As KidMin leaders and parents, it's our mission to help plant the Word of God in the hearts of children. Here are 5 games to help you do that with your elementary-aged kids. Stay tuned for my next blog when I share 5 games for preschoolers.
These 5 games are from the GO! curriculum. If you want more where these came from, give GO! a try. The kids at your church will LOVE it!
PASS THE PLANET
Show the kids a beach ball and tell them to pretend it’s a planet. The object of the game is to keep the planet in space until the kids can recite the entire verse from memory. Kids must use their hands or other body parts to bump the ball in the air to each other. They cannot catch and throw it. Every time someone bumps the ball, the kids must say one word of the verse. If the ball hits the ground before the entire verse has been recited, pick it up and start over from the beginning. Continue playing until you get through the verse several times. If you need to make it harder, tell the kids they can use any body part except for their hands. For younger kids, consider using a balloon instead of a beach ball.
BIBLE BERSERKO
Choose a kid to roll a dice, then have the kids recite the verse together in the style that corresponds with the list below. If someone rolls a 6, allow them to make up their own style. When finished, hand the dice to another kid and repeat. Want to play it multiple weeks? Get creative and change up the styles from week to week.
1. In a robot voice.
2. While doing sit ups.
3. While making a silly face.
4. Like you’re sitting in a bathtub filled with ice water.
5. Like you’re being chased by a dragon.
6. Make up your own.
IT'S A COVER UP
Place a piece of butcher block paper (or poster board) in the middle of the kids. Using a marker, write the verse below in big letters on the paper. Read the verse several times with your kids so that they can begin to memorize it. Next, give each kid one Post-it® note. Tell them to close their eyes, count to 3, and have them blindly slap their note onto the Bible verse. If their note is touching any part of a letter, it can stay. If their note is not touching a letter, they must remove it and try again. When all of the notes are covering part of a letter, have the kids recite the verse. Continue playing rounds until most or all of the verse is covered and the kids can recite the verse from memory.
BIBLE VERSE BLITZ
Create 2 sets of Bible verse cards. For each set, write one word of the Bible verse on a different note card. Next, divide the kids into 2 teams. Give each team one set of Bible verse cards and tell them to thoroughly mix them up. When you say “go,” have the two teams race to put the cards back in the right order. Each kid must be responsible for placing at least one card. For the first round, allow the kids to use their hands to move the cards, but for each additional round, choose a different body part such as forehead, nose, foot, knee, elbow, cheek, etc. The first team to assemble the cards in the right order wins. After each round, remove the cards and have each team take turns reciting the verse from memory.
RING-A-VERSE
Cut the middle circle out of 8 paper plates in order to create 8 paper rings. Write the Bible verse across the rings so that about 1/8th of the verse is on each ring. Use tape to create a “throw line” on the floor. Place a full water bottle (or something similar) approximately 5 feet beyond the line. Depending on the age and abilities of the kids, you may want to move the bottle further from or closer to the line. Next, have the kids place the 8 rings on the floor in order of the verse, then practice reading and reciting the verse as a group. When finished, turn the rings over and mix them up. On “go,” time the kids as they race to flip the rings back over, then take turns tossing them in the correct order over the water bottle. The kids may not step over the tape line. If they miss the bottle, they can quickly retrieve the ring, return to the line and try again. Time the kids to see how quickly they can toss all of the rings over the bottle in the correct order. When finished, have the kids recite the verse. Repeat several times to see if they can beat their previous time.
