It’s that time of year again! Church summer camps, youth groups, Vacation Bible School, and family fun nights! Nothing beats the childhood memories of spending time with old and new friends from church in and out of the church building during the summer.
Mentors and youth group leaders have a chance to model and teach values and spiritual growth. Their main goal is to mentor and lead young people in their walk of faith. They want to keep their group engaged and having fun while learning and growing.
Even if you don’t choose to send your kids to a camp type experience this summer, they can have fun and grow spiritually during family fun nights and one-on-one lessons and games.
Here is a list of great songs, games, and crafts to help you plan your youth group or family fun activities this summer!
Fun, Interactive Movement Songs
There is nothing better than the old classic Hokey Pokey with a twist. This version of the Hokey Pokey is so much fun to do with your Preschool and Elementary age youth group. The directions are easy to follow, and everybody can participate!
Father Abraham is a song we have all grown up singing and dancing along to. This is a great, easy to follow video that incorporates all the movements and words in a clear, fun, engaging way.
Got little ones in your youth group with a lot of energy? This song is a great follow the leader type song with plenty of movement to get those wiggles out. This song reminds us how great it is to have Joy!
This fun take on the classic shuffle dance is best suited for the older kiddos. Ages 6 to teen will have a ball line dancing to this fun movement song about God’s power.
Games
This game, Pass It On, is a great ice breaking activity for elementary age through teenage children. They have a few seconds to grab anything they want from the room. In a large circle, they pass all items to the right. When an item is dropped, that person is out, but the item stays in. As the players lessen, they must figure out how to keep passing all collected items.
This game is easiest to play with middle and high school students. Each team gets a set of numbers 0 – 9. As you call out difficult numbers … like 572,034, the first team to arrange their numbers into the correct order gets a prize!
This fun game helps children learn the Books of the Bible. Start with two large squares … one labeled Old Testament and one labeled New Testament. As you call out the name of a Book in the Bible, children must jump into the correct square.
This ice breaker games is good for any age group. It has three simple directions. Children stand in a circle with their hands on the shoulders on the person in front of them. If the leader says, “Move On”, everyone jumps forward. If the leader says, “Look Back”, everyone jumps backward. If the leader says, “Forever Alone”, everyone jumps to face the opposite direction.
Crafts
This craft idea is easy enough for the youngest youth groups to enjoy. Fold a colored piece of construction paper in half, trace your hand, and cut out the traced hand. You are left with praying hands that children can write their prayer request inside.
This fun craft takes a few steps to complete, so it is best suited for upper elementary through high school students. Using both construction paper and copy paper, students create a scroll of all the books of the Old and New Testament.
This craft creates a beautiful Books of the Bible collage in the shape of a flower that can be hung and used as decoration.
This craft puts the 10 Commandments literally in children’s hands. It is a fun way to write, store, and memorize the commandments.
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