Are your young people tired of playing the same old youth group games and activities each week?
If so, it’s time to pull out the big guns (pun intended!) and play Human Battleship.
Resources
- 2-3 rolls of masking tape
- Post-it notes
- Pens
- 2 sheets of paper
Preparation
Use the rolls of masking tape to create two separate grids on the floor, similar to a regular game of Battleship – this is therefore best played in a large room (or outdoors).
The number of squares you need for the grids in Human Battleship will depend on the number of youth in your group. A good rule of thumb is to have 2-3 times as many squares as you will youth.
When doing this, bear in mind that you’ll have two grids. So if you think that you’ll have 20 youth, you’ll need 40-60 squares, which means there will be 20-30 squares per grid.
Next, write out A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3, etc on post-it notes – do two sets of these (one for each grid). The number of letters used will be the same as the number of rows, with the subsequent numbers matching up with the number of columns in each grid. For example, with a 5×6 grid you’d write out post-its for A1-A6 through to E1-E6. Lay these post-it notes on the floor in each square.
Finally, draw the same grids on the two sheets of paper, labeling each of the squares in the same way as the grids on the floor.
Human Battleship Rules
Split the youth group in to two teams, with each team selecting one of their members as a General.
The two Generals are given the sheets of paper with the grid lines drawn on them, along with a pen. They then need to turn away from the grids on the floor so that they can’t see where the other players position themselves.
Each of the remaining players then need to stand in a square. When they’re chosen a space, they should pick up the post-it note so that they know which cell they’re in.
Once they’re all in place, the first General calls out a cell number (e.g. D4) for the opposite team, crossing off that square on his sheet. If he “hits” one of the players, they’re out – when they’re hit, encourage the Human Battleships to pretend like they’re sinking, hamming it up in the process. (Consider offering a prize to the best sinking ship impression!)
Once the first General has chosen a cell, the second General should take a turn. Keep playing until there’s just one team with at least one Human Battleship remaining.
Ultimate Human Battleship
If you want to play a more extreme version of this youth group game, prepare some water balloons before the game. When a Battleship gets hit, throw one of the water balloons at them – this acts as both the missile hitting the ship and represents them sinking in the water. Alternatively, use a Super Soaker to shoot them.
Needless to say, it’s better to play the Ultimate version outside!
If you liked this idea, check out all of our games for more fun activities.
Question: Can you think of any ways to enhance how you’d play Human Battleship? Let us know in the comments below.
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