Boredom Busters
8/24/2007
It's mid-meeting and you're losing your kids. Janice is counting the tiles on the ceiling. Tara is whispering to Emily. Tim is writing a note to Sondra. And Kenneth is nodding off. The meeting is in critical condition. The only thing that can save your dying meeting now is a boredom buster! Try one of these seven ideas to breathe life back into your meeting the next time your kids are ""losing it.""
Shouldered Out
(You'll need masking tape.)
Use masking tape to form a circle on the floor. Ask kids each to stand inside the circle with their arms crossed over their chest. The object is to "shoulder" people out of the circle. Anyone who steps out of the circle is out; anyone who falls out is out; anyone whose arms unfold is out. When kids are out have them sit outside the circle and watch. When only one person is left inside the circle talk about how this game illustrates cliques. Certain people don't want others in their group so they give them the cold shoulder. You're "in" for only a short while until you get bumped out by someone else.
Ask the last person left in the circle to pull another in; then have him or her pull another in. Continue until everyone's inside the circle again. Ask God for forgiveness for shouldering people out. And pray that he'll help your group be warm and open to everybody. Then start the meeting again.
Chalk It Up to Experience
(You'll need a piece of chalk for each person. You'll also need water, soap, scrub brushes and a sidewalk.) Start by tossing a piece of chalk to each person.
Say: We've been talking a lot and learning a lot. Now we're going outside to the sidewalk to write or draw things we want to "cement" in our brains. Give an example. If you're studying love kids could draw a big heart and write "Love one another."
Go outside and let the artists design their messages. Then take a reading-walking tour around the messages to "cement" them in your memories. Talk about God's power of forgiveness in our lives as you walk back to the meeting room!
Over the Net
(You'll need a volleyball net set 4 to 5 feet high over a grassy area or exercise mats.) Tell teenagers they're going to take a time out to exercise their minds as well as their bodies with a team-cooperation and problem-solving game called Over the Net. Divide the group into two teams by having kids alternate saying "time" or "out." All "times" form one group and all "outs" form another. Go to the volleyball net you've set up 4 to 5 feet high. Tell the teams they have five minutes to get one team member over the net without the person touching the ground or the net. They can't use ladders or chairs or other props-just themselves. To make it more difficult allow no talking.
Afterward discuss how they solved the problem and how difficult kids thought it was. Compare the teamwork to how we support each other through trying times and how we can work to solve problems together. To wrap it up say: Enough of our time out. Time now to get back to the meeting.
Balloon Shenanigans
(You'll need a balloon for every two people.) Form pairs and give each pair a balloon. Have the pairs each place their balloon on the floor. Their first task is to pick up the balloon using only their elbows. Have partners try it again using only their backs. Run relays with partners placing the balloon between their hips or their heads. Then have pairs race to their chairs and get back to the meeting.
Hide 'n' Seek Variations
Say: Some of you are trying to hide the fact that you wish this meeting were moving a bit faster. We try to hide a lot of facts about ourselves. As Christians we know we can't hide from God. Let's think more about this truth while we play some variations of Hide 'n' Seek.
Choose one person to be "It." (If you have more than 23 kids form groups of up to 10 and have groups each choose someone to be "It.") Have "It" shut his or her eyes and count to 50 while the others hide-all together-under the stairs in a closet or behind the choir robes. When "It" finishes counting have him or her search for the clump of kids. Another variation is to have one person hide and the others search individually. As people find the hider have them hide with the hider. Have kids continue until everyone is hiding and one person is seeking. When the last person finds the group and you're all bunched up say: We know that God seeks us out and chooses us to be his children. He loves us no matter what. So there's no reason to hide.
Tic-Tac-Toe Show
(You'll need nine pillows.) Set up Tic-Tac-Toe on the floor with nine pillows in rows of three. Play guys (X's) against girls (O's). Have an X sit on a pillow then an O on another pillow and so on with each trying to line up three in a row. Have teams put their heads together to strategize their moves. If you have more kids use more pillows for more Tic-Tac-Toe setups. Or play more than once so everyone gets a chance. Have kids recline on the pillows while the lesson continues.
Jellybean Jabber
(You'll need a lot of jellybeans in a plastic bag-enough so everyone can have a handful. Secure the top of the bag.) Toss the plastic bag of jellybeans to someone. Have him or her take as many as he or she wants to eat-but not eat them until you say so. Then have that person toss the bag to another person who takes as many as he or she wants. Continue until everyone has some jellybeans. Have the last person return any remaining jellybeans to you. Ask kids each to turn to a person sitting close to them. For each jellybean they eat, have kids say one thing they've learned so far in the meeting. If they get stuck they can start saying things they'd still like to learn.
