Youth Workin' It

Consultancy and Resources for Youth Workers and Organizations Worldwide

Marshmallow Toss – Youth Group Games

By Leave a Comment

Marshmallow Toss
Image courtesy of Enchanteurs, Flickr

This week’s addition to our series of youth group games is the Marshmallow Toss. It’s a fun and flexible relay game that can be used with just a handful of youth or with a larger group.

Here’s how to play the Marshmallow Toss:

Resources

  • Marshmallows
  • Buckets
  • Masking tape

Preparation

Stick a line of masking tape on the floor. About 15 feet away, place the buckets on the floor in a line that’s parallel to the tape, with about 2-3 feet of space between the buckets.

Teams

Split the youth into similar sized teams, with the same number of teams that you have buckets. If you only have a small youth group, have them play individually instead.

For extremely large groups, having all the young people participating may not be feasible. Instead, play this game up front – with either just a few youth playing against each other or with two teams of five players playing it as a relay.

Marshmallow Toss Rules

Get the teams to line up behind the tape with a bucket in front of them and give the first person on each team a pack of marshmallows.

Their task is to toss the marshmallows in to the bucket. They should to this by taking it in turns by playing it as a relay game, thereby ensuring everyone gets a go.

Winner

The winning team is the one that successfully tosses the most marshmallows into their bucket.

Alternatives

If your group would find the above version too easy, here are a couple of more difficult ways of playing the Marshmallow Toss:

  • Use mini marshmallows and small plastic cups instead of regular sized marshmallows and buckets. Place a small stone in the bottom of each cup to weigh them down so that they don’t get knocked over
  • Place the buckets farther away if you have enough space in your group’s room

If you liked this idea, check out all our other games for youth groups, including a number of marshmallow games.

Question: What other alternative ways of playing the Marshmallow Toss can you think of? Let us know in the comments below.

You can also connect with us by:

  1. Signing up to receive our posts via email
  2. Following us on Twitter
  3. Liking us on Facebook
  4. Signing up to our RSS feed

 

The Marshmallow Swing – Youth Group Games

By Leave a Comment

Marshmallow swing youth group gameThis is a youth group game using marshmallows that’s infinitely safer than Chubby Bunny, but is just as fun.

If you have a small youth group, all the young people could take part in the game. Otherwise, it works best as an up front game with just a few youth taking part.

Here’s how to play The Marshmallow Swing:

Resources

  • Marshmallows
  • Needle and thread
  • Scissors

Preparation

Using the needle and thread, pass the needle through the center of a marshmallow. Tie off the thread to keep the marshmallow in place, then cut the thread at the other end so that it’s approx. 4 feet long.

Continue doing this with as many marshmallows as you’ll need for the game.

Teams

Each team will consist of two players.

Rules

Have one player from each team put the end of the thread in their mouth, so that the marshmallow dangles near the floor. Have their teammate stand approx. 4 feet away.

The players with the thread in their mouth have to swing the marshmallow back and forth until it’s high enough for their teammate to try to catch it in their mouth.

The players trying to catch the marshmallow aren’t allowed to crouch or kneel too low, although it is fine for them to lean forward as it swings towards their mouth.

Winner

The winning team is the first one to have a player catch the marshmallow in their mouth.

Tips

  • Due to all the swinging back and forth, you’ll need to space the teams far enough apart so that no one bashes their heads together
  • If your youth are tall, you may need to make the thread longer than 4 feet long. Similarly, if your youth are shorter, the thread may need to be shorter so that the marshmallow doesn’t hit the floor when they’re swinging it

If you liked this idea, check out all our other youth group games, including a number of marshmallow games.

Question: Can you think of any ways to improve on this game? We’d love to hear your ideas in the comments below.

You can also connect with us by:

  1. Signing up to receive our posts via email
  2. Following us on Twitter
  3. Liking us on Facebook
  4. Signing up to our RSS feed

 

Spaghetti And Marshmallow Tower – Youth Group Games

By Leave a Comment

Spaghetti and marshmallow tower
Image courtesy of bignoseduglyguy, Flickr

The Spaghetti And Marshmallow Tower is a classic youth group game that you may well have played as a young person yourself.

In case you’ve never played it (or forgotten how it’s done), here’s how to play it:

Resources

  • 1 pack of spaghetti per team
  • 1 pack of large marshmallows per team
  • Measuring tape

Preparation

One of the best things about this game is that there isn’t really any preparation that needs to be done! All you need to do is split the youth into teams and give each team a pack of spaghetti and a pack of marshmallows.

If you only have a small youth group, you could always have the young people do this activity individually. It’s a great team building activity though, so we’d suggest having them all work together rather than separately.

Rules

Teams have to build the tallest tower that they can using only the marshmallows and spaghetti. The tower has to be free-standing, so the young people aren’t allowed to support it once it’s completed.

Set a time limit that they have to finish their tower by. Warn them when they’re about 1 minute from the end so that they can ensure that their tower’s free-standing.

Winners

The winning team is the one that has the tallest spaghetti and marshmallow tower. If it’s not easily identifiable which is the tallest tower, use a measuring tape.

In the unlikely event that two teams have towers that are the exact same height, set up a tiebreaker. Teams have to pick up and move their construction to the other side of the room. The team with the tallest freestanding tower once it’s been moved is the winner. (n.b. players aren’t allowed to fix any breakages while it gets moved).

Talking Points

Not only is the spaghetti and marshmallow tower good as a team building activity, but it can also be used as a conversation starter for many different talking points. Here are some suggestions:

  • Having a firm foundation in life
  • Having balance in life
  • Working as a team
  • Setting goals
  • Supporting each other

If you liked this idea, check out all our other youth group games, including a number of marshmallow games.

Question: Do you play a different variation of the spaghetti and marshmallow tower? We’d love to hear any other ideas you have in the comments below.

You can also connect with us by:

  1. Signing up to receive our posts via email
  2. Following us on Twitter
  3. Liking us on Facebook
  4. Signing up to our RSS feed