13 Fun Summer Youth Event Ideas For Small Churches

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Summer is almost here! Summer break is the time of year when you can focus more on fun activities for your students. It’s also a time when we’re able to get to know our students beyond the lesson. The truth is, summer is a time when, unless they’re on vacation, most of the time young people are home, bored. Summer is an incredible opportunity for building relationships! We know that it can feel overwhelming, so we have included 13 summer youth event ideas that the students in your youth group will love. Some are more involved than others, so pick and choose which ones will fit your small group best.

13 Fun Summer Youth Event Ideas

1. Movie Night 

Movie night is a great way to encourage students to come and hang out, especially the introverts who don’t love showing up and talking. You can do the movie night either outside with a projector or just in your youth space using your screens. If you are using a screen inside, I recommend adding the game called “Movie Mustache” during the movie. 

How to Play: Each student/leader is given a paper cut-out mustache and a piece of tape. One at a time, each student/leader places their mustache somewhere on the screen (try to get the students to spread out their mustaches as much as possible). Once all of the mustaches are set, start the movie. If at any point the mustache lines up perfectly with a character in the movie, you get a point. The person whose mustache lines up the most during the movie wins. The winner gets a prize like cool popcorn topping, a $5 gift card, or a cute stuffed animal!

Supplies: Pop popcorn, provide (or have them bring) some blankets and pillows, and play a movie the students will enjoy or an episode of The Chosen! If you play the mustache game, cut out paper mustaches, grab some tape, and secure a small prize for the winner!

Budget-Friendly Adaptation: You supply the popcorn for the event, but challenge your students to bring a topping to share to add to the popcorn. The person who brings the best topping gets to sit in the “cool chair” or use the “cool blanket” for the movie. 

Tips For Success: 

• Have 3 options of movies you can show, and have the students vote on which movie they would like to watch. 
• Ask your students, before the event, what movie they are most interested in watching and, assuming it’s appropriate, show that movie (so the students have input, which leads to more buy-in). 

2. Ice Cream Social 

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream! Everyone loves ice cream, especially in the summer! This event is a meetup event. Pick a Dairy Queen, Sweet Frog, or perhaps a favorite local spot to meet up at. Consider incorporating some contained youth ministry games in the ice cream shop or outside of it. Icebreaker questions or well-placed spiritual questions can be helpful as well. 

Examples of Questions: What’s been your favorite thing you’ve done on summer break? What vacations have you been on? What is the new trick you’ve learned at the pool? Who are you praying for these days and why? What is your favorite slushy flavor at 7-11? What activity are you looking forward to doing before summer ends? How has God shown up in your life lately? What celebrity would you want to play you in a movie? 

Supplies: None

Budget-Friendly Adaptation: Have your students bring money to this event, so the event doesn’t have to use your budget at all. 

Tips for Success:

• Email the parents all of the information 2-3 weeks before the event: when, where, time of event, and for students to bring their own money for ice cream. 
• Make a flyer to hand out to the students about this event, so the students are informed about the event. 
• If possible, choose an ice cream shop central to the various towns or neighborhoods your students live in.
• Take a random poll about local ice cream shops a month or two before the event, and use the information gathered to determine the location of the event.

3. Tie-Dye Water Fight 

This summer youth event idea offers the best of both worlds: a water balloon fight and tie-dye. Start off by having the students put on their white shirts. The leader will have the balloons in a bucket or bowl in the middle of the space. When the leader says “go!”, students will run, grab a water balloon, and throw it to another student. The students want to aim at the other students’ shirts. Play until all of the balloons are gone. Wash the students and their shirts off with the hose at the end of the event. Have the students change out of their shirts and place them in a bag for them to take home. 

Supplies: Tie-dye kit, water balloons, a big open space outside, white t-shirts (various sizes), plastic bags, and a hose to be able to blow up the water balloons/wash off the students. 

Event Prep: Blow up the water balloons, make the dye, and add some of the dye you have made from the kit into each water balloon. 

Budget-Friendly Adaptation: To keep costs down for this event, encourage the students to bring their own white shirts. That way, you only have to pay for 1 tie-dye kit and a pack of water balloons. 

Tips for Success: 

• I would recommend putting the tie dye in the containers provided so it is easier to put the dye in the water balloons. 
• Email the parents the details of the event, and make sure you remind them to bring a white shirt and a change of clothes for their ride home. 
• You could have a competition to see who has the most colors on their shirt. The person with the most colors gets a prize, which is: they get to throw 5 balloons at you (the leader). 

4. Photo Scavenger Hunt 

This event is a fun summer photo scavenger hunt. This event can be played individually or in pairs. The object of this event is that they have to go around your space (inside or outside) and find items that match the colors on their paper. Once they find the matching color, they will take a picture with their camera of the paint sample next to the matching item. The individual or pair will search until they have found all of the items or until the time is up. The individual or pair that has found the most matches wins. 

Supplies: Pieces of paper, paint samples (variety of different colors) from Home Depot or Lowe’s, clipboards, and each person/team has someone with a camera/phone to take pictures. 

