We started off our Sunday Night youth with our first ever Nerf Wars! Though it was rainy and cold outside we still had about 60+ youth show up and they had a great time. Here’s how we did it.
1. Supplies –
We ordered 900 Darts from Amazon and 10 Buzbee guns. We encouraged youth to bring their own guns if they had them, but was a good idea to have the extras.
We purchased iTunes gift cards to use as prizes for our “Impossible shot challenges”
Parents provided food!
2. The Set Up –
We met in our gym. We used foam boards from home depot to make bunkers. We used couches from the youth center as barriers. We also used boxes to make barriers as well. We made sure that each side mirrored each other. You can also use chairs, room dividers or anything else you have to make bunker areas.
Added Effects –
We dimmed the lights slightly and I had a fog machine that I plugged in and set to send out fog every few minutes. It didn’t cover the whole room but made a nice effect. I found a playlist of the Halo soundtrack and used it for background music.
3. The Games –
Here are the games we used for the night. You could come up with many different variations.
Basic Battle –Teams on opposite sides. Once you are hit you are out. Play till one team wins or time runs out!
Impossible Shot 1 –
Round 1 Basketball Goal – Everyone who wants to play shoot from opposite free throw line and must hit backboard
Round 2 – Bunker Cup – Those who hit goal must stand on opposite yellow base line and knock styrofoam cup off of bunker.
Respawn Battle – Teams on opposite sides. (2-3 rounds) Once you hit you must go to your respawn corner. You will get a mark on your right hand. 3 respawns per person.
Impossible Shot 2 – Trash Can – Stand on yellow line. Must shoot into the trash can. Winners go to round 2 and work down till 1 winner. If no one puts it in on any round the card goes to the next.
Zombie Battle – 5 people designated as Zombies. They walk around toward people. Those with Guns can shoot the zombies. The zombies must stop for 10 seconds if hit. If someone with a gun gets touched by the zombie they drop their gun immediately and become a Zombie. Play till one person left.
4. Tips –
1. Provide all of the darts. Figure at least 10 nerf darts per person. Should be plenty.
2. Have everyone label their own guns.
3. We found teams of 15 or so worked best. Will depend on size of your game area.
4. Set your boundaries and make sure everyone knows them. We played if you went out of the basketball court line you were out. You could go out to gather ammo but had to come right back in to play. Your rules will depend on your space.
5. Don’t be afraid to make rules as you go to help make it fair or work more smoothly.
5. The Closing-
At the end I gathered everyone together for closing and announcements. I asked them what happened when they got hit. They got out. Make a mistake and you get out. Move the wrong way you get out. I said how glad I was that we know a God who loves us, and who doesn’t work that way. If we make a mistake he doesn’t write us off, or forget about us. I finished by inviting everyone to join us on Wednesday Nights for our small groups and worship where we learn more about God.
I don’t necessarily think you must have a tie in, but it seemed to work for us.
All in all it was a great kick-off for our spring semester and something I look forward to doing again.
Have you ever done nerf wars? What tips or ideas would you share?
The link to the darts from amazon was not working. Did you just buy the universal suction cup darts?
sorry about the link.. they were the nerf n strike elite dart refills, but the suction would work too. I am including the link in the comments to see if maybe it works. http://www.amazon.com/Nerf-N-Strike-Elite-Refill-Darts/dp/B00JMJS1WY
Thanks for the link update.. It should be fixed now.
So you can use the nerf-n-strike darts in the buzz bee guns that you linked? I just want to make sure they are compatible.
How did you judge kids getting hit. Was it the honor system? Did you have referees? How long did you play? Did the kids tire of it?
Yeah used the honor system.. worked pretty well. Had several adults act as referees. We would play a game with everyone for like 5-8 min then do an individual challenge or something before starting the next game. Spent probably an hour or so actually playing.