New eBook published with 52 of the world's most popular icebreakers!

Singapore – August 29, 2007 – A new eBook, found at http://www.creativeicebreakers.com, not only provides 52 of the most popular group icebreaker activities, but also includes lesson ideas and questions to smoothly transition into discussions about issues common to most groups.

There are a lot of icebreaker books on the market, but this one is DIFFERENT!

The book was written in response to common complaints heard in team meetings, training events, youth meetings, and other venues where icebreakers are often used with participants. "Why do we have to endure meaningless icebreakers? We've played this so many times before! They’re just for fun and that’s it. They don’t teach anything or have any deeper meaning!"

The authors respond: "We’ve seen those icebreakers in books too. They have the title, they list the materials needed, the duration of the game, and the instructions BUT… they have no application. Icebreakers are supposed to be great lead-ins to the topic you want to teach or discuss aren’t they? So why do these other icebreaker books leave you hanging? That’s what we wondered also. That’s why every one of our icebreakers come with discussion questions and applications for you to take the activity "to the next level.""

The application for each icebreaker is generic enough that you can use it in any setting, not just for a youth group, but also for company events, training, and other types of get togethers. They flow right into discussions that touch on universal issues that youth and adults around the world face. Topics include: attitudes, diversity, personality, change, dreams, priorities, character, emotions, purpose, communication, friendship, relationships, conflict management, goals, responsibility, courage, identity, teamwork, decision making, leadership, values, discipline, perseverance, vision, AND MANY MORE!

There are a lot of benefits to having a collection of proven icebreakers for use with a group. Icebreakers are a great way to set the tone for any class or meeting. With icebreakers you automatically encourage and increase classroom participation. They are also great motivators! Icebreakers work to create a more relaxed learning environment. They are great energizers - sometimes it is just a good idea to shake things up a bit, especially in the middle of the meeting when feet begin to tap, pencils begin to doodle, and eyelids begin to droop. Of course, as previously mentioned, icebreakers can be great topic lead-ins to discussions that help to identify group and individual goals and objectives. They also help bring groups toward meaningful interaction and group building.

The writers, Ken Sapp and Joshua Goh, are veteran youth workers with more than 30 years of experience in working with youth. Ken also leads workshops in a "personal development" focused e-learning company and is often involved with facilitating training events with adults. Both authors know what it is like to spend tons of time and cash on group resources that simply don’t cut it. It was because of this difficulty of finding great resources that they began to compile a list of the most popular icebreakers they had discovered while working with groups from many different cultures around the world.

They have organized a ton of youth events from large scale to small group settings and collected the icebreakers that the youth WANTED and ASKED to play. "We didn’t just pick these icebreakers out of someone else’s book or pull them off websites. We’ve personally used, tweaked and perfected each and every one of these icebreakers! What's more, our youth love them too."

Not all the icebreakers are 100% original, BUT all of them have been modified through their many years of experience and feedback from youth groups they have led around the world. You’ll find they’ve also included with the icebreakers a list of variations so that you can use an icebreaker your group has played before but add the variation to give it a new twist. The possibilities are endless!

These icebreakers can be used, not only for youth groups, but for schools, company meetings, family gatherings, community events, and social clubs. Try these icebreakers out for parties, on company retreats, family get-togethers, the first day of school, high school reunions, team building events, and more! Whatever the occasion, you'll probably find an icebreaker in here appropriate to it. Included are icebreaker games, get to know you questions, icebreaker discussion questions, energizers, and wacky activities from mild to wild! Simplify them and these icebreakers are great for children. Add a little depth and they are a delight to the most sophisticated adults!

For more information on "Icebreakers Ahead: Take it to the Next Level" visit http://www.creativeicebreakers.com

Did Jesus Use Icebreakers?

How can you "break the ice" with a youth who is a total stranger and guide the discussion from an awkward silence into a meaningful conversation?

Jesus often got people talking with his first question and then was able to guide the discussion so that it developed into a meaningful conversation about a life-changing topic!

He met people where they were--whether they were drawing water, fishing, collecting taxes, watching him from a treetop, or worshiping God in the Temple in Jerusalem.

But Jesus was never content to leave them where they were.
His objective was always a changed life!

