3 Easy Games to Fill Time that Require No Equipment
By Coulter Clement
Growing up in a family of five, the three of us kids were always looking for ways to satisfy our boredom. I vividly remember most of that happening on road trips and car rides. We would ask the age-old question of “Are we there yet?” to which my dad would respond in a way we could easily understand. “Not yet, we are about three episodes of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody away!”
I was always blown away by his quick math skills, equating the duration of the trip divided by TV episode length, but thankfully, I have grown in my math skills since then! I have also grown in my knowledge of some easy games to fill that “extra” time!
I’m sure that we all have experience with having “extra” time on our hands with our kids in kids ministry. Rather, it may be waiting in line to go to the next station at VBS or finishing your small group discussion a little earlier than planned on a Wednesday night — there tend to be small pockets of extra time that need to be filled. Below, I want to explain three easy games to play to fill time that require no equipment!
Statues
Choose one person to be the “Security Guard.” He or she will turn around while all the other kids move around. When the Security Guard turns around, the kids must freeze and become statues. The Security Guard will try to spot anyone who moves. If he or she sees anyone move, that player is eliminated. Play multiple rounds and choose a new Security Guard.
Look Up, Look Down
Have the kids stand in a circle. When the leader says, “Look Up!” everyone must make eye contact with someone in the circle. Then explain that if they are making eye contact with someone else in the circle, they are both out of the game. Leaders should facilitate the game by saying “Look Up!” and “Look Down!” until there is one or two kids left.
Pro tip: Run a practice round, checking to see if the kids are all looking at someone in the circle, then start the game.
The Walmart Game
Select one person to be the “Shopper.” Everyone else will be guessers.
The Shopper thinks of one item that can be bought at Walmart (it can be anything found there — food, a clothing item, sports equipment). The guessers must then ask yes or no questions to discover what the item is.
Pro Tip: Start the questions off by asking very broad questions. (Ex. Is it a food? Is it in the clothing section? Is it in the kitchen section? Etc.)
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