Group Games

Group games are a fantastic way for youth to connect in a fun and engaging manner. Check out the suggested games for both small and large groups. Some games require a facilitator to help run them. Consider using local YSA, older youth, or adults as facilitators to encourage participation and guide the games.

Small Group Games


Some of these games can be played in small spaces, while others require more room. They can accommodate 10–40 youth, with one facilitator recommended for every 10 participants. These games are suggestions, so feel free to play other games the youth enjoy. After each game, you are encouraged to have a discussion in groups of 10–20 youth about how the game applies to the gospel. Let the youth be creative with their answers. Suggested conversation-starter questions are included with each game description and can be used after a period of silence if the youth struggle to come up with their own ideas.
All youth stand in a circle and link together by grasping forearms. Choose one youth to be the “poisonous stump” and stand in place in the middle of the circle. Youth “poison” other youth by pulling the other side of the circle to the middle. If the youth in the circle touch the youth in the middle, they’re out. The person that got eliminated should step out of the circle, and the youth still in the game should close the gap. The last four or five people not poisoned are the winners. If the people in the circle break their link, the two who broke are out and the circle should be re-formed with the remaining players.

Gospel application conversation-starter questions:
  • What or who could the stump represent? (Satan, sin, self-doubt, pride, negative relationships, and so on)
  • Who could the members of the circle represent? (Friends, family, Church members, classmates, teachers, worldly influencers, and so on)
  • What would have happened if you had stepped out of the circle without getting “out”? (Removing yourself from the pull of negative influences, and so on)
  • What or who could the people that broke the link represent? (Those who give in to the pressures of the world, stop believing in Jesus Christ, and so on)
Youth close their eyes, and a facilitator moves among them whispering the name of an animal to each person—wolf, cat, pig, kangaroo, snake, lion, crow, monkey, frog, elephant, and so on. Feel free to be creative. Try to have the same number of each animal—around three of each. The challenge is to find all the other animals of one’s own kind, and the first group to be completed wins. No talking is allowed; youth can only make animal sounds. Loud chaos ensues, but gradually order and unity emerge as animals find one another. Be prepared to shepherd people from danger, though the game is usually very safe.

Gospel application conversation-starter questions:
  • What or who could the facilitators who kept you in the safe zone represent? (Commandments, Christ, and so on)
  • How can this experience relate to hearing the promptings of the Spirit? (The need to listen for specific things, the noises from other creatures being very distracting, and so on)
  • How did you feel when you found your group, and how can that relate to the gospel?
Everyone sits in a circle. One person is chosen to be the “detective” and goes to a place where he or she cannot see or hear what is going on in the circle. Those in the circle close their eyes. A facilitator walks around the circle and taps the shoulder of someone who becomes the “toad,” but no one else knows who the toad is (at first). The detective comes back in the middle of the circle. The toad sticks his or her tongue out at random people around the circle, trying not to be noticed by the detective. When the toad sticks his or her tongue out at someone, that person must lie down as if dead (the more dramatic the death, the better). All players must look into the eyes of the other players in the circle. The detective gets three tries to guess the toad’s identity. If he or she succeeds, someone else is chosen for the next round. If not, he or she is the detective again.

Gospel application conversation-starter questions:
  • Who or what does the toad represent? (Satan, missionaries, and so on)
  • Who or what does the detective represent? (Satan, priesthood leaders, and so on)
  • What did you (the detective or other circle members) feel when you were looking around the circle and didn’t know who the toad was? How does that apply to the gospel?
The facilitators designate a “hill” that the ants are trying to reach. Two or three people are chosen as anteaters; everyone else is an ant. The anteaters are placed between the ants and the hill. The ants try to run to the hill without being caught by the anteaters. If the anteaters tag an ant, the tagged ant must lie down with arms and legs in the air. The other ants can then come back and try to rescue the tagged ant by having one rescue ant at each limb of the tagged ant. Once there is a rescue ant at each limb of the tagged ant, they all stand up, link arms, and run back to the hill. While touching a tagged ant, rescue ants have immunity from the anteaters, but they can be tagged by anteaters while coming back from the hill. If the ants get everyone to the hill, they win. If the anteaters tag all the ants (or if there are only three left—they can’t rescue with only three), they win.