Remember the Woman at the well... A simple request for a drink led to a meaningful discussion on "living water" that transformed a village.

Zacheus was simply hoping to get a glimpse of Jesus but instead got to talk to him at his own dinner table in a conversation that not only changed his life, but reached out to the lives of many sinners!

Christ's first words to Nicodemus, a religious scholar, were a conundrum, a puzzle that left him searching. And that search seemingly reached its conclusion when Nicodemus took a bold step of faith, along with Joseph of Arimathea, and asked for the body of Christ after the Crucifixion.

The gospels are filled with the stories
of people who encountered Christ and then
their personal stories would be forever changed!

In encounter after encounter... Jesus not only broke the ice, but he left a lasting impact on the lives of the people he spoke with!

Sometimes Jesus used questions to break the ice. But on other occasions he use everyday objects, shared experiences, stories, and even crises to break the ice and open up the way to life changing spiritual discussions.

He asked people to share their opinions,
challenged their assumptions,
and asked them to find solutions.

He constantly invited others to join him in experiences
and used those common experiences
to bring out life changing spiritual truths.

Fresh experiences often served as living parables.

It's easy to relate to the feelings, thoughts, and experiences when you have just experienced them. Then it is only a short little jump to deeper truths and understanding.

The "here and now" becomes a springboard
to the distant future,
to choices and consequences.
A small controlled simulation
becomes a safe crucible
to test the consequences of real life decisions.

In the same way today, games, challenges, and contrived situations can generate discussions and expose the same deep set beliefs, attitudes, and values as real life situations and events.

How you play the game
is a reflection of who you are
and how you deal with life!

But in all things Jesus always had a purpose.
He broke the ice,
and later his own body would be broken,
so that broken lives could be mended.

Learn how you also can "break the ice"
and make a lasting impact in the lives of youth!

I've specially prepared 52 of my best icebreakers of all time!
(That's a full year of icebreakers - one a week!)

And like Christ's encounters with strangers they are icebreakers with a purpose.

Each one includes debriefs and meaningful discussion questions that engage youths to deal with real life issues.

Check out my new book: "Icebreaker's Ahead: Take It to the Next Level"

Simply visit
http://www.CreativeIcebreakers.com

Looking for Father's Day Ideas for Children or Youth?

The Creative Youth Ideas website has a lot of Father's day ideas for you!

Father's Day Illustrations

• A Father's Influence
• Old Testament Men Trivia
• When God Created Fathers
• Father's Are Wonderful People
• The Origin of Father's Day
• My Father

Father's Day Teaching Ideas

• The Fatherly Qualities of God
• Father's Day Discussion

Father's Day Humor

• Outhouse Confession
• Poem for Mom's and Dad's

Father's Day Game Ideas

• Family Dress-up
• Find Father's Tie
• Searching for Dad
• Father's Business Trip
• Father May I?
• Father's Day Relay
• Who's Father?
• Searching for Dad

Check out the main website for more details!
Ken

Are your Icebreakers a SNORE?

In group activities, icebreakers are those fun, energizing activities, which allow the participants in the group to get to know each other. They can also be used to introduce a topic, to facilitate teamwork, to get people engaged in a program, to loosen them up to start sharing feelings and ideas, or simply just for fun!

Learn how you can avoid the SNOREs of boredom in your next icebreaker!

Click the link to read the full article: Icebreakers

Easter Ideas

Looking for some Creative Easter Ideas for the youth you are working with, the children you teach, or even your own children.

On my main website (http://www.creativeyouthideas.com) you can find Easter themed Children’s Sermons and Object Lessons, Creative Teaching Ideas for Easter, Easter Devotionals, Easter Drama Ideas, Ideas for Evangelism events and activities, and Easter themed Game and Icebreaker Ideas, and jokes and illustrations to add sparkle to your youth talks.

In fact there are over 1200 FREE ideas for various themes and events in addition to the Easter Ideas.

But you don't have to go searching through all 1200 ideas to find those Easter gems. Alternatively, you can buy the Easter Collection e-Book. Its available for a limited time only at only US$9.99! Click here to find out more.

With YOUth on my Heart
Ken

Rediscovering Your Creativity

I am often asked, "How can you come up with so many Creative Ideas?"

