I was having a rough morning and our children’s church was getting a little rowdy. Ā A few of the kids were even practicing their complaining skills. Before I knew it, the following words came out of my mouth.
Since everyone is a little cranky today, I will give you a choice. We can do our normal set of worship songs or you can all lay down and take a nap.
To my amazement, they all started screaming for the second option. Thinking on my feet, I quickly turned this around into a game. Here’s the basic idea, be sure to leave a comment to add your own suggestions.
- Have all the children spread out and lay down on the floor. Instruct them to avoid moving or touching each other.
- On the count of three, everyone should pretend like they are asleep.
- Walk among them praising particular children for their convincing performance. “Wow, I am really starting to think Elijah is asleep.”
- Offer them the extra fun of tricking another grown up. I challenged our kids to convince one of the church ushers.
- Use this few minutes of nap time to teach the Bible story. You could say, “Imagine your having a dream about this …”
- Use a three count to “wake up” the children after a few minutes.
Suggest Bible Lessons
This game would work well with any Bible story that includes sleeping characters. Here are some examples.
- When God made Eve from Adam’s rib. Genesis 2:21
- When Jesus was asleep in the storm. Mark 4:38
- When Jesus raised Lazarus, he said he was “asleep.” John 11:11
- When Jesus raised a dead girl, he said she was “asleep.” Matt 9:24
- At the Transfiguration, Peter and the others had been asleep. Luke 9:32