Decide on a person from your church (not from youth group because it won’t work). Collect about 5-8 items/clues that are related to the person and put the items in a bin (you will want to make them a little cryptic, with the first clue the hardest, and the final clue more or less giving away the answer). Note, you can just get pictures of the items and put them on the powerpoint rather than find the actual props for clues.

Split into smaller groups (mix it up with those who go to church and those who don’t). Bring the bin out the front so that all groups can see it (or the use the powerpoint slide). In the game, each group gets to have only one guess at who the person is, their guess should be made to the leader of the game in quiet so that other teams can continue to play without knowing the guess of other teams. If the person is guessed immediately after the first clue, maximum points are awarded. With every clue that is revealed less points are awarded for a correct guess.

At the conclusion of the round give info about the person from church or play a video interview of them before moving on to the next round.

#1 Alternative game play: Split into teams and give each group a bin with clues to a different person. Each team is given 5 minutes to rummage through the clues in the bin and then make their guess. In this alternative game play all clues should be a bit cryptic with no “give-it-away” clue.

#2 Alternative game play: Instead of using group members, use bible characters or stories and use it as a Bible Game.

This game should help people get to know characters from the Bible, from Christian history and to know each other.

Compile a range of quotes (can be bible quotes, Christian quotes or quotes from someone in your group). Split the group into teams and then read out the quotes in character. Teams buzz in to have a guess when they think they know who said it. Award points for each correct guess.

You may need to give clues if quotes are hard to guess.

Alternative: No teams needed. Compile a range of quotes and write them on separate pieces of paper with the answer included (can be bible quotes, Christian quotes or quotes from someone in your group). Place the pieces into a container and select one at random. Read the quote in character. Whoever guesses the quote correctly come to the front and draws another quote from the container at random and reads it out in character. Continue this cycle until all the quotes are finished.

Get together the four ingredients you need to make hot chocolate ie. Mugs, spoons, packet of hot chocolate mix, and marshmallows (make sure you provide hot water and milk). Divide everybody into four even groups. Give each group only one hot chocolate ingredient and enough for each person in the group to have 4 each. Group 1: each person is given 4 mugs. Group 2: each person is given 4 spoons. Group 3: each person is given 4 marshmallows. Group 4: each person is given 4 packets of hot chocolate mix.

Once all the ingredients are handed out, get everybody to form new groups that have all the hot chocolate ingredients. There should now be newly formed groups of 4 people which now have enough hot chocolate ingredients to make one cup of hot chocolate for each person in the group. When each group has made their hot chocolates ask them to sit down and give a sharing question for them to discuss.

Variations of this mixer could be: Banana splits (bowls, bananas, chocolate toping, ice cream), spiders (glasses, ice cream, soft drink, spoon/straws), Milo (glasses, Milo, spoons, milk), the list goes on and on…

Note: Allow at least 25 minutes for this mixer.

Each person in the group is given an appointment card – that is: a card which has space for 3 names on separate lines (with 1 extra line underneath each name) and 3-4 sharing questions at the bottom or reverse side of the card. Give everybody time to go and make an appointment with someone else in the group.

Make it very clear that appointments are with each other (ie. if person x makes an appointment with person y, then person y also makes an appointment with person x).

Allow about 10 seconds for each appointment to be made and then have everybody sit down (or you may want to sing a song or do something else). Then when you’re ready say “it’s now time for your first appointment!”. Everyone in the group goes to their first appointment and asks the other person the 3-4 sharing questions written on the appointment card. Allow about 2-3 minutes for each appointment and then finish the mixer by asking some in the group to share who the met and the answers to the questions.

Each person in the group is given a piece of A4 paper and a pen or pencil. Each person draws their own self portrait without showing anyone else their drawing, and adds one unknown fact about themselves. The activity leader collects the portraits and then randomly redistributes the unnamed portraits to the group (if anyone gets their own they should choose again). Everyone in the group then tries to find who the self portrait belongs to. A name is placed on the portrait once the subject of the portrait has successfully been found, and then put up on the wall.

Give each person a ‘Bingo sheet’ – a piece of paper with a 6 squares big enough to draw a small portrait. Write a question for each square. The goal of the game is to find someone who can answer the question or statement in the box (eg. Someone who went to the beach in the holidays, someone in year 7, someone who has a dog etc). when you’ve found someone who fulfils the category, you draw their portrait in the square provided, then move onto another person. You can’t have the same person again on your bingo sheet.

Download a portrait bingo sheet here.

Like speed dating. Split the group into 2 equal groups. Have the groups stand in two concentric circles with the outside circle facing in and the inside circle facing out, each person should be facing a partner. Give the group 3-4 questions to ask each other (ie. Name, place you were born, what’s 3 things you’d take into the Big Brother house? Etc.). The partners have 2-3 minutes to ask the questions and find out the answers before the leader of the activity rings a bell (or similar) and the partners must change (ie. Inside circle moves one person to the right or outside circle moves two people to the left, etc.). Repeat the process till everyone has met each other or till time allows. Select people to share with the group who they met and the answers to the questions.

Note: This activity requires a bit of room.

This game is played in rounds, and in each round members of the group need to find their twin and ask 3 or 4 set questions. The leader of the activity gives direction for how each person is to find their twin in each round ie. Round 1- find someone the same height as you, round 2- find someone who is in the same year at school, round 3- find someone who like the same type of music, etc. When everybody has found their twin they ask each other the 3 or 4 set questions (ie. What’s you’re name? How would you spend your last $10.00? What’s the best thing about youth group? Etc.).

Variation: Swap.

After finding you’re twin and asking the questions for that round, swap one item with each other (ie. shoe, sock, necklace, hat, keys, etc.) and then move on to the next round. At the conclusion of all the rounds you should have a collection of items from the people you met. Ask a few people in the group to stand up and share what items they have, who they’re from, and the answers to the questions, then return the items to their owners. After a few people have shared, make sure everyone returns the items.

Pass the bag of skittles around so students can take a handful skittles. Each person can eat their skittles but has to keep one skittle left over. Each colour (normally 5 colours in a skittles bag) represents a different question (ie. Green- What do you want to be when you grow up? Red- last part of the Bible you read or heard? Orange- Sing a verse of your favourite TV show theme song. Purple- What is your favourite subject in school and why? Yellow- how many people in your family). Go around the group as each person answers the question that corresponds to their colour skittle. After they have answered the question, they can of course eat their skittle.

30+ Note: If there’s more than 30 people then just let people keep one colour skittle only. Ask everyone with that colour to stand but only pick 3 to answer the question.

(from the famous James Fong!)

Each person is given a piece of paper and a pen. Everybody is given about 5 minutes to go around the room and collect the names of 6 people in the room they don’t know so well. They must find out 3 things about each person on their sheet (eg. Name, school, about family, pets, worst hair cut, etc.). When everybody has 6 people on their sheet they take their seats again and we play Bingo! The leader up the front will have a list of everybody in the room and their names (if you don’t have a roll, you will need to collect everyone’s names as the enter). To play bingo the leader up the front will read names of the sheet in a random order. People tick off the names on their sheet as they are read out. Whoever is the first to tick off all 6 of the names on their sheet and yell Bingo! Wins. That person will receive a prize and should be asked to introduce all 6 people on their sheet and say what they found out about them.

40+ Note: If there’s more than 40 people then reduce the number of names you need to make bingo (eg. Gather 6 names but you only need to tick off 3). This increases the odds and shortens the game.