Personally, I think all of us are born creative. We are born with a "Sense of Wonder". Unfortunately, as we get older we tend to lose our sense of wonder. We figure everything out. Things began to have but one interpretation, the correct answer, a single perspective, fossilized associations. We forget how to "think outside of the box” and tend to see things in only one way. But give a child a banana and it becomes more than a healthy snack. With a little imagination it becomes a gun, a smile or a frown, a mobile phone, a nose, an antenna, a flute, and more.

So how can we regain our creativity? What is the solution?

Find out how you can rediscover your creativity at http://www.creativeyouthideas.com

Youth Leaders looking for Creative Ideas take 1 year old Youth Work website to over 1 Million hits

Created at the end of November 2005, the Creative Youth Ideas website has attracted thousands of visitors from all around the world, many of which come back again and again making it one of the top youth work sites on the internet.

Singapore - February 4, 2007 – Youth worker, Ken Sapp, with 20 years international experience working with youth, originally began the Creative Youth Ideas Website (http://www.creativeyouthideas.com) to share resources with a few fellow youth workers. But in just over one year it has developed into one of the top Youth Work websites on the internet!

Living in the island nation of Singapore and working and conducting talks, training workshops, and conferences around Asia, Ken realized that there was a scarcity of youth resources available to those working with youth outside the United States. Even in Singapore, where resources are widely available, the expense is beyond the budget of many youth programs. With this in mind, he started Creative Youth Ideas to make available free resources for those working with youth.

Ken Sapp, got the idea for the site after realizing that he and others working with youth were spending more time searching for or developing effective youth resources than they were spending time with the youth! It was out of this frustration that he began to compile a list of his the most useful resources he had developed working with youth from many different cultures around the world and started posting them online.

The free online resources include icebreakers, games, object lessons, creative teaching ideas, children’s materials, jokes, illustrations, and inspirational stories. To date there are over 1200 ideas online and that number is growing every day!

Christopher Wenzel, Youth Pastor, at Ridgecrest, CA says, “This site really helps me cut down on wasted time searching for ideas, games, and resources. I appreciate you sharing your expertise and experience with us... for FREE!”

Ann, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Viroqua, WI says, “I am the Parish Administrator at our church, in which we are temporarily without our youth director. I love working with youth, so I said I would continue the youth program for a while in her absence. I have been able to have a great time with these youth along with teaching them! They are having a blast too and wonder where I am coming up with all these fun games and lesson plans. Thank you very much for saving our youth program!”

Visit http://www.creativeyouthideas.com today and discover what 1 million have already discovered – great youth work resources for free.

SuperBowl Charades to Tackle that SuperBowl Party

SuperBowl Charades

American Football is a national past-time and it doesn't get any better than the Superbowl. When the Superbowl comes around, why not take the opportunity to tackle a few games with your youth while you score a few goals for the kingdom of God. This is the first, of several ideas to take advantage of all the Superbowl hype to reach out the youth! Its also a great idea for a superbowl party for adults!

In this classic variation of charades participants must act out phrases or words in order for team members to guess the correct phrase. The essence of Charades is pantomimes: you must act out a word or phrase without speaking or making any sound effects.

For a Superbowl Party you can use the names of teams or football terms as items for the charades game. Check out the entry at http://www.creativeyouthideas.com for a list of teams and football terms that could be used for SuperBowl Charades. You'll also find simple instructions on how to play the charades game and optional spiritual applications and discussion questions for a youth ministry event!

See you there!
With YOUth on my Heart,

Ken

Creative Youth Ideas on Blogger

I have my own website, but wanted someplace to keep an open archive of all the crazy ideas I come up with in my work with youth. On my main website at http://www.creativeyouthideas.com I have more than 1200 FREE ideas. And new ideas are added EVERYDAY!

I'm building a collection of the best teaching ideas, illustrations, devotionals, curricula, games, icebreakers, object lessons, sermons, inspirational stories, and training materials gathered from over 20 years of experience working with youth around the world.

So that's what I plan for this site.

I love networking with other youth workers and those who are making a difference in the lives of youth around the world.

With YOUth on my heart,
Ken