Salsa 2 Ways
Salsa 2 Ways
A Fun Youth Group Game
Watch the Tutorial Video
For this unique youth group activity, you’ll need salsa ingredients for both teams and kitchen supplies for just one of them. (You can find a sample salsa recipe and recommended supplies in the link at the bottom of the page.)
Overview
Ideal # of Participants: 4 to 20
Where to Play: Indoors / Outdoors
Age of Participants: Middle School / High School
Approximate Time to Play: 20 to 45 Minutes
Materials Needed: Salsa Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies (see handout below)
How to Play Salsa 2 Ways
Step 1: Divide Your Group
Split your group into two teams. One fun way to do this is to ask everyone to line up from those who consider themselves messy to those who consider themselves neat. Put the “messy” half of your group on one team and “neat” half of your group on the other team.
Step 2: Explain the Challenge
Tell the group that they’ll be making salsa. Both teams will receive all the ingredients needed to complete the dish, but only the “neat” group will receive kitchen utensils.
Set up two stations—ideally in the same room but not right next to each other. Make sure to tell both groups that they can only use what they’ve been given. (Don’t say anything about sharing—the point is to see if they decide to do that on their own!)
Step 3: Start Cooking
Read through the recipe one step at a time. You’ll end up with two very different types of salsa by the end!
Have an advisor or adult monitor both teams, and if you’re working with younger students, you may want to handle any knife work yourself. Finish the game with a taste test of both salsas.
Tips for Success
-
The messy group will find this challenge much harder, especially compared to the neat group. It’s up to you how much you want to hint that sharing utensils is allowed, but it is possible for the messy group to finish their salsa.
-
If you’re using corn, opt for canned corn instead of frozen or bagged. Trying to open a can with no can opener makes for a fun problem for the messy group to solve!
Discussion Opportunity
This game opens the door for a meaningful discussion about sharing and helping others.
After playing, consider asking your group:
-
Who was the first to notice that the messy team didn’t have tools? How did that make them feel?
-
Was anyone jealous of the clean team?
-
If the clean team didn’t share, why not?
Key takeaway:
In life, we often have opportunities to help others at little cost to ourselves. In this game, it took almost nothing for the clean team to share their utensils—but doing so made a huge difference. Sometimes we hesitate to help because it feels uncomfortable or inconvenient, but our willingness to step up can have a much bigger impact than we realize.
Lesson Handout
Want to make this easy to share with your volunteers or students? Download the “Salsa 2 Ways” Lesson Handout (PDF) below!
Where Games Meet God's Word...
Most leaders just look for games to play, but miss their true value. When used well, games help teach your lesson, because experiential learning is by far the most effective way to teach a lesson that sticks.
If you want to see this principle in action, check out Uplift, our FREE youth group lesson that is built for engagement. It contains a fun game, but then your students’ experience from the game ties into the Christ-centered message you’ll teach.
