until there is only one person (or
a few people) who are declared the winner(s).

Supplies Needed:
• A bowl
• Four different pieces of paper, each with a unique number on it from 1 to 4
• Four large pieces of paper with a unique number on it numbered from 1 to 4, with one
number hanging in each corner of the room so you have the four corners numbered

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Indoor Game #3 – Shuffle Your Buns
This youth group game is an active game that might seem at first to be fairly simple but is more
challenging than it seems—especially as you add more empty chairs to the mix and more players in
the middle.

How to Play:
This game can be played in any size room that is large enough for your entire youth group to sit
in chairs in a circle, with the chairs touching. You will also need at least one extra (empty) chair—
although you can make the game more fun by adding more than one extra, empty chair.
• Organize all of the chairs into a circle, facing inward toward the middle, and pull the chairs
as close together as possible, so they are touching. Please note: In order to play this game
you must use chairs that do NOT have arm-rests attached, as players will need to be able to
easily slide from one chair to the next on either side of them.
• Add an extra, empty chair to the circle.
• Have the students sit down in the chairs.
• Choose one student to come to the middle of the circle (inside the chairs).
• When the music starts, yell commands of either “right” or “left.” You can change directions
as frequently and as many times as you would like.
• When you yell the directional command, the students will scoot from chair to chair without
standing up.
• The student in the middle of the circle will attempt to sit down in the empty chair—of
course, this keeps changing as students move from chair to chair.
• If the student in the circle is able to sit down in an empty chair, the person who was
supposed to move into that empty chair at that moment is now the new person in
the middle.
• To add more craziness to the mix, add more empty chairs. This can mean there will be
two or more empty chairs in a row. Again, remind the students they are not allowed to stand
up to move but must slide from chair to chair.
• Continue the game until you want to stop. This game can go on infinitely.
• NOTE: During play, you may need to pause to push the chairs together again so that no
one falls and gets hurt.

Supplies Needed:
• One chair per person—chairs that do not have armrests and are easy to move sideways
from one to another
• One or two extra chairs in the circle to make the game more challenging

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 Indoor Game #4 – Snowless Snowball Fight
This youth group game is a fun game that can be played year-round. It is very easy to set up and
play and provides a lot of fun. This is a fun game to play during the summer or in places that do
not get snow, and you can set up this youth ministry game as an opportunity for students to have
a snowball fight when there is no snow to be found. A large room is best for this game, however it
can be played in any size room. Some people have tried playing the game outdoors, but most say it
works better indoors.

How to Play:
• Divide the students into two teams.
• Have each team get on their side of the dividing line.
• Go to the very center and dump out bags (you determine how many based on how many
student you have) of large-sized marshmallows
• On your signal, the game begins and students can run up to grab marshmallows to throw
at one another.
• If a student steps outside of a boundary line, or over the center line, they are out.
• If a student gets hit by a marshmallow from someone on the other team, they are out.
• Continue to play until there is only one person remaining—they are the winner.
• Variation #1: You can play with the two teams, but exclude the elimination element. Thus,
you continue playing for as long as you want.
• Variation #2: Instead of dividing into teams, you can make it a complete “free-for-all.” In
this manner, you can also play elimination style, or just let people play for a certain amount
of time.
• Note: One great thing about this game is that the large marshmallows do not hurt when
they hit a student, even from close range. I do encourage the rule of “no head-shots,” but
don’t be too concerned if someone gets hit in the head with a marshmallow.

Supplies Needed:
• A bunch of large marshmallows
• Tape or something else to mark a middle-boundary line

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Indoor Game #5 – Line Tag
This youth group game is tag game that is a bit more challenging—both for the person who is
“It” trying to tag others, and for those trying to avoid being tagged. A large room where you can
lay down tape in various directions and designs is required for this game. It can also be played
outdoors—such as on a blacktop where you could use sidewalk chalk to create the lines.