Event Prep: You will take the different colored paint samples, tape them to a piece of paper, and add them to a clipboard. Give each individual or pair a different set of colors. 

Budget-Friendly Adaptation: This event should be completely free. Because the paint samples are free, and paper and pen can be found in your space, this is a fun event that should not have to cost you a dime!

Tips For Success:

• It is recommended that you get at least 3 easy colors that are no-brainers that the students can find, 2 medium colors, and 1 hard color for each individual/pair. This allows each individual/pair to find at least 3 colors. 
• Give a time limit to your students and a place to meet up when the time is over. Also, recommend a noise or sound to bring the students back in if they lose track of time. 
• Have the students “show off” what they found as their matches, like a show-and-tell time. 

5. Park Youth Group 

Move your youth group programming to a local park. Find a park that is near where most of your students live. The event can easily be a fun way to incorporate both fun games and a time of spiritual growth, toward the end with a message about Jesus. 

Game Suggestions:

1. Camouflage – Students have to hide in the general area where you all are in. Behind a tree, in a bush, or on the slide. Countdown from 10 and then try to find your students. 
2. Lava – If your park has a playground, play lava. The students have to move around the playground and not touch the ground. If they touch the ground, they are out. 
3. Playground Freeze – The students will start on the playground somewhere. The leader will turn their back, while the leader is turned away, the students have to freely move around the playground. When the leader turns around and faces the playground, the students have to freeze. If the student is moving when the leader turns back, they switch places. Keep playing until each person has been able to freely move and be the “leader.” 

Supplies: Find a park near your church to meet up at. However, adding popsicles into the mix is a fun idea if you’ve got an extra cooler lying around!

Budget-Friendly Adaptation: This event is already low-cost! 

Tips for Success: 

• Choose a park either near the church or, if applicable, central to where your students live. 
• Create a handout to give to the students about the “Youth Group at the Park.”

6. Water Balloon Toss 

Who doesn’t love a good water balloon toss? You probably have a childhood memory of when you were at an event and you picked your partner, and you either got out right away, got in second, or you were the winner! This game is a lot of fun because anyone can play it. 

Two Ways To Play Water Balloon Toss: 

1. Have your students pick a partner. Give 1 balloon per pair, and have the students start really close. With each throw, they’ll step further and further apart. If their balloon drops, they are out. Alternatively, if their balloon drops, they get a new balloon and start over. The team that has the farthest distance between them by the end of the time wins! 
2. Set up various “targets” throughout your space at varying distances. Students try to hit the target with their balloons. The student who hits a target gets a point. Point values can vary depending on target size and distance, if that works best for your group! Play several rounds. The player with the most points at the end wins.

Supplies: Water balloons, cardboard for “targets”, buckets, hose access

Budget-Friendly Adaptation: You could ask families to bring a pack of water balloons, but this event is fairly inexpensive either way!

Tips for Success:

• Play with the kids. Have them try to beat you. 
• Encourage students to bring towels in case they need to dry off.

7. Water Balloon Roll 

When we think of water balloons, we think of a water balloon fight, maybe a water balloon toss, or “let’s just see how many balloons we can hit our leader with.” This summer youth event idea is a twist on the normal water balloon game. It’s a water balloon roll. 

How To Play: 

1. Find 5-6 spots/targets in your space. Try to find a variety of textures, for example: grass, concrete, tile, carpet, rocks, dirt, etc. You can add a makeshift obstacle course in between the students and the targets to make it harder. 
2. Fill up the water balloons. 
3. Each student will have a water balloon. 
4. The object of the game is to be able to roll your balloon to the spot/target and try to hit the target without popping your balloon upon impact.

Supplies: Water balloons, buckets, cardboard for “targets”, hose access

Budget-Friendly Adaptation: The only thing that will cost is the balloons. We recommend bulk ordering the water balloons so you have enough to do all of these balloon-related activities if you’d like. 

Tips for Success: 

• Be an example of how not to do it. Try to pop your balloon with the different textures. Make the kids laugh. If they know they can and will beat you, they might try harder to play. 

8. Trip To An Amusement Park Or Carnival 

Have you ever wondered what rides your students love the most? Going to an amusement park or carnival is a fun event where your students can show their personalities, but also have ownership of what rides they would like. The great thing about amusement parks and carnivals is that there’s most likely a ride for everyone. 

Supplies: None 

Budget-Friendly Adaptation: Activities like this can be pricey, but if you’re able to utilize volunteers/parents for carpooling and have students pay for their ticket and food at the park, it should be a relatively low-cost event on the church budget.

Tips for Success: 

• Ensure parents sign waivers for this event since you’ll likely be traveling an unusually far distance.
• Often, having attendees register for the event ahead of time allows you to get a group rate on tickets, but it also means more administrative work to keep things organized. You get to decide which factor is more important to you.
• If you allow your group to split up, utilize mandatory checkpoints throughout the day for students to check in. 
• Create a fun photo scavenger hunt for the amusement park for your students to do. For example:
  • Find a lady wearing cheetah print.
  • Someone from the group tried something pickle flavored.
  • Someone tries a basketball game. 
  • Everyone is eating an ice cream. 
  • Try on a weird hat from a gift shop.

9. Local Swimming Pool Party 

Summer equals the pool. We count down the days until the neighborhood pool is open. As youth pastors, we look forward to showing off our best cannonball skills to our students. A pool party is fun because you can cool off by the pool, but also have fun conversations and enjoy water-centric games. 

Budget-Friendly Adaptations:

• Use a pool that is near the church or near where your students live (neighborhood pool). 
• Use guest passes for your students. 
• Create a registration link for this event, so that you know how many to expect and how many passes you might need. 
• Ask your parents to provide a snack and labeled pool toys to share for this event. 

Tips for Success:

• Create a handout to give to your students about this event. 
• Have some games in the back of your mind to play in the pool in case you need them.
• Your church’s culture should heavily factor into your pool wear guidelines.

10. Board Game Night

This event is for board game lovers. This is a great event to invite your students to bring their favorite board games. It is recommended that you have about 5 games to choose from. Bring some that are your favorites so that the students can choose from them. Set a timer for a certain amount of time, so you can play a variety of games (also, if students bring games, you get a chance to play as many games as possible). 

Supplies: Board games and snacks.

Budget-Friendly Adaptation: Everyone has board games lying around in their house. If you don’t have any for your ministry, instead of buying some, send out an email to your staff/coworkers to see if they would bring some in for you to play with your kids. Thrift stores also have a great variety of games, too.

Tips for Success: 

• Set the tone with chill or upbeat background music.
• Focus on highlighting games less likely to become overly competitive or combative.
• Don’t be afraid to lean into digitally-friendly games like Jackbox TV.

11. Slip-n-Slide Activity 

Everyone loves a good slip-n-slide activity. Find a grassy area around your church and set up the slip-n-slide. Encourage your students to try different moves: go feet first, go head first, go on your back, go on your stomach, try to go down the fastest, or even try to go down the slowest!

 Supplies: Tarp, water/hose access, soap, and a hill/open space. 

Budget-Friendly Adaptation: If the church doesn’t have tarps, you may find that parents in your church have some lying around. Tarps can certainly be expensive!

Tips for Success:

• Be the example. Show the students how youth pastors rock the slip-n-slide. 

12. BYOHDT – Bring Your Own Hot Dog Toppings

When you think of summer break, do you think of cookouts and hot dogs? This is a spin on the cookout. Invite your students to an event where they get to bring a weird or unique topping for a hot dog. It is recommended that you have 6 toppings to choose from, so consider bringing a few extras if you need to. Assign each topping a number.

One at a time, have your students roll the dice, and the number they land on is the topping they have to add to their hot dog. Have each student roll several times to add 2-3 toppings to their hot dog. Then, have the students roll the dice for your hot dog, so you are also included in the activity. At the end, all take a bite of your hot dog and rate how good it was from 1-5. 

Supplies: Hot dog buns, hot dogs, dice, a few “safe” toppings, and several backup “weird” toppings. Also, remember to bring things like plates, napkins, and drinks.

Budget-Friendly Adaptation: Get all of your supplies from the dollar store. The toppings don’t have to be expensive. The weirder/grosser/sweeter your toppings are, the more fun your event is. 

Tips for Success: 

• Make a flyer to hand out to your students 2-3 weeks before the event. 
• Ensure the toppings are allergy-friendly for the students you have present.
• Borrow a grill or warmer of some kind if need be in order to cook the hot dogs.

13. Family Event 

Summer gives us an incredible opportunity to also include our families and get to know them. We want to make a fun event for parents and students to enjoy. You could have a dodgeball event, a fun trivia night, an ice cream social, a game night, a video game night, or meet up at a pool. There are ways to get the parents involved in what you do, but still have fun.

Students love competition, but also when there are opportunities to beat their parents at something. Encourage your families to come and have a good time. The more your parents can see the investment you are making in their student, the more buy-in they will probably have throughout the year. 

Budget-Friendly Adaptation: 

• Use things you have already. 
• Go to the dollar store and get supplies if you need any for your event. 
• Also, challenge/encourage the students and parents to bring something with them to share. 

Tips for Success: 

• Communicate with the parents 2-3 weeks before your event that you are inviting them as well! 
• Make a handout to give to your students about your event. 
• Ask your students what they would enjoy doing with their parents, so they feel like their voice is heard when making the event as well. 

Step Outside Of The Box!

Summer is a great time to have fun and get to know your students. I hope these events open your eyes to the different character traits, personalities, likes, and dislikes of your students. Summer brings a lot of joy, so why not feed into that when doing youth ministry? It is ok to take a break from regular teaching to invest in your students in a different way during the summer. I encourage you to go outside the box, push the envelope, take risks, do events you’ve never done in your youth group before, and even allow your students to have a say on what events you do! Have a great summer! 

Read More:

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