Young Catholics
Youth Ministry, Vacation Bible School (VBS), and Family Resources
Do you need a quick and easy activity for your ocean or adventure themed VBS? This word search puzzle is a good way to keep everyone busy while gathering or to fill some unexpected free time.
Download the printable word search puzzle and key below. You are free to use the printed version “as is” with your youth group, VBS, or other youth ministry.
Water Balloon Relay is a fun wet game for your Vacation Bible School or church camp. Have plenty of water balloons on hand! Your VBS kids will want to play this over and over again. It is a good game for any water or ocean or pirate or nautical based theme. Or a good game just because water balloons are fun!
Be prepared for this to get a little crazy when the kids are really tossing the balloons with their towels. That is part of the fun.
This game is probably to difficult for the really little preschool kids. Primary aged kids can do this at camp or VBS. For middle school or a high school youth ministry group, have them stand further apart to make it more challenging.
Are you familiar with the movie It’s a Wonderful Life? In it, George Bailey is facing financial ruin, largely because of his generosity to others. He wishes he had never been born. An angel grants him his wish and he sees the impact he has seen on others. He takes back his wish, but he is still in deep trouble. He returns home, and his wife is overjoyed. She has spread the word that they need help, and the whole town turns up to help him. This act of love can bring tears to the eyes of the sentimental.
Why? Because deep down, what we all need to know more than anything, is that we are loved. It is what our hearts seek. Sometimes it seems like if we really, truly, 100% believed that God loved us, we would not sin. We would be so secure in that love that nothing else would drive us. But we are flawed and we often falter and doubt.
So as an activity, spend some time gazing at the crucifix. Think about the tremendous love that our Lord has for us, and for you individually. Consider the thought, “If you were the only person in need of salvation, Jesus still would have died for you.”
Hear our Lord call you “Beloved”. Be confident in His great love for you. Just gaze at Him and love him back. And let that be your whole world for a few moments.
This is a small collection of video clips and music about authenticity and being your true self. Use these with your youth ministry or youth group meeting. If you have suggestions for additional clips or songs, please leave them in the comments at the bottom.
This might be my favorite clip about being yourself. It is entertaining but also gets to the point. Only downside is that there is no mention of God. But it makes a good introduction to the topic.
This is a very brief clip about how we answer the question “Who am I?” Do we try to answer that based on our own view of ourselves, how others see us, or how God sees us?
This is a very short clip. The message is simple. Take off your mask and be yourself.
This is a music video. The focus of this song is on being yourself: “Well, I’m tired of saying everything; I feel like I’m supposed to say; I’m tired of smiling all the time; I wanna throw the mask away.”
This song has a positive focus on God’s love for us. “You’re beautiful;; You are treasured, you are sacred; You are His; You’re beautiful;
Natalie Grant wrote this touching song after struggling with bulimia. “But You see the real me; Hiding in my skin, broken from within; Unveil me completely. “
This simple lesson plan is for a youth ministry meeting focused on the problem of hiding yourself to seek popularity. Letting our true selves shine will allow us to be the people God created us to be and will lead us to true joy in Christ.
Download a printable copy of this youth ministry lesson plan
Play a game which focuses on the characteristics of each person, such as Getting to Know You Bingo.
After the game, ask if they learned anything they didn’t know about each other. Have the students give specific examples.
We often don’t know each other as well as we think we do. This can be for a number of reasons, but one reason is that we can hide parts of ourselves to reduce the risk of rejection or unpopularity.
It is good to have friends, but our friends should like us for our true selves. God made each of us with unique gifts and talents. When we hide these, we are not being the person God intended us to be.
In Ephesians 2:10 we hear
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.
We have each been created for a purpose, and when we hide our true selves in order to be popular, we can compromise our ability to fulfill that purpose.
Do one or more of the following:
When our focus is on being popular, we spend a lot of time and energy trying to fit in. We can engage in gossip or other behavior in an attempt to increase our social status at the expense of others. We waste time worrying about our image or our social media posts. We can even dress and act inappropriately in order to gain the acceptance of others.
When we do these things, we are not our authentic selves. And we lose sight of the fact that God loves us exactly as we are. After all, He created us. If we focus more on becoming closer to God and learning what He wants us to do, then we can be the daughters and sons he created us to be.
So in Romans 12:2 we hear
Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.
So rather than conforming to what we think will make us popular, we are called to be our true selves as God made us. Only then can we be transformed through our relationship with Christ and find the joy intended for us.
Break into small groups and discuss. Here are some questions to get you started:
If time permits, make affirmation bracelets.
Gather together and pray the Prayer to Be My True Self or another appropriate prayer. Let each youth offer his or her own intentions, focusing on friendship and those who are trying too hard to be popular.
Send the teens out with a reminder to watch for opportunities to be their authentic selves instead of seeking popularity with a fake version of themselves. Give them a reminder they can keep. Here are some suggestions:
Walk the Plank is a game for Vacation Bible School or a youth ministry meeting. This will be difficult for younger children but it would be appropriate for middle school VBS or youth group. It has a problem solving and team building aspect to it which tweens and teens will enjoy.
In this game, teams move down the playing area on two boards. They have to figure out how to move the boards without anyone falling off. This takes a lot of cooperation. Another version of this game involves looping ropes around the boards to let the players lift the boards and move them.
Turn it into a race if you want to, but it is not necessary. Just moving from one end of the play area to another is a victory.
