How to Get All Your Students Involved in a Group Activity

So you’ve decided that a youth group activity is the perfect way to excite everyone after a long period of little socialisation and a lot of tv binge-watching. However, you’ve reached a dilemma when you realise you have a few members of the gang that may be a little more timid and reluctant than the rest. We totally understand, and that is why we’ve created this blog post with our top tips on making the most out of a youth group activity booking.

Make sure the activity you pick is meaningful to the participants

It’s well known that you’re going to be much more engaged in an activity if it's actually going to provide some sort of worth. So link the activity to a goal or milestone that your group is wanting to achieve.

Embrace collaboration

It goes without saying that when you book a youth group activity you want the whole group to work as a team. That’s why all our youth group activities are designed around bonding and completing challenges together. With collaboration, everyone should be involved not only within the activity but continuing on after it. If this isn’t quite working on a large scale, split your gang into smaller groups to get the conversations rolling.

Choose an activity that is more active than stagnant

Another tried and tested theory is that young people are more likely to get involved when the activity is more ‘hands-on’ rather than staring at a screen or whiteboard. Most young groups find it invigorating and it's easy to monitor those who are sitting on the sidelines.

Give your participants 'minimal supervision' tasks

Sometimes for young people, youth group activities can seem too structured and the opposite of fun. That’s why you need to give them activities that allow them to explore their freedom away from school teachers and parents. This way, it will give your youth group activity a more relaxed/day-off feel.

Plan, plan, plan!

We recommend you ensure the activity you have booked for your group is suited to the needs of everyone and that they know that taking part in said activity is either optional or compulsory, as the shy ones amongst them are going to be thankful for the option to partially sit out if they don’t feel comfortable taking part.

Make time for reflection

This could be as simple as asking everyone what their favourite activity was, or asking them to pair up and write down what they’ve learnt. It’s great for them to learn that not only is the activity meant to be fun but also a valuable learning experience. Sharing all these ideas with each other is a great opportunity for everyone to be included without it feeling forced.

We can guarantee all our activities will get the whole gang talking for months afterwards. Find out more about our activities for youth groups here.