Looking for a way to help your teenagers build teamwork skills? Look no further than Team Building Games for Youth! This handy guidebook provides all the tools you need to run fun and engaging team-building activities, indoors or outdoors, with small or large groups. Each of these youth ministry game ideas demands teamwork and creative thinking. With tons of activities to choose from, your entire group of teens will be working together like a well-oiled machine in no time!
Why team building activities and games are important in church youth groups?
There are a few reasons why team building games are important in church youth groups. First, they help the kids to get to know each other and bonded. Secondly, team building games help teach cooperation and teamwork. And lastly, team building games can be just plain fun! When everyone is working together towards a common goal, it builds unity and creates a stronger sense of community within the group.
Partner “get up challenge”: Team Building Activity
Two students link arms and sit back to back. The challenge is to remain linked and stand up together. This fun game will build communication skills in just a few rounds. Each team member will need to work together to be the winning team. All the groups will have fun, just be sure to have equal teams. This one is especially fun for middle school students, but some high schoolers may be more shy. Add a time limit to make it more fun. Shuffle all the members and play another round.
Partner blindfold dodgeball: Team Building Games for Youth Group
Pair up a group of students into teams. Select one student in each pair to be blindfolded. The other partner stays in close proximity to guide the blindfolded partner. Start the game with several balls in play (roughly one ball for every three or four pairs, depending on how many students are playing). Students attempt to keep from getting hit with balls, while pegging other pairs. However, only the blindfolded partner can throw the balls. The other must direct how and where to throw.
Story building: Team Building Game
Students sit or stand in a large circle and tell a group story. One student begins with a sentence, pausing at an interval for the next student to pick up. Continue around the circle to describe the story’s action.
Untangle the knot: Team Building Games
With a group, have all students cross one arm over another and link hands with another student. Continue this way until all students are in a large “blob” of a circle cross-armed and holding hands. Challenge the group to “un-twist” themselves without letting go of hands. You will see some members start to show leadership skills as they get the entire team to work together.
Three-legged obstacle course: Team Building Activities
Link or tie two students together using scarves or resistance bands. Arrange a simple obstacle course to go through without coming un-attached. The team members must work together to achieve their goal. This can be a great way to build friendships as each team member must learn to communicate.
More ideas for team building games in your student ministry.
- Human Knot Team Building Games – Form a circle with everyone holding hands. Have everyone tangle their arms up so that no one has any free hands. Have everyone try to untangle themselves without letting go of hands.
- Trust Fall Team Building Activity – Have someone stand in the middle of the group and fall backwards, trusting that the group will catch them.
- Steal the Bacon Youth Group Game – Two people are chosen to be “it”. “It” stands in the middle of the group and holds a piece of bacon between their thumb and index finger. The rest of the group tries to take the bacon from “it”. If someone succeeds, they become “it”.
- Charades – This is a great game for all ages. Break the group into two teams and have one team act out a Bible verse or character and the other team tries to guess what it is.
- The Name Game – Have everyone sit in a circle and go around naming people. As soon as someone says a person’s name who is not sitting next to them, they must jump up and run around the room. When the player returns to their seat, they must then say the name of someone else in the circle.
- Bible Scavenger Hunt – Give each student a list of Bible verses or characters and have them find someone in the room who can recite that verse or knows about it in the winning group.
Share your favorite youth group team building youth group games.
We love to hear from youth pastors about their favorite team building games. It’s fun to see young people learn problem solving skills and how to communicate effectively.