How to Play:
• If you do not already have a large room that has lines on the floor, use some tape and put
lines down around the floor in various designs and locations to make for a great “
game area.”
• Have students spread out around the game area, standing on a line.
• Choose one student who will be “It.”
• On your signal, the student who is “It” attempts to tag everybody else. The last person
standing is the winner.
• Here is the catch: Everyone can only move around by following the lines. They must run
on the lines and not just anywhere. (Note: They don’t have to walk or run as if on a tightrope,
but they can only follow the lines and must stay with at least one foot touching them.)
• Everyone is allowed to jump from one line to another.
• However, if a student steps off of the line (or misses it when jumping from one to another),
they are “out.” If the person who is “It” steps off a line or misses one, then they have to have
a 15-second “freeze” in place before they can continue chasing others.
• Whenever a person is tagged, they are “out” and must sit down right where they were
tagged. This ends up causing some slight “roadblocks” for those who are still in the game
and trying not to get caught.
• Variation: Another way of playing this game, which makes it last a LOT longer, is that when
a person is tagged, they sit down where they were tagged. However another person who is
still in the game can come over and tag them, to restore them back into the game. This
would mean that the person who is “It” would have to tag everyone before they can restored
anyone to the game. If you use the variation, I encourage you to have more than one person
who is “It” to make it more fair.

Supplies Needed:
• Tape (if you have a gym with lots of lines already drawn, then you need no supplies)

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 Indoor Game #6 – Q-Tip War
This youth group game is a great indoor game that the students always seem to get a kick out of. It
seems to bring out their youthful desire for shooting things out of straws, and it provides just a fun,
crazy competition. This game is best played in a room large enough for everyone on each team to
spread out and shoot Q-Tips.

How to Play:
• Use tape to make a dividing line splitting your room (or playing space) into two equal
areas. (If you have a gym or a similar space, you may already have natural divisions and do
not need to use tape.)
• Divide your group into two teams.
• Give every person on each team a straw.
• Have the students spread out on their side of the room. Explain that no one is allowed to
cross the dividing line—not with any part of their body (thus, no one can reach over either).
• When you say “GO” throw out to both teams tons of Q-Tips. (Make sure you throw the
same amount to both teams to make the game fair.)
• The students then pick up Q-tips from their side of the area, put them in their straw, and
shoot them to the other side.
• After a predetermined amount of time (I suggest only three or four minutes), yell “STOP”
and everyone must stop immediately.
• The team with the fewer number of Q-Tips on its side is the winning team.
• You can do multiple rounds of this if you would like.
• OPTION: You can also play this game where if someone gets hit with a Q-Tip, they are
eliminated. The problem with this is that it is very difficult to actually feel if you’ve been hit by
a Q-Tip, so there often is lots of debate about whether or not someone is “out.”

Supplies Needed:
• Straws (not the ones that flex or bend)
• Tons of Q-Tips
• Tape (to designate the dividing line between the two teams)

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Indoor Game #7 – Popcorn 10
This youth group game may sound like a quick and easy game, but it is not. It also may sound
boring at first, but when the students realize how challenging it is, they become determined to
complete the game.

How to Play:
• The object of this game is simply to count all the way to 10. But it is not nearly as easy as
that with the following rules.
• The students cannot organize or decide who is going to say any specific number.
• The students cannot use gestures or any other body motions.
• A person cannot say more than one number in a row.
• Two people cannot rotate back and forth counting to 10.
• Every person must say at least one number. (If your group is larger than 10 people, then
this rule doesn’t apply. Also, if your group is smaller than 10 people, then people can say
more than one number but not consecutively.)
• If two people speak out at the same time saying a number (even if one of them doesn’t
complete what they are saying, but even begin to speak), then it starts all over.
• No one can designate who is going to start, but it must be a different person every time
you start over. This prevents the students from developing a routine to win.
• Continue starting over until the group counts all the way to 10 successfully.

Supplies Needed:
None

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 Indoor Game #8 – Backdraw
This youth group game is a low-activity game, but one that is a hit and very fun to play. It causes a
lot of laughter, confusion, and disgust as people try their best to copy what was given to them and
then watch it be transformed into something completely different. This youth group activity is similar
in nature to the old-school “telephone” game where you would whisper something in the ear of the
person next to you, they would pass it on until the end, and you would reveal what the last person
heard and compare it to the original. However, this youth group game does the same type of thing
with pictures instead of words. Be sure to play this game in a room where it is comfortable for the
students to sit down in a row and draw pictures.

