Encouragement Game

This game is a potential life changing game.  It works best for groups that know each other reasonably
well. 

Sit in a circle and give everyone a piece of paper and pen.  Each person should write their name at the
top of the piece of paper, then pass it to the person on their left.  Each person then writes one or two
(or more) positive characteristics about the person whose name is at the top of the paper.

After 30-60 seconds, everyone passes the pieces of paper around to their left again.  This continues
until everyone has written on everyone else's paper. 

A typical piece of paper would look like this:

Jo Smith

Kind

Thoughtful

Always thinking of others

A good cook

Has a funny (good) sense of humor

 
The final step is that everyone receives their piece of paper back again. 

It works best if you collect them and hand them out one at a time, so everyone can see people's
reaction seeing the positive comments about themselves.  Depending on the make up of the group,
one option is to have people read out their own list.

Important note: As some commentators have pointed out below, it may be worth doing a quick check
to ensure the comments are appropriate and positive.

Done well, this is an incredibly affirming game and can be a night that people literally remember for
years to come.

Potential variations:

 Use a large piece of cardboard per person (rather than a sheet of paper) - this way people
can stick the cardboard in their room as a constant reminder of how they are loved!
 Jump online and make a Word Cloud of the terms (tip: to control the size of the text,
enter the word multiple times; Also click "Do not remove common words")  

If you like this game, also check out the game Distinctly Beautiful

Features Age

 Free / Low Cost  Primary or Elementary

 Sharing, Get to know School
you  Teens (Age 12-15)
 Night  Teens (Age 16-18)
 Young Adults
Objectives

Group Size
 Discipleship / Bible
 Team Building
Teamwork  Small Groups (1-9 people)
 Medium (10-29 people)
Space

Duration
 Indoor
 Large area
 Small area  Longer (30-60 mins)
 Medium (11-29 mins)
Newspaper in shoe
Not really a game but a good thought provoking activity that can work well at the end of a devotional
or youth service.

Collect a pile of newspapers and bring them along to Youth Group.  Get people to come up and tear
off a small piece of the newspaper, take off their shoe, place the screwed up piece of paper in their
shoe and put their shoe back on. 

You'll find when walking around that the piece of paper causes discomfort and will constantly come to
the front of your mind.  It's a great reminder that when you truly engage with local issues or problems
in your local community, it will cause some discomfort or inconvenience.  It teaches young people
what it means to take up the cross.  Most importantly however, give young people opportunities
(either on the night or over future nights) to show what that means in real life; ie sponsor a child, visit
a soup kitchen, do a backyard blitz for a family that is going through a hard time, etc.

Features Age

 Free / Low Cost  Primary or Elementary

 Night School
 Teens (Age 12-15)
Objectives  Teens (Age 16-18)
 Young Adults

 Ice breaker
 Discipleship / Bible Group Size
 Team Building
Teamwork
 Small Groups (1-9 people)
Space  Medium (10-29 people)
 Large groups (30+)

 Indoor
 Large area Duration
 Outdoor
 Small area
 Short (1-10 minutes)

Do you love your neighbor

Get everyone to sit in a circle and have one person in the middle.  

The person in the middle walks up to someone and says "Do you love
your neighbor?"

They will then respond something like this:

Yes, except for the people who have brown hair

or
Yes, except for the people wearing red
or
Yes, except for (insert your own criteria here).  

Everyone in the circle who matches that criteria then needs to get up and find a new seat whilst the
person in the middle tries to steal (sit) in someone's seat.  The person left standing becomes the new
person in the middle.

The other option is the person can respond "No", which means the two people either side of them
have to switch seats while the person in the middle tries to steal their seat. 

This game is obviously physical so take necessary care!

This game also leads on quite nicely to a discussion around loving your neighbor in real life - Who is
your neighbour?  What does loving them look like in your context? etc.

Features Age

 Free / Low Cost  Primary or Elementary

 Sharing, Get to know School
you  Teens (Age 12-15)
 Night  Teens (Age 16-18)

Objectives
Group Size

 Ice breaker
 Discipleship / Bible  Small Groups (1-9 people)
 Medium (10-29 people)
Space  Large groups (30+)

 Indoor Duration
 Large area

 Medium (11-29 mins)

 Short (1-10 minutes)
Blind Draw (Communication)
This game involves pairing up. Each pair should sit back-to-back so they cannot see each other. 

Give one member a picture, object or a scene. They must then describe this to their partner without
using words that are too obvious (for example, the picture may be of a chicken but the person is not
allowed to use the word "chicken, bird, hen", etc.

You can either give everyone the same picture or have a few different options.

Depending on the picture, you will need to allow 10-15 minutes. Once time is up, share the pictures -
you will find there are some very funny interpretations!

Variations:

 Sit in a circle and rotate people mid-drawing (so people must complete someone else's
picture)
 Turn the lights off so the person must draw in the dark
 Create the portrait without looking at the paper and without your pen leaving the paper

This game is also a lesson in communication and how easily our messages can be misinterpreted.

