If you’re like me, summer youth group activities are some of your favorite memories. Especially as a teenager, youth group was an escape from the pressures of school, summer camp, or extracurriculars. And it was a great way to beat summer boredom, not to mention the heat!
Getting together with like-minded teens for outdoor activities is a great way to stay mentally and physically healthy. Plus, I remember making so many friends, some of whom I still know to this day!
Whether you’re a youth group leader or just looking for the best outdoor activities for teens in the summer, I’ve got some great ideas for you. From athletic games to creative crafts, here are some of the best summer youth group outdoor activities.
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Why Plan Outdoor Activities for Your Summer Youth Group?
There are so many reasons to explore summer outdoor activities for a teen youth group, like:
- Taking advantage of the warm weather
- Getting teens off of their screen
- Improving mental and physical health by being in nature and getting exercise
- Making lasting connections through team-building activities for teens
- Providing outlets for creativity
- Improving skills like strength building, hand-eye coordination, social skills, camping and outdoor survival, and more
So what are you waiting for? Check out this list of great outdoor challenge, team building and game ideas.
Summer Youth Group Outdoor Activities for Team-Building
These outdoor activities are perfect for teenagers, and they encourage bonding with other participants. Your summer youth group will have fun playing games while making lasting memories and forging new connections.
1. Egg Toss
I cannot stress enough the importance of playing this game outside! Tossing an egg back and forth until it breaks is a great way to blow off some steam, get a little messy, and help your youth group bond.
2. Pool Noodle Jousting
You don’t need a pool (or any body of water) for this game, but you will need foam pool noodles. Divide the youth group into teams and have them compete together simultaneously.
3. Human Battleship
You can make this team-building youth group game even more fun (and high stakes) by adding water balloons into the mix! When a battleship gets hit, toss a balloon at them or spray them with a water gun to represent the ship sinking.
4. Crab Soccer
Use a soccer ball, yoga ball, or even a beach ball for this goofy twist on soccer.
Pro Tip: You don’t need real soccer nets; plastic cones or anything else to mark goalposts will work just fine.
5. Balloon Volleyball
Divide your youth group into two teams and have them play a game of volleyball, but use a balloon instead of a regular ball.
6. Capture the Flag
This classic game will bring teams closer together. Plus, it’s easy, most teens already know how to play, and it requires minimal setup. I remember playing this for countless hours as a teen!
7. Blob Tag
Blob tag is a twist on the classic tag game. Start with one person as “it,” and as they tag other players, they hold hands and run together until everyone is tagged and part of the massive blob! The game gets harder as the blob gets bigger.
Skill-Building Outdoor Summer Youth Group Activities
These outdoor activities for teens will help your youth group learn new skills, such as building a campfire or whittling a wooden spoon. I’d love to make this sweet little wooden bird!
8. Geocaching
Have your teen youth group put their heads together to solve clues and participate in the world’s biggest treasure hunt.
9. Fire Building
Give the teens a skill they can use for life by teaching them how to build a campfire. You can take this outdoor activity to the next level by showing them how to cook over the fire or roasting marshmallows.
10. Starburst Target
This activity improves hand-eye coordination as teens aim for targets on the ground. It’s easy to set up, and you can substitute other candies besides Starburst or small items to throw to switch up the game.
11. Dodgeball
Playing dodgeball makes your teens use strategy and improve their reflexes.
12. Scavenger Hunt
You could make up clues yourself, or you could buy one of these cheap printables and set up an outdoor scavenger hunt for your youth group. The teens will solve riddles and puzzles to find each clue.
Pro Tip: Place a prize at the end of the hunt, like a big bag of candy or even a piñata!
13. Whittling
Show the teenagers how to whittle a spoon or a little bird out of wood you provide or thick sticks they find outdoors.
14. Goodminton
This fun activity is a mix of badminton and ping pong that’s super easy to play and clean up, and your youth group will learn a new game.
Outdoor Summer Youth Group Activities for Improving Communication Skills
Connecting with the youth group over the summer keeps teens’ social abilities sharp while they’re out of school. Here are some great outdoor activities that improve communication skills.
15. Guided Obstacle Course
Set up a fun obstacle course for your youth group using hula hoops, masking tape, cones, chairs, and anything else you can think of. Divide them into pairs and blindfold one person from each team. The other person has to verbally guide the other through the obstacle course. The first team to the finish line wins!
16. Chalk Mural
Provide sidewalk chalk for your teens to make a beautiful temporary mural on the sidewalk, parking lot, or even on the side of a brick building. Working together on an art project not only boosts their creativity but also improves their communication skills.
17. Giant Twister
This youth group had a great time playing a giant game of Twister. You’ll need to play outside for the space!
Pro Tip: Here’s a link to a giant Twister board, or you can combine several regular-sized ones.
18. Gardening
If your church has enough outdoor space, why not have the youth group build a garden? They can decide as a team if they want to grow flowers, vegetables, or both. Working together to design the layout, plant seeds, and more will exercise their communication skills.
19. Kite Building
Putting together a few kites as a group will bring your youth group teens together. Plus, they’ll have so much fun flying the kites when they’re done!
20. Human Knot
This game works best in an outdoor space if you have a lot of people. Have your entire youth group join hands and create a human knot they have to untangle (check out this video for instructions). They’ll have to talk to each other and work together to figure it out!
21. Tricky Perspective Photos
Teens will love this one because they can post the results on social media. Here’s how to take silly tricky perspective pictures – the key is having the photographer and the subject work together to get the photo just right.
Creative Outdoor Summer Youth Group Activities
Outdoor youth group activities don’t always have to involve running around in the heat. Here are some ideas for outdoor activities that exercise your teens’ creativity.
22. Twig Crafts
Have your youth group gather small sticks to make any of these awesome craft ideas. I love the birdhouse and the photo frame!
23. Nature Bouquets
Take your teens on a hike and have them collect interesting items such as flowers, leaves, feathers, mushrooms, and pinecones they find on the ground. Encourage them to find as many textures and colors as they can. Give them ribbons at the end of the walk to arrange and tie their nature bouquets.
24. Hydro Dipping
This messy craft is best done outside in case of spills and splatters. Have your teens come prepared with items to hydro dip (like shoes, tumblers, mugs, or really anything!), then follow these steps to make a unique pattern on their objects.
25. Wind Chimes
Provide random trinkets like keys, bells, thimbles, beads, etc. for the teens to paint and use to make wind chimes. You can also have them gather supplies like sticks, pinecones, feathers, and more to incorporate into their designs. Here are instructions to make a beaded wind chime, but there are lots of ways to make this decoration.
Pro Tip: Pick a spot on the church grounds, if possible, to hang your wind chimes so everyone can enjoy them.
26. Color Fight
Mixing and baking the colored powder for a color war requires creative skills, and throwing the colors at each other is such a fun way to blow off steam in the summer heat!
27. Kindness Rocks
Have your teens bring a few smooth rocks to paint, or find them outside together. Decorate them with kind words, then take your youth group on a walk to hide the rocks where people can find them.
28. Painting Flower Pots
Explain what the “faith of a mustard seed” means to your youth group. Then have them paint flower pots to take home to remind them of this important message.
29. Nature Pinch Pots
These nature pinch pots are fun to make at any age, and they’re the perfect way to combine outdoor fun with creativity.
Just putting this list together reminds me of how much fun summer youth group was as a teen. And we’ve come a long way since I was a teenager – there are so many great ideas I didn’t get to do when I was younger that I’d love to do now!
So, what do you think? Did you find any great activities to do outdoors with your summer youth group?
Let me know in the comments, or share some suggestions for other hot weather activities for teens!
