If you have any ideas for activities that have worked well for you and you would like to share it, please feel free to contact a member of the Stake Young Men's presidency and it may be added to this website.
Advertising Our Standards
Purpose
Understand and share the standards in For the Strength of Youth.
Description
Have groups of youth create commercials or tik-tok video, a song, and so on) about different topics from For the Strength of Youth. Have them share what they created with the rest of the youth and others. Invite the group to share how they have been blessed as they have lived the standard depicted.
Attributes of Christ
Purpose
Develop attributes of Christ
Description
Have youth fill out the Attribute Activity on page 126 of Preach My Gospel. Have youth identify attributes they would like to improve in their lives. Have each youth make a plan for developing his or her chosen attribute, including a long-term goal and practical exercises to do regularly to achieve the goal. Have the youth make charts that will help them follow through on the exercises. Join together to report on progress at a later time.
Bible Customs
Purpose
Learn about and appreciate the faith of those who lived anciently
Description
Invite someone who has studied the Bible to share with the youth how learning about customs and daily life during ancient times can help them understand the scriptures. Guide the youth in finding scriptures from the Old and New Testaments that teach about life in biblical times. Invite the youth to create something that will deepen their understanding of the scriptures. They could build household items or tools, create models of buildings, prepare a biblical meal, or re-create clothing worn by the people described in the scriptures. Discuss how this helps us understand the scriptures better.
Examples could include:
Making a lamp (Matthew 25)
Cooking a passover meal (Exodus 12-13)
Constructing or drawing a Tabernacle (Exodus 25-31)
Making a phylactery (Matthew 23:5)
Making a winnowing fork (Matthew 3:12)
Bringing the Book of Mormon to Life
Purpose
Learn creative ways to teach others about the Book of Mormon
Description
Have youth teach one another sections or stories from the Book of Mormon in creative and engaging ways (such as with a skit, a video, or a game). Ask them to explain how this story or section helps them understand a principle of the gospel.
Scripture Games
Purpose
Learn principles of the gospel and scriptures in creative ways.
Description
Use a game to teach a story or principle from the scriptures. Here are some examples:
Read and discuss scripture passages about the armor of God (see Ephesians 6:10–17; D&C 27:15–18). Consider the significance of each piece of the armor. Build armor with your class or quorum out of inexpensive material, such as cardboard or paper. Find creative ways, such as an obstacle course, to show how this armor could protect them from spiritual danger.
Play scripture Battleship by tying a rope between two trees and hanging long blankets from the rope so the people on one side of the blankets cannot see the people on the other side. Divide the participants into two teams and ask them to lie or sit down on either side of the rope (they can’t move after they do). Adult leaders will present challenging situations (such as “Your friend invites you to a drinking party”). The first person to name a scripture that would help them in each situation can throw a ball to the other side of the blankets. If the ball hits someone, that person is out. Continue playing until all the youth on one side of the blankets are out.
Bake a few cakes. Divide your class or quorum into groups, and give them appropriate stories from the scriptures (such as the parable of the good Samaritan or Daniel in the lion’s den). Invite them to decorate a cake to illustrate their scripture story. Have the youth share their cakes and invite others to guess the scripture stories they have illustrated. Have those who decorated the cake share a few key scriptures from the story and teach how the principles in the story apply in their lives. Then eat the cakes.
Play a game such as dodgeball or tag. If a youth gets tagged out, he or she can get back into the game only by quoting or paraphrasing a scripture mastery passage. To make the game more challenging, allow each scripture mastery passage to be used only once.
Study Like a Missionary
Purpose
Strengthen testimonies and learn a valuable skill that will aid them in their missions and in life
Description
Teach the class how to study thoroughly and with intent using all the tools available to them and how to write. Provide them with something to write on (giving each class member a study journal would be optimal). Show them different ways to mark scriptures. Do all this with paper, not on their phones. Give them a certain amount of time to study a specific section of the scriptures or a specific topic like one of the missionary lessons. If there is time, share what impressions were gained and what was learned to the whole class. Or do a companionship study where they can share what they learned with each other, study a topic together, or prepare for a lesson they can teach together.
Book of Mormon Challenge
Purpose
Strengthen testimonies of the Book of Mormon
Description
Challenge the youth to read the entire Book of Mormon (or a selected portion) in a chosen period of time. Discuss ways they can encourage each other, track their own progress, and carefully record the impressions they have as they read. Hold a testimony meeting or devotional shortly afterward for youth to share what they learned and how immersing themselves in the scriptures affected their daily lives.
Faith Walk
Purpose
Practice exercising faith and listening to the Spirit
Description
Before the activity, weave a rope through a short obstacle course. This could be done outdoors using trees and other natural features or indoors using simple furniture or other items. Display a picture of the Savior at the end of the obstacle course.
Invite a leader or youth to share with the group a short message about faith. Explain that this is a silent activity in which they must heed warnings and hold tightly to the rope. Tell the youth that one leader will represent the voice of the Spirit, and let all the youth hear that leader’s voice. Guide each youth to the beginning of the rope to complete the obstacle course while blindfolded. Have the leader representing the Spirit give wise directions for the youth to follow (such as “step over the log” or “turn left”), and have other leaders attempt to deceive the youth by giving them bad directions. As the youth reach the end of the rope, remove each blindfold so they can see that they reached the Savior.
