A person’s feet tell us two very important facts about someone: where they are standing and where they are going. A firm posture and a steady walk are traits we admire in others. During the New Year, we often look back on the journey that has brought us to where we are now, as well as make decisions about where we want to go next year.
Foot games
- Identify the footprint – When the youngsters arrive, collect their footprints. My personal preference is to have colored sheets of paper, the kind that won’t leave a stain when wet. (Try it first so you don’t have permanent fingerprints on the carpet!). Have participants remove their shoes and socks, then step on a wet towel, and finally step on the paper. A wet footprint will be left. Quickly trace with a dark colored marker and let it dry. You may also want to number your prints and have a numbered list of names so that you can correctly identify your prints later. Review the numbered prints and ask the young men to match it to the person who made them. Can you even identify your own fingerprint? Reward the person who correctly identifies the most feet! With the Incredible FEAT award!
- Foot tag – Two players hold hands with both hands. In “go”, both players attempt to hit the top of the opponent’s foot with their own foot. The first to do so wins. The winners then play with the winners until there is a maximum winner.
- Whose feet – 5 – 8 members of the group sit behind a curtain. Only bare feet peek out from under the curtain. Can a player (or the rest of the group) find out whose feet are?
- Less feet – Each team tries to stand with as few feet as possible. For example, 5 players are 10 feet and they try to have only 3 to 4 feet on the ground.
- Disc mountain – You hold a plastic cup holder or cap between your toes and throw yourself as a frisbee as far as possible. The furthest shot wins.
- Foot relay – Divide your group into teams of 6 to 8. Then each team lines up and sits on the floor. The object of the game is to pass a lemon along the line and vice versa using only your feet. If the lemon hits the ground, the team has to start over from the beginning.
- Feet – This game is similar to Twister but without the game accessories. Start the game with all players standing in a circle shoulder-width apart. Select a young man to be the first striker and ask him to start the game by moving one of his feet (this foot is called a striking foot) to touch one of the feet of the person to their left. Once the striker decides which foot he wants to move while striking the foot, the other foot becomes the pivot foot. The pivot foot cannot be lifted off the ground. Once the first striker has made his move, he has to freeze both feet in the position in which he came into contact with the other person and must remain frozen until his next turn. The foot of the person struck becomes the striking foot of the next person in turn. The game progresses by going around the circle clockwise (to the left), having each player take their striking foot and hit the next player. As the game progresses, players will start to find themselves in positions that will make it difficult to balance, so people will start to be eliminated. Players are eliminated if they touch the ground with something other than the foot, if they lose their balance, if they try to regain their balance by holding on to another person, if it is their turn and by mistake they move the foot that was not touched by the player’s foot. front forward or if they move their feet out of turn. If someone is eliminated, the next person in the circle continues the game and chooses which foot they want to use as the kicking foot. As the youth are eliminated, there will be gaps in the circle that will make it difficult for the strikers to reach the foot of the next person in the circle. If when trying to reach the foot of the next person in the circle, the striker loses his balance or breaks any of the other rules, he or she is eliminated. Note that strikers do not necessarily have to lift their striking foot when striking, but can also slide one foot across the ground to keep their balance; Once contact is made with the other person’s foot, the forward’s feet should freeze. As the game progresses, players will find that they are getting very close to each other and it becomes more difficult to keep their balance. Players can touch each other, but cannot grab, push, hit, or hold other players to try to throw them off balance.
- Foot pictionary – It is like a standard pictionary, but the artist, instead of drawing with his hands, will draw with his feet, tying the marker to one of his feet with the handkerchief. In “Go”, the player will do their best to draw the assigned image, while the rest of their team tries to guess the image. Keep the assigned pictures simple, as it will be difficult to even draw the simplest things and make them recognizable. Maybe even buy and use “Youth Pictionary” for the suggested words and categories.
- Banana Foot Peeling – Bring about 4 students, ask them to remove their shoes and socks, and give each one a banana. When the leader says to go, the contestants are supposed to peel the banana with their feet as fast as they can. They can use both feet to do it. Judge the winner by the speed and the final state of the banana.
