Creating a Warm Atmosphere for a Youth Group Room

Hey again! Hope you’re having an awesome day. Today I’ve been thinking about my youth group. Every week for about two years I’ve been working with a group of pre-teen and teen girls in my church. I was thinking on how I’ve managed to create a warm, open, and fun atmosphere, even though there is only a group of ten girls. (Maybe even less…) It can be so tough to work with teens since one moment they are full of fun and the next they’re just in the “I-don’t-care-mood”. It’s not easy to have a cool youth group, and unless you have a huge church with smoke and lights and amazing worship times with pads and a cool worship leader, it seems like your youth group is just so blah in comparison.

But I have found that there are amazing advantages to having a small youth group. There is space for the members to share their opinions. They get to ask questions and express themselves. You get to know them and figure out what area of their lives you can minister to. There is room for growth, failure, fun, and close-knit friendships. So there are quite a few advantages that we may not get in a larger setting. The thing is, we have to keep these meetings fun. The atmosphere has to be warm and inviting. We need to give the teens the freedom to be themselves and discover who God designed them to be. Anyway, I thought I would share some of the things that have worked for me and my youth group. Today I’ll be sharing a few ideas on how to set up a fun and inviting youth group room.

Ideas on Setting Up a Fun and Inviting Youth Group Room

A warm and inviting atmosphere is essential. A cold atmosphere will not be appealing. A boring atmosphere isn’t any better. I have found that I can make a warmer and more inviting atmosphere even by doing a few simple things. I know it all depends on the budget. And if you have a small youth group, the budget may be even smaller. (Relatable?) But there are a few thing anyone can do to have a warmer atmosphere.

Change the Way You Set Up the Chairs

Set up the chairs in a circle, not in church rows. You definitely know what I mean. Make your general setup homey, not churchy. In a small group the goal should be conversation.

Turn On Some Music

You can get a small bluetooth speaker for this. The thing is, you don’t want a quiet, morbid meeting.

Paint an Appealing Color

Decorate with some nice warm colors. Or go for the bright colors. It will set the tone for the room and make things happier and less gloomy.

Change the Color of the Lighting

This might not be possible in all cases, but if you can set up yellow LED lights instead of bright white lights then the atmosphere will definitely be warmer. You can buy cheap desk lamps and set them around the room. String lights are also a good alternative.

Get a Couch

I know this will be more pricey, but even an old couch will do. If you can’t afford one, you can make a DIY couch out of palettes and cushions.

Get a Rug

If you don’t have carpeting, a soft rug can make all the difference. And honestly, you can find a decent price on rugs on Amazon.

Get a Coffee Table

Again, this can be more pricey, but you can make coffee tables out of crates. Be creative.

Those are just a few ideas on making your youth group space more homey. I know not all of the above options will be possible for everyone. But I hope to give you a basic idea on creating a warm atmosphere. I have found out that focusing on creating a youth lounge instead of a youth auditorium helps me keep focused on making a warm atmosphere for my small youth group. Hope you enjoyed!

Anna 🙃