YW Mutual Activity Ideas – LONG list

Angela N emailed me this list of ideas that her ward has assembled under the title “Activities with a…Angela N emailed me this list of ideas that her ward has assembled under the title “Activities with a Purpose”

• Make Family Home Evening Kits
• Family Home Evening Recipe Book: Make a family home evening treats recipe book. Have some samples of the recipes made up for tasting.
• Scripture Charades: Cards are written up before the activity begins. Each card has some type of scripture story or reference written on it. Two teams take turns acting out the stories for the other girls on their team. Stories could be: Ammon, the missionary; Noah and the Ark; Adam and Eve; King Noah and Abinadi; Samuel the Lamanite
• Rope Course: The youth are blindfolded and paired off. They are taken by leaders out of the church and guided to the starting point of the course and given the end of the rope. One partner holds the rope with one hand and to her partner with the other hand. The main rope leads around the church grounds and back to the entrance. However , other ropes with dead ends are also attached to the main rope. Liken it to the iron rod.
• Getting to know the Bishop: The Sunday before the activity have a lesson on the priesthood. Ask the young women to write down any questions they would like to ask the Bishop. On Mutual night they meet with the Bishop in his office, if possible, and their written questions are given to him to answer.
• Get to know the Bishopric: Invite the Bishopric members (including the executive secretary) and their wives to an activity where the young women can ask questions, play games, etc. and serve them a treat.
• Temple Marriage Night: Ask a panel of 7 couples, married 2-40 years, to bring pictures of temples and wedding albums, tell how they met, and answer a list of questions prepared by the young women in advance and other questions from the young women.
• Play Scriptionary
• Prayer pillowcases: Learn about prayer and how to make pillowcases for each holiday.
• No Room at the Inn: Young Women are only told to dress warmly and that they are going to visit a few homes in the neighborhood to bring Christmas cheer. An adult leader calls 3-4 families in advance telling them to have an excuse for NOT letting the young women in or listening to a song at the door. Leaders mus play along with this and not give it away. At the last home , ask the people at the door where you might go to have someone hear them sing carols. The person then tells you that they have a barn, or shed out back where you could use. The barn has been set up to resemble a stable with an empty baby cradle, basket drape with muslin and dimly spotlighted. Old blanket s are spread out and hay are available to sit on. Read a poem and play Michael McLean’s song “Let Him In”. Talk about making room for Christ in our lives. Share testimonies and then serve hot chocolate. (See pictures and a description of No Room at the Inn)
• Life Story: Read an exciting biography to the young women. Tell them that their biography can be just as exciting. Have them pretend that they are 80 years old and have them write their biographies. Help them realize that their lives are an open canvas.
• Chaste while being Chased: The young women make cars from cardboard boxes. They sit in a half-circle in their cars like they are at a drive-in. Have a speakers talk about chastity or watch a wholesome movie. Serve root beer floats.
• Fashion Show: Each girl dresses up as her mother and presents a spotlight on her mother’s background
• Heritage Night: girls invite their grandmother or older person close to her to attend. Each brings an antique or heirloom item to tell about. The evening is spent talking about their younger days and learning about antique treasures.
• Heritage food night: Bring foods from the country of their origin.
• Plan of Salvation: Have the missionaries come and teach about the plan of salvation. Have cut outs for each of the girls.
• Mother Makeover: A night to makeover your mother
• Time Capsule: Have the girls create a time capsule to open when they are Laurels.
• Pedicures: Do pedicures and talk about walking the straight and narrow path
• Pictures: Take professional pictures of the girls.
• Parable of the Popcorn: Present the popcorn parable and have several different types of popcorn to eat.
• Hair: Have a beautician demonstrate how to do different types of hair styles and take pictures of the girls with up-dos
• Panel of Boys: Have a panel of boys discuss and answer questions about dressing modestly
• Mirror, mirror: Make mirrors with vinyl uplifting sayings on them.
• I am a Child of God: Learn the song “I am a Child of God” in sign language
• Dollar Bill: Have Angela give the talk about the worth of a dollar bill and then learn dollar bill origami
• Water Olympics: Several stations are set up with different water games. Of course the evening ends with a huge water fight.
• Get to know you: Play several different “get to know you” games.
• Understanding the limitations of a handicap: Young women rotate to different rooms where they experience what it is like to have different handicaps Examples: wheelchair obstacle course, learn sign language ( no one can talk), Blindfold obstacle course, race and other activities using a walker, cane, and crutches. Have Cherie Simpson talk about working with handicapped children
• Learn to decorate cakes
• Etiquette Dinner: Learn proper etiquette
• Camp Quilts: Make quilts to take to camp.
