Church Games for Five- to Eight-Year-Olds

"Noah Says"

• If children like "Simon Says," they will love "Noah Says." The leader divides the kids into three teams: ducks, cats and dogs. The leader explains the sounds and actions that each animal does. Dogs bark, wag or beg. Ducks waddle, quack or fly. Cats purr, meow or lick their paws. If the leader prefaces an action with "Noah says," all the animals must do the action. If he says an action without saying "Noah says," then only the appropriate animals do the action. For example, if the leader says "Noah says purr," everyone purrs. If the leader just says "Purr," only the cats should purr. If an "animal" performs an action she should not, she is out.

"Pin the Rock on Goliath"

• This game is based on the traditional party game "Pin the Tail on the Donkey." The teacher tapes a picture of Goliath to the wall. A student is blindfolded and given a piece of sticky tack to represent a rock. The teacher turns the student around a few times, aims him in the direction of Goliath and tells him to defeat Goliath with the rock like David did. This game is good for reviewing the lesson as well as getting kids moving and laughing.

"Balloon Burst"

• Memorizing Bible verses is a blast with this balloon game. The teacher writes the words of a Bible verse on inflated balloons; one word per balloon. She tapes the balloons to a wall or door. The class reads the verse together. Then, the teacher pops one word with a push pin and has the class read the verse again. The kids take turns choosing a balloon to pop and repeating the verse. By the end, all the words are gone and the students must repeat the verse with all the words missing.

"Guess It"

• "Guess It" is another game that helps young children memorize key Bible verses. The teacher writes the verse on the board. The class reads the verse out loud. One student turns his back to the verse and to the others in the class. The children repeat the verse and leave out a word, substituting a clap for the missing word. The student with his back to the class must guess which word was left out. Each round, the students substitute more words with claps. If the student guesses incorrectly, he must trade places with someone else. The next round continues and the new student must guess the missing words.