Charades…with a Twist

by Phil Houtz on January 20, 2011

in Games

Charade

The game of Charades is huge fun for a group. But sometimesindividuals – particularly high school age individuals – don’t like being put on the spot. Here are two twists on the classic parlor game that will help you keep things moving, active and tons of fun.

Charades Relay

Divide your group into two teams, and have them line up on opposite sides of a large room. The teams should face away from each other so that neither team can see what the other is doing. There should be enough room so that each team’s Actor can stand in front and perform.

Game play starts with one player from each team racing to the center of the room where you are standing with a list of titles of books, movies or plays. This player must race back to the area in front of their team and quickly act out the title. As soon as a team guesses the title correctly, the next player races to the center of the room and gets a title. The game ends as soon as one team has successfully guessed the titles presented by each of their Actors.

Because the game is fast-paced your Actors will have little time to feel self-concious about standing in front of the group and acting silly.

[Idea courtesy Playworks]

Reverse Charades

This is a simple twist on classic Charades – instead of one person acting out a movie or book title while the rest of the group guesses, you have the entire group doing the acting and one person guessing.

What you need: large, easily readable cards with the title of a book, movie, or play on each one.

To play the game have your Actors form a line or semicircle and your guesser sits or stands in front of the group. You stand behind the guesser and show the group the card, which they then must act out.

To keep your game moving you can combine this with Charades Relay.

[Idea from Youth Leader Stash]

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Ten Reasons Small Groups Are Great for Kids

by Phil Houtz on January 6, 2011

in Ministry

Back in July Doug Fields blogged ten rewards that teens get from associating with small group leaders. Interestingly a lot of these benefits are directly related to having a relationship with a caring adult.

Here are ten of my own ideas. Some, of course, will overlap with Doug’s –

1. Relationship with a caring adult
2. Solidarity with other Christian youth
3. Learning how to do a personal Bible study
4. A place to talk about random things
5. A place to brag and get recognition
6. Establishing a foundation for future small group involvement
7. A place to discuss social and cultural norms
8. A place to be challenged
9. A place to receive forgiveness
10. Learning to hang out and socialize in a healthy way

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Top Five Youth Blogs of 2010

January 5, 2011

Joel Mayward shares his top five Christian youth ministry blogs from 2010.

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Off-the-Wall Dodgeball

January 4, 2011

Here’s a dodgeball game where it’s every man – and woman – for himself. No teams involved. What’s required is a large wall and a soft springy dodgeball with a good bounce. The object of the game is to be the last man (or woman) standing. The first person in possession of the ball slams [...]

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Fun Ways to Split into Groups

January 3, 2011

Splitting into teams is a necessary chore in many games. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Here are a few things that you can do to team up evenly. 1) Team Captains. As someone who was picked last all through grade school, I’ve never been keen on this approach. But I’ve found that [...]

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Make a Game of It!

January 2, 2011

Here’s a delightful video of the importance of play, and how it can transform a dreary task into an engaging activity. [Via Kottke]

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Happy New Year 2011!

January 1, 2011

Sure, it’s just a mark on the calendar. But what better way to keep in mind that God’s mercies are new every morning than to ring in the New Year.

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2011: A Glimpse into the Future

December 31, 2010

Here comes another new year. This year I have a longer commute for the Day Job and I’m more aware than ever about the position of the sun. Heading home in dark and drizzle seems so dreary and I’m glad for the lengthening of days that comes with solstice. We celebrate the birth of Christ [...]

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Use YouTube for Interactive Storytelling

December 1, 2010

Neil Cicierega’s Haircut (choose-your-own-adventure-song) was three years in the making, but you might say it was worth the wait. The clever upbeat story is inspiring…what other interactive stories could you tell using YouTube? (Note, the interaction doesn’t work terribly well in the embedded version above. Check out the video on YouTube’s site to choose your [...]

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John Kenn’s Playful, Scary, Gorey-Like Stories…on Post-It Notes

November 21, 2010

John Kenn creates amazing, frightening little stories on Post-It Notes. This pictures bring to mind the creepiness of Edward Gorey along with the depth of Maurice Sendak. What can you do with a Post-It? [Via Make]

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