Above is a trip I took with some students to a water park. Always refreshing. These are some ideas to try for some summer fun in youth ministry – some were submitted by some of Youth Ministry Idea’s readers.
1. Water Theme Park: You can really have a great time by taking your students to a water theme park! Spend all day getting soaked and laughing together. Take some pics of your time together. Time spent together is well worth the trip. Make sure that you and your volunteers participate by going on the rides and getting soaked with your students – you won’t regret the time you will have.
2. Ten Weeks of 10 Commandments with a touch of water: Each week, focus on a different one of the Ten Commandments, since so few kids know them. Help them apply them to their lives. Each week combine a short commentary with a skit and/or parody song that helps to bring the point home in a fun way. Also we always try our best to use every excuse to soak the kids at will. Hold the meetings outside or by a pool.
3. Summer Superheroes Series: This is when we focus on a different ‘superhero’ of the Bible each week. Involving water get first pick! Act out the story. One summer we made a ‘whale’ out of a tarp and white duct tape. It ‘chased’ our ‘Jonah’ around the yard and then ‘swallowed’ him, and then ‘spat him out’ as he did a side roll into the grass. It was great! An amazing photo op was when we had everybody to get inside of our canoe in the back yard and act like they were rowing. 
4. Video and Photo Scavenger Hunts: Create a list of items to be at or collect. Divide into teams. Go. Use safety such as adult drivers ect. First team that comes back with all items or sends in all items via picture texting wins. Have ice cream together afterwards.
5. Wet and Wild Night: All water games that you can think of with the biggest game being water balloon volleyball. Two teams of two people hold a beach towel on either side of the net. One water balloon is tossed over the net and then caught by the other team in the beach towel. Then that team tosses the water balloon back over the net to the other side. When a team misses, they are replaced by two more people. To make this even more crazy, have two teams and two water balloons going at the same time.
6. Slip n’ Slide Kickball: By far, this is my favorite water game. It’s simple! All you need is the painter’s plastic, four blow up kiddie pools, and water. Take the four kiddie pools and spread them out as bases as you would in a normal kick ball game. Once you have the kiddie pools (bases) set, outline the diamond with your painter’s plastic. Each kiddie pool should be connected with the plastic. Fill up each kiddie pool with water (for an added bonus, add something like shaving cream or baby shampoo to the water in the kiddie pools) and spray the plastic so it’s nice and slick. Grab a ball that is easy to kick if barefoot, and play it like a normal game of kickball. The fun part is watching the students run the bases on the slip n’ slide and jumping in the pools as they go. I have done this game numerous times in the past and it is always a hit with the students! Just make sure there are no hidden rocks under the plastic or pools.
7. All vs All Wet Toilet Paper Dodgeball: Buy toilet paper rolls and have some buckets of water stationed around. Station stacks of toilet paper rolls also around and say go and the only rule is that you have to dip the toilet paper roll into water before they throw it as another person. This is a crazy messy game. Confine it to a marked area where you can clean it up.
8. Pool Party: There’s no greater form of relaxation during the summer than taking a nice swim in a cool pool. Get your youth ministry together for fun by the poolside either at the home of a volunteering member who has a pool, or at a public swimming pool or beach area in your community. Liven the party up even more with fruit smoothies and pizza! Don’t forget pool toys!
9. Cookout and Karaoke: Plan a cookout and have burgers, brats, hot dogs, desserts, and set up a karaoke machine to sing songs to your favorite Christian artists. Make your volunteers get up and sing some good old stuff like dcTalk!
10. Ice Cream in Gutter: Take a rain gutter and line it with saran wrap and fill it with ice cream! Give everyone a spoon and dig in! Yep hose everyone off at the end.
Welcome Youth Worker, Youth Pastor, Youth Director, Youth Minister, Youth Guy, or whatever other creative name your church has come up with....
