Need a couple of easy youth group games to keep in your back pocket? Circle games are by far my favorite because of how easy they are to whip out at a moment’s notice. Many of them require very little to no supplies or set up, they can be played with groups ranging from 10 students to 50 students (and if you have 100 you can split them up into two games and still make it work), and everyone always has a good time.
Here are seven awesome easy youth group games…
Easy Youth Group Games #1. Fruit Basket
Make a large circle with chairs. Have enough chairs for each student except the one standing in the middle. Assign each student with the name of one of three or four fruits (apple, banana, strawberry, orange). The student in the middle yells out one the fruits, those students then have to get up and find a new seat. The person in the middle will sit in one of their seats and a new person will be left in the middle. The person in the middle can either call out a fruit, call out multiple fruits, OR call out “Fruit Basket” where everyone has to get up and find a new seat.
Easy Youth Group Games #2. Honey if you love me
Make a circle with chairs and have students sit down except for one student in the middle. The student in the middle is trying to get someone seated to smile by walking up to them and saying, “Honey, if you love me will you please give me a smile?” With a straight face the student seated must reply, “Honey, I love you, but I just can’t smile.” If they do it without smiling the student in the middle must pick someone else until they get someone to smile. When someone smiles they switch and become the person in the middle asking for smiles. The student in the middle can do whatever funny thing they want to get someone to smile besides touching them. Have fun, and keep a straight face!
Easy Youth Group Games #3. Never have I ever
Make a circle with chairs and have students sit down except for one student in the middle. The student in the middle says something they have never done and the seated students get up if they have done it. For example, “Never have I ever broken a bone,” and anyone who HAS broken a bone has to get up and find a new seat while the person who was in the middle sits down. Make sure the “never have I ever” statement that is made is true, as in they really have never done it.
Easy Youth Group Games #4. Death ball
Make a circle of chairs for each player, minus one. Students sit in chairs except for one player in the middle of the circle. He/she is it. One student in the circle holds the ball and throws it to another player in the circle. The player in the middle’s goal is to either tag the person who has the ball or catch the ball when it’s thrown to another player. If either of those attempts are successful, then the player in the middle switches with the player in the circle. When starting a round, players cannot throw the ball to the person directly next to them. If the ball doesn’t touch a player in the circle when thrown to them, they cannot get up and get the ball. The only person chasing the ball should be the person in the circle who touched it last and the person in the center.
Easy Youth Group Games #5. The winking game
Have students place chairs in a circle and have half the students sit in the chairs and the other half stand behind the seated students. Standing students stare at the back of the head of the seated student. One student stands behind an open chair, that student is the “winker.” Seated students look at the winker and if they get winked at they have to try to make it to the open seat before the student behind them (looking at their back) tags them. If the standing person tags the seated person they then switch.
