This is not beer pong
You will need: table tennis table or a long table, ping-pong balls, 12-24 large red cups, some horrendous things to drink and two cups of plain water to wash the ping-pong balls in
10 minutes
You may see a small resemblance to a cultural drinking game called beer pong. You would be incorrect. This is, in fact, NOT BEER PONG. As youth workers we have the opportunity to tread the thin line between cultural relevance and gunge, so we should embrace that.
Put the table out and put half the amount of cups at either end. Lay the cups out in a pyramid shape at either end of the table. Assemble the group into two teams at opposite ends of the table. Once they are in their teams designate a couple of leaders to add ‘tasty’ delights into the cups; think pickle juice, Tabasco sauce, horseradish... The aim is to bounce the ping-pong ball into one of the cups at the opposite end of the table so that a player from the opposing team has to drink the grim drink.
Top tip: If you have young people are determined not to drink the vile concoction they can choose option two - tip it over their heads!
Euroworship
You will need: paper, pens, brilliant pre-found YouTube clips and a spare worship leader
10 minutes
Many of our churches are incredibly blessed to have brilliant worship songs and leaders. I also fall into the category of people who feels blessed to have Eurovision in my life. On reflection, some Eurovision songs and some Christian songs can have similarities. Play sections of a mix of them and get the young people to write down whether they think they are listening to a worship or Eurovision song. It sometimes takes slightly longer to find the clips, so be prepared (the 2013 Eurovision winner is a personal favourite)! This game is best played with a real-life worship leader present to perform / join in.
Top tip: This is also fun to play in any Christian office!
Slip and slide
You will need: A large amount of tarpaulin, Fairy Liquid and water and perhaps a helmet to provide some form of protection
15 minutes
There is SO much you can do with just these few bits of equipment but there is a higher risk of broken bones for some games on the slip and slide. Here are a few of our favourites:
Option one: a straight slip and slide – hurling young people down it to see who can go fastest and furthest. This is where it is probably important to wear a helmet.
Option two: put the tarpaulin in a u-shape and have a relay race. The young people start at one end of the u and compete in two teams. They have to relay from one side of the u to the opposite end where there are two buckets filled with water and apples. They have to collect the apple using only their mouths and relay back to the beginning for the next person to start. Beware: corners on a slip and slide are lethal so make sure you are on even and grassy land.
Option three: this is an idea from a brainstorming session and has yet to be actually played BUT why not try it and let us know how it goes? This is called ‘butter the toast’. You will need a lot of butter and two squares of tarpaulin. The aim is to cover the tarpaulin with butter as quickly as possible using only your feet. This could go really well or appallingly badly - let us know!
Top Tip: Arm / knee guards or helmets make these games safe enough for any risk assessment.
Human curling
You will need: humans, skateboards, a form of target and some brushes
15 minutes
This summer’s Olympic fever has got me thinking about exciting youth work twists on brilliant games. Despite it not featuring at Rio, curling is one of my favourites. The aim of the game is to hit the centre of the target but you will have to ‘curl’ using young people sat on skateboards. You have numerous attempts to knock the other team off the centre point and the brushes are mostly there for effect (so it to resembles curling.)
No young people have yet been hurt in the pursuance of this game but again, arm / knee guards could be useful.
Top tip: Ask the young people to bring their own skateboards - aren’t all the kids into skateboards these days?
Tug of war
You will need: A tug of war rope and a paddling pool (optional)
5 minutes
Tug of war is a brilliant creation but seems to cause most accidents: hand burns and blisters, or, as in a recent game, when a leader got hit by a fast-moving rope after it snapped. Stretch out a long rope with a handkerchief in the middle and form two teams. The first team to pull the handkerchief and the other team to their side wins. Our favourite twist on tug of war involves a paddling pool in the centre. Once you lose you are dragged into the paddling pool! Obviously this brings with it a whole new set of problems. You certainly do not want anyone to get into difficulties if they can’t swim. Supplies of armbands could be useful.
Top Tip: If it is a busy youth event don’t use everyone at once. Split into teams so that the rope doesn’t break!
Lucy Rae is a youth worker at Holy Trinity Brompton.
