Tag: games

4 New Bible Games for Your Ministry {Review}

Kathie Phillips

Games are an essential part for ministry to kids, especially games that have a Biblical focus. These types of games can be used anytime during ministry programming to reinforce Bible stories or to improve Bible skills and literacy.

I was delighted when the folks from Bible Games Central reached out to me about reviewing four new games available in their online store. Here are my thoughts on these games that you might want to add to your stash.

Parable Parade

Game description: In this exciting game, players must collect complete sets of Parable Cards. You can draw as many cards as you like, but be careful.
Draw an Oopsie! Card and you will pay the price! Will you be bold and fearless? Or will you be conservative and cautious?

Collect the Cards. Complete the Story. Capture the Point.

Video instructions for this game can be found here: https://biblegamescentral.com/shop/parable-parade/

My thoughts: This game would be a good option after a parable lesson series. I love that the game includes two-sided parable summary cards. One gives a summary of the actual parable (along with the scripture reference) and the other side offers an explanation of the parable. When playing this game at home, it took a while to read and comprehend the directions, so I would suggest making this a post-lesson activity versus an arrival activity. This will allow adequate time for game play. (Recommended age: Elementary and up)

Bible Bingo

Game description: Bible Bingo is a simple and fun game that also helps players become more familiar with the Bible. The Bingo cards you find in this game are specially designed to correspond to how the Bible is organized. They are divided into distinct, colored sections which match the sections of the Bible.

My thoughts: I love to play Bingo and so do the kids in our ministry. This one will be a hit for sure! As pointed out in the description, the game boards are divided into colored sections that match the sections of the Bible, which is an added bonus. There are 24 double-sided cards and plenty of plastic chips which will allow for many children to play at once. (Recommended age: Elementary and up)

Bible Memory Game

Game description: Each Bible Memory Game set contains 2 decks of 66 cards that are beautifully illustrated to reflect the 66 books of the Bible. A color bar at the bottom of each card indicates which section of the Bible it belongs to. This versatile Bible Memory Game can be as challenging or easy as you want it to be. Those who enjoy a demanding game can play with the full set of 66 pairs of cards. For an easier, quicker game, only use cards from the Old Testament, New Testament or selected sections of the Bible. (For example, Old Testament Law, New Testament Gospels, etc.)

My thoughts: Memory games are great to use as kids arrive and I think this one is a hit. There are a lot of cards, so I would definitely recommend varying the game by splitting it between Old and New Testament books. (Recommended age: Elementary and up)

Christmas Bingo

Game description: This festive game set is adorned with 24 colorful illustrations of the nativity scene, baby Jesus, the wise men, Christmas trees, gingerbread houses and more! Conveniently packaged with 24 unique, double-sided Christmas Bingo Cards and 400 plastic Bingo chips, this game requires no further preparation. Simply take the items out of the box to play with a group of 2 to 24 players of all ages!

My thoughts: Kids will enjoy this game at Christmas time. Note: This game includes Bible-based and general holiday images (such as Santa). One fun variation for older kids to change up how they can get a bingo, such as four corners or vertical only. (Recommended age: Older preschoolers – through Early Elementary)

Additional information on of these games can be found on https://biblegamescentral.com/shop/

Also, if you’re planning your Easter activities, check out these links:

Easter Games and Activities
10 Fun and Creative Easter Egg Hunt Ideas

Get Creative with 8 KidMin Learning/Activity Stations

Kathie Phillips

Learning & Activity Stations

A few months ago, I wanted to create a different kind of Sunday morning learning experience for our elementary students. This was because our weekly curriculum’s lesson for a that particular week missed the mark in several areas, prompting this change:

1. All of the activities relied primarily on question and answer-style responses.

2. The curriculum assumed that all of the children who attended were familiar with navigating the Bible (which, on that particular Sunday, just wasn’t the case).  In my opinion, this would make our non-churched or less Bible-literate children feel very uncomfortable (or gasp – even bored).

So…I brainstormed how to solve this issue and landed on having the children rotate through activity stations after our large group worship and Bible story time.  We offered 3 stations for our Sunday morning experience:

Arrival Time

  • Coloring & Activity Pages (I printed off coloring and activity pages from our curriculum as well as word searches that I found online)
  • Active Games

Post-Large Group Time

  • Active Games
  • Snack (we don’t usually serve snacks in our elementary area, so this was a special treat)
  • Object Lesson & Worship Response

Every time we’ve changed up the format in this way, it’s been a big hit.  Sometimes, we have our leaders stationed at one area for the entire morning (so they only have to really focus on preparing for one thing).  Other times, we have them rotate through with their group.  Either way, it works and the kids love it.

If you’re looking for ways to get the kids learning in a different way, don’t be afraid to give learning/activity stations a try.  Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Games

I suggest doing a mix of high-energy and low-energy options that correspond to the day’s lesson.  Use a high-energy option if your other stations are more reflective or slower paced; use a low-energy option if your morning will include a lot of stimulating elements.  Check out my favorite Pinterest-inspired games here.

Arts and Crafts

Kids love being creative!  Set out a variety of art supplies and let the children express their individuality.  Items such as paints, modeling clay, construction paper, beads, pipe cleaners, craft sticks and markers are things you should keep on hand for this.  Check out my favorite Pinterest-inspired crafts here.

Worship Response/Quiet Reflection

Sometimes kids just need a place to sit and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to them.  Create this atmosphere by having soft lighting, gentle music and flameless candles.  Provide journals or index cards for the kids to jot down prayer requests or provide another prayer station option.  Check out my favorite Pinterest-inspired prayer ideas here.