How to Play:
• Divide your group into two or more teams. It is best if there are only about five or six
people per team.
• Have the students line up, single file behind one another, with everyone facing the front of
the room.
• Have paper and pens in front of the first person in line (or a whiteboard and markers).
• While everyone else is facing forward, show the last person in each line a picture that you
drew on a piece of paper. (HINT: Make these pictures very simplistic—even simplistic
pictures are almost impossible to do correctly in this game. For example: a smiley face, a
star, a cross, a balloon with string, a double-one domino, and so on.)
• No one is allowed to talk at all during this round at all. They cannot comment on what
anyone else is drawing or what is happening during the round.
• Do not allow the students to start until you say “GO” so they all start at the same time.
• The student in the back of the line (who was shown the original picture) will then draw the
picture (using their finger) on the back of the person in front of them. They are only allowed to
draw it one time—no more than that. So, everyone must be concentrating.
• They students will continue to draw on the back of the person in front of them what they
felt drawn on their own back. When it gets to the front of the line, that person will draw their
picture on the piece of paper (or whiteboard).
• Once all of the teams have completed their pictures, every team will show their pictures to
everyone else.
• Step to the front of the lines and reveal to everyone on every team what the original,
beginning picture looked like (and what theirs was supposed to look like).
• Award points to the team that has a picture that looks the closest (NOTE: They typically
will not look anything even remotely close to the original picture—so use your best judgment.
For example, if it was supposed to be a cross, and every team draws circles and curvy lines,
but one team draws squares, award the team that drew squares the points for winning
because at least they drew straight lines like the cross has.)
• Have the person sitting in the front now rotate to the back of the line (and everyone moves
forward) so that each person gets a chance to be in every position on their team.
• Play as many rounds as there are students per team—if you have six people on a team,

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 play six rounds—so that every student gets to be in every position one time. If you have
fewer students per team, you might decide to do more than one round per student.

Supplies Needed:
• Paper with pictures drawn on the paper.
• Paper (or whiteboards) for the students to draw their “final” picture on.
• Pens (or markers) for drawing pictures.

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 Indoor Game #9 – Bobsled Relay
This youth group game can get a bit crazy but is a lot of fun. Make sure you take precautions and
give clear instructions to the students to avoid any mishaps. This game has been a big hit and can
be a ton of fun and get out a lot of energy. This game is best played in a room with a carpeted floor
and plenty of room to run. It also can be played in a gymnasium but doesn’t always work as well
because the paper won’t slide so easily.

How to Play:
• Mark starting and finish lines at least 20 feet apart using masking tape.
• Tear wax paper into 4-foot lengths.
• Have the students find a partner.
• Give each pair a bobsled (wax-paper sheet).
• Have pairs join together to form equal teams of four to 10 students per team.
• Have one pair from each team place its “bobsled” behind the starting line. (NOTE: Make
sure that the students place the wax side of the paper up, with the smooth side facing the
floor. This helps it to push smoothly and also avoids you rubbing wax all over the
church floor.)
• Have the starting pairs each decide which partner will sit on the “bobsled” and which will
stand behind the “bobsled.”
• On “GO,” have the standing partners each push their teammate to the finish line, switch
places with their partner, then return to the starting line on their “bobsled.”
• As soon as a pair returns to its starting line, the next pair can begin to race.
• The winning team is the team that finishes the race first with every person having ridden
the “bobsled.”

Supplies Needed:
• Masking tape
• Wax paper (4-foot lengths for every two people)

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Indoor Game #10 – Song Jingle Relay
This youth group game is a mild activity game, but don’t let that fool you. It can be very funny and a
lot of fun. You can do this game many different times with lots of different variations.

