Group Activities for Elementary Age Youth

These youths just enjoyed a group activity.

Group activities for elementary aged youth allow the children to interact in a positive way. Also the activities foster a way for the youth to get to know each other, stimulate their minds, get some physical activity, and generate a fun atmosphere. They can also develop a sense of group spirit with these group activities. When you plan an elementary aged youth group activity, consider the setting and the level of ability of the participants. Provide help to those who are shy and discourage unkind acts so that everyone can enjoy the activities.

Two Truths And A Dream

Two truths and a dream wish is a variation of the classic icebreaker game, Two Truths and a Lie. In this game each elementary aged child tries to identify which of three statements is only a wish and not true at the present time.

To play this game, have the group members sit in a circle. Each child thinks of three things. Two of the statements are true and one is a wish. You may want to help the group members write down their thoughts so they will remember them in case they get nervous when it is their turn. Have the first youth tell the group his three statements. The group members then vote on each statement. After the voting is complete, the youth reveals which statement is a dream.

Pulse Activity

The pulse game may also be called the electricity game. Start by forming two teams of equal size. Have the members face the same way, facing the opposite team. Tell each youth to hold the hand of the person next to him, forming two long chains of people. Place a chair with a small item on it at one end of the line. The referee is across from the chair at the other end of the line.

During each round, the referee will toss a coin and silently show it to only the first two youths at the front of each team. Whenever the coin lands on heads, the two people at the beginning of the line should squeeze the hand of the youth next to him as fast as possible. Then that person squeezes the hand of the youth next to him and so on. The last youth in the line grabs the object on the chair. Only the first team finished hand squeezing will be able to grab the object, They are the winning team for that round. Remember only squeeze hands if heads is shown after the coin is flipped. If the team accidentally squeezes hands when tails is shown after the coin flip, then the other team gets the point. Keep flipping the coin until one team gets 10 points for a short game.

Follow The Leader

Here is a twist on the classic game of Follow the Leader. This is an action activity that generates a lot of laughter. This activity is great because is no preparation is needed. It is best to play in a space with a lot of room.

To start, ask the children to form a circle. Select one person to leave the room for a minute. This youth is guesser for the first round. While this person is gone, the group votes on which other youth should be the leader.The leader is the person who leads the group in movements for the round. When this person is chosen, invite the guesser to come back. The guesser stands in the middle of the circle.

When the first round starts, everyone begins to swing his arms up and down. The leader changes the movement when the guesser is not looking at him. Then everyone else copies the leader's movements. The leader can change movements: clap, jump, or pat his head, for example. The guesser has three guesses to figure out who the leader is.