Gospel application conversation-starter questions:
  • Who or what do the anteaters represent? (Christ, missionaries, Satan, and so on)
  • Who or what do the ants represent? (Good friends, bad friends, priesthood leaders, and so on)
  • What strategies made it easier for you to achieve your goals? How does that apply to the gospel?

Large Group Games

You will want to do these games on a field, in a gym, or in some other large space, depending on how many total youth will participate. These games can accommodate 30–120 youth, with one facilitator recommended to be in charge for every 15–20 participants. It is likely easiest to either have a facilitator teach the game to all participants before breaking up and playing or to have facilitators teach the game to groups of about 20 youth and then come together into larger groups to play.
All youth compete against each other at the same time in a large square playing area. The game is played until there are a few youth left in the game. One facilitator is the caller and the other facilitators are judges. The caller shouts out a command and the youth all follow the command. The last youth to complete the command are out. The judges watch and enforce the elimination.
Use the following commands to play the game:
  • “Sandstorm”―All youth lie face down (or crouch down) to get out of the sandstorm. The last one down is out.
  • “Stampede”―The caller points to a side of the playing field as he or she gives this command. All youth run out of the playing area to that side of the field. The last one across the imaginary boundary line is out.
  • “[Number] in a campfire”―Youth link arms in a circle and sit around an imaginary campfire. Each campfire must have the exact number of youth around it as is called out by the facilitator. The last circle put together is out, and any remaining youth not able to fit into a complete campfire are also out.
  • “[Number] in a wagon”―The caller gives a number or description of youth in a wagon (for example “four in a wagon” or “two boys and three girls in a wagon”). Youth get together to form the described group and sit two by two, all facing the same direction as if they are in a wagon. The last group to form a wagon, and any youth whose wagons don’t meet the criteria, are out.
  • “[Number] ants on a log”―The caller gives the number of ants (usually one, two, or three) who then sit sideways on the back of a youth kneeling on his or her hands and knees acting as the log. The last group of ants to sit on a log, and any remaining youth, are out.
Youth are spread out within the boundaries marked by the facilitator in charge. Each youth will assume the “little teapot” position with one hand on their hip and the other arm outstretched. Their outstretched arm will be used for tagging, while the other arm is the target for others to tag. Youth cannot switch arms during the game. The facilitator in charge will count to three, and everyone is “it.” Youth run around within the boundaries and try to tag the target arm of others. Once a youth is tagged, they drop their target arm and exit the playing field. Any youth who runs outside of the boundaries is out. The game continues until there is one youth remaining. Facilitators and youth who are out may stand at the boundaries to mark the playing field and should begin moving in closer as the number of players decreases.
Youth will form lines radiating out from the corners of a square, with equal numbers of youth in each line. When the facilitator in charge calls “Bardaga!” the first two youth in each line will begin hopping (always keeping both feet together), one toward the group to their left, the other toward the group to their right. They will hop until each one encounters the competitor from another line hopping toward them. For safety, youth must slow down before reaching a competitor to avoid a collision. When they meet, the two competitors will play one round of rock-paper-scissors (saying “Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” out loud). The person who lost rock-paper-scissors quickly exits the path and runs to the back of their team’s line. The winner advances forward, hopping toward the opposite side, and the competing team quickly sends out the next youth in line. When the new competitor encounters the winner, they have a new rock-paper-scissors battle. Play continues until one competitor advances far enough to reach the other team’s line and is awarded a point. New competitors from both teams then hop down the path to continue the game. After scoring, youth report their point earned to a facilitator, who keeps track. When time runs out, the round is over and the team with the most points wins.