VBS Games

The Alphabet Trip

• Gather the children in a circle so it is easier to toss around a small rubber ball. You will begin the game by announcing, "I'm going on vacation, so I will pack..." When you announce what you will pack, make sure the item begins with the letter A. Next, toss the rubber ball to a student and have him say, "I'm going on vacation, so I will pack..." The student will have to repeat what you said and add an item that begins with the letter B. The child will then pass the ball to another child who will continue the chain. This will continue until you reach the end of the alphabet.

Captain Midnight

• If your Vacation Bible School has a backyard or a gymnasium, Captain Midnight is a game you and the children can play to burn off excess energy. One player will stand near a wall with her back turned to the other children. The other children should stand in a line at least six to seven feet away from the wall. A child from the line will ask, "What time is it," and the player at the wall will say a time. The children in the line will take steps forward based on this time. For example, if the player said, "It's 7a.m.," the children will take seven steps. After a while, the player at the wall will shout, "Midnight!" and all the children should run back toward the starting line. The player at the wall will turn and chase after the other children and try to tag them. When she tags them, they are out, except for the last child, who is declared the winner.

Bible Wheel of Fortune

• Much like the Hangman-inspired TV show, "Wheel of Fortune," Bible Wheel of Fortune involves children guessing letters to fill in the blanks of a word or phrase you write on a chalkboard. True to the TV show, children will have to spin a wheel -- you can use a Twister wheel for the Wheel of Fortune Wheel, but instead of colors, assign points ranging from 5 to 30 on each place the arrow is likely to land.

  Split the children up into three groups of even participants and have them stand in a line behind three tables. Think of a number between one and 10; the team closest to your number goes first. The child in front of the line will spin the wheel and guess a letter. For example, if a child guesses "M" and there are three Ms in the word or phrase, the team will get three times the points they landed on. The next child in line will come up and repeat the steps. Another team will get a chance when one team does not guess a letter correctly. The game keeps going until a team guesses the word or phrase correctly. The team with the most points wins.

Feeding the Giant

• Divide your class into two groups -- girls versus boys, older versus younger -- and line them up on opposite sides of the room. You will stand in the middle as Goliath, the hungry giant. While you are standing there, reinforce the students' Bible lessons by asking them to recall passages from the day's lesson. At random, shout, "I'm hungry!" and have the kids run to area of the room opposite of where they were originally standing. As they run, you can go around tagging students; once tagged, the students stand in the middle with you and they, too, become hungry giants. The game continues until there is one child left, and she is the winner.

  Be sure to mention to the children that there should be no pushing or shoving.