Outdoor games for youth groups can be tricky to pull off in these dark winter months. But playing outside doesn’t have to be done in the daytime. Once the sun has gone down and the dark sky dominates, there are still tons of great glow-in-the-dark outdoor games and activities that can be enjoyed by all ages.
The thought of competing in a glow-in-the-dark game, with no floodlights, sunlight or even torches to keep the shadows away, is a pretty cool thought for most people. And when there’s no strong light to guide you, you have to rely on other skills, like confidence, leadership, creativity, strategy and teamwork. Of course, a few light-up accessories will definitely help and add plenty of fun too.
If you’re a scout/guide group leader, youth club leader, or anyone in the care of a group of kids that might benefit from night sports and light-up outdoor games, the following suggestions will give you plenty of inspiration to get started:
Hide & Seek Glow-in-the-dark Paint
Hide and seek in the dark is fun, but it gets a bit trickier when you’re covered in glow-in-the-dark paint! In the light, children or adults can paint themselves with glow in the dark paint, to then play an epic game of hide and seek when it gets dark. The trick is to make sure all of your body is concealed and no glow in the dark paint is showing!
Glow-in-the-Dark Hoopla
This is an easy to organise game that’s ideal for parties. All you need to do is push some 12” glow sticks into your lawn (it’ll need to be slightly soft), and use glow bracelets to make the hoops. Use the glow bracelet connectors to connect several glow sticks together. Then you can adjust the size of the hoops to make it easier or more difficult. Our glow in the dark hoopla pack has everything you need to get started.
Glow-In-The-Dark Charades
Give your group a large box, full of glow in the dark accessories like glow sticks, glasses, hats, bunny ears and crowns. Get each person to act out a sport or activity with the accessories whilst everyone guesses what the activity or sport is. The person who guesses right gets a turn.
Glow-In-The-Dark Obstacle Course
A glow in the dark obstacle course will be challenging, but if it is done in a safe way, it will also be a lot of fun and completely different to anything your group will have done before. Use glow sticks to mark out sections, and include fun visual sections of the course, like raving with glow sticks for 30 seconds. To make it into a race, have two different colours of glow-in-the-dark paint, one for each team and have them paint their faces with it.
UV Easter Egg Hunt
This is the perfect game for little children, and works well as a daytime activity as well. During the day, little ones can paint eggs with UV paint, and then in a safe area at night after the adults have hidden them, can find them. Introduce a bit of healthy competition by offering a prize for the most eggs found. Remember, you’ll need a UV torch for the paint to show-up.
Glow In The Dark Tag
Tag in the dark is challenging, but easy to organise. Simply have one team wear glow bracelets of one colour, then the other team wear glow in the dark bracelets of another colour. Then, when the whistle is blown, one team has to tag the other team out.
Get organising some Glow-in-the-Dark Outdoor games with your Youth Group
Hopefully these ideas will help you feel inspired for your next evening session with your youth group. Remember, when it comes to glow in the dark accessories and sports, the limits are only held by your imagination. Get started by ordering our outdoor glow pack, which has everything you’ll need to glow have fun!
