Zany Games

“Roxanne” Game - Submitted by Mark Bogart

This game is hilarious. First, find the song “Roxanne” by The Police. Next, round up a few bags of large marshmallows and 4 cans of soda. Choose 4 youth to participate in the game and have them sit up front. Here’s where the game gets saucy.

Here are the rules to the game:

Every time they hear the word “Roxanne” the youth have to eat a marshmallow

Every time they hear the words “Put on a red light” the youth have to take a sip of soda

What seems like a simple exercise at first becomes a hilarious melding of chewed up marshmallow goo and soda. Enjoy. (Oh, and bring towels)

WHO WANTS A HAPPY MEAL? - Submitted by Lynell Kennedy

Purchase a couple of McDonalds Happy Meals and bring them to MYF.

You will also need some clear cups and a blender.

Ask for volunteers that would like to eat a Happy Meal. I even had a timer up there so they thought it was just a timed thing – who could eat it the fastest. Once you have them up there, take out the Happy Meal, unwrap the burger, set up the coke with a straw ~ whatever to get them ready.

Then bring out the blender. Put the meals in a blender, blend them up and pour the Happy Meals into the clear glasses. See if anyone can drink it.

Prize could be a gift certificate to McDonalds

Giant Clue Game

This is just like the board game but with a twist. Divide the group into car groups of five youth/ one adult and each group will be given a list of homes in the neighborhood that have clues. When the youth arrive at the house they will be asked a Bible question, if they get it right they will receive a clue. If they answer wrong they have to perform a task to get another question. If they answer wrong again they must go on to a new house. Each house will have two or three clues. A group that thinks they have the right answer may return back to the church and check the file. If they guessed wrong they are out. The first group back with the right answer wins. We used the same people, rooms, and weapons from the board game.

Fastest Straw in the West - Submitted by Eddie Erwin

Have five youth or so line up at the front of the group and hand each one of the participants a plastic drinking straw. I prefer the ones from Whataburger or The Cheesecake Factory because they are wide and we eat there a lot. Have the participants place one end of the straw in their mouth and without using their hands, must get the other end of the straw in their mouth the fastest.

Target Practice - Submitted by Eddie Erwin

This can be one for messy game night or just put a trash bag over the youth and a tarp on the floor. You will need a step or 6’ ladder, a bag of marshmallows and chocolate syrup (or other sticky, gooey substance). Have one youth lie on the ground with their head near the base of the ladder and their mouth open. The second youth take the chocolate covered marshmallow and climbs to whatever height you feel appropriate and drops the marshmallow as close to their partners mouth as possible.

Water Balloon Time Bomb - Submitted by Steve Cragg

Have four or five youth sit in chairs in a row. Load the Bomb (children’s toy available at stores) and begin by asking questions while holding the bomb over their head. Hold the bomb over their head until they answer the question. If they answer the question correctly (very subjective process) then move on to the next person. Eventually the bomb will go off and someone will get wet. It is important for kids to know they might get wet. Always good for a laugh.

Examples of questions

Name the greatest Rock and Roll Bands of all time.

Name Books of the Bible.

Name McDonalds’ menu items.

Name the Disciples.

Name someone in this room that will go out with you. (must get confirmation)

Name some French Philosophers.

Name numbers between one and ten not including one and ten.

The Alphabet Question Game - Submitted by Steve Cragg

This is a great game of improv. Not the easiest to do so find your funniest or quickest kids. It gets easier after a little practice. Have two people get up in front of the group. Have the group suggest topics or situations to discuss. Pick a topic and then they begin. One person starts by asking a question concerning the topic with the letter “A” as the first letter of the first word of the question. The other person responds by asking a question with the letter “B” starting the first word. On and on they go throughout the alphabet.

For example. Topic – Dating

1st person: “Arlene, will you go out with me this weekend?”

2nd person: “Boy, Have you lost your mind?”

1st person: “Can’t you see that I have?”

