Where I live it rarely snows. (I know, stop complaining.) However that doesn’t stop us from having the occasional snowball fight–in the classroom. Kids love it, I love it. With a little preparation you can host a snowball fight in your own classroom or children’s church. Here are two party games that everyone will love! Paper Snowball Fight: Before class have a volunteer (or two) help you make two buckets of paper wads from a pack of
Back in my seminary days, I was regularly asked to teach a seminar at our regional children’s ministry training conference called ‘Using Games as a Teaching Tool.’ I would come in with some ideas planned to share with the group, but always started the seminar by dividing the class into groups of 3-4, reading a familiar passage of Scripture, giving each group some random items (a couple of dice, duct tape, a beach ball, a bean bag, rubber
Are my kids the only ones that love to play Tic-Tac-Toe? I’m sure they aren’t. I think all kids love to play it. So I was thinking the other day, why can’t we play it while also practicing the names of the Bible books? So I put together an easy Tic-Tac-Toe board and cards that you can easily print multiple copies of and use with your kids, either at home or at church. Click on the preview
Are you looking for some fun games to play with the kids in your church on a hot summer day? Wouldn’t it be great if you could have fun and teach the truth of the gospel at the same time? With this ‘splashy’ fun event you can do just that. This event would be great from a neighborhood outreach, or a game day where kids can invite their friends, or even for VBS or camp. So, grab some
Summer is the season for travel. Countless hours are spent by families in cars traveling to visit families or to see the sights. Here are some ideas you can share with the families in your church to help them put Deuteronomy 6:6-7 into practice on road trips. “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along
I love Post-It Notes – and so do kids! When I was working in an office, I would have post-its all around my computer screen to remind me of things that I needed to get done. They are so handy to write love notes to stick on mirrors, reminders, and to do lists. What about a treasure hunt? My kids love treasure hunts! For each birthday, they would want me to make up a treasure hunt to
The kids in my Wednesday night class need work on learning the books of the Bible. They also like to play games. So, I put together this DIY Old Testament Books of the Bible Bingo game. It’s DIY because it is completely adaptable to your class (as well as mine). I have made the BIBLE Bingo game board and made a card for each book of the Old Testament. All you have to do is print out
The kids in my Wednesday night class need work on learning the books of the Bible. They also like to play games. So, I put together this DIY New Testament Books of the Bible Bingo game. It’s DIY because it is completely adaptable to your class (as well as mine). I have made the BIBLE Bingo game board and made a card for each book of the New Testament. All you have to do is print out
One day, I decided that the kids in my class on a Wednesday night needed to have some practice looking up verses in their Bible. They also needed a lesson on giving. So I decided to combine the two into a Bible Verse look up on giving. I gave them the rules: Before I say each new verse, their Bible have to be closed They try their best and keep trying Then we began. They made it
It’s almost the end of school and my Wednesday night class is getting more and more fidgety. A few weeks ago, they were really having a difficult time in class and so I decided to stop the lesson and let them get up and move. I didn’t want chaos, so I started a game. I had them think of their favorite Bible character. Then I had them think of a way that they could show that to
I am always working on ways to help my students, and my own children at home, to learn the books of the Bible. They need consistent practice in order to remember them, let alone be able to read them. So I have come up with a simple board game for students to practice the New Testament books of the Bible. All you need is: Game Board (download here) this could be 1 per every 2+ students, however
I am always working on ways to help my students, and my own children at home, to learn the books of the Bible. They need consistent practice in order to remember them, let alone be able to read them. So I have come up with a simple board game for students to practice the Old Testament books of the Bible. All you need is: Game Board (download here) – this could be 1 per every 2+ students,
