For many teenagers, some of their most fun memories are from the many games they play in youth group! Outdoor youth group games in particular are a fantastic way to keep kids active and for your students to bond. Depending on how much space your church has, outdoor youth group games are a perfect warmup right before worship and the lesson starts. They are also great for youth group events, like a picnic in the park.Ā
Outdoor Youth Group Games
Here are 4 fun outdoor youth group games with instructions! If you like tying a spiritual component to games, weāve included that too!
Kenya Ball
Kenya Ball is super simple and doesnāt need a lot of setup. Itās a fantastic last-minute game and students will be immediately able to pick up the rules.Ā
What youāll needĀ
- Boundary markers (tape, cones, etc.)
- Tennis ball(s)
- Dodge balls, basketballs, rubber four-square balls (any decently sized ball)
How to play this outdoor youth group game
- Create a large square out of your boundary markers.
- Divide everyone up into four teams.
- Each team is assigned to a side of the square. Teams move to their side and stand on the OUTSIDE of the square.Ā
- Place a tennis ball in the center of the square.
- Distribute all other balls evenly among the teams.Ā
- Start the game by saying āgoā. When the game starts, all teams must use their balls to try and hit the tennis ball across another teamās side, or redirect the tennis ball away from their own.
- Players may not enter the square.Ā
- When a tennis ball crosses a teamās side, they gain a point. The game is over when a team reaches five points. Lowest score wins!
- To make the game harder, add more tennis balls or make players throw with their non-dominant hand.
Spiritual application
Thereās nothing wrong with playing a game just for fun, but if you desire, you can use this game to start a conversation on boundaries. Just like there was a boundary in the game that the students couldnāt enter (the square), itās important to set up boundaries in our lives to avoid falling into certain temptations. Those boundaries can be with people or things, like not hanging out alone with the opposite sex in a private place or keeping a screen time limit on your phone to avoid mindlessly scrolling for hours.Ā
Ultimately, the boundaries we create should always honor God, whether itās with our bodies, time, or hearts!Ā

Spud
Spud is a silly, outdoor youth ministry game thatās sure to get lots of laughs! Itās also a great way to motivate students to memorize each othersā names. We recommend playing it at the beginning of the year or semester with new students.Ā
What youāll need
- A dodgeball or any type of ball thatās soft
How to play this outdoor youth ministry game
- Have everyone share their name aloud. Then, choose someone to be āIt.ā
- āItā gets the ball and the rest of the players stand in a circle around āIt.ā
- āItā throws the ball up into the air and calls out any one personās name.
- As soon as āItā throws the ball into the air, everyone runs as fast as they can.
- The person called out by āItā runs back and grabs the ball and screams STOP.
- Everyone must stop at once. Be aware that youth will try to get away with not stopping immediately. It might be good to have another adult just watching and making sure everyone is stopping when STOP is called.
- Once STOP has been called, the new āItā (the person whose name was called and is now holding the ball) has 4 steps they can take (S P U D) to reach the closest player.
- The āItā canāt jump, but can take the biggest steps they can ā no more than 4.
- The āItā then picks out a target person to throw the ball at, to try to get them out.
- The āItā must hit the target they choose, but no head shots.
- If the āItā misses the target, or if the target catches the ball, then āIt,ā is now out and the the target is now the new āIt.ā
- If the āItā successfully hits their target, then that person is now out, and āItā remains āIt.ā
- Return to Step 2 and keep playing until only one person is left.
Spiritual application
There are a couple of simple spiritual applications you can choose to apply from this game. One is paying attention. Similar to how students need to pay attention when their name is called, Christians need to pay attention to what Godās Word and the Spirit are telling them.Ā
Another spiritual takeaway is discipline. When āItā yelled, āStop!ā everyone had to stop immediately. But many students probably didnāt stop right away or were at least tempted to take a few more steps. When God makes it clear that we should stop doing something, we need to obey and pray that He helps us resist temptation.Ā
Fake Out
āFake Outā is an awesome game for your uber-competitive students and, like Spud, it doesnāt need many materials. Students who enjoy running or flag football in particular will enjoy this game!
What youāll need
- Traffic or sports cones
How to play this outdoor game
Before you start
- Designate a rectangular play area large enough to run in. You may want to place a cone across from each other on each sideline.