How to Play:
• Divide your group into two or more teams. Ideally you want no more than five students per
team in order to make this game more fun and easier for the teams to participate fully.
• Number off your teams, simply for the ease of keeping score.
• Choose a theme for songs that the students will have to sing. For example: “songs we
sing in church.”
• Give the teams about 60 seconds before beginning this game.
• Have team number 1 begin; the entire team must sing a phrase or two of a song that fits
the theme. If you, as the leader, are satisfied that they know what they are doing, then point
to team number 2, whose members must sing their song (a phrase or two).
• Continue moving from team to team, having them sing their song (again, just a phrase
or two, not the entire song). When a team messes up or can’t come up with a song, “buzz”
them (make a buzzing noise) to signify the end of that round. The team that was buzzed
receives a point. (NOTE: Only give the team about three seconds to begin singing their song.
If they don’t within that time, then “buzz” them and end the round.
• Continue this game for as long as you desire.
• The team with the FEWEST points (the team that got “buzzed” least) is the winning team.
• On the same night or at different times, you can use all different kinds of song themes.
Some examples are: Christmas Songs, TV Show Songs, Commercial Jingles, Worship
Songs, Cartoon Songs, and so on.

Supplies Needed:
None

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 Indoor Game #11 – Electricity
This youth group game is a mild activity game but is a lot of fun—especially if you make the “prize”
something they get to keep and would like (such as a mini-candy bar). The greatest fun of this is the
competition and the challenge to see if students try and “cheat” or not.

How to Play:
• Divide your group into two teams.
• Have the students line up single file, facing the front of the room, while sitting down.
• In the front middle, in between the two teams, place a chair with the object that is to be
grabbed in order to win.
• Have every student join hands with the person in front of them and behind them. But
again, they must remain facing forward.
• As the leader, stand at the back of the two lines. Have another person who will be the
judge standing up front with the chair (and the prize).
• The last student in each line must be facing you at the back, while they are sitting down
• Take a quarter and flip it. If it is tails, wait a couple seconds and flip it again. If it is heads,
nod your head “yes.” This signals the judge at the front that it is a “good” turn.
• Once you nod your head yes, the student must squeeze the hand of the person in front of
them, who squeezes the hand of the person in front of them, and so on up the line. The
person in the front, when they feel their hand squeezed, must jump up and grab the “prize”
off of the chair.
• If the flip was “good,” then have both front people rotate to the back of the line and have
the entire line move forward.
• If the flip was not “good” and the students think they felt a squeeze, or if it becomes clear
that a team was already squeezing hands before they were supposed to, then the other
team gets the “prize” or the point.
• You can play this until a team reaches a certain score, until every student has had a
chance to be in the front and get a “prize” or until you decide you want the game to end.

Supplies Needed:
• An object (candy bar, pen, or something similar) to be grabbed in the game (if you do small
candy bars, have a whole bag so that the student who grabs the candy bar can keep it while
you put another one up for the next round)
• A quarter

16
Indoor Game #12 – iPod Idol
This youth group game is a very funny game. This game does require students who are willing to be
brave and sing in front of others. Therefore, it is probably best to play this game getting volunteers
from your group (as many as you want) instead of expecting or requiring every student to participate.

How to Play:
• Get an iPod and load it with songs that your students will know. (Make sure they are
appropriate songs, but also make sure they are songs that your students would know well
enough to sing most of the words. You might want to even ask your students to bring songs
in for you to load onto the iPod.)
• Get some volunteers who would be willing to sing a song in front of everyone in order to
try and win this iPod Idol competition.
• Once you have your volunteers, give them the list of songs they have to choose from to
sing. (You might choose to do this before getting your volunteers so that they know what
they will have to sing.)
• Have the contestants go into another room to wait for their turn.
• Bring the contestants up one at a time. Give them the iPod with headphones and ask
them which song they are going to be singing. Get to that song on the iPod and then hand it
to them to hit the “play” button as soon as they are read.
• Have some adults who are set up to be the “judges”—similar to American Idol—but make
sure they are all prepared to say encouraging remarks and no negative remarks.
• Also instruct all students that they are not allowed to “boo” or say anything negative at all.
This is a time to have fun and laugh, but to be encouraging.
• Make sure the volume on the iPod is turned loud so contestants cannot really hear
themselves singing.
• Instruct the contestant that when the song starts, they are to sing the song as best they
can, along with the song on the iPod.
• What is funny for everyone else is they hear the a capella version of the song because they
hear the student singing, but they can’t hear any of the actual music.
• OPTION: You can make this a little easier for the contestants if you would like by printing
out the lyrics for the songs that are options to sing—so it is more like karaoke for the
contestants than having to do it all by memory. This option does not lessen the fun for those
listening and watching.
• NOTE: This game can be played with students singing into a microphone or without—
depending on how loud you want it to be and if you have the sound system available
• When the contestant is done, have the judges share their remarks on how they did and
then privately come up with a score (between 1 and 100) for that contestant.
• At the end of the competition, aware the winning contestant the coveted iPod Idol award.
(It is funny to make a fake recording contract for the student to sing every Sunday in church
as a prize, or get a used trophy from a thrift store to award, or any other fun award you can
think of.)