Snacks

What child doesn’t love a snack?  What child wouldn’t love a snack that went along with a Bible story?  Check out my favorite Pinterest-inspired snack ideas here.

Missions/Service

How can you offer kids a chance to think outside of the church walls?  Can you invite a missionary in to share?  Is there a local mission you can partner with?  Check out my favorite Pinterest-inspired outreach ideas here.

Coloring/Activity Pages

Our younger children (2nd grade and younger) love to color, while our older children (3rd-5th grade) enjoy crossword puzzles, word searches, word scrambles and brain teasers.  When we use these, they always correspond to the day’s lesson.  What I love about this station is that it provides a quieter spot for children who need that.

Drama (Skits, Puppets, Pantomime)

I love the chance for children to express themselves in a creative way!  Provide puppets, props and skits and let children act out the bible story or a real-life situation.  Or – provide supplies for the children to create their own puppets, props and skits.  You’ll not only see their creative side but you’ll also see their personalities shine!

Object Lessons

Sometimes, there is no better way to bring home a point than doing an object lesson.  On the Sunday referenced above, we used one of my favorite object lessons.  The children were mesmerized.  There are great options available that would complement many Bible stories.  Check out my favorite Pinterest-inspired object lessons here.

Keep the conversation going!  What learning/activity stations would you add to the list?

4 Fun Valentine’s Day Games Kids Will Love!

Kathie Phillips

Newsflash: kids LOVE to play games!  The beauty of children’s games is that they don’t have to be fancy or complicated, just fun!

I’ve scoured Pinterest and found a few Valentine’s Day games that would be great to use in your ministry before service, between services or as an extra-time activity.  Of course, these games would also work for academic classrooms, homeschooling environments or Valentine’s parties.

Here are a few of my favorites:

From childrens-ministry-deals.com

Minute to Win It games are always a hit! The games are usually high energy (because you only have 60 seconds) and easy to prepare, as the supplies are usually ones you already have on hand.  What I love about these is that you can set up several different games in a large, open space and have the kids rotate through them.  And the good news is that these 10 games are absolutely FREE to download!  You can also find other minute to win it ideas here.

Valentine Games - Minute to Win It

From teachmama.com

This game is awesome for several reasons.  (1) It is very easy to set up.  You can use foam hearts (as mentioned in the post) or you can cut large hearts from cardstock or construction paper and laminate them for durability.  (2) You can adapt it for toddlers, preschoolers, or elementary-age children.

The hearts can include active movements (as mentioned in the post), reflective actions (i.e. “Name someone you could say, ‘God loves you and so do I?'”), Bible story/verse review questions, or icebreaker questions.  There are many options.

Valentine Game - Musical Hearts

From Seven Thirty Three

Who doesn’t love the classic game of Tic Tac Toe?  Playing it with x’s and o’s is good but playing with chocolate candies is even better!  If food allergies are a concern, you could also play with red and pink Starbursts© or Skittles©.

Valentine Game - Tic Tac Toe

From childrens-ministry-deals.com

Another classic game – BINGO!  Again, you can download the free game boards here or be creative and make your own and adapt them for preschoolers & non-readers or include Bible verse words, names of people God loves…the possibilities are endless.

Valentine Game - Bingo

 

For more fun ideas, be sure to check out my Valentine’s Pinterest Board!

What fun games do you have planned for Valentine’s Day?  Let me know by leaving a comment below or on our Facebook page!

{Book Review} “Children’s Games From Around the World”

Kathie Phillips

One of the things that makes our Children’s Ministry unique is that we offer a missions-emphasis program for our preschoolers, elementary-age children and preteens.  Second Sunday for the World, offered on the second Sunday of each month October – June, exposes children to other cultures, introduces them to church-supported missionaries, and allows them to pray for people around the world. They learn to have God’s heart for the world by serving others locally and globally.

I always keep an eye out for missions resources for children.  Many of my ideas come from Pinterest.  (You can check out my KidMin Missions board here.)

My friend Steven Knight has compiled a new resource that I was thrilled to take a look at.  Children’s Games from Around the World provides 23 fun games from 22 different countries.  These games are great complements to Sunday lessons, VBS, and missions programs.

About the book:
 
-eBook
-45 pages
-includes interesting facts about each country
 
What I Liked:

I love that many of the games are active – they get the children up and moving.  This is especially important to our ministry because we have an abundance of boys who like to throw balls (and each other occasionally!), run and jump.  I also love that the countries are listed alphabetically in the table of contents, making finding a game for a particular place fairly easy.

Each game’s directions are clearly laid out, so it’s easy to follow, even spur-of-the moment if needed.  I was also grateful to see that several interesting facts follow each country’s game.  The games can be fun & informative!

What I Think Was Missing:

It would have been great if each country could have been identified by its flag or location on a map (again, educating the children).  Some had identification; some did not.  It also would’ve been helpful if each game was categorized as “high energy” or “low energy”.  That information is useful to me when selecting a game.  Lastly, a list of needed supplies would make selecting and prepping for a game super easy.  This is also something that I take into consideration when selecting a game.

My Recommendation:

This resource is a good one to have in your arsenal.  If you’re like me, you’ll refer to it regularly.  For a limited time, Steven is offering this downloadable eBook free of charge to everyone who subscribes to his blog, KidMin Tools.  I encourage you to check it out!