Well Over 100 Ideas for Things to do with Young People During the Summer Holidays!
About This Event
We claim little or no credit for these ideas – they have come from the collective experience
and practice of youth workers over many years! The list has been developed following a
training session delivered for the SNAP project in Derbyshire and those who attended the
the session also added their ideas to those suggested by FYT staff, other colleagues and
practitioners; many thanks to all.
These ideas might not suit every situation and before undertaking any of them, they need to
be risk-assessed with relevant attention being given to health and safety considerations.
We offer no opinion on the suitability, safety, copyright and legality of any of the ideas for
individual contexts and also need to disclaim any liability relating to how these ideas are
used.
We hope they are useful tools in work with young people. Should any of the ideas need
further explanation, then you can contact us for possible help.
Thanks
Frontier Youth Trust
Games
1. Wide Games
2. Crab football
3. Rope games
4. Dance battles
5. Rope handcuffs
6. Who is in the envelope?
7. Up and under rugby
8. Guess who?
9. Flour tower – cutting with a knife
10. Heads and volleys
11. Flying egg – build something to protect an egg
12. Dodge ball
13. Step Game – move up and down as questions are answered around asset of steps/stairs
14. Racing game will a ball in the middle – first to get the ball wins
15. Magic bamboo
a. Get hold of a garden bamboo cane. Split the group into teams of 4-6, standing in two
lines facing each other. Ask them to hold their hands out at waist level and stick out one
finer from each hand. Then place the cane on top of everyone’s fingers. Simply ask the
group to lower the cane to the ground, whilst everyone’s fingers stay in contact with the
ground. Chances the cane will go up not down!
16. Monopoly – invent a local version
17. Make a newspaper tower
18. Blindfold obstacle course
19. Peg boxing (can also do with ballons)
20. Pool and snooker games
21. Giant jenga
22. Pick up the sticks
23. Blindfold/dizziness games
24. Making sandwiches – blindfold
25. Ultimate Frisbee
26. Trecking – big version of hide and seek
27. Retro games
28. Anagram games
29. It’s a knockout
30. Anything with water!
a. Games – water balloon, sponge ball
b. Fights
c. Challenges – relays, water courses, carrying and measuring
31. Sports days
32. Relay races – with sand and/or jelly!
33. Clock football
a. 6 teams, 40 balls, 6 adults counting, 2 minutes per goal, then move clockwise
34. Blanket volleyball
a. You can use a volleyball net if you prefer, but not necessary. Set up teams and each
team should have four people on it, so that there will be one person holding each corner
of the blanket. Have one team serve the volleyball by placing the volleyball in the middle
of the blanket. They are to lower the blanket and then raise it quickly as a team, to allow
the ball to become air borne. The opposing team must catch the volleyball in their blanket
and toss it back again.
35. Earth ball games
a. End Zone
Two opposing teams play indoors to defend a wall at each end of the room. The team
earns a point each time the ball is allowed to touch the oppositions wall. Make rules
disallowing constant contact with the ball to stop it becoming a crush. No kicking.
b. Roll Over
Set up a goal for each team to defend [2 or 4 teams] using old tyres, inner tubes or hula
hoops. The team earns a goal each time they get the ball to sit on/in the goal circle.
c. Keep It Up
This works like pass and catch where more than one team member will usually be
required to do so. Teams earn a point each time they can keep the ball off the ground for
10 catches on the full. Use one bounce maximum as a variation.
d. Dodge Ball
Use a defined space and eliminate players who come into contact with the ball with other
than their hands. You can restrict movement by ruling an area where they must stay
within and keep one foot on the ground at all times.
e. Circle Time Trial
The whole group lie down on the floor in a circle or oval shape with heads in the centre
and feet on the outer. Place the earthball on a participants stomach at the start point and
encourage the group to roll the ball around the circle/oval. Use a stopwatch and see how
quickly the group can successfully get the ball rolling once around at a time. Spotters
stand outside the circle and push the ball back on when it rolls away.
36. Duck races
37. Flour tag
a. Simply place about ½ cup of white flour in a clean sock, and tie a knot in the top. Each
player receives a flour-filled sock. Form two separate teams wearing different coloured
tops if possible. The teams attempt to tag players on the opposite team. The last person
to be tagged is the winner. The flour can easily be wiped off when the game is over.
38. Raft races - relays
39. Parachute games
40. Alphabet game
a. Scrabble letters needed (or paper versions of same) in a bag. Divide group into teams.
Select 5 categories (e.g. names, countries, pop/rock bands, colours, football teams,
designers/shops). Pick out a letter from the bag and then it is a race in teams to come up
with the 5 things all beginning with that letter.
41. Memory game
a. Classic game using a tray. Leave it uncovered for 30/60 secs then remove it or cover it
up and ask people/teams to write down all they can remember being on the tray.
42. Archery – decathlon fairly cheap suppliers
43. Card Games
44. TV Games - adapted
45. Board Games - adapted
46. Share doughnuts – asking the young people to eat them without licking their lips.
47. Duelling Mobiles
a. Make sure two young people have each others number (to be keyed in manually – not
direct or stored!). Phones switched off and in their pockets – back to back – 5 paces –
turn and draw!! They have to switch on the phone and dial the other person. The one
that gets the other persons phone to ring first is the winner! You could award a ‘hands
free set’ as a prize – a thick elastic band to strap the phone to your head!!
48. Last mobile ringing
a. On the word go - everyone who has access to a phone (you can share them around)
rings another person in the group who has a phone (you should have listed all the
numbers before starting - to be keyed in manually – not direct or stored!) – those phones
that ring first are out – continue until only one person is left with a phone not ringing!!