• International food night: Prepare and serve food from all over the world
• Book Bags: Make book bags to carry scriptures and personal progress book in
• New Era Bowl: Have two teams. Study issues of the New Era and have a competition answering questions about them. (Can also do a conference bowl)
• Better Talks: Invite someone qualified to talk about how to begin a talk, using notes, and closing, Include poise and how to appear not frightened
• Child Care Clinic: Learn how to care for children.
• CPR Course: Learn CPR
• Play Church Jeopardy
• Check book Savvy: Learn how to manage money and balance a checkbook. Have mock checkbooks. Talk about tithing and how it is easier to pay it first.
• Make homemade freezer jam. Talk about different “jams” in life that require tough decisions.
• Scriptionary
• Make calendars for the upcoming year
• Cook night: Learn to cook a popular dish
• Sewing night: Sew a book mark with buttons (learn to sew on a button.)
• Piano Lessons: Have a group piano lesson
• Voice Lessons: Have a group voice lesson
• Scrapbook night: Scrapbook events from camp
• Make journals
• Resistance to Peer Pressure: Pass out cards to all young women. As soon as they get there. Half of the cards should say “eat as much as you like and make sure to get those who aren’t eating to eat,”, and the other half should say ” Do not eat under any circumstance” Set up a room to simulate a party and have plenty of healthful snacks or candy. Welcome them to the party and tell them to follow the directions on their cards carefully. They are encouraged to socialize, but to not show their cards to anyone. Continue for about 15 minutes. Liken the situation to drugs at a party.
• Sample of Music and Movies: Sample appropriate music and videos
• Make Candles: Make candles and talk about waxing strong in the gospel
• Alphabet Picnic: Using the first initial in her last name (or first name) have each girl choose a food item that begins with that letter to bring to a picnic. For example, Sister Clark might bring chili, cookies, or cantaloupe. Have them bring enough for each girl in the class-making her accountable.
• Chicken Bowl: Everyone brings canned goods for donations. Fill 2 liter bottles with water for bowling pins (ten of them for each lane). Tape off lanes in the cultural hall. Use frozen chickens for bowling balls
• Secret Grandmas: Choose secret grandma’s to secretly serve
• Books and CDs: Young women record themselves reading books for schools or a hospital
• Santa’s helpers: Organize a night of Christmas activities for the primary children so that parent can go Christmas shopping.
• Service Hearts: Have the girls write down (on a heart shaped piece of paper)a service that they can offer to another girl. For example, one might want to offer another girl a plate of homemade cookies, or a headband that they can make, etc. Place the hearts in a basket and let the girls take turn drawing out a heart. The girl who wrote their service down would then, over the next week or two, perform that service for the girl who drew out her heart.
• Service Scavenger Hunt: Teams can visit member homes and receive points for doing acts of service from a pre-made list (cleaning under the washer lid, washing a car, reading a book to a small child, changing a diaper, etc.) A prize can be awarded to the team with the most points.
• Car Wash: Free car wash for the members in the ward who have so graciously helped the youth in some way.
• Canned Food Scavenger Hunt: Gather food and paper items for local shelters
• Make homemade toys for a hospital or for needy children
• Make hats for local schools
• Make birthday gifts for the Primary Presidency to give to the primary children on their birthdays
• Hygiene packets: prepare hygiene packets for a local women’s shelter
• Teddy Bear Picnic: Have all Young Women Bring a stuffed bear or animal of their’s (one they don’t mind giving away) write a story about that stuffed animal and about how much fun they had with it. Attach the story to the stuffed animal. Invite children in the ward to come to a teddy bear picnic. Tell them to bring their favorite teddy bear arrange a blanket on the floor where the girls can have a picnic with the children and their teddy bears. At the end let the children go home with their bear and another.
• Puzzle Activity: Divide into groups: Provide a jigsaw puzzle (300 pieces) for each group. Award a prize to the first group to:
  1. Get all their puzzle pieces turned right side up,
  2. Complete the outside frame of their puzzle,
  3. 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place for completing their puzzle,
  4. First group to get every piece back into their box after completing the puzzle.
• A woman of Integrity: Spotlight a woman in the ward that the girls look up to. Have her come and talk about her life struggles and triumphs
• Cookbook: Compile a cookbook for use by missionaries. Make copies for the young women to use when they go on missions or college.
• Learn the Articles of Faith
• Wedding dress fashion show: Have the young women model their mother’s (or grandma or other woman in the ward’s) wedding dress.
• A New Best Friend: Have each young women choose an older child in primary to become friends with. Help her when she comes into beehives so that she will feel comfortable when she enters Young Women