- Split the group into two teams with each team lined up on opposite base lines. Have cones placed a few feet behind the baseline marking where the single file line should start.
- Demonstrate safe tagging:
- Light touch, on the back or shoulder.
- Unsafe tags: hard contact that might cause the person being tagged to fall.
- Demonstrate how someone can move their body to āfake outā the person trying to tag them.
- Have a few players demonstrate for others to see.
- Designate one side as the āTaggersā or āOffenseā and the other side as the āFakersā or the āDefense.ā
- Make sure everyone knows which line is the āFakersā and which is the āTaggers,ā the roles of each, where the boundaries are, and the importance of safety.
The rules
- The objective is for the āFakerā to run past the āTaggerā and reach the opposite baseline without getting tagged.
- The āFakerā can move in any direction while making their fakes but must stay within the boundaries.
- The āTaggerā is trying to tag the āFakerā with two hands.
- The first two people in each line begin the game by stepping into the playing area.
- The play is done when either the āFakerā reaches the baseline or is tagged. In either case the players switch lines each time. Make sure players stay in a single file line a few feet away from the baseline (not across the baseline) so the players donāt run into each other.
Variations
- Each āTaggerā can get one or both of the āFakers.ā
- If players are tagging safely, the boundaries can be increased and each side can have two or three players go at the same time.
Spiritual application
You can use this game to point out that when it comes to fakers, no oneās a greater trickster than the enemy of God. Scripture describes the devil as crafty (Genesis 3:1) and one who wants to outwit us (2 Corinthians 2:11). Christians should be aware of the enemyās tactics (1 Peter 5:8).Ā
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French vs. English
Is it okay to steal? Maybe only while playing French vs. English! This game requires both speed and the ability to be sneaky. This is a fantastic big group youth ministry game where lots of different students can shine!
What youāll need
- Random objects
- Traffic or sports cones
How to play this outdoor youth group game
- Set up two teams and three dividing lines in a gym or playing field.
- Place an equal number of objects behind both baselines.
- The objective is for each team to steal as many objects as possible without getting caught.
- To steal an object, a player must reach the other teamās baseline without being tagged.
- When at the other teamās baseline, the player can steal 1 object and release 1 captive teammate (if there are any).
- If a player is tagged while on the other teamās half of the field, they are caught and must wait at the oppositionās baseline until rescued.
- The goal is to avoid being tagged while getting the opposite teamās items over to their side. Find more detailed instructions here!
Spiritual applicationĀ
In French vs. English, if a player was tagged on the other teamās half of the field, they had to wait there until one of their teammates rescued them. Our sin holds us captive and no matter how sly we think weāre being, nothing gets past an omniscient God. But God, in His infinite love and mercy, sent His Son to rescue us from the captivity of sin! (Romans 6:17, Romans 6:22-23).
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Become a Gospel Advancing Leader
Preparing and facilitating games are just one tiny part of youth ministry. As a youth leader, you have the power to equip young people to become evangelists and disciple makers who will impact other teenagers for Christ.
If youāre interested in mobilizing your students to share Jesus with their friends, become a Gospel Advancing leader. Youāll join a community of like-minded youth pastors and leaders committed to sharing Jesus themselves. and equipping their teenagers to share the Gospel. Youāll also receive the resources you need to transform your youth group.Ā
Outdoor Youth Group Games FAQs
Outdoor youth group games provide an engaging and interactive environment for young people to learn about faith. The combination of physical activity and team-building exercises promotes active learning, teamwork, and a sense of community. They also provide an opportunity for youth pastors to teach biblical lessons in a fun and engaging way.
Having outdoor games prepared is important because they serve as an effective tool for youth pastors to engage with the youth. These games can serve as icebreakers or energizers during youth gatherings. They also provide an avenue for youth pastors to discuss deeper spiritual lessons in a more relaxed and friendly environment.
Outdoor youth group games can be designed to tie into the Bible lesson by representing key themes or stories from the scripture. For example, a team relay race could represent the Israelites’ journey to the promised land, or a scavenger hunt could symbolize the parable of the lost sheep. This helps reinforce the lesson memorably and interactively.
Including a spiritual message in outdoor youth group games reinforces the teachings of the Bible and the mission of the youth ministry. It provides a unique opportunity to teach spiritual truths engagingly and practically. By integrating the spiritual message into the game, youth pastors can make biblical teachings more relatable and memorable for young people.