2nd person: “Donuts anyone?”

And so on. Can be pretty funny.

I can eat that in... - Submitted by Steve Cragg

Eating games are somewhat entertaining. In this competition, contestants are given a clue about a food item and they decide how many bites it might take them to eat that item. It begins with obvious and easy even fun to eat items and then gets a little harder. The two contestants go back in forth until one of them says “Eat that item”. They can start with up to five bites.

Clue

Loved by millions who delight in the surprise in the middle. (Twinkie)

Loved by millions, a must in every home’s pantry. (Spam)

You get the picture.

Humanly Impossible - Submitted by Steve Cragg

It is fun to attempt things that sound somewhat easy, but are in reality pretty much impossible. For example.

You cannot eat six saltine crackers in one minute.

You cannot eat a small watermelon in five minutes.

Have a youth attempt some type of eating feat and then have someone else try to beat it another time.

Along these same lines it is fun to every so often ask for Stupid Human Tricks. Find out what it is that one of your youth can do that most people can’t or don’t want to do. Be sure to pre-screen these. You don’t want any surprises.

Marbles in Ice - Submitted by Steve Cragg

This one is old but still fun to watch. Fill a large plastic bowl with ice and put five or six marbles in the bottom. Youth have to find and remove marbles with their toes. Have one person do it for time and then others follow and try to beat that time. For a variation, change out the marbles with grapes and have girls find the grapes and then feed them to guys. Pretty funny.

How many shirts are too many shirts? - Submitted by Steve Cragg

Bring a lot of t-shirts for your event and have a contest between two teams to see who can put on the most shirts on one person. Three person teams work well. One wearer and two to help dress. (It is best to have a guy be the wearer.) Start the timer with music going and turn them loose. The end result is pretty funny. Make sure you have enough shirts.

Atlanta Banana - Submitted by Steve Cragg

In order to fully participate, players need to discover the catch or right combination of items to be allowed to go along on this venture. The leader begins by saying, I'm going to Atlanta to buy bananas. Where are you going? The next player must name a city and a fruit. (Do not let the players know the pattern: that the fruit must start with a letter that follows the letter that begins the name of the city. For example: "I'm going to Newport to buy oranges.) If the player an say "No you may not go." If the player answers correctly say "Yes you may go." In either case say to the next player "I'm going to Atlanta to buy bananas" and see whether he or she can answer correctly. Play continues until everyone has figured out the trick or until interest wanes.

Try playing this game with different patterns for example: "I'm going to Omaha and I'm taking an elephant" (a city and an animal that both begin with vowels); "I'm going to Oregon in a Nissan" (a car that begins with the last letter in the name of a state). Once youth catch on have them come up with the patterns.

From Tween Time Volume 2: Fellowship and Service Projects for Preteens(Abingdon Press 2004).

this is link to Tween Time Book purchase

Jell-O War - Sumbitted by Boyd Goodloe

Jell-O War

1. Find the worm- plate of Jell-O with worm underneath
have participants have hands behind their back and dig
with their face for worms (use Jell-O for game 2)
2. Spoon-fed relay?participants are seated and hand a spoonful
of Jell-O to fill a container at the front
Jell-O bottling?give participants Jell-O on a plate and have
participants use only their mouths to transfer Jell-O to bottle
4. Jell-O target?use Jell-O from game 3 and have one participant
stand 10 feet away from target participant" and see how much
will stick
5. Jell-O Eating Contest?most in wins
6. Jell-O Mass Transit?use a plate or pan of Jell-O for each team
of 4-8 players and have them transfer contents using only their
mouths to another container (most in wins)
7. Jell-O Wrestling?use Jell-O from game 6 to spread on plastic
sheeting and have two participants try to push each other out of contest area (ring)
8. Jell-O Slip & Slide?use Jell-O and plastic sheeting from game 6
9. Jell-O War?every person for themselves in this chunking contest