Small Group Game Bundle [PREORDER]

At ProjectYM, we LOVE games. Not only do we love playing games, but we also love what games can do to break down walls and build community.

Because of that, we have always encouraged our small group leaders to play games with their students. But when the goal is to get people more comfortable talking and sharing with one another, not all games are created equal.

And while there are a lot of games on the market, we wanted to create a specific set of games that would check the boxes we were looking for:

1. Small and easily transportable (card games are great for this).
2. Flexible number of players (because student attendance is inconsistent).
3. Affordable (so youth ministers can get a set for every small group).
4. Replayable many times (because small groups tend to meet weekly).
5. Wide age range (works with sixth graders and seniors).
6. Family friendly (because teenage boys already bring enough crude humor).
7. Competitive (competition engages people more than collaboration).
8. Short or variable playtime (sometimes you just need a quick opener and sometimes you need to fill time).
9. Easy to understand (nothing kills excitement for a game faster than complicated rules).
10. Low barrier to entry (so new students can jump right in).
11. Players can join at anytime (for when teens show up late).
12. Takes people through the first three stages of small group development (details below).
     

We’ve developed a 3 pack of games that checks all twelve of those boxes:

• Slapville
  
• Soup Salad or Sandwich
  
• And Why?

The SIX stages of small group development:

1. Physical – You have to first get comfortable being around each other.
2. Conversational – You have to be willing to talk about surface level topics.
3. Personal – You have to be willing to share personal details with one another.
4. Emotional – You have to be able to express your feelings and deeper thoughts with the group.
5. Spiritual – You have to be comfortable praying for and with one another.
6. Accountable – You have to be willing to actively hold one another accountable both inside and outside group gatherings.

These three games help get teens to stage four:

1. Slapville is (as the name suggests) a "slap-the-cards" type game. Playing the game requires people to crowd in close together and creates moments of physical contact.  [STAGE 1]
   
2. Soup, Salad, or Sandwich gets your group passionately debating a surface level topic. If you can get students talking about SOMETHING is far easier to get them to transition to talking about what you want them to talk about.  [STAGE 2] 
   
   
3. And Why? gets them answering personal questions – telling stories, explaining motivations, and being slightly vulnerable.  [STAGE 3 + 4]

IMPORTANT NOTE: You are preordering these games. Estimated delivery Late Spring 2025.