- Foot signature contest – Have 5 students come to the front of the room and remove their shoes and socks. Give each one a felt-tip pen or ballpoint pen. At the signal, they run into the crowd and see who can get the most signatures on the soles of their feet in the time limit. No person can sign more than one meter. You can use both feet. Signatures must be legible.
- Standing Balloon Balancing – Using only the feet, one or more balloons must be kept in the air without the balloon touching the ground. This can also be programmed.
- Spell my feet – Take 5 people and have them take off their shoes and socks. Take a marker and write a large letter on the bottom of each of your feet so that if he sits in front of you and keeps your feet in the air, you can read the letters. In the first person put an A and an N (a letter in each foot), in the next one an E and a T, then GR, OM and SP. You will shout different words for them to spell and they will have to cross their legs, stretch and get into a position where the soles of their feet spell the word you called. You can do this with two teams of five if you want and see who spells the word first. Use these words: dominate, grill, stain, robes, snoring, ten dances, get spammed, big son
TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
All games today involve feet. Many of our common English idioms and sayings refer to “feet.” Share some appropriate idioms or the full list of idoms with the group. Which of these idioms best describes you? Why?
- Idioms that refer to the feet
- back on your feet again
- dip your toes in the water
- drag the feet
- fall at his feet
- find your feet
- float standing
- pay the bill
- put one foot in the door
- have cold feet
- getting off on the wrong foot
- stand
- get your feet wet
- he has two left feet
- have one foot in both fields
- have feet of clay
- have one foot in the grave
- keep your feet on the ground
- hold someone’s feet on fire
- hot foot out of here
- land on your feet
- make a face change
- My foot!
- we step
- on your back foot
- feet around
- put a wrong foot
- Put your best foot forward
- lift your foot
- put your foot on the ground
- put your foot in it
- Put your foot in your mouth
- shoot you in the foot
- sit at the feet of a teacher
- stand on your own two feet
- stepping on someone else’s foot
- step on the gas
- stop dry
- sweep someone off their feet
- take a load off your feet
- take a position
- take steps towards something
- the ball is at your feet
- thinking about your feet
- throw yourself at someone’s feet
- tiptoe through it
- get under feet
- vote with your feet
- watch your step
- the world at your feet
MAKE IT SPIRITUAL
- Standing safe – Many of the proverbs speak of straightening our paths, of stumbling, of watching our steps, of our walk with God. Proverbs 4:26 – “Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established.”
- God’s protection – “… who can keep you from falling, and present you without blemish before the presence of his glory with great joy” (Jude 24, KJV). Hab 3:19; 2 Sam 22:34; Psalms 18:33 – “The Lord God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like the feet of a doe, and will make me walk on my high places. “
- Evangelism – Romans 10:15 – “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Ephesians 6:15 – “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace”
- Servitude – John 13 – Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.
MAKE IT PRACTICAL
- What is something that you have stood up for in the past year? What are some of the things you need to take a stronger stand on next year?
- What are some of the steps you have taken in the right direction with your life? The wrong address?
- What are some areas that you have stumbled upon along the way on your journey?
- What are some ways we can make our walk safe? How can you get back on your feet and take another step in the right direction with your life? In what areas do you need to watch your steps?
- Taking a position and finding your balance in life isn’t always easy, especially when you may have to step on a few toes to do so. How can you find the balance between taking a stand on the things that are important to you without stepping on too many toes? Should you worry about stepping on your toes? Why or why not?
MAKE IT PERSONAL
- As a footnote to this lesson, identify at least one area of your life where you need to recover. How can you take a new step in the right direction if your life starts today? In what areas do you need to keep an eye on your steps on the journey ahead?
(As a meaningful reminder, give participants the sheet of paper with their fingerprint to write the answer to the questions above. Encourage them to put it on their bedroom door as a reminder that they walk out of that door every day, they also need take a step in the right direction for your life in the New Year!)