I’ve played a lot of dumb youth ministry games over the years.
I mean that in the best possible way.
Some games take a ton of prep, props, rules, and explaining. Others are funny because they’re almost too simple to be a real game.
Slap, Kiss & Drag is definitely the second kind.
The basic idea is exactly what it sounds like: you get a fish, bring someone up front, spin a wheel, and they either get slapped with the fish, kiss the fish, or have the fish dragged across their face.
That’s it.
It’s stupid.
It’s hilarious.
And every time I’ve seen something like this played, the room gets into it way more than it probably should.
Now Free Youth Group Games has a Slap, Kiss & Drag wheel that makes the whole thing even easier to run.
How we’d play it
Pull up the wheel here:
https://freeyouthgroupgames.org/wheel/slap-kiss-drag
Put it on the screen and bring up a student or leader who is actually willing to participate.
Spin the wheel.
Whatever it lands on, they have to do.
Slap.
Kiss.
Drag.
Then bring up the next victim…I mean volunteer.
You can make that the whole game, but I actually like using it as the punishment for another game.
Losing team in trivia? Someone spins.
Last place in a relay? Someone spins.
Guys vs. girls? Losing side sends up a representative.
Youth pastor loses?
Even better.
There’s something about knowing a fish might be waiting for you that suddenly makes teenagers care a lot more about winning a completely meaningless game.
The wheel makes it better
The best part of this game is honestly the few seconds before the wheel stops.
Everyone is yelling.
The person up front is regretting every decision that led them to youth group that night.
It slows down.
It almost lands on Kiss.
Then it clicks one more time.
DRAG.
And the room loses it.
That little bit of suspense is why I love wheel games. You don’t need a complicated setup. The game basically creates the moment for you.
That’s also why we’ve been building more of these on FreeYouthGroupGames.org.
Youth pastors already have plenty to do before students show up. Sometimes you just need something you can throw on the screen, explain in 30 seconds, and play.
Slap, Kiss & Drag definitely fits that category.
So next time you need a game and you’re willing to sacrifice a little bit of your dignity, grab a rubber fish, pull up the wheel, and see what happens.
And if your youth pastor ends up kissing the fish, please take a picture.
We’d like to see it.
Play Slap, Kiss & Drag here:
https://freeyouthgroupgames.org/wheel/slap-kiss-drag
Free Youth Group Games is a free resource from Fresh Fire App, built to help youth pastors spend less time messing with tools and more time actually doing ministry.