49. Quizzes
a. Round the room, field, club,
b. Pub type,
c. Worksheet based,
d. International/country based (different theme each day: e.g. India, China, USA, Africa)
e. Conundrum type
Activities
50. Cooking
a. Themed
b. Ready steady cook
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c. Dinner party
d. Bread making
51. BBQ/street party
52. Gardening
53. Guerrilla Gardening
54. Environmental work
a. Tidy up local park/area
b. Create wild flower area
c. Litter picking
d. Collecting and recycling cans
55. Treasure hunts – on foot or in cars
a. Why not collect evidence of visiting places/achieving tasks with a camera
56. Mirror drawing
57. 70’s and 80’s themed events – food, clothes, music, tv etc
58. Go camping
a. Overnight in someone’s garden
b. Somewhere more adventurous
c. With a theme
59. Go for a night walk – why not go in teams of 4 or 5 and have all but one of the team
blindfolded
60. Social action
a. Local Campaign – about an issue, area, people group
b. Painting ‘public’ buildings/spaces
c. Live like someone in the developing world for 24 hours
d. Serve only vegetarian food in the club/venue for the week
61. Consultations/quizzes with community
62. Intergenerational stuff
a. Knitting
b. Sewing
c. Visiting old folks home
d. Singing/music
e. YP teaching older people ICT skills
63. Girls hair and beauty day
64. Hair braiding
65. Fashion shows
66. Henna/face painting tattooing
67. Dancing classes
68. Watch a film
69. Fishing
70. Scrapheap challenges
71. Kite making
72. Stress ball making
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73. Multi cultural days
a. food
b. customs
c. rituals
d. clothes
e. history
74. Chipnic – picnic with chips
75. Den building
76. Survival stuff
77. Car cleaning
78. Tacky Shopping
79. Scavenger hunts
80. Barn dance
81. Make a beach
82. Balloon modelling
83. Bin Bag Fashion
84. Britain’s Got Talent
85. Making and sharing a chocolate fondue!!!
Arts
86. Face painting
87. Graffiti projects
88. Circus skills session
89. Percussion drumming workshops
90. Multiple team art session
91. Scarecrow competitions
92. Wishes tree
93. Dream catcher
94. Body outlines
95. Pop art pictures of YP
96. Weaving activities
97. T-shirt designing
98. Mod roc
99. Plaster of paris
100. Crochet
101. Weaving
102. Using old carrier bags – melt with an old iron and sculpt/craft
103. Hair gel pictures in a plastic sleeve
104. Play dough making
105. Collages
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106. Positive painting – fingers/hand prints
107. Sculptures
108. Chalk painting on pavements
109. Painting on hardboard
110. Mosaics
111. Soap carving
112. Brown paper and drum drums
113. Vehicles - out of scrap
Crafts
114. Willow shapes
115. Jewellery making
116. Friendship bracelets
117. Flag making from old material
118. Making peg bags
119. Paper mache
120. Salt dough
121. Making pasta and glue pictures
122. Soap making
123. Rag rugs
124. Shrinking old t-shirt and jumpers and using
125. Flower presing
126. Card making
127. Tile painting
128. Tie dying
129. Magazine beads
130. Puppet making
131. Fimo activities
Trips
132. Theme parks
133. Seaside
134. Outdoor adventure play
a. Climbing
b. Walking
c. Canoeing
d. Fruit picking
135. Cycling
136. Hide and seek in Ikea
137. Real monopoly in London
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138. Farm
139. Airport
140. Museum
141. Overseas trips to help in development situations
142. Nature trails
143. Woodland festivals
144. Arts festivals
145. Boat/canal trip
146. Pony trekking
147. Car snooker and other in-car games
148. Guess the pub name – as soon as you see a pub
Stories
149. Guided image journeys – favourite meal, desert, lake, treasure island
150. Virtual voyages – around the home, school,
151. Fortunately and Unfortunately
a. The story proceeds around the circle, a sentence at a time, each beginning with either
"Fortunately ..."; or alternating between "Fortunately ..." and "Unfortunately ...". The
objective is to keep the story going to a satisfactory conclusion.
152. 'Where I'm at' storytelling
a. using maps, pictures of roads, road signs or getting young people to draw their
journeys ... Seems to be something all young people can get involved with regardless
of age, confidence and where they're at with God.
Reflections
153. Dough/wax/bluetac modelling
a. Give out a lump of Bluetac (you can use plastercine/wax) to each member of the group
and offer a phrase for them to model (see suggestions below). Give them a few minutes
to think and create something and then go around the group asking for a description of
the model and some explanation – remember to stress that this is not about artistic ability.
Some starter phrases: How you are feeling just now? Your hopes for the future?
Something that reminds you of how this day has been for you? What you want from a
friend? A special place in your life? Someone/something that you admire?
154. Thought for the day
155. Blobs
156. Tree of live activities
157. Making a totem pole
158. Message in a balloon
159. Labyrinths
160. Stone Balancing and Cairns
161. Going to plays, drama, functions then reflecting on them
162. Enable young people to make their assessment of their neighbourhood/community
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a. Its strengths and weaknesses. Do so by photography, interviews, small group
discussions. Then publish it as a booklet.
163. One thing that makes me happy is ...
164. Lots of things from Glimpses!
Technology
165. Wii
166. Playstations
167. Video making
168. Music writing
169. Music recording
170. You’ve been framed – throw away cameras, themed topics?
171. Photo competitions
172. Making animations
173. Doing vox pops and crafting into 60 second adverts/programmes
174. Internet hunt
Evaluation
175. Cotton buds
176. Heart head bin bag
177. Photos