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GAMES

Bible Jeopardy (need prepared questions and game grid)–modeled after the TV or board game; played in teams (download Jeopardy questions, etc. in WordPerfect format)

Balloon Smileys (need one inflated balloon)–when the balloon is in the air, kids laugh and jump up and down; when the balloon touches the floor, they must stop and keep a straight face; keep nudging the balloon until the giggles and wiggles have subsided a bit

Newspaper Pileup (need a couple of full-size newspaper sheets)–ask kids to guess how many class members can fit on the paper; record guesses and try it! give a ‘group hug’ to the one who guessed the closest

Ping-pong Blow (need one or more ping-pong balls)–have children form a circle lying on the floor, heads inward, elbows touching; place a ball in the center of the circle, and have the children keep it moving for a while by blowing it

Clusters (no supplies needed, and a good way to divide kids into small groups!)–call out a number and a body part; they must form groups of that number, connected with that body part; EX–twos, nose-to-nose; threes, knee-to-knee; fives, elbow-to-elbow; if someone is left out, just have them join back in the next round, or choose the next number (probably not the body part, though)

Memory verse pop-up (no supplies needed)–assign each child a word of a short memory verse; mix them up; as you read the verse, they start in a crouching position and "pop up" when you say their word; read the verse several times in a high voice, low voice, squeaky voice, etc; end by having the children arrange themselves in the correct order of the verse

Jerusalem Squares, a.k.a. Tic Tac Toe (need prepared questions and 9 chairs or a chalk/white board)–can play with teams or individuals; when someone answers a question correctly, they mark that space on the board or sit in the corresponding chair

Bible Baseball (need prepared questions, of varying difficulty, and three chairs) –arrange the chairs to represent the bases; divide into teams; as each person comes up to bat, they can choose a single (easy question), double (slightly harder), triple (difficult), or home run (very tough); players "run the bases" by sitting in the corresponding chairs, and score by making it to "home" as their teammates come behind them

Verse Volleyball (long table, balloons, chalk/white board)–write a memory verse on the board; have students sit in teams on either side of the table, and hit the balloon back and forth; when it touches the ground, it is "out" and the teacher erases a word from the verse on the board; the group who let the balloon go "out" must repeat the verse; continue until one group has to repeat the verse without any words to help them

Scavenger hunt (memory verse written out and cut into pieces)–hide pieces throughout the room, or in a specified area outdoors; children find pieces and put them together

Musical chairs variation--write the name of each child on masking tape, and stick it to the bottom of a chair; keep same number of chairs; when the music stops, children must think of something nice to say about the person whose name is under their chair

RESOURCES FOR GAMES:

Wiggle Tamers: 101 Ideas for Keeping Kids Focused, by Jolene Roehlkepartain; Group Publishing,1995.

Fidget Busters: 101 Quick Attention-Getters for Children’s Ministry, by Jolene Roehlkepartain; Group Publishing, 1991.

Instant Games for Children’s Ministry; by Susan L. Lingo; Group Publishing, 1999.

Everyone’s-a-Winner Games for Children’s Ministry, Group Publishing, 1999.

Quick Games for Children’s Ministry; Group Publishing, 1999.

Boredom Busters: 84 Quick Activities to Wake Up a Youth Group, by Cindy S. Hanson; Group Publishing, 1990.

Children’s Ministry Magazine’s Best-Ever Ideas, Group Publishing, 1996.

200+ Activities for Children’s Ministry, by Susan L. Lingo; Standard publishing, 1999.

Games Babies Play: From Birth to 12 Months, by Vicki Lansky; The Book Peddlers, 1993.

Memory Verse Crafts, Games, & Activities, by Shery Koons Borenstein; Shining Star, 1993.

The Complete Book of Bible Trivia, by J. Stephen Lang; Tyndale Publishing, 1988.

Visit your local ABC or Christian book store for collected questions to use in games.
 
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