Shouldered Out
(You'll need masking tape.)
Use masking tape to form a circle on the floor. Ask kids each to stand inside the circle with their arms crossed over their chest. The object is to "shoulder" people out of the circle. Anyone who steps out of the circle is out; anyone who falls out is out; anyone whose arms unfold is out. When kids are out have them sit outside the circle and watch. When only one person is left inside the circle talk about how this game illustrates cliques. Certain people don't want others in their group so they give them the cold shoulder. You're "in" for only a short while until you get bumped out by someone else.
Ask the last person left in the circle to pull another in; then have him or her pull another in. Continue until everyone's inside the circle again. Ask God for forgiveness for shouldering people out. And pray that he'll help your group be warm and open to everybody. Then start the meeting again.
Chalk It Up to Experience
(You'll need a piece of chalk for each person. You'll also need water, soap, scrub brushes and a sidewalk.) Start by tossing a piece of chalk to each person.
Say: We've been talking a lot and learning a lot. Now we're going outside to the sidewalk to write or draw things we want to "cement" in our brains. Give an example. If you're studying love kids could draw a big heart and write "Love one another."
Go outside and let the artists design their messages. Then take a reading-walking tour around the messages to "cement" them in your memories. Talk about God's power of forgiveness in our lives as you walk back to the meeting room!
Over the Net
(You'll need a volleyball net set 4 to 5 feet high over a grassy area or exercise mats.) Tell teenagers they're going to take a time out to exercise their minds as well as their bodies with a team-cooperation and problem-solving game called Over the Net. Divide the group into two teams by having kids alternate saying "time" or "out." All "times" form one group and all "outs" form another. Go to the volleyball net you've set up 4 to 5 feet high. Tell the teams they have five minutes to get one team member over the net without the person touching the ground or the net. They can't use ladders or chairs or other props-just themselves. To make it more difficult allow no talking.
Afterward discuss how they solved the problem and how difficult kids thought it was. Compare the teamwork to how we support each other through trying times and how we can work to solve problems together. To wrap it up say: Enough of our time out. Time now to get back to the meeting.
Balloon Shenanigans
(You'll need a balloon for every two people.) Form pairs and give each pair a balloon. Have the pairs each place their balloon on the floor. Their first task is to pick up the balloon using only their elbows. Have partners try it again using only their backs. Run relays with partners placing the balloon between their hips or their heads. Then have pairs race to their chairs and get back to the meeting.
Hide 'n' Seek Variations
Say: Some of you are trying to hide the fact that you wish this meeting were moving a bit faster. We try to hide a lot of facts about ourselves. As Christians we know we can't hide from God. Let's think more about this truth while we play some variations of Hide 'n' Seek.
Choose one person to be "It." (If you have more than 23 kids form groups of up to 10 and have groups each choose someone to be "It.") Have "It" shut his or her eyes and count to 50 while the others hide-all together-under the stairs in a closet or behind the choir robes. When "It" finishes counting have him or her search for the clump of kids. Another variation is to have one person hide and the others search individually. As people find the hider have them hide with the hider. Have kids continue until everyone is hiding and one person is seeking. When the last person finds the group and you're all bunched up say: We know that God seeks us out and chooses us to be his children. He loves us no matter what. So there's no reason to hide.
Tic-Tac-Toe Show
(You'll need nine pillows.) Set up Tic-Tac-Toe on the floor with nine pillows in rows of three. Play guys (X's) against girls (O's). Have an X sit on a pillow then an O on another pillow and so on with each trying to line up three in a row. Have teams put their heads together to strategize their moves. If you have more kids use more pillows for more Tic-Tac-Toe setups. Or play more than once so everyone gets a chance. Have kids recline on the pillows while the lesson continues.
Jellybean Jabber
(You'll need a lot of jellybeans in a plastic bag-enough so everyone can have a handful. Secure the top of the bag.) Toss the plastic bag of jellybeans to someone. Have him or her take as many as he or she wants to eat-but not eat them until you say so. Then have that person toss the bag to another person who takes as many as he or she wants. Continue until everyone has some jellybeans. Have the last person return any remaining jellybeans to you. Ask kids each to turn to a person sitting close to them. For each jellybean they eat, have kids say one thing they've learned so far in the meeting. If they get stuck they can start saying things they'd still like to learn.
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