Want to get everyone moving on a hot summer day?

In this fast-paced game, students will get soaking wet as they race to become the winning team.

Use this fun water game, followed by a quick lesson on “living water,” from John 4:10-30, to remind students that they shouldn’t be ashamed to share their testimony with others.

– Nick Diliberto, Ministry to Youth

SUMMER GAME: WATER TOSS RELAY RACE

DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THIS GAME

Written by Carrie Busch

Bible: John 4:10-30, 39

Bottom Line: Don’t be ashamed to share your testimony with others.

SUPPLIES

  • 2 Buckets (exact same size)
  • Tub (filled with water)
  • 4 Hard plastic cups (same size)
  • 2 Crates (or plastic chairs)
  • 4 Cones (to indicate start-line and boundary-line)

GAME PREP

First, create two straight “lanes” for students to sprint down.

At the beginning of each lane, place a cone to indicate a start-line.

At the end of each lane, place a cone. 

About 5-feet past the cone, place the crate (or chair).

Next to that seat, place the large bucket.

Remember, there are two lanes, so there should be two crates/chairs and two buckets in each lane.

Fill a giant tub full of water; this will stay between the teams so they both have access to the water.

Divide the youth group into two equal teams. 

If you have an uneven number of students, have one student play twice to even the playing field.

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

Before the game starts, take one member of each team and have him/her sit on the chair at the end of the lane facing their team.

Each of these students should have one cup. 

Have the students hold the cup on top of their heads – don’t worry… they don’t need to balance the cup.

Next, have them lean forward to catch the water that their teammate tries to toss in from their own cup.

Now, starting with the first person in line, hand him or her a cup. 

When the whistle blows, or when you yell “GO,” the first person in each line will dip their cup into the tub of water and run as fast as they can to get to the boundary cone you’ve setup (about 5-feet from their teammate who is sitting on the crate/chair)

Without crossing the boundary line (they can lean forward as much as they want), the student will try to toss the water into the cup that their teammate is holding on the top of his or her head.

Once the tossing is finished, the seated player must then carefully take the cup down off of his or her head, pour it in the bucket and quickly run back to the end of the team’s line. 

The player who just tossed the water then takes a seat on the crate or chair and puts the cup on his head in preparation for the next teammate’s water toss.

The next player in line can only dip the cup in the water and run when the previous “sitter” has tagged his or her hand (like a relay race).

The game will end when everyone has sat on the crate one time.

To determine the winner, check each team’s bucket; whichever team’s bucket is the fullest wins the game!

For added shenanigans: Pour the buckets over the youth leader’s head… or even the huge water tub if you can lift it. 

TEACH

Say: In the game we just played, the water was the most important part of the game.

Without it, there would have been no point.

In life, it’s important to realize that, as Christians, we carry water with us everywhere we go.

No, I don’t mean water water; I mean “living water.”

If you have surrendered your life to Christ, you carry the Spirit of God with you everywhere you go, which is what Jesus was referring to in the Book of John.

Read John 4:10-30.

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 

And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.

But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

 “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.

“I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.

Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet.

So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”

Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.

You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 

But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. 

The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.

 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

 Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!” 

Just then his disciples came back. 

They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” 

The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did!

Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 

So the people came streaming from the village to see him.

Ask: What did Jesus offer to the Samaritan woman at the well?

Why was it so weird for Jesus to be talking to this woman?

Allow students to respond after each question.

Jesus offered the woman living water.

Understandably, she was confused, thinking that he was talking about the actual water that she came to the well to retrieve.

She was also confused because Jews did not associate with Samaritans (and that’s an understatement!).

But when Jesus offered her living water, he meant something so much more.

When Jesus told her that he could give her living water, we know that to be the Spirit of God, or the Holy Spirit.

Later, in John 7, scripture teaches us that the spring of water that lives inside of the believer is the Spirit of God.

Even though we understand this concept now, the Samaritan woman was clearly confused.

However, she definitely knew Jesus was a big deal… a REALLY big deal.

Not only did he know things about this woman that he simply couldn’t have known, but he also claimed to be her Savior.

Notice that the woman’s first response is to tell everyone in the town whom she encountered.

This is a crazy reaction!

Remember that the Samaritan woman did not have a great reputation.

Let’s put ourselves in her shoes.

Think about how much confidence it would take for you to tell everyone in your town about your experience with God, especially if no one spoke to you or liked you.

This doesn’t seem to bother the Samaritan woman, though, and the result is a crowd of people “making their way toward him.”

See, the Samaritan woman is one of the most famous New Testament figures; it seems that everyone knows this story.

And why is that?

It’s not because of her sin. 

It’s because of her testimony!

Now, let’s skip down to verse 39.

Ask: Why did many come to the knowledge of Christ?

Allow a few responses from students.

See, it would have been understandable for the Samaritan woman to keep this story to herself.

After all, no one liked her and we can probably safely assume that they didn’t trust her word.

Plus, she had spoken to a Jew.

So, then, why did she tell everyone?

It was because God had changed her.

He had found her, revealed her sin, offered her something that no one else could, and made himself known to her.

How could she ever stay quiet?

So, then, it’s time to talk about you and your testimony.

Are you quiet? 

If so, what keeps you quiet about what God has done?

As Christians, our goal is to be a part of impacting our culture for Christ.

We want people to surrender their lives to God. 

Look how many people were saved from this woman’s testimony; wouldn’t you want the same for people in your town?

The bottom line is this:

If the Samaritan woman’s story could make a difference, then yours can too.

Close in prayer.

DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THIS GAME

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