Terms

Host– leader running the games
Leader– any other leader in the group
Player– the one person who has a specific job and is playing ‘against’ everyone else e.g.

the one drawing in Pictionary

N.B. Always make sure you are following safe practice when playing games. Never have
one leader alone in a group with a young person/people. Young people can be in breakout
groups for a short time without leaders if necessary.

Caption Contest

Host shares a picture on their screen. Individual or teams, need to come up with the
funniest caption/meme. Funniest/cleverest wins a point for their team. If in teams, after
each picture, send them into breakout groups to discuss, for two mins, then close groups
and hear each team’s response. Repeat for each round.

Finish the Headline

Like on ‘Have I got news for you’, give everyone part of a headline and they have to fill in
the blanks/complete it. Funniest/cleverist one wins. Send teams into breakout rooms to
discuss if playing in teams.

Articulate/Balderdash

Give a definition of a word and individuals/teams have to make up a word that fits the
definition. Or vice versa. Everyone votes on which is the most believable. Points for most
votes, points to a team if they guess the correct definition/word.

Catchphrase

Host shares screen and audio to play a clip or share a picture of a catch phrase. The first
person (playing either individually or for a team) to get the catchphrase right wins a
point. If you want more tension, put a time limit on guessing.

Scattergories

Everyone is given six categories. One person picks a letter. Everyone has one minute to
write a word beginning with that letter for every category. At the end, everyone shares
what they put for each category. People get a point if no-one else has chosen their
word (and it’s valid!). Extra point for alliteration within a category. They may not put
more than one option for each category, but they can change their answer during the
initial time should they desire.

5 Second Rule

Each team takes a turn in having five seconds to give three answers to a topic e.g. name
three citrus fruits, name three things worn on the head. If they do it, they get a point, and
it moves on to the next team with a new category. If they can’t, the next team has a go on
the same category, but they can’t use any of the words already said by the previous team.
If none of the teams complete the category, no points are scored and the second team
starts with a new category.

Storycubes

Host gives everyone nine images (or roll Storycubes if you have them). Let teams notes
down the images, then send them into breakout groups for five mins. As a team, they have
to come up with a story incorporating all nine images (can be as abstract as they like to
the discretion of the host). Come back together and one player from each team will read
the story. Host will give a point to the team with the best story. Extra points may be given
for creativity, humour, and imaginative interpretation of the images.

One Word/Sentence Stories

Each person takes turns in saying one word/sentence to tell a story. You might want to
put in some ground rules first so they don’t get inappropriate. But they can get pretty
funny. ‘Full stop’ counts as a turn if they want to end the sentence, otherwise they can
keep going with conjunctives.

Bring Me

Host has a list of objects; the more random, the better. Host says one object at a time and
everyone has to go find it from around their house, and the first one/two to it bring back
to camera gets a point. Can be played to win points for a team. You might want to give out
points for creativity of interpretation as well.

Partners in Pen

Have everyone grab a piece of paper, and also some random object from their
house (nothing too familiar, but something that is mildly obscure). Then, each person
takes a turn describing their hidden item while everyone else tries to draw it from their
description they give. The player who is closest to the actual object wins and gets to
describe their hidden item next. (Similar to Box of Lies)

Pictionary/Charades

Everyone shuts their eyes/ turns around except one player from each team. The host holds
up what they have to act out/draw on a piece of paper. Everyone goes into breakout
groups in their teams and have to guess what it is the player is acting/drawing. The first
group to call the host into their room and answer correctly wins the round.
Alternative Pictionary method: Share the whiteboard and “disable attendee annotation”
so that no one else can draw. Start drawing an object and everyone has to guess what it
is.

Reverse Charades

One player shuts their eyes/turns away from the screen and everyone else is shown a
word. They act out the word and the player has to guess what it is. Then, once they have
guessed, you move to the next person. The way to make this competitive would be to time
how long it takes each person individually to guess or put people onto teams. If team A’s
representative doesn’t guess within a minute, then the turn switches to team B. If team A
does guess before a minute is up, then their team gets to go again.

Silent Karaoke

A player will start singing a song while on mute. Everyone then has to guess what they are
singing. The first person to answer will receive a point. Play to 5. The singer can rotate to
everyone in the group, or just stay with one player.

