Activities
Committee
Linger Longer--Stay after church to socialize, share treats and snacks, say hello to new ward members, say good-bye to members moving away, celebrate a happy ward occasion
Ward Dance--learn ballroom, line dancing, square dancing, etc. and then enjoy your new knowledge
Adult Prom--get all fancied up for a fun dance in a wholesome atmosphere, maybe youth could help serve
Ward Birthday Party
Play pin the tie on the bishopric
Name that Hymn/Primary song
Here's Your Life (feature ward members)
Mixer--find someone who _______ list (Fact Finding Mission for example)
Newlywed/Longwed game show
Did you know? Ward history trivia
Birthday cake or picnic
Bring a friend
Adult Prom
Ward Pinewood Derby
Have a "heat" for each organization, then have an overall race based on the winners
Give matchbox cars for prizes
Serve food that you find at car races
Pioneer Party
Cricket Toss (black clothes pins tossed into a barrel or bucket for points)
Relay games--eat a cracker and whistle a hymn, pull a handcart to "Promised Land," dress in pioneer clothes and pull handcart back to next team member
Pie for refreshments
Broom pull
Taffy pull
Square dance
Fishing (for prizes)
Bob for apples
Dress as pioneers, decorate wagons, have a parade (indoor or outdoor), prizes for costumes and participationWe had a Pioneer Day celebration in which each auxiliary built a handcart for handcart race at the park. It was a
lot of work, but was great fun. ~Karen
Halloween/Fall Party
Costume party with awards and parade
Bob for apples
Chili cook-off
Trunk or Treat or decorate rooms in the Church
Carnival games and activities
Christmas Party
Night in Bethlehem (recreate 1st century Bethlehem with Middle Eastern food, shops, coins, tax collector, then actout Christmas story)
Christmas song program and good food
Act out Christmas Story--use most of ward for various parts, good costumes, lots of songs
Service Project--collect food, clothes, supllies, make quilts
White elephant gift exchange
Sing along hymns and slide show about Christ
New Year's Eve
Family Game Night
Elegant Dinner/Dance for adults or families (see Dance ideas and Etiquette Dinner)
Theater
Skit Night--pick a theme or let each group choose their own. Give a bag of stuff for them to incorporate into skit if you wish. Theme ideas--nursery rhymes, sesame street, dating disasters, at school, movies, musicals,
Lipsync competition--choose lighthearted LDS appropriate songs. Try 50's songs, children's songs, silly songs, etc.
Perform church ads--give each group a product and perform the ads 20 minutes later (for a pioneer theme try cricket control, seagull treats, wagon replacement parts, the flour cookbook, hunting equipment, bonnets, public service message against "menaces to society," etc. For modern theme, try missionary needs stores, food storage, minivans, Jell-o cookbook, tablecloth gallery, BYU games, LDS books, missionary videos, future activities, etc.)
Improv Theater night
Talent Show and Sing Along
Testimony Developing Activities
Carnival of Life
Fun and Games
Share your favorite childhood games night
Touch Football
LDS Holiday party (celebrate 24th of July, anniversary of 1st flower arrangement in Relief Society, the invention of Jell-o, the development of the minivan, and other uniquely LDS holidays)
Get to know you games
1. M&M (Tell Me About It)
Everyone chooses an m&m. then the host brings out a chart (or even several charts) with colors that match topics such as:yellow = something about childhood
red = something about yesterday
blue = something learned at church on Sunday
brown = something that happened at a high school dance
orange = what happened on your 10th birthday then you tell about yourself according to the color of m&m you chose.2. Pass around a roll of toilet paper. Everyone tears off as much as they 'use'. Then for every square they have to tell something about themselves. This is great because people don't know what your about to do. Some have much to tell
3. Draw It Out - everyone picks a name from a hat, of some who is at the party and tells no one. Then they have to draw something about the person that will help others guess who it is. Can be hysterical.
4. Nearly Dead - older version of Newly Wed game.
5. Liars Club - Each person makes three statements about themselves. 2 statements are true, 1 is a lie. This is very fun because many people have done things that sound untrue. Everyone tries to guess. Very fun.
6. Most Embarrassing Moments - all guests write their most embarrassing moments and put into hat. Pass hat around have people read different ones and try to guess who it is.
7. Couple and Easels - They had 2 easels set up with paper on them. 2 couples were at the easels. The husbands were given a tool or object and they had to describe it to their wives who had to draw it on the easel and guess what their husbands were holding. The one who guesses first wins. Actually you could do it with just one easel and one couple at a time if there are not a lot of people there. It is really funny to hear the one person describe something and the partner try to draw it and figure out what it is.
8. Put names of famous people (prophets, scriptural characters ) on 3 by 5 cards. Put one on each person's back...they have to get hints about who they are by only asking "yes" or "no" questions.
9. A fun game that we played at our last High Priest social was a name game. We made a list of all the last names of High Priests and had the men fill in the blanks for the wives names. The one with the least answers won a can of prunes. It was a great ice breaker and a wonderful get to know you for the new members in the ward.
PHYSICAL GAMES
1. The Friendship Game - Everyone stands in a circle and just grabs someone's hand. You will end up holding hands with two different people. Then the circle must be untangled with no break in the hands. Very fun.
2. I Have NEVER - everyone is seated and one person standing, but there is no seat for them. The person standing says, (for example) "I have NEVER been to Salt Lake City". Only those who have never been to SLC can remain sitting. Everyone else must find a seat ;o) the person left standing is 'it' and the game continues, with the person who is 'it' making another 'I have never' statement.
3. The Blanket Game - divide group into 2 teams. Have each team gather on their own blanket. They must, as a team, turn the blanket over without touching the floor, if they touch the floor they must straighten out the blanket and start over. The first team to accomplish this wins. Size of blanket depends on size of group. If it's a smaller group use crib blankets.....
4. Do You Love Your Neighbor?
Everyone sits in a circle except for whoever is "it". The stand in the center and will ask one person the question, "Do you love your neighbor?" Most of the time the person will say no, and then they will follow with, but I do love people who........ and put in something like majoring in science... Then everyone who is 'majoring in science' has to jump up and change seats. This also gives the person who is "it" an opportunity to sit down. Whoever is left in the middle becomes the next "it" The person being asked also has the option of saying "Yes, I do love my neighbor" and then the two people sitting on either side of that person have to trade seats without the person in the middle of the group taking one of their seats.Bowling or ward sports tournament
See Activities at YWC and Singles Corner