Often times, when coming up with these game and activity ideas, I like to try and devise options that would be useful for any group: big or small, groups with lots of new members, and groups with a lot of veteran members. The goal each time is to do something that gives participants a new experience or a new twist on a game. By giving participants new experience, you are placing them all on an equal level of expertise. And hopefully allowing fun and bonding to happen at the same time. These two ideas take the ideas of trivia questions and mingling to an interesting new level.

Type/Purpose: Mixer, Trivia

Materials:

  • Enough for every participant to have 5-10 green stickers (any size or shape you want) and 5-10 blue stickers (or find 2 different colors).
  • 1 unique coin (could be a token from an amusement place, a dollar coin, souvenir, etc.)
  • Music
  • Open space

Set-Up: Ahead of time, give one of your more extroverted participants the coin, and have them conceal it in their pocket.

Play:

  • Give each participant a sticker sheet with the green stickers and blue stickers.
  • Play the music as background noise, and have the participants mingle around the room.
  • Finding a partner, they can do one of two things:
    • They can ask them a question about themselves (hometown, favorite food, school they attend, etc.). When they get a response, they can give them a green sticker.
    • They can do an active move with them (special hand shake, do-si-do, high five, etc.), and give them a blue sticker.
    • IF a participant receives a sticker, they can place it on themselves.
  • At the end of the exchange, the partners shake hands.
    • AT THIS TIME, the player with the coin may secretly pass the coin to another player, freeing themselves of the coin.
  • Let play go on for 5-10 minutes, then discuss.

Discussion:

  • What types of questions did you come up with for each other, and did you learn anything new?
  • What types of active ideas came up?
  • Who received the coin during the activity, and who currently has it?
  • What was that experience like?
  • What did it feel like to have the coin, not knowing when the activity would end?

Teachable Moment:

  • How might this activity connect to life?
  • How might it connect to Christianity?
  • For devotional tie-ins, think about the themes of urgency and spreading the Word.