Rock Paper Scissors

Establish rock-paper-scissor-shoot. Nominate one player who will be playing against
everyone else. The player has three lives. If the player beats you, you’re out and you turn
your video off. If you play the same as the player, carry on. If you beat the player you are
immune for the next round and resume play on the turn after (you cannot just keep
playing and save up your immunity). Play until the last person is standing. Winner takes
all.

Man in the Mirror

Send one player to the waiting room and nominate one other player they need to
mirror/copy. On the count of five everyone will start mirroring very simple movements to
the mirror player e.g. clapping, nodding, whistling etc. whilst you bring the guessing
player back into the main room. The mirror player will need to change actions every now
and then. The guessing player needs to try guess who everyone else is following.

Deaf Jam

Host nominates one play to dance to one of three songs, though they don’t say which one
they are dancing to. The player can have the song playing, but their mic needs to be on
mute so no-one else can hear. Everyone else needs to guess which song they are dancing
to. When someone guesses correctly, the player can turn their mic on so everyone can
hear the song (if they have it playing). Only two guesses are allowed so they must guess
wisely.

Masterpiece

Set a challenge for the following week for everyone to recreate a famous work of art
which somehow has to include themselves, or another member of their household. The
next meeting, get everyone to show their masterpieces and the host will decide on the best
one(s).

Box of Lies

This game comes from Jimmy Fallon’s late night show. (Here’s a clip so you’ve got an idea
of how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md4QnipNYqM)
In advance, tell each person to bring the “weirdest” thing they can find in their house and
keep it out of sight of their camera. Then, each person will take a turn describing their
object (either lying or telling the truth – they decide). Everyone else votes for whether
they think the player is lying or telling the truth. Then the player shows their object, and
everyone who guessed correctly gets a point.

Two Truths and a Lie

Pick one person in turn to think of two statements about themselves or their life that are
true and one that’s a lie. Everyone else has to guess which one is the lie. You can also do
this vice versa.

Would I Lie to You

The host asks the other leaders in advance to privately message them a crazy true
statement about themselves. The host will message a statement to each leader as they take
their turn and they will have a turn to read out their statement and explain what
happened, with the young people asking them questions about it. But the host may either
message them their true statement or one the host has made up. Even if the player gets
their true statement, they may choose to turn it into a lie. Everyone then has to vote
whether they think the player is telling a true story, or lying.

True Facts

The leaders private message the host a fact about themselves, and then the host shares
them one by one. Everyone then has to vote who they think each fact belongs to.

Quiz

If you want to do a Quiz in teams, ask the q then send into breakout groups of the teams
for 30secs, 1 minute to discuss and answer. Set a timer on the groups so they only have
that time to discuss. Alternatively, you can ask all the questions, they write down answers
individually, then go into breakout groups at the end to discuss their final answers.

Who Tweeted That?

Have a list of tweets from two different famous people and they have to guess who
tweeted each one. Some ready made ones are available here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1f8rsly48h47agm/AADNtgyanMCe2Y-nYPdTa_9za?dl=0

Would You Rather…?

Host prepares a list of ‘Would you rathers’. Nominate a player from one team. Say one
‘Would you rather…’ statement. Everyone from another team has to vote on what they
think the player will answer. Point for the team if they guess right. Rotate players and
teams.

20 Questions

A player thinks of an object and everyone else asks up to 20qs to try guess what the object
is. Player can only answer yes, no, don’t know, or not applicable. Player gets a point if no
one guesses. Team/individual to guess correctly gets a point.

Dingbats

Make either a slideshow of individual dingbats or one slide with multiple dingbats on.
Everyone can either try guess them individually but win points for their teams or send
teams into breakout rooms for each one to chat together. Team with the most correct
wins.

