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May
19
Written by:
host
5/19/2010 7:00 AM
 The odds are good that your youth room is probably the coolest space in your congregation, filled with all sorts of technical gadgets, games, photos, and the like. But what about books? Have you considered having several books in the room that can be used for conversation starters, shared browsing, and time-fillers? Books are great for those youth that are visual or verbal/linguistic learners, and they can give the more shy kids in your youth group a way to interact with one or two others. Scatter them around the room, especially near where youth like to sit and hang out. Here are some suggestions...
- Humor books. Next time you're at a bookstore, take some time to browse the humor section. Look for books with lots of pictures and content that is immediately funny wherever you turn. Some that caught my eye recently are Awkward Family Portraits; I Judge You When You Use Bad Grammar; Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong; Regretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF; and Bent Objects: The Secret Life of Everyday Things. Note that occasionally these books can get a little risque or contain profanity, so be sure to preview them to make sure you're OK with the content. Also, note that some titles (e.g. the aforementioned grammar book) could embarrass some youth. You can use these titles as a way of helping youth to remember that all of us have families that are strange, personal quirks, things we're not great at, and so on.
- Books of questions. Youth Specialties has quite a number of Q&A books that are perfect for youth ministry. Titles such as Would You Rather, Unfinished Sentences, Name Your Favorite, Have You Ever, and What if...? are tried and true books that should be in everyone's collection. Bonus: their small size makes them ideal for long summer van rides!
- Game instruction books. Books with youth ministry game ideas or card game instructions are good for both travel and for the budding young leader who enjoys coming up with fun things for the whole group to do.
- Bible resource books with a cool factor to them. Don't overdo this category, but a few graphically-rich books, magazine-style books, and teen devotional magazines are good to add to the mix.
- Art books. A number of spiritually-themed art books are available with contemporary and historic expressions of art. These may pique the interest of your students with artistic gifts, especially among your oldest youth.
- Graphic novels. These may not be your favorite genre, but chances are some of your teens are fans of them. Check with the youth to find out what some of their favorite styles, authors, and titles are. You'll get good recommendations from your local comic shop, and Amazon provides lists of editors' and customer favorites as well.
Got a suggestion for a category I didn't name? Have a favorite book to recommend to others? Post a comment below and share your thoughts with others!
~ by Tim Gossett
Copyright ©2010 Different Voice
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