Have time to kill at the end of class or looking for an active game to break up a teaching block? Keep it simple and call out this fun, classic game. Of course, you could play the traditional Duck, Duck, Goose game but why not make it more biblical? Try these variations on this fast-paced game. Duck Duck Goose Call-Out Variations Matthew, Mark, Luke and John: For the call-out, instead of shouting out Duck Duck Goose, have
Try these fun Thankful games to get kids into active learning. You can use theme at school, home, or in your children’s ministry. What is it about the holidays that makes kids want to run around the room? Could it be all the sugar we supply them with? I’m not sure but no matter how hard I try, during the month of November and December, kids want to play more and learn less. If you find the
As a busy children’s pastor, I know how time can escape you when preparing for a lesson. I can always use some fresh ideas for class, especially activities. If you need some Bible activities, try the Build a Sentence game. All you need is the printed list of sentences and kids will need their Bibles. I created these games using the NIV but you could very easily use the KJV with a little extra work. Don’t miss
Are your kids “tweeting”? If so, then you can put their Twitter knowledge to use in a fun teaching situation. Even if they don’t know how to tweet yet, this micro-blogging, social networking site is great inspiration for Twitter-inspired games for kids ministry. How would the gospel look if it were tweeted to the followers of Christ? Ask yourself that question and then present these two cool game ideas to your children. (Twitter birds make safe, familiar
Looking for a few good games for your Mother’s Day service? These three winners will keep kids busy—they are perfect for filling in empty spaces in your schedule. That could happen since many churches do have special recognition for mothers during service in the “big church.” It might be a good idea to print this sheet and keep it handy, in case other teachers need some suggestions, too. #1 Mrs. Mumbles – Mother’s Day Game This game
When you have a dozen pairs of curious eyes staring at you and the lesson is over–you need a game. I know that scenario happens to me and quite frequently. No matter how hard you plan, I always need one more activity or game. Rather than dreaming up something complicated or even expensive, reach for some hula hoops. Inexpensive and easy to find, the hula hoop is a fun tool to work with. I often use these
Kids can’t resist balloons, can they? This thought inspired me to get busy planning a fun game using a bunch of balloons. While we’re having fun, it doesn’t hurt to reinforce a bible verse! This active game is perfect for kids age 6 and up but you could probably introduce it to smaller kids if they don’t mind popping a balloon. (Some little ones really don’t like that noise.) Grab a pack of balloons and call a
Playing this card-matching game, children learn more about 12 married couples in the Bible. Who pleased God? Who didn’t please God? This game could be played near Valentine’s Day or any time you are studying one of these Bible couples. It would work well for 2 to 4 players or teams. Print the cards (PDF) on card stock or heavy paper and cut them apart. Shuffle the cards and lay them down in rows on the table. The
This game reminds children of things we can do to show our love for Jesus. Many activities are good things to do, but only certain ones especially show our love for Jesus. Because the game distinguishes between good actions and “best” actions, it is most appropriate for second graders and up. It can be played by 2 to 6 players or teams. Remind the children that God’s love for us is based on Jesus — not our
Jesus Loves Me Bingo reminds children of the ways God shows his love for us. It could be used near Valentine’s Day or any time you are emphasizing God’s love. The 3×3 cards (where you have to get 3 in a row) would work well for kindergarten and above. The 2×2 cards (where you have to mark all 4 pictures) would work well for kindergarten and below. Preparation: Print out the 3×3 cards (PDF) or 2×2 cards (PDF), as many
It’s fall! Who’s planning a pumpkin party? I love this fall, un-scary theme for fall. We have a pumpkin party every year for all our kids. Besides pumpkin garland and cutesy decorations, you need some pumpkin theme games for kids to play. Put on some cheap grillz for authenticity! These fun ideas are perfect for a party or to add as an activity for a kids church service. Pumpkin golf: Carve out a pumpkin and make a
NBC’s Minute to Win It Game is a huge hit for fun-loving families. Watching this show has inspired us to offer you some (more) kid-friendly, minute to win it games. These fast paced games are ideal for pre-church activities, schedule fillers or mid lesson breaks. Customize them to suit your needs. Lights Out: For this games you need six push lights, like the ones you find at a dollar store. You also need six bean bags and