Mafia

The host will choose 3/4 young people to be the Mafia (depending on group size), one to
be the detective, and one to be the doctor. Assign everyone to breakout groups in pairs or
threes (leaders and young people in separate rooms), with all the Mafia in one room, and
the doctor and the detective in another room. The host will start the story and ‘as night
falls’, open the breakout rooms. The host and another leader will join the Mafia room first,
tell them they are mafia, and then ask for their murder victim. The host and second leader
will then join the doctor and detective’s room, and ask individually for who they want to
accuse and save. Before answering the detective, you can ask the doctor to close their eyes,
and you either shake or nod your head in response. (Before starting, instruct that if, in the
first round, you don’t enter their breakout room, they are a villager). Close the breakout
rooms and announce who died (if anyone). Any dead players mute themselves and turn off
their camera. It’s also helpful for the host to keep a list of who’s still alive. Take three
nominations for Mafia (who can give them a chance to defend themselves if time), and
then vote. Nominee with the most votes dies. Before they die, they can reveal who they
were. Repeat. Play until you run out of time/get bored/one of the teams can no longer
win.

Ghost

The host will choose a theme (e.g. Disney, Winter, Egypt etc) and write it on a piece of
paper. On another piece of paper, they will write ‘Ghost’. Everyone turns their backs to
the screen and in turn, the host will call out each person’s name. Most people will be
shown the theme, but two or three (depending on the group size) will be shown ‘Ghost’.
Everyone then turns back to their screens and takes it in turn (host will need to establish
an order, maybe alphabetical) to say one word that relates to the theme (without saying
any word in the theme shown). Repeated words are not allowed. The ghosts don’t know
what the theme is but need to try and work it out and say something convincing when it’s
their turn. When everyone has said a word, the group discuss who they think the ghosts
are. They vote on one person, and they reveal whether they were a ghost or not. If they
are, they get a chance to guess what they think the theme is. If they get it right, the ghosts
win. If they get it wrong, the real theme is not revealed and they are out for the next
round. Play as many rounds as there are ghosts at the start/until a ghost guesses the
theme.

Sherlock

Nominate a player to study the group. Send them into the waiting room on their own
while ten things are changed across the rest of the group. Bring the player back and they
have two mins to guess all ten things that have changed.

Psychiatrist

Send a player (the Psychiatrist) into the waiting room on their own. Everyone else has
to come up with a rule that dictates how they answer or behave to qs from the Psychiatrist
e.g. answer must begin with first letter of your last name. The Psychiatrist then comes
back in and has to ask individuals qs to guess the rule. Three guesses of the rule before a
new player is chosen.

Battleships

Split everyone into two breakout groups. Each has a host who has a board on their screen
they can share with their team or has one drawn out on paper they can hold up. Each time
the breakout rooms open, teams decide where they want to hit. Coming back together,
they each announce where they want to hit, and the other team will announce if it was a
miss, hit, or sink. First team to sink all the opponent’s battleships wins.

The 25

As a group, tell everyone to turn their mics on. You will count to 25 together, but only
person saying one number at a time. If two people speak at the same time, you have
to start over. If you want to make this expert level, have everyone do it with their video
off! If 25 is too easy, see if you can do any higher!

1-2-3-4-5

On the count of 3, everyone holds up a number between one and five (or ten if it’s a big
group) on their fingers. If you match someone, you have to play rock paper scissors with
that person to decided who is the Captain of the team. If you join someone’s team, you’re
your video off. The ultimate goal is to be the captain of everyone.

Heads up

A player with the app on their phone starts a game and holds their phone to their head,
looking at the computer screen, and everyone has to try explain what’s written on the
phone to help them guess.
If you don’t have the app, put the player into the waiting room on their own,
tell everyone else a character or famous person who that person is going to be. The player
comes back and has to either ask questions to guess who they are, or everyone else
describes the person and they have to guess.

Jackbox

There’s some good games on here that can be played remotely via screen sharing, but
requires good internet connection from all parties, one person to purchase each game, and
can only be played up to max 8 players I think (lower on other games). So only really
useful for small groups (or leaders’ socials ). You need to check appropriateness on
them as well.

Psych

There are some good free games on the app, or the host can buy one for under a pound if
they want to. Psych works better with a small group (under ten inc. leaders) who know
each other fairly well. We play this in one of the small groups rather than the whole youth
group. Again, worth playing with friends beforehand to check appropriateness on the
game, though different questionss will come up each time you play. This one seems to be pretty
alright though.

Kahoot!

Can be played either with the app or from an internet browser. There are lots of ready
made quizzes (of varying quality), or you can create one. This can be a fun way of doing
recaps of teaching as well. It gets very competitive!

With thanks to Anya Bowler, Youth Minister for sharing these fantastic ideas.