Features Age

 Free / Low Cost  Primary or Elementary

 Night School
 Teens (Age 12-15)
Objectives  Teens (Age 16-18)
 Young Adults

 Ice breaker
 Team Building Group Size
Teamwork

Space  Small Groups (1-9 people)

 Medium (10-29 people)
 YOUTH GROUP GAME ON LOVING
OTHERS
13
Shares

13

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON LOVING OTHERS

DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THIS GAME
Bible: 1 Corinthians 13; Romans 12:9-10 (NLT)
Bottom Line: Our love for others should be sincere.
SUPPLIES
 Piece of paper (one for each student)
 Pen/pencil for each student
 Pennies (10 per student)
GAME PREP
Each student will play this game as individuals.
Give each student 10 pennies and instruct them to hold onto them in their
hand.

Also, hand each student a piece of paper and a pen/pencil.

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

Say: Today, our game is all about the things you love and don’t love.
At the top of your piece of paper, I want you to create two categories:
LOVE and HATE.

Under the category of LOVE, I want you to write 3 things you love more
than anything else in the world.

Now, I know HATE is a strong word, but I want you to write down 3 things
you don’t like at all—and DO NOT write anyone’s name down.

Give students a couple of minutes to write down their LOVE and HATE
words.

Also, instruct them not to share their answers with anyone.

We’re going to use this game to show how much we have in common as a
youth group—the things we love and dislike.

When I say, “Go,” you’re going to walk around the room with your pennies
and pieces of paper.

You are going to walk up to someone and “challenge” them.

Before you read the things you love or don’t like to each other, you’re
going to guess how many answers you think you have in common—it can
be the things you LOVE or HATE.
Each of you will show a number of pennies to each other that represents
how many answers you think the other person has that are the same as
your answers.

For example: If you think both of you have one thing you LOVE that is the
same and one thing you HATE that is the same, then show the other
person 2 pennies.

After both of you have shown your pennies to the other person, then, you
will reveal your list of LOVE and HATE words.

If you guessed correctly, and the other person was wrong, the other
person has to give you the number of pennies they had guessed, and you
will keep your pennies as well.

If the other person guessed correctly, and you were wrong, then you will
give them the pennies that you had guessed.

If you are both correct, then no pennies are exchanged.

If you are both wrong, then the person that went over the number of
shared answers has to give their guessed pennies to the other person.

If you’re both incorrect, and you both went over the number, then no
pennies are exchanged.

I will let you know when time is up, and the person with the most pennies
at the end of the game wins and will receive everyone’s pennies as their
prize!

TEACH
Ask: Were you surprised by each other’s answers?
We really have a lot in common!
I want to begin by asking a question.

Do you remember your first crush?

The first time you looked at someone and thought they were the best
thing in the world?

If you’ve ever seen kids in kindergarten that have a “boyfriend” or

“girlfriend,” you know they don’t actually love each other—they are “in
like.”

Maybe they think the other person is handsome or pretty, smart, funny,
etc., but they don’t know enough about them or know them well enough
to actually love them.

As you grow and mature into teenagers and young adults, you have a
different understanding of what love is—and it is very different from when
you were younger.

Real love is built on what we read in 1 Corinthians 13…

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not
demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It
does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never
gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every
circumstance.
Say: I want you to think about that kind of “love” Paul is talking about and
compare it to what our culture defines as “real love.”
What are the differences between the two?

Allow a few responses from students and help them clarify the differences
between worldly love and godly love.
When we experience real love, we are able to understand what this next
verse is talking about.

Read Romans 12:9-10.

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly
to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring
each other.
This verse begins a section in the Book of Romans where Paul is
addressing how Christians should treat each other.

First, he says, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.”

If you have to pretend to love someone, then that is not love at all,
because our love towards other followers of Christ should be sincere.

When you look around this room, you should genuinely care about
everyone here.

And if you don’t, then you are missing something really important.

God places a lot of value on how we feel about each other.

In fact, He created us to make up the “Body of Christ,” and no one should

hate a part of their body—we should be grateful for every part because it
has a purpose.

Next, Paul instructs believers in this verse to, “Hate what is wrong. Hold
tightly to what is good.”

Hate and Hold Tightly are pretty strong terms.

It’s not enough to dislike what is wrong and try to do good.

We should be passionate about it.

And lastly, Paul says, “Love each other with genuine affection, and take
delight in honoring each other.”

Genuine affection does not necessarily mean you are affectionate towards
one another.

As you look around this room, that might make some of you feel relieved!

This type of love is also known in the Greek as philostorgos: “tender

affection, especially toward precious family members.”

Look at the person next to you.

They are your brother or sister in Christ; they are part of your family.

In a family, you don’t give up on each other.

You show mercy and grace, you sacrifice and give to one another.

Ask: How do we love and care for each other as part of the family of God?

Allow a few responses from students. Give a few examples of when you
have shown care for someone in the Body of Christ.

We give honor to each other—we show respect and think of each other
more than we think of ourselves.

I want to take a moment to go back to what I said earlier about how the
meaning of love changes as you enter young adulthood.

While we have been talking about loving each other in the Body of Christ,
you also need to know this: If you want to have a successful relationship,
and marriage someday, you will remember everything that we talked
about today.
Because before you can love each other in a boyfriend/girlfriend,
husband/wife way, you need to love each other as part of the family of
God.

Then, you will truly understand what love is and God’s plan for love in our
lives.

[End Lesson]