5 Fun Youth Group Activites for Under $10

It's Friday night, and it's time to plan another fun outing for your youth group. No need to rack your brain coming up with a new, creative activity. Here are five great ideas your youth-group kids will love. And, of course, they all cost less than $10!

Have a Youth Group Movie Night

These days a typical movie ticket for an evening show is just under $10. But that doesn't mean you're stuck paying retail for your movie tickets. Try going online and checking out the prices on ticket packages. Regal Cinemas will sell you a block of 50 movie tickets for a reduced price of $6 per ticket. That's a 40% savings!

You'll have to be careful at the candy counter though, this is where movie theaters really make their money. So either be sure that your kids have eaten before or have them pick up movie theater candy at Wal-Mart or Target where they can typically buy a box of candy for about $3 less than it would cost them at the theater.

Have a Youth Group Bowling Night

Bowling is another fun and inexpensive activity that works great for youth groups. But don't just show up the closest bowling alley in your neighborhood on a Friday night and expect their to be room for your group. Take the time to call up several bowling alleys in your city to compare prices and check for availability. The larger your group the more difficult it will be to find a bowling alley that can accomodate for your group.

You also want to find out if the bowling alley allows outside food. If they don't, try to get an estimate of how much snacks are going to cost and pass this information on to your youth group kids. Typicall $10 should be enough for a game of bowling, shoe rental and snacks.

Have a Youth Group Laser Tag Night

Laser Tag is a perfect youth group activity because laser tag centers are set up to accomodate large groups. Plus what teenager doesn't like running around with a laser gun and shooting at their friends? It's true that laser tag can be a bit costlier compared to an activity like bowling, but there are ways to get the biggest bang for your buck here too.

Call up the laser tag place and let them know how big of a group you have coming in and ask if there are any discounts available. Sometimes they run specials or have saving coupons out in different publications. For my last laser tag youth group outing, the laser tag pace gave us a stack of Buy One Game, Get One Game Free coupons that let us play 2 games for $8. So it definitely pays to ask!

Have a Youth Group Dinner Night

Sometimes it's nice just to go to a restaurant with great food & fun atmosphere and hang out there with your youth group. A nice sit-down dinner gives you a chance to really talk and laugh and get to know your kids better. Involve your youth group in the planning of this outing by asking them for suggestions on which restaurant to go to. Just be sure it's a restaurant where you can reasonably eat for $10.

Once you have a restaurant picked out, call them up and let them know when you're coming and how many are in your group. This will give the restaurant a chance to set up an area for your group and will assure you the best service.

Have a Youth Group Game Night

Finally, how about a good-old fashioned game night for your youth group? Head to your favorite local arcade with a roll of quarters and watch the good times roll. As with any other activity, it's a good idea to call around to several places in town to get the best price. Ask your kids for suggestions as they probably know the local arcades better than anybody. You may luck out and find a place like Wonderland in Salem, OR that lets you play games for a nickel.

No matter what activity you choose for your youth group night out, remember that a little bit of pre-planning and research goes a long way. The night will run a lot smoother if you know what to expect beforehand and your kids will appreciate it all the more. Have fun!