Games Zone

When you use games to teach, your teaching becomes more fun, and more effective.  Get kids' minds and bodies involved in learning!

The games here are not simply for the sake of play, but for creatively and effectively reaching and teaching kids for Jesus! Don't miss Karl Bastian's Tips for Leading Great Games!

A game that is used as a way for several teams of children to learn a particular Bible verse by playing a version of "Around the World"

Simply a relay in which each team must crawl to a desired destination and back again. A great way to help introduce or emphasize the story of baby Moses.

Teams of children seek around the room to find pictures of baby Moses. The kids will have fun looking for the pictures... you will have fun finding creative ways to hide the pictures.

The kids are the actual game pieces in this game. Each team gets creative as they come up with actions to fit the memory verse or verses.

Your students will compete against each other, either in teams or even as individuals as they try to fill-in the blank spaces in a Bible verse. The pressure is on as each key word is randomly chosen by the team members.

Teams of children will run a relay to put a verse in order. They will run to acquire each word and then hang each word on a clothes line with clothes pins in the correct order.

The classic Bible verse memory activity - use a whiteboard, and eraser and a room full of kids. Add and erase words in a verse as the children repeat it over and over until it's memorized!

Using a hopscotch grid, you will add words to each of the squares so the children have to say each word or words in order as they hop through the grid.

Use a ball or a real potato to play hot potato! As the ball is tossed about, each word must be said individually and in order by the person catching the ball. If someone misses a word or drops the ball, they are out.

Here's a quick and easy game to play: Teams compete by standing in line, passing the ball to each other all the way down the line and back again - all the time quoting the day's verse.

Here's the classic Match/Memory Game. Face down scripture flash cards must be matched with another set of face down flash cards that state the meaning of the verse.

Two teams go back and forth quoting the scripture verse as a word or part of the verse is eliminated as each team takes it's turn.

Your students will be poppin' with this game - really! Two or more teams run a relay to pop balloons and collect the verses inside. Put the verses in order and your team wins!

Here is a fast-action relay game in which each child must unscramble the day's scripture verse.

This is a great tool for quizzing in a fun way as you are learning the books of the bible.

Here is a super-fun relay that involves the teams building a wall and knocking it down in order to win!

A Relay involving running and jumping and remembering each day of creation.

Good Game to play when kids need to burn off a little energy pre-service or as a fill-in game if service goes long. Our kids love this competition style game.

Remember dropping a clothes pin into a jar? Here's the same idea using little pieces of paper made to look like scrolls. Easy to play and fun to do any time!

A "high-tech" way to do reviews, quizzes, etc. in children's church, that brings kids and adult leaders together in a fun competition.  

The kids are trying to toss a frisbee at a designated target in the room. A great way to introduce the topic of Elijah and get the kids active at the same time.

Introduce the idea of Elijah and get the kids running as they run a relay and hand off batons to each other at the same time.

In this game - the students get to have craft time and a game in the same moment. Teams of kids race to glue the jewels onto Esther's crown.

A simple but fun relay in which the kids must match the actions of their leader. What a great way to introduce the topic of Moses leading the people.

Teams will compete to see who can gather the most "manna" for their first. A fun relay that's a great way to teach the story of Moses in the wilderness.

A blindfolded child is chosen to find the child playing part of Moses. You can play this game for hours - the kids will never get tired of it!

We played a guessing game to start with. I started with one of the younger children and worked my way up to a very young-looking spry older lady in the choir.

This game encourages Listening Skills and could be used at Easter for teaching about the Resurrection of Jesus or Lazarus.

A crazy relay in which team member must get each other from start to finish by moving only a few "stepping stones" from behind to the front.

A relay game where each team member plays the part of Jacob as they run with a pillow, lie down and run back to their team.

The classic tug-a-war game - a contest of strength and working together.

Look out Donny Osmond! Give your kids a chance to play the part of Joseph. They will run against each other in a relay by using a large coat.

Using bean bags, sidewalk chalk (or masking tape) and some manual dexterity, your students will have to answer a quiz question about the different judges by landing their bean bag in the correct answer square.

Batter's Up! A version of baseball that can be played anywhere. The bases are the answers to questions about the Kings in the Old Testament and the kids have to get to the correct base before they're tagged.

A fun way for kids to burn off some energy and introduce the class to Daniel and the Lion's Den.

A guessing game for any age. Each student has the name of an Old Testament character taped to their back. They get to ask the others questions about the character and try and guess the name.

Using grapes and a few teams, you can incorporate snack time and a game together. A great way to introduce the story or Naboth's Vineyard.

Here is a relay and matching game all in one. The students race to find turn over each card with the correct animal that matches yours.

This is a milk bottle throw - Bowling kidna thing. The kids try to knock over paper sacks with the names of the kings of the northern kingdoms on them.

Students will have to work together as they guide each other, blindfolded, through an obstacle course.

A simple, but fun and effective treasure hunt-type game in which the kids are searching for the letters to spell "Old Testament".

Quickness of the memory and hands will help each team as they try to be the first team to complete a word search together.

A Treasure hunt game in which each team must find every book of the Old Testament that have been scattered around the room or church.

A great relay to help kids learn how the different books of the Old Testament are divided up (Law, History, Poetry, etc). Kids run and pick up a card with the name of a book on it and must place it in the correct category.

You'll get your students to remember the various categories and Old Testament books in each category (Law, History, Poetry, etc) by hopping through a hopscotch grid and saying each book in order.

This is a fast action game for Elementary kids that can be played either as an overhead projector game or as a large floor game where the players are the actual game pieces. Included are directions for the game both ways! Recommended age: Grades 3rd on up Don't miss the 39 page PDF at the bottom of the page with overhead game boards, and questions to use.

This is a two part game that is best done over at least a two week time period. it's a version of "Family Feud" in which teams give answers and are awarded points based on whether they give one of the top five responses.

This is a simplified "Jeopardy" style game in which each team chooses questions based on a category and point value. Four topics can be played: Old Testament, new Testament, Christmas and Easter.

An overhead game using a Wheel of Fortune style contest. each team takes turns spinning the wheel and adding to the phrase for points.

Get your class in a circle and see if they can quote just part of the verse before passing it on to the next person. The next person picks up where the last left off.