After all have had a chance to participate, invite the youth to share their impressions of the activity and discuss what they learned about exercising their faith, listening to the Spirit, and enduring to the end.
Find Answers to Your Questions During General Conference
Purpose
Understand how General Conference can help you find answers
Description
Before general conference, take some time during a Mutual activity or Sunday lesson to write down questions you have regarding gospel topics. As you watch conference with your family or friends, make note of any teachings or promptings that would help answer your questions. After general conference, share some of the answers you received with your family and class or quorum.
General Conference Quote Jars
Purpose
Apply the teachings from General Conference
Description
Bring some of your favorite quotes from conference to a Mutual activity. Create jars with some of your favorite quotes from the conference. Each day for the next six months, pull a quote from the jar and ponder what it teaches. Keep a journal of what you learn. You could also combine this with a woodworking activity where they make small boxes they can keep the quotes in.
General Conference Recap
Purpose
Remember what was tought from living prophets and strengthen each other's testimonies
Description
Set up a trivia game for teams of youth to answer questions about the most recent general conference—who spoke on what topic, matching photos to the names of General Authorities, and so on. Beforehand, encourage youth to take notes during conference, and allow them to refer to their notes during the game. After the game, discuss the feelings and impressions that came to the youth as they listened to general conference and what they will do as a result of the direction they received.
Keep a Journal Your Way
Purpose
Learn how to keep a journal in a variety of ways
Description
Hold a journaling night where you can learn different ways to keep a journal, such as traditional diaries, online journals, blogs, scrapbooks, photo albums, audio journals, video journals, and so forth. Set goals to keep a regular journal for a week, and share with your class or quorum your experiences.
Church Tours
Purpose
Help the missionaries give tours of the local church building
Description
Plan an activity with the missionaries where you invite less-active members and friends not of our faith to take a tour of the Church building. The missionaries should be in charge of giving the tour. Tours often begin in the foyer, where participants gather for an opening prayer. Then the missionaries lead the group to the baptismal font (if your chapel has one) and explain about our need for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. They may take time to point out the artwork around the building, and they may use this artwork to teach about the restored gospel. Tours often end in the chapel by the sacrament table, where the missionaries teach about the sacrament and our need to make and renew covenants with God. Depending on the guidance of the Spirit and the circumstances of the tour, the missionaries may extend invitations to learn more about the gospel, attend church, or be baptized.
Throughout the tour, you will be invited to bear testimony of gospel principles. You can prepare for this experience by studying topics such as the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the Restoration of the gospel, the sacrament, and baptism. You could also prepare by asking the missionaries to give you a tour before you invite others to participate.
I Follow Jesus Christ
Purpose
Practice answering questions about the gospel by sharing how we follow Jesus Christ
Descriptions
Invite the youth to come up with several questions that they hear about their beliefs or the Church. Divide the youth into several small groups, and give them each a question. Invite the youth to read the question, look up scriptures in which the Savior or His prophets teach principles related to the issue or question, and prepare answers to share with the entire group by following a format like the one below:
Our Question is _____________________________
The Savior Taught __________________ (read scripture and explain what it means)
In my life, I have found that _______________________ (share personal experiences living this principle)
Example:
Our question is Why don't you drink coffee?
The Savior taught through His Apostle Paul that our body is a temple, and that we should treat it that way (read 1 Corinthians 6:19). For me, this means not taking things into my body that are harmful to it. Coffee is one of those things. The Savior has revealed a code of health to the Church called the Word of Wisdom, which also teaches us to avoid drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
In my life, I have found great blessings as I have tried to follow the Savior in keeping my body like a temple (share a personal experience or testimony).
Improve My Teaching Skills
Purpose
Learn and practice basic teaching skills through training others
Description
Prior to the activity, display questions like the following: How should I teach from the scriptures? How can I ask effective questions when I teach? How can I listen better to those I teach? How can I teach based on the needs of my investigators? How can I help people overcome their concerns? (See Preach My Gospel chapter 10.)
Let the youth choose one of these skills to improve on, and divide them up into companionships based on what they have chosen. Each companionship could then study together their skill from Preach My Gospel and prepare to demonstrate the skill for the entire group. In their training, encourage them to define the skill, demonstrate how it works, and let others practice.
Mini Mission
Purpose
Experience what mission service is like and and improve gospel study habits
Description
Put the youth in companionships of the same gender, and give each companionship a “mission call” to serve somewhere in the world. Have each companionship study a lesson from Preach My Gospel and prepare to teach it to a family in the ward. Arrange with members of the ward for a companionship to come to their home, eat dinner, and teach a lesson as if the family were not members of the Church. As a part of this activity, youth could live many of the missionary rules for a week (such as waking up at 6:30, studying the scriptures for an hour a day, limiting use of media, and so on). Youth could also learn about the culture, climate, and other qualities of the area they are assigned to. Consider involving the bishop in this activity to teach youth about the requirements for full-time mission service, how to submit a mission application, and so on.