While the theme of welcome ties nicely into the story I’ve tried to include some very simple games that Asher (fictional character from the passage retelling) and his friends would have been familiar with. If you have access to traditional games now would be a lovely time to bring them out, even if they are not of the era.

 

Obstacle races – this story just begs for the obstacle races that the crowd must have posed to the children. Be creative in your space and link back to the kids running through crowd to the arms of Jesus!
 
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Healing is an odd theme to base games around, illness isn’t usually a fun topic. these games therefore concentrate on the pool, the question, and the social position the invalid may have felt he held.

 

In the mat – you’ll need some towels or bedding rolls for this game as well as a box of objects. In was usual for beggars and the ill to sit on a thin mat which would have rolled up easily, but inside this roll you could hide things. demonstrate this by using a piece of paper and show how it doesn’t drop out. tell the children that they each have a mat (towel or bedroll) and that they must take an object from the box, roll the mat and transport the object safely to the other side of the room. you can either make this competitive or a team task. talk about how little the invalid would have been able to carry with him each day.
 
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Saul’s story is huge and in this condensed lesson we have loads of themes that could be used for play activities, these games concentrate on the idea of a torn robe and a wilful king. Saul isn’t a bad character,simply put he tries to use his own logic rather than follow instructions, and when God ‘leaves’ him he knows his downfall is on the cards.

 

Peg tag – This traditional group game combines chase with the idea of taking part of someone’s clothing, a theme that ties nicely into Saul and the torn robes. Peg 3-5 spring loaded clothes pegs to the back of each child’s top. the aim is to get as many pegs as possible without losing your own. captured pegs can either be added to your own (sit first to show you can’t be caught) or dropped into your ‘teams’ bowl.
 
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Jacob-Ladder-Play

  

Games for this (invisible) Innkeeper lesson are based on historical activities, the theme of welcoming and how we use our space. While you may have traditional Christmas games you wish to use instead these games are deliberately trying to break that mould.

 

Stubborn mules – For this game you’ll need some small bells or a Christmas decoration that jingles when moved and a bowl of sweets. Talk about how when lots of people are in a small space it gets hot quickly. Explain that during the winter months many families used to bring the animals inside to help everyone keep warm. However tonight the house is full of guests so the animals can’t enter, but one mule is really stubborn and wants inside… have the kids lay on the floor and pretend to sleep, the mule with the bells attached must sneak around the sleeping kids to the sweets. the children can’t move off the floor but can wriggle and stretch their limbs. if they touch the mule then they must lead the mule away from the sleeping people and can become the mule themselves. once the game is established you can increase the number of animals!
 
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It’s easy to take the story of Tabitha the dressmaker and use it as an excuse to dress up, and while some of these games acknowledge that, the real power in the story is the influence this very ordinary woman had and how her resurrection built a strong local church in a multi ethnic area.

 

Puzzle Cards – These puzzle cards (click on image for post) are great for introducing the character image and the idea of Tabitha as a dressmaker. There are so many ways to use these cards, as puzzles, as a pairs type game, as a treasure hunt or as a way to identify the real Tabitha by removing one piece from each puzzle except one. If you want a more formal card game try dealing each child 5 cards and have them return 2. Shuffle the returned cards and deal 2 to each child until someone finds a whole set.
 
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These simple cards can be used in so many ways with different age groups. They all use the image of Tabitha / Dorcas though all are coloured slightly differently to show off the wonderful clothes that Tabitha made.

 
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The story of Jonathan warning David is a minefield of game ideas, with propelling arrows, unwitting helpers and secret messages there is a wealth of ways your activities can go.
 

68-arrows68-arrows

Arrows – launching arrows across your teaching space may fill you with joy or dread, either way the kids will love it. You can be true to the story using tiny bows and arrows (offsite link) or print these arrow heads (pictured) and attaching them to felt tip pens to play drop arrows.
 

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Turn your felt pens into arrows and drop them on the target. Sometimes just a little bit of creativity can give a game a great boost, this game is totally functional without the craft option but even more memorable with it.

Includes 1 arrow head and one target on the first page & 4 extra arrow heads on the second page.
(Ruth and Boaz are a match for each other!)

 
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