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Just One Starfish recruits and trains high school students from all Christian denominations to become mentors. The purpose of Just One Starfish is mission – we are about showing God’s love to at-risk students in our community through mentoring and encouraging.
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Just One Starfish pairs high school age Christian youth with at-risk upper elementary school students for one-on-one mentoring. Learn how you can empower your students to do relational ministry and make a positive impact on your community.
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Just One Starfish mentors apply and are recommended by their church youth ministry leaders as positive, encouraging role models. Both schools and younger "mentees" alike will benefit when mentors invest their time and compassion in one-on-one mentoring. Together, we can make a difference one life at a time.
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Can you have fun and learn about God with just a couple of people?
Of course! Perfect for mentors, the activities below are a mix of active and conversational games that will all work best with groups of 2-8 people. If your group is larger, split into smaller groups. I’ve suggested a few Bible verses to go with each activity, would love to hear from you if you have suggestions for others.
Be blessed! Erin
10 Quick-Prep Activities for Super-Small Groups
1. If cards Supplies/Preparation: Prep a set of cards for each small group ahead of time How to play:Ask the group to sit in a circle. Write 20 ‘IF’ questions on cards and place them (question down) in the middle of the circle. The first person takes a card, reads it out and gives their answer, comment or explanation. The card is returned to the bottom of the pile before the next person takes their card. This is a simple icebreaker to get young people talking and listening to others in the group. Keep it moving and don’t play for too long. Write your own additional ‘IF’ questions to add to the list.
Faith Connection: Consider talking about some of these important “If” statements from the Bible
2. Masks Supplies/Preparation: You will need crayons or paints, markers, scissors and a piece of white card stock per person for this activity.
How to play: Give each young person a piece of white card. Ask them to draw and cut out a life- sized shape of a face. They can also cut out eyes and a mouth if they wish. Each young person is then asked to decorate their card face. One side represents what they think people see/know/believe about them i.e. on the outside. The other side represents what they feel about themselves i.e. things going on the inside, what people do not necessarily know or see. This is best used in an established group where the young people are comfortable and at ease with each other. ‘Masks’ is also a good discussion starter on self-image and self- worth.
Faith Connection:
3. Flags Supplies/Preparation: Provide large sheets of paper, crayons, markers and paints. An option would be to have old magazines for cutting out pictures.
How to play: Ask each young person to draw a flag which contains some symbols or pictures describing who they are, what’s important to them or what they enjoy. Each flag is divided into 4 or 6 segments. Each segment can contain a picture i.e. favorite emotion, favorite food, a hobby, a skill, where you were born, your family, your faith. Give everyone 20 minutes to draw their flags. Ask some of the group to share their flags and explain the meaning of what they drew. (Variation: you could make “coats of arms” instead.)
Faith Connection:
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4. Suddenly Stories Supplies/Preparation: A method to record the conversation (cellphone, video camera or even a cassette recorder if you want to go old school)
How to play: The leader starts a story with a sentence that ends in SUDDENLY. The next person then has to add to the story with his own sentence that ends in SUDDENLY. Continue the story until everyone has contributed. The story becomes crazier as each young person adds their sentence. Tape it and play it back. For example; ‘Yesterday I went to the zoo and was passing the elephant enclosure when SUDDENLY…..’
Faith Connection:
5. Object Stories Supplies: Collect together a number of random objects and place in a canvas bag. The objects can include everyday items i.e. a pencil, keys, cellphone, but also include some more unusual ones i.e. a fossil, a Christmas card, wig, random freebies from a convention, etc. Optional: timer.
How to play: Pass the bag around the group and invite each young person to dip their hand into the bag (without looking) and pull out one of the objects. The leader begins a story which includes his object. After 20 seconds, the next person takes up the story and adds another 20 seconds, incorporating the object they are holding. And so on, until everyone has made a contribution to your epic literary tale.
Faith Connection:
6. Classic 20 Questions Supplies: None
How to play: Before you rule this one out, consider how you will make a “classic” game like this fresh and new by adding the faith component. One player is selected to think of an item. The rest of the group tries to guess the item by asking a question which can only be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No.” Truthful answers only please, anything else will ruin the game. (A similar classic is “I Spy,” in which one player secretly spots an item and says “I spy something (color)” and everyone tries to guess the correct item.)
Faith Connection: This would work well with a study on the mystery of God, how God reveals Himself through Scripture, etc.
7. Paper Airplane Fun Supplies: A sheet of paper per person, optional markers/crayons for decorating. Optional prizes.
How to play: Create and decorate paper airplanes. Come up with categories for the fun and award points for the best flights– farthest, straightest, highest, shortest flight, quickest divebomb, etc. You could make targets or have participants try to get the planes through hoops. Award points and remember that points are free so award them by the millions!
Faith Connection:
8. Newspaper Race Supplies/Preparation: two sheets of newspaper per player, determine the race route
How to play: Each player must race to the turning point and back, stepping only on his or her newspapers. Each player steps on one, lays the other paper down in front of him and steps on it, moves the first paper forward, steps on it and so on.
Faith Connection:
9. Four Square Supplies/Preparation: a flat, hard floor space where you can make a four square grid on the ground with chalk, duct tape, painters tape, paint. Number squares 1-4.
How to Play: 1. The player in square 4 serves the ball by bouncing it in his square and tapping the ball into another square. 2. The player in that space must tap the ball (after one bounce) into another player’s area, and so on, until someone misses the ball, lets the ball bounce twice, or sends it out of the grid. 3. The player who misses the ball steps out and the remaining players rotate up through the numbered squares. 4. If you are playing with more than four players, a new player enters the game at square one. 5. The player who is out waits in line to re-enter the game once square 1 is open again. Whoever is now in square 4 serves the ball to resume play.
Faith Connection: The strategy in this game is to knock other people out, how do we knock people out to better our position in life?
10. Horse Supplies/Preparation: Need a basketball and basketball goal.
How to Play: Players line up. The first player announces what shot he is going to make and takes his shot. If he misses, he goes to the end of the line. If he makes the basket, the next player must make the same shot. If the second player misses, he gets an ‘H’, and it is the next player’s turn to announce a shot and try to make it. Each time a player fails to make a shot that his predecessor made, he gets another letter until someone has spelled ‘horse’. At that point the player is out. The other players continue play until only one player is left. Variations: If there are large differences in height, you may want to outlaw the dunk shot. Some players allow the player who has received the “E” one more shot to try to stay in the game. If longer or shorter games are desired, different words can be spelled (PIG, GOD, JESUS, GRACE, JUSTONE, STARFISH)
Faith Connection:
(I originally wrote the above list for The YouthWorker Movement – then modified it for awesome Just One Starfish mentors to use. Feel free to pass it on.)