GAME IDEA: Relay Mania

Need a great game to play with kids this summer? We\’ve got one for you! In fact, this game will be played week after week on grassy fields all across the country at CentriKid Camps. I originally shared this game as a part of a conference I teach at Lifeway’s Kids Ministry Conference.

One of our favorite games at CentriKid is Relay Mania.  It is awesome for several reasons:

• It can last as long as you need it to last.
• You can play with as few as 6 kids, or as many as 100.
• You can use whatever supplies you have lying around.
• Adapt this game for any theme you’re promoting at church.

SETUP:
Before you play, gather supplies (any random objects or sports equipment will work) and divide them equally among teams, so that each team has the same number of supplies.  Dump all of each team’s supplies on one side of the field in separate piles for each team.  We recommend using a hoola hoop for each team.  Once you\’ve done that…

PLAY IT:
Divide kids into equally-sized teams, or get as close as you can.  Line each team up on one side of the field, opposite their hoola hoop or pile of stuff.  It’s a good idea to use a cone or other marker for each team’s starting point.

Remember, each teammate carries the items from the person before them PLUS an additional item, until the last person is carrying EVERYTHING. BALLOONS make this game very challenging and quite hilarious to watch!

 

 

DEBRIEF IT:

Here are a few topics to talk about with this game as you ask kids to reflect back on what it felt like to carry all that stuff:

• Carry one another’s burdens.
• Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares about you (1 Peter 5:7).
• Be careful what you put in your bucket (things that influence you, what you value, etc.)
• We try to hold on to too much all by ourselves… give it to God!
• Look what Christ did for us, that we could not do on our own. (Romans 6:5 and following)

Confused? If you have questions about the game, feel free to post them in the comments, and I\’ll do my best to answer those for you!  Have fun out there!

Meredith Teasley is a Camp Specialist with Lifeway Kids. She will spend most of the month of June training and equipping CentriKid Camps staffers to share the gospel with kids this summer at camp. She has posted more game ideas at www.centrikidblog.com.