Work pack: Youth club activities - Festive fun

HAVE A GREEN CHRISTMAS

Did you know that evergreen plants, symbolic of enduring and renewed life, have been used to decorate UK homes in winter since pre-Christian times?

Holly was used to ward off evil spirits and protect people's homes from witches and warlocks.

Ivy is a symbol of life taken from the old pre-Christian mid-winter festival.

Mistletoe was dedicated by Druids to the Goddess of Love, hence the tradition of kissing under it.

CHRISTMAS CARD WARM-UP

Aim: This is a quick warm-up game to start a festive session.

You will need

- Old Christmas cards (about three times as many cards as there are players)

- Scissors

How to do it: To prepare for the game, take the Christmas cards and cut each into two pieces. Separate the halves into two piles.

Before the young people arrive, distribute one half of the cards all over the room; they should be visible but not necessarily obvious. Give one half-card from the other set to each player and keep the rest in your hand.

On the word "Go" all the players try to find the other half of their card and bring it to you. Every player finding a matching pair is given a fresh half-card from the pack until there are none left.

When all of the cards have been found, the young person with the largest number of paired pieces wins.

FESTIVE FEELY PRESENTS

Aim: This is a team game that requires skill and a strong stomach.

You will need

- Boxes

- Gift wrap and sticky tape

- Glass marbles

- A permanent marker

- An old towel

- Dice

- A watch

- A selection of things to 'feel'.

How to do it: Collect an assortment of clean, empty boxes big enough to stick a hand into and cover them with Christmas giftwrap. For each "present" you need a minimum of one glass marble, with a number between one and six written on it in indelible marker.

Fill each box with a different food or substance - the more disgusting to touch the better. It doesn't matter what it is as long as it is non-toxic and won't harm people's skin. For example, you could use cold tinned spaghetti, flour-and-water paste, jelly, cold gravy or semolina. You could use food colouring to make it look even more revolting.

Bury the numbered marbles in the boxes' contents - between one and three in each. Seal up the "presents" by covering the top with giftwrap and then cover them all with a towel so that the young people can't see what you have in store. A word of warning here: keep the filled presents the right way up or you may end up covered in the contents!

Divide the group into two teams. Each team throws the dice - an even number means that they can have a go at removing marbles from a present. Let the young people select a box and decide who will represent their team. Allow 10 seconds for the player to make a hole in the "present" and then stick their hand in the box, trying to find the marbles inside. Of course, anyone can refuse the challenge, but if they do the other team gets a point.

At the end of the challenge, the team with the highest marble score wins.

NAME THAT CHRISTMAS TUNE

Aim: Those cheesy Christmas tunes have been playing everywhere for the last month - but can your team name the tune from the lyrics?

You will need

- A Name That Christmas Tune sheet for each team (above)

- Pens

How to do it: Divide the young people into small teams and then hand each team a pen and a "Name That Christmas Tune" sheet.

Explain that when you shout "GO" each team has to guess as many tunes as they can from the lyrics given. There is one point for a correct answer and an extra point if they can guess the artist that made it famous or give any other information about the song. Use the chart above to read out 10 sets of lyrics.

After 15 minutes, call time and go through the quiz, encouraging the teams to sing their answers. Award extra points for outstanding performances.

The team with the most points wins.

CHRISTMAS STOCKING RELAY

Aim: This is a team game with the aim of filling the Christmas stocking.

You will need

- One stocking (or long sock) for each team

- One teaspoon for each team

- One bowl for each team

- Wrapped sweets (fruit is a healthy option - use small types such as grapes, plums or tangerines)

How to do it: Divide the young people into teams and ask each team to line up at one end of the room, placing a bowl of sweets or fruit and a teaspoon on the floor in front of them. At the other end of the room, hang up a Christmas stocking for each team.

Starting with the young person at the front, teams must pick up a sweet from the bowl using the teaspoon, carry it as fast as they can across the room and then place it into the stocking.

Once they have done this, they race back to the next person in line and give them the spoon to continue. If a sweet is dropped, the player must return to their team and try again.

Call time and the team with the most sweets in their stocking wins.

CHRISTMAS SUPERSTITIONS

Aim: This session explores some of the Yuletide superstitions and traditions.

You will need

- A copy of the true/false list (above)

How to do it: Introduce the activity by explaining that December - when Christians celebrate Christmas - has been a time for spiritual rituals and celebrations since pre-Christian times. Many traditions and superstitions have developed over the centuries, for example, the winter solstice. Read out the list - the task of the young people is to guess whether each is a superstition (yes), or made up (no). Encourage debate and invite people to share their family, cultural or spiritual traditions.

- Vanessa Rogers is a youth work trainer, consultant and author. Her books are available from www.nya.org.uk. For training and consultancy, go to www.resourceplanet.com.