Hosting a group of teenagers at church or in your home can be challenging, especially if you want to really connect.
These days, when people get together, everyone has a cell phone nearby (or in hand). Everyone is having more than one conversation – several with those around them and several via social media and texting. That’s all well and good … up until the moment everyone leaves the gathering and you, the host, realize that people didn’t connect the way you wanted them to.
There are many possible solutions! For me, I enjoy planning ahead to give the group time just enough structure so that those attending are forced to focus on what’s happening in the room with them, but not so much structure that the event feels forced or is no longer fun.
An easy solution to this is to introduce an easy, fun, and low-risk game. One of the best and easiest group games around is Celebrity.
How To Play The Best Party Game Ever: Celebrity
To play Celebrity, you need very few supplies.
Supplies:
- A bowl or basket (about the size of a medium mixing bowl)
- Slips of paper – 3 per person
- A few pens
- Watch or phone with a timer
Divide the group into two teams. Explain the rules and start playing!
1. Each player must think of three celebrity names. These can be famous people (Tom Cruise), famous characters (James Bond), famous animals (Mickey Mouse), and so on … any name that is famous!
2. Each player puts one name on each of their slips of paper. Each person should end up with three slips of paper with one celebrity name on each. (Don’t tell anyone the names you wrote down! It’s fine for there to be repeats, but try to think of names that wouldn’t be used by everyone.)
3. All players should fold their slips of paper in half and place them into the bowl/basket.
4. Next, the players will go through three rounds. (Explained below.)
5. At the start of a round, one player from the first team goes up to the bowl. They have one minute to get their teammates to guess as many celebrity names as possible. Once a slip has been used, just drop it on the floor, but do not throw them away. Give 1 point per correct guess. You can subtract points for passing on one (if you don’t know who it is), or you can limit the number of passes per person/round.
6. When the minute is over, a team member from the second team comes up and repeats this. They have one minute to get their teammates to guess as many names as possible.
7. Teams alternate until the bowl is empty.
8. Once the bowl is empty, you put all the slips of paper back into the bowl and start the next round. (This is why you didn’t throw any of them away.)
9. Once all the rounds are done, total up all the points and declare a winner!
Here are the rules for each round:
- Round One: Catchphrase. You can describe the celebrity whose name is on the paper, you can talk like them, you can tell the movies they have acted in, and so on. You cannot say any part of the celebrity’s name, you cannot use “rhymes with,” you cannot spell it out.
- Round Two: Charades. Now that you’ve heard all the celebrity names once, you use Charades rules. Act out the character using no speech. You cannot use sign language, but you can use standard Charades motions (movie if the celebrity is an actor, singing if the celebrity is a musician, and so on).
- Round Three: One Word. For the final round, all players have heard the names twice. Players are only allowed to use one word to get their teammates to guess the celebrity on the slip of paper.
Celebrity is a great game for keeping teenagers (and adults) fully engaged in the people and activities going on in the room with them without making anyone feel like they can’t participate or still chat with those around them. Prepare yourself for tons of laughter and silliness, along with solid bonding experiences all around.
What other games are on your go-to list for group gatherings?
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