17
 Supplies Needed:
• One or more iPods filled with appropriate songs
• Headphones for the iPod(s)
• Three adults to serve as “judges”
• A prize for the iPod Idol winner

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Indoor Game #13 – Gorilla, Man, Gun
This youth group game is a variation of the Rock, Paper, Scissors game. This youth group activity
allows for a bit more action and silliness.

How to Play:
• Have everyone in your group find a partner to play this game.
• This is a variation of the Rock, Paper, Scissors game—but is done with Gorilla, Man, Gun.
• When the students are paired up, explain that they are to stand back to back, and they
will count to three out loud, at which time they will both jump around (turn around while
jumping) into their position of choice.
• If they choose Gorilla they need to have their hands on their side like a gorilla and make
gorilla grunting noises.
• If they choose Man they need to have their hand outstretched like they are going to shake
someone else’s hand and they say “Howdy.”
• If they choose Gun they need to have their hand outstretched with their fingers in the
shape of a gun, and they have to loudly say “BANG.”
• Gorilla defeats Man
• Man defeats Gun
• Gun defeats Gorilla
• Have the student compete as partners for the best two out of three.
• The student who loses must go sit down, while the student who wins must wander
around and find another student who won, and they begin their own round of
the competition.
• Continue this until you have one final winner. (If you don’t want to eliminate students, you
can simply play this for a specific amount of time.)
• NOTE: Encourage the students to decide what they want to be while before they count
to three because they are not allowed to change their mind in the middle of the action. This
helps prevent students from cheating during this game.

Supplies Needed:
None

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 Indoor Game #14 – Create-a-Game Game
This youth group game is an excellent way to involve the students in creating new games that they
would like to play, as well as having a fun activity for that night. When it is completely finished, you
will have a whole new arsenal of fun youth group games and activities that your youth will like.

How to Play:
• Split your group into teams of four to six students each.
• Give them some random materials you found lying around that nobody was using. (NOTE:
If you want to have them come up with games that require no supplies, ignore this
one point.)
• Tell the students the game is for each team to create a game. (If you give them materials,
instruct them that they must use the material they’ve been given.)
• Tell the students that in addition to coming up with the game, they must write out all of the
instructions for playing the game within the set amount of time.
• After the set amount of time (approximately 15 to 20 minutes usually is good for this) have
everyone gather back together.
• Have the groups present their games to the rest of the students.
• Vote on which game students want to play that night, and then play that game.
• You can save the other games for other nights, build a new arsenal of games, play them
over the next few weeks, or just spend the whole night have a fun game night playing the
games the students came up with.
• NOTE: It could come across to students like you are unprepared or flaking on your job.
However, if you sell this correctly and make it known that you want to play games that the
students would enjoy, and that they are incredibly fun and creative individuals, this will
communicate to them how fun this can actually be. Then it is a win-win situation
for everyone.

Supplies Needed:
• Any extra supplies you have on hand, or challenge the students to come up with games
that require no supplies

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Indoor Game #15 – Ups and Downs
This youth group game is a very fun and challenging activity. It is a high-activity game that keeps
the students moving and releasing a lot of wiggles and energy. It is a great game to play when your
teenagers are really wound up.

How to Play:
• Place plastic cups all over the game area—with half of them up and half of them down.
(The number of cups will depend on how many students you have; it is best to have about
four or five cups per person to make the game more challenging.)
• Divide your group into two different teams.
• Name one team the “UP” team and the other team the “DOWN” team.
• When you say “GO,” the students must run around the room and attempt to turn the cups
over to the direction of the team they are on. For example, the “UP” team has to get all the
cups turned up while the “DOWN” team turns them over so they are facing down.
• At the end of a specified amount of time, stop the game and count how many cups are up
and how many are down.
• The team with the most cups facing its direction is declared the winner.

Supplies Needed:
• Plastic cups—about four or five cups for each person who will be playing the game

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 Indoor Game #16 – Four on a Couch
This youth group game is a low-activity game but is still a lot of fun. It is a great way to help students
get to know each other’s names (if needed), and it’s also a great puzzle game that requires good
memory and wise strategy. If you decide to play it in an area that doesn’t have chairs, then you can
improvise what makes up the “couch.”

How to Play:
• Place chairs in a circle along with one couch, making the couch part of the circle.
• Place two girls and two guys on the couch and the rest of the students in regular chairs.
• One chair must remain open.
• Have each person write his or her name on a piece of paper.
• Place all of the pieces of paper into a basket.
• Then go around the circle with the full basket and have everyone pick out one of the
pieces of paper. (NOTE: They cannot hold their own name, so if they get their own name,
they must put it back and draw a new name.)
• Tell students that they cannot inform anyone whose name they have.
• The person to the left of the empty chair begins by calling out someone’s name. The
person who is holding that name on the piece of paper must move from their seat to the
empty chair.
• The person who called out the name and the person who moved to the empty chair must
trade papers with the names on it.
• Then, whoever is next to the new empty seat calls a name out.
• The point of the game is for the guys to try and get all guys on the couch (all four
spots) and for the girls to get all girls on the couch (all four spots). This is best accomplished
by remembering the name which students have on their piece of paper, and using strategy
to remove students off the couch and attempt to replace them by others who will help you
win (guys for guys and girls for girls).
• Once there are either four guys on the couch or four girls on the couch, that gender is
declared the winner!

Supplies Needed:
• Chairs for every student and one couch (or you can use four chairs close together to make
a “couch” or improvise something else that will function as the “couch” for the game)
• Pieces of paper on which to write the names of every student present
• Pens to write the names of every student present on the paper
• A basket for the pieces of paper

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Indoor Game #17 – Bald is Beautiful
This youth group game is a low-activity game and is best used as an icebreaker activity where not
every person participates. It is very funny to watch and see the end results. Make sure you get
volunteers who are good sports.

How to Play:
• Ask several guys with moderately long hair (but not more than 5 or 6 inches long) to
volunteer for this competition.
• Select several girls to be the “stylists.” (You may choose to have one or two girls be
“stylists” for each guy who has volunteered.)
• Give each guy a nylon stocking.
• Have each guy pull the nylon stocking over his head until it is completely covering his hair.
(NOTE: Make sure that he does not pull the stocking over his face; it only needs to cover
his hair.)
• When you say “GO,” the “stylists” begin poking toothpicks through the nylon hose and
pulling out tufts of hair. (NOTE: Inform the girls to be careful so as to not poke the guys with
the toothpicks.)
• Give the girls a specified amount of time to complete their “styling” on the guys.
• At the end of the specified amount of time, have the girls stop when you say “STOP.”
• You can award prizes in different categories, such as the most bizarre hairstyle, the most
original, the most normal, and so on.
• SIDE NOTE: I’ve had several guys wear their new hairstyle all night long. It can be hilarious
and lots of fun.

Supplies Needed:
• A nylon stocking for each guy who volunteers for this competition
• A bunch of toothpicks
• Chairs for the guys to sit in

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 Indoor Game #18 – Psychiatrist
This youth group game is a low-activity game and is a very fun, challenging game. It involves the
entire group but with a few special volunteers who will be the “psychiatrists.” This game can be very
funny as well, especially as the students who are the “psychiatrists” struggle to figure out what is
going on.

