Halloween Party Game: Bobbing for apples is a common Halloween tradition in which youth try to take a bite out of an apple floating in a tub of water.

1. Halloween Party Ideas -
Bobbing for Apples
Halloween Party Game: Bobbing for apples is a
common Halloween tradition in which youth try to
take a bite out of an apple floating in a tub of water.
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2. Resources
• Large tub of water
• Towels
• Apples with all stems and leaves removed
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3. What to Do
• Fill a large tub with clean water and put washed apples into the
water. Apples are less dense than water, so they will float on the
surface.
• Instruct the youth to try to remove an apple from the tub by biting
into it with their teeth. No use of hands is allowed.
• Traditionally, the winner was the first person to retrieve an apple,
but you can also award prizes to everyone who is successful or
those who retrieve specially marked apples.
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4. Variations
• Smaller apples makes this game easier, larger apples make it more
difficult.
• Larger and deeper tubs are more difficult.
• Fewer the apples in the tub makes it more difficult to bite into one.
• Harder apples are more difficult to bite than softer dessert varieties.
• Forcing a youth to go after a particular apple also makes it more
difficult.
• Make it a team relay with one person from each team trying to bite
into an apple at the same time.
• Add some ice before the game to wake everyone up!
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5. Alternative method
If you are concerned about hygiene, an alternative of this game has
everyone trying to bite out of an assigned apple on a string. You’ll need
one apple (with the stem still attached) and one length of string for each
participant. Tie the strings to the stems of the apples and then tie the
other ends to something solid so that they can hang freely. You can use a
open door frame, a tree branch, or even a pole fixed between two ladders.
One advantage is that everyone can go at the same time. The objective
remains the same, to retrieve the apple using only your mouth – or at least
take a bite out of it!
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6. Take it to the Next Level
The original tradition of bobbing for apples stated that
whoever bit the apple first would be the first to get married.
In fact, instead of throwing rice at weddings they used to
throw apples. DUCK! Whoever succeeded in getting an apple
first was supposed to be the lucky person to be the first
person to enter into a marriage relationship.
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7. But the apple is also commonly associated with a broken
relationship. While the apple is never mentioned in the story
of Adam and Eve in Genesis, the apple is commonly
associated with the forbidden fruit offered by Eve to Adam.
If you cut an apple in half horizontally, it is supposed to look
like a pentagram, an occult symbol.
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8. Regardless of whether it was an apple or not, Adam took a
bite of the fruit, in disobedience to God, and through that
disobedience damaged his relationship with God. The Bible
says that Adam “sinned.” Sin is an archery term which
means to miss the mark, to fall short of the target. Because
God is perfect and just, he cannot allow disobedience to go
unpunished.
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9. Because we all fall short but disobedience to God, He in his
infinite love, sent Jesus to pay that penalty for us, to suffer
the consequences of sin which is death. All we need to do is
accept him and our relationship with God is restored.
We each have weaknesses and we all sin. What sin or
temptation does the apple represent in your life?
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10. Halloween is a time when people try to scare each other. But one
of the greatest fears we all have is that of death. But when you
trust Jesus as Savior, you don’t need to fear anymore. Your
relationship with him is restored and he will give you eternal life.
At this point, present the gospel plan of salvation. If you need an
example use Jelly Bean Salvation which focuses on the colors of
Jelly beans. You could also use different colors of Halloween Candy
for the same presentation.
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11. Closing
Have youth exchange their apple (representing
sin) for a cross (Representing Christ) or to place
the apple at the foot of a cross to represent
their giving up of sin and living for Christ. Take
some time for prayer and quiet meditation
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12. Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration
of common Holidays.
Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of
ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s
Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s
Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and
Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered
what you’re going to do for all these holidays
and how you’re going to do it, this resource is
for you.
=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection
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