Type/Purpose: Obstacle Course/Race/Relay

Materials: Shoe boxes, white wrapping paper

Set-Up:

  • Make an obstacle course with things to step over, things to duck under, something to hop over, curve around, go straight, something to go through–whatever is somewhat of a challenge. Time yourself going through it without carrying any anything. This will become the standard of time to beat.
  • Next get a lot of shoe boxes, or assorted boxes from your local grocery store and cover each box with white wrapping paper and put words on them like “school”, “sports”, “friends”, “hobbies”, “girlfriend”, “family”, “boyfriend”–anything that might be considered an activity or thing a person must try to balance in life.

Play: Have youth go through the course with as many boxes as they can until they cannot handle “everything.” When they fall with all the boxes everyone yells “Overload!”

Teachable Moment: This game or builder can also be used as a Bible study in that we can’t handle everything in life and God has given us just enough things to do as He sees it in our life. Youth need to find out how much they can handle in school and life and that if they try to do too much they “Overload.” (1 Corinthians 7:7, 1 Timothy 4:14, Proverbs 3:5-6)