Insight

Newspaper night - a themed youth night!

The amazing Newspaper Night is great for younger teenagers. Encourage your group to invite their friends to a suitable venue for a night to remember. Make sure you have a large supply of old newspapers collected in the preceding weeks.

Read through the games carefully before you use them. Many are based on common party games and adapted through generations of youth leaders. It's probably impossible to say who first thought up any of these games, but whoever you are, thanks!

Although most of the games feature friendly competition, please don't emphasise 'winners' or 'losers', emphasis the fun! Award a small prize for each game, as many of the young people could gain several during the course of the evening. The 10 games that follow are some of my favourite newspaper games and have worked with many different groups.

Foot Party - a themed youth night!

Here's a fun youth night with a challenge and only using your feet! Great for smaller groups and small spaces. Advertise the event and emphasise that bare feet will be required. Don't explain too much, build the anticipation! Girls should be wearing jeans or trousers.

Remember that in some cultures this themed evening cannot be used. As always, be enthusiastic and join in yourself. Ask everyone to remove their shoes at the beginning of the evening.

FOOT SIGNING

Give each young person a felt tip marker and tell them they have one minute to get as many signatures on one foot as possible. When the time is up, go around and count them, to find the winner. Remember not to emphasise the winning but the fun. Interaction, building relationships, co-operation, working together are the goals of the themed games, leading to a linked time of teaching and discussion.

Leading by example - more food for thought

'We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction.' Malcolm Gladwell

'Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.' Harold S. Geneen

'The youth worker is not primarily a talker or organiser, he is a model, a person who by the power of his Christian example motivates a dedication to Jesus Christ.' Lawrence Richards

'Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.' Albert Schweitzer

'We must become the change we want to see in the world.' Mahatma Gandhi

Balloon Bonanza - a themed youth night!

Make your youth night go with a bang. All you need are LOTS of balloons. A few years ago I was leading a weekly church youth night for a lively bunch of 11-14's. We played some games together before a time of teaching, or as the kids called it 'The God Slot'.

I wanted a more unified and purposeful 'feel' to the whole evening, so I decided to try and theme some icebreakers and games together with a clearer link to the teaching. The result was several themed evenings including Balloon Bonanza.

This is a great evening for lively groups and can be played in a large room or outside on a calm day. It can be used as a youth club night, holiday club session, camp night or bring-a-friend night. Although some of the games feature friendly competition, please don't emphasise 'winners' or 'losers', emphasis the fun! What follows is not an exhaustive list of balloon related games, just ones which have worked for me. Please add your own games to my selection.

Breaking more ice - 10 more icebreakers for small groups

This is a follow up article to 'Breaking the ice-using icebreakers in small groups'. It contains games you can use with a small group in your home without feeling a tornado just came through!

Carefully prepared icebreakers can provide a positive momentum for small group Bible study and discussion. They can help new members to integrate into a group, encourage participation and cooperation, build a rapport with the group leader and help young people to feel comfortable with each other and in their surroundings.

The 10 icebreakers which follow are some of my favourites and more importantly, ones I've used successfully. They can all be used across a wide age range and you only need a few props. Many are based on common party games and adapted through generations of youth leaders. It's probably impossible to say who first thought up any of these games, but whoever you are, thanks!