SUMMER YOUTH GROUP GAME ON WISDOM
Here’s a fun summer youth group game on Wisdom, based on James 1:5.
Big Idea: God is wiser than we can imagine, and He wants to give us His wisdom in every situation and circumstance.
Enjoy!
Nick Diliberto, Ministry to Youth
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YOUTH GROUP GAME ON WISDOM
Bible: James 1:5
Big Idea: God is wiser than we can imagine, and He wants to give us His wisdom in every situation and circumstance.
SUPPLIES
- Can of marking paint
- 20 Pieces of card stock paper or small pieces of poster board
- Sharpie
- 2 Cones
- Water balloons
- Trash can or large bucket
- Clipboard with paper and pen
GAME PREP
This is an outdoor game, and students will get wet.
Use the marking paint to create a giant tic-tac-toe board on the ground – a grassy area would work well.
Fill water balloons and place in a trash can/large bucket.
You will need at least one water balloon per student or as many as you would like to fill to use in the game.
On ten pieces of card stock/poster board, use the Sharpie to write an “X.”
On ten pieces of card stock/poster board, use the Sharpie to write an “O.”
Divide students into two teams of equal size.
Have each team line up behind a cone that is at least 8-10 feet from the tic-tac-toe board.
Assign “X” to one team, and “O” to the other team.
Have a leader keep score for each team throughout the game.
HOW TO PLAY THE GAME
Say: All of us have played tic-tac-toe, and some of us may even have a strategy for winning.
Maybe you always start in the middle, or you aim for the corners.
Well, in the version we’re about to play, we’re going to add one more exciting element – water balloons!
I need everyone on each team to hold one of the pieces of paper that represent the letter your team has been assigned.
First, I’m going to ask the “X” team to send one of their team’s players to any space that you choose.
Next, I’m going to let the “O” team choose a spot on the board for one of their team members.
Now, we’re going back to the “X” team, and you have the option to send one of your players to another space on the board…
OR you can grab a water balloon and try to hit the person on the board that’s representing the other team.
They can’t run away.
They have to stay in that space while you attempt to take them out with a water balloon.
If you choose to throw a water balloon, and you hit the person on the other team, you can take their space.
However, if you miss, your team forfeits the opportunity to add a person to the board for that round.
Next, the other team will take their turn.
The game will continue until one team has achieved 3 of their letters in a row.
Then, that game will be over, and we will start again.
Play as many rounds as you would like and then announce the team with the highest score.
TEACH
Say: That game was all about making the right choices. Put another way, it was about wisdom.
And to tell you the truth, I was surprised how many times you didn’t take the easy way.
You could have been guaranteed a place on the board, but when you weighed your options, you decided that the risk was worth it.
I know it’s hard for some of you to believe, but I don’t know everything.
Sometimes I wish I did.
There are things I know now that I didn’t know five years ago, and there will be things I know in five years that I don’t know now.
It’s a popular stereotype to say that when men are lost or putting something together, they typically don’t ask for directions or look at the instructions.
Many men like to try and find places and do things on their own without help.
It’s cool and macho, right?
But there are always times when we need help, and not just when we’re trying to decide what to eat.
For women, maybe it’s hard for you to make decisions about what to wear or who to hang out with.
It can be tough to decide.
For example, let me ask you a few questions, and you make the decisions.
Ask: Coke or Pepsi? Twizzlers or Red Vines? McDonald’s or Taco Bell?
Some decisions are easy.
However, some decisions require help.
Ask: What are examples of some decisions that you might need help with?
Allow a few responses from students.
Share some of the decisions that God you have asked God for wisdom.
Maybe you’ve had times when you’ve been afraid or even ashamed to ask for help because you didn’t want to feel like you were asking a dumb question.
I want us to read this scripture verse together.
Read James 1:5.
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
Wisdom is different than knowledge.
Knowledge has to do with facts and ideas that we acquire from studying or learning about something.
Wisdom is about the application of knowledge.
For example, reading that the Bible says we should love our neighbor is an example of knowledge.
However, wisdom is showing love to our neighbor.
A lot of people know what the Bible says, but they don’t know what to do with it.
Ask: Knowing that you can ask God for wisdom, what would you ask God to give you wisdom for?
Allow a few responses from students.
God is wiser than we can imagine, and He wants to give us His wisdom in every situation and circumstance.
(End lesson)
Looking for youth ministry curriculum? Check out the…
THREE YEAR JUNIOR HIGH BUNDLE – Save 94% on 3 years of junior high ministry curriculum and 92 games. Get an additional 5 bonus series when you order through Wednesday, October 16!
Looking for another free game? Check out this…