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As I write this at the beginning of January, I ponder my gym. It has been over a year since I joined, and I suppose I didn't notice last January due to being so new myself. But it is packed. I see the faces on the new members, as they're learning new machines and figuring out their routine. I notice how crowded the stairwell and track is when I try to run up and down and around many more people than normal. I notice that for many, the gym experience is new. Maybe this is the ideal time for youth ministry as well, as you begin the year with a "new," or at least, re-"new"-ed, focus on relationship building, and more importantly, teaching and growing God's Word.
This month, I take a couple of those "old" favorites, and make them "new"! Use them as idea starters for devotions and studies. Use them as games and events for your winter/spring celebrations. May this New Year continue to be a blessing for your ministry!
Old: Duck, Duck, Goose
New: Ducktacular (Game originally learned at Camp Lutherwood in Washington)
Supplies: None
Set-Up:
Break your large group into numerous small groups. Recommendations would be for each small group to consist of at least six participants, and for there to be a minimum of three small groups. Try to keep each small group to a maximum of 10-15 participants.
Ask each small group to sit in a circle, and space the groups out to allow room to run around each group.
Select an "it" from each group.
Play:
Upon "go", each "it" will walk around the group, tapping each individual on the head and saying "Duck". At some point, they will tap an individual and say "goose".
Upon saying "goose", the goose-ee will stand up and chase the "it".
"It" will run around their small group, and then to another group, and sit in an empty spot.
The new "it" will begin again, starting around the group that the person they chased just sat in.
If the person being chased gets tagged, the tagger sits in an open spot of their choosing, and the "it" resumes from that circle.
Discussion:
What was it like playing this game in a new way?
Describe a time when you had to re-learn something you've done in a new way? What was that like?
How might you compare this to being a Believer in Christ, this idea of new-ness?
Old: Any Board Game
New: Now Who am I?
Supplies:
Board Games, preferably ones that are well known by your group.
Set-Up:
Set up the board games as usual, with enough players at each one.
Play:
Begin games as normal.
Every three to five minutes, yell "switch". Players will continue playing their current game, but will rotate one spot clockwise, taking the place of the player on their left.
Continue play until the games are over.
Discussion:
What was it like playing the game in a new way?
Describe how it was switching to a different player? How did it affect your strategy?
How might this be similar or different to life? |