How to Play:
• Choose a few people who will be the “psychiatrists.”
• Have everyone else sit in a circle while the “psychiatrists” leave the room until called
back in.
• Make sure the “psychiatrists” cannot hear anything said to the rest of the group.
• Assign the remaining students a common “ailment.” (A good one to start with is “identity
crisis—where everyone thinks they are the person sitting on their left.”)
• Bring in the “psychiatrists.” (You can do this with all of the “psychiatrists” together, or you
can bring in one “psychiatrist” at a time.)
• When the “psychiatrists” return, tell them they must ask people questions in order to figure
out what the common “ailment” is that everyone in the group has. (Example questions would
be: “What is your favorite color?” “Do you have any siblings?” “Where do you go to school?”
“Are you a girl or a boy?”) OPTION: To make this harder you can instruct the psychiatrists
that they are only allowed to ask “yes/no” questions.
• Because everyone is pretending to be the person to their left, they must answer the
questions according to what they think that person would answer. (Even if the students don’t
know for sure, they should try their best and try not to give away the “ailment.”)
• If the answer given is wrong, then the person to the left of the person who answered must
shout out “PSYCHIATRIST” and everyone gets up and switches seats. (NOTE: The game
can take a while for the “psychiatrist,” so encourage them to persist in asking questions.)
• The game ends when the “psychiatrists” figure out what the “ailment” is for the
entire group.
• REMEMBER: Every time the students move, the person they are pretending to be
also changes.
• ADDITIONAL: Here are other possible “ailments” you could use: answering according to
who is sitting in a certain seat; pretending to be one particular person in the group;
pretending to be one of the leaders in the group; or make up your own. The options
are limitless.

Supplies Needed:
None

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Indoor Game #19 – Guess the Gargle
This youth group game is a low-activity game that might be best played as an icebreaker activity
where not every person participates. This is a very simple game, but the students enjoy it because it
is very silly and very funny, both to play as well as to listen to.

• Ask for some volunteers to compete in a “song competition,” and inform them that no one
will have to sing at all. (NOTE: Informing them that they won’t have to sing will likely get you
more volunteers—and I think it is more fun to get the volunteers before telling them what
exactly they are going to be doing.)
• Have one volunteer at a time step forward and secretly show them the name of a well-
known song or tune. This can be anything: a pop-chart song, a worship song, a nursery
rhyme, or any other kind of song.
• Have the volunteer take a sip of water and instruct them that they must gargle the tune.
• Have all of the others try to guess what the tune is.
• Play just for the fun, or award a prize to the person who can get people to guess their
gargle-song the fastest.

Supplies Needed:
• Cups of water for contestants

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 Indoor Game #20 – Hug the Potholder
This youth group game is a low-activity game that can produce a lot of laughter as the volunteer
struggles to figure out the solution to the game. This is a great game, but it can only be played with
people who have never played it before.

How to Play:
• Ask for some volunteers for this game. (NOTE: Again, these volunteers must be individuals
who have never played this game before.)
• Send the volunteers out of the room and make sure they are not able to hear what is
being said.
• Have the rest of the group form a circle, sitting in chairs and facing toward the center.
• Place the potholder in the center of the circle.
• Give the small pot to somebody sitting in one of the chairs. (The smaller the pot,
the better.)
• Have one person come back into the room.
• Tell them that they must hug the potholder, but they cannot pick it up.
• No matter what they do with the potholder in the center, tell them that they did not hug
the potholder.
• The only way the volunteer finally wins is if they hug the person who is holding the
small pot.
• If they don’t figure it out quickly enough, allow them to sit down (without revealing the
answer yet) and have the next volunteer come in and try.
• Continue to allow each volunteer to come in and try to hug the potholder. If they actually
hug the person holding the pot, give them a small prize.

Supplies Needed:
• Chairs for everyone to sit in
• A small pot (the smaller the better)
• A potholder

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