The Parable of the pearl lends itself to hide and seek style games, but if you want something slightly different then why not check out these alternatives.
 

Sifting Pearls – Designed to be played with groups used to using a parachute (but could be played with a large net). The aim is to get all the pearls through the hole in the parachute apart from the specified one. For pearls use table tennis balls or tennis balls. make sure one ball is a different colour or mark it with tape to make sure it’s easy to visually distinguish it from the others.
 

cup and pearl – Catch your pearl in a cup. Make yours at the time or in advance. Punch a hole in the side of a disposable plastic cup, thread a large bead onto the end of a piece of string and attach together. Flip the bead and try and catch it in the cup. Good for small groups who have space or time fillers.
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The hero in this story is the (unnamed) Simon-Peter’s Mother-in-law. The games play on the three ideas of links to Jesus, healing and touch.
 

Holding on – Give the youngsters tape, paper and scissors to make paper-chains. Get the youngsters to construct a paper-chain that links everybody’s wrists together. Talk about how we all came to church because of somebody we are linked to – a family member, a friend, etc. then stand up and try to move without breaking the chain… this probably won’t last long. Say that even though we came to church because of somebody else we are each loved individually by God.
 

Plastering balloons – This is a messy game that can be played with water in the summer. you need at least 1 balloon per child, tape or small sticky plasters and a sharp pin. Before you give the balloons out make 3 or 4 pin holes in them. give the children a balloon and say it’s broken, but they can fix it. the game starts when you shout start and ends when either all the balloons are fully inflated, or the first balloon is fully inflated.
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The hero in this story is the young boy David as he shows his heart for God and is anointed as the future king. The games play on the three ideas of the family traits held by the brothers, the shepherd David, and the revelation of David’s heart.
 

Just like you – This is a simple matching game. Play with a big group by getting into small groups for each round or play in a small group by simply getting into pairs. Once the groups are formed the leader calls out a category and the children have to find something they have in common associated with it. Repeat answers are not allowed. Eg. If the category is green perhaps all the people in the group may have green eyes, if the category is school perhaps they are in the same school year. Good categories are colours, months, places, numbers, & family members.
 

David’s sheep – This is a very silly game for a well controlled group. Have the group choose a person to play David the shepherd. As David goes looking for his sheep he finds other animals. Have David walk round the room calling the various animals he sees ‘here snails’…’here cats’…etc. the children then act out the animal, complete with noises. When David say’s ‘here sheep’ the children have to ‘Baa’ and run to David. The first person there becomes David and the game repeats.
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The hero in this story is the King Xerxes who honours Mordecai’s actions. These simple game ideas can be used, or any from the ‘Purim’ set which includes Esther and Mordecai.
 

Spin the crown – The child must spin the crown on it’s narrow edge, complete a given task, and retrieve the crown before it falls. Use any size hoop for the crown and set the task as far away as possible. Tasks could be a simple running course, putting on clothing, moving objects from place to place or solving a simple puzzle.
 

Just rewards – This idea can be incorporated into any game. Play 5 minute to win it games (here’s a lit of challenges). When one person completes the challenge, or wins, move onto the next selecting a different person to start. Reward winners with a small sweet for the first, 3rd, 4th and 5th games. