Youth group games that get everyone out of the youth room
A lot of youth group games need a room, a bag of supplies and a long explanation before anyone starts. Let's Tingo is bingo you play out in the world. You build a board of things to find, everyone in the group gets their own board from the same list, and the first to fill five in a row calls a Tingo.
It makes a good scavenger hunt for teens on a regular youth night, a retreat weekend or an afternoon out, and it's ready to share as soon as everyone's arrived.
A youth group scavenger hunt built around your night
Pick a game type, tell Let's Tingo what you're doing and where you're headed, and it builds a list of finds from that: a church sign with a message, a dog in a sweater, a mural downtown. Keep the ones that suit your group, reword or trash the rest, and add your own, like the youth room couch or the sign out front.
Share the game with a link, or put the QR code up on the screen at the front of the room, and everyone joins in the app or in a browser. In most games, finds are shared, so when anyone spots something, it shows up on every board that has it. Small groups spread out across the block can see what the others just found.
Youth group games for large groups
Big groups rarely arrive all at once. Make it a join-any-time game and it's live the moment the invites go out, so whoever turns up late can join halfway through and still have a real chance. Everyone gets their own board, so nobody's standing around waiting for a turn.
Outdoor youth group games, from the parking lot to the park
On a warm evening, take the game outside. Walk the neighborhood around the church, head to a park, or send out small groups with a leader each and see which one fills a row first.
Pick a camera game and every find needs a photo. The photo stays with the find for the whole group to see, so the night ends with everyone back inside, looking through what they found.
Camp games for teens and youth group activities that last all week
A retreat or a week at summer camp gives you more time to play with. Make it a timed game, set it to end on the last night, and the board keeps going all week. Every walk to the dining hall is another chance to find something, and whoever has the most Tingos when it ends wins.
Name a prize when you set it up, first in line at the snack bar or choosing the Friday night movie, and everyone sees what they're playing for.
Youth group scavenger hunt ideas to get your board started
These are the kind of finds that make a good youth group scavenger hunt. Use them, change them, or let Let's Tingo suggest its own from what you tell it. For other occasions, browse more scavenger hunt ideas.
Around the church
- Church sign message
- Steeple
- Stained glass window
- Youth room couch
- Bulletin board
- Choir robe
- Potluck casserole
- Church van
- Welcome banner
- Coffee urn
- Prayer candle
- Stack of hymnals
Out in town
- Mural
- Dog in a sweater
- Food truck
- Street musician
- Fire hydrant
- Bike rack
- Water tower
- Ice cream shop
- Book swap box
- Painted bench
- Statue
- Basketball hoop
At camp or the park
- Campfire ring
- Canoe
- Pine cone
- Bird's nest
- Picnic shelter
- Trail marker
- Flagpole
- Dining hall bell
- Bunk beds
- Flying disc
- Roasting marshmallows
- Lake dock
Get your youth group games ready
Build the board before the group arrives, and have the QR code up while everyone's finding a seat. The same game works for camping games on a weekend retreat, an indoor scavenger hunt when the weather turns, and a nature scavenger hunt on a group hike.
Joining a game is always free, in the app or in a browser. Plenty of games are free to make, too.