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Les Christie give seven reasons to play games in a youth/children group setting.
ReplyDelete1)they are unversal - everyone around that world plays them
2)ideal for come-and-see entry-level activities - they help new people come into the group easier.
3)stretch your students, encourage thm to take risks - helps with development and maturity
4) improve problem-solving skills and help kids deal with life's stresses - time to relax and have fun
5)build community, acceptance, and a sense of belonging - can become shared memories
6) they are relevant - can be seen on tv and the internet
7) provide good, clean, trouble-free fun - youth need to have fun and play together.
So, those are seven reasons. To really just sum all of those up I would say that games just give time for teens/children to be themselves and not worry about what is going on away from the setting. This is also why it is imporant to play games.
side note:
If you have not bought the book I would really suggest that you do. I was able to be at Les Christies workshop at NWYC and he had some great games. if you notice in the book there are some games that require nylon hose. At the workshop Les gave the following address to get a box of 240 nylon hose. the cost is only $20 which covers shipping and handleing. hope this helps and here is the address.
Hanes Brand Inc.
C/O Nancy Terry
1904 Clark Road
P.O. Box 669
Clark, ARK. 72830
phone (479)979-3492
I also have some other numbers for other things if you are interestead.
Thanks for the hose info, Brett, lol.
ReplyDeleteI would sum up the question of why games are important in one sentence as well. Games connect people together in a way that no other teaching method can. I know that one of the reasons that Les Christie is that they build community, but I would venture to say that the connection that games can create just sort of trumps everything else. Of course, games provide a good clean fun, stretch students, etc., but this all feeds the community-building. Therefore, I stick to my one sentence answer: Games connect people together in a way that no other teaching method can.
Well since Brett wrote down all the information possible looks like we dont have to post now. haha. jk.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion on why a youth pastor or why a children's pastor should play the games with his group is because he can lead by example. I know as a student i might get a more negative attitude about the game unless the person who is supposed to lead it plays with us. It can show leadership and it can show that the leader wants to relate and have fun with us. Game are important because they are group relationship building activities. Most games allow the teens or kids to help eachother in order for the game to work and i think that is the biggest reason why they are so crucial and why they work. they allow us to work together and to get to know each other better.
Well i definitely think that the youth/children's pastor should participate in the games b/c it helps them to better connect w/ the kids. in a way it puts them on the same playing field. it shows that they not "better" than the kids b/c they are willing to possibly get a little embarassed.
ReplyDeleteI think the importance of games is that they allow the children to interact with one another. If it is a team game it allows them to learn how to work together so that they can win. But then again winnig isn't everything. Also i think playing a game at the beginning of your session helps the kids to release some energy. I mean if they don't let some of it out they get all antsy and then you can quickly lose their attention.
Games help youth bond and learn how to interact with others. These games can also be used to bring in fresh ideas and educate them. Youth need to be doing activities together and what a better way than to have fun while they're doing activities. When I was a kid the more I played around or worked at an activity with friends the closer we got. These close friendships are what helped bring me to Christ.
ReplyDeleteI feel that #5 on that list stands out the most to me. From personal experience, I have numerous memories of just spending time with my friends playing games and having a great time. It is about community and getting everyone involved. Games allow the students to "let go" and be relaxed, while spending great quality time and having CLEAN fun with others.
ReplyDeleteWhile all the rest are really important, I think that #7 is great - games are just plain fun! I know from working with the 6th graders at First Church that kids need time to work off energy. Games are an awesome way to let them do it constructively. And while it's good to tie in your games to your message, it's not necessary. Sometimes it's important to play games just for the sake of having a blast together!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Sorry this is late Jeremy - I completely forgot! :)
I agree with Liz. They are important to just have fun togeather and fellowship togeather. Games bring groups of people togeather. They have a common goal and work together to complete that goal.
ReplyDeletegames are non-threatening as long as they are set up that way. For someone who is not apart of the church to encounter us, they have a tendency to keep us at arms length. Games are a good way to let us all drop our guards and agendas to just play for fun sake. I have heard argument both ways that games make the kids over active so that they don't pay attention to the teaching and that games makes kids drained so they are not responsive to the teaching. I am not sure I agree with one or the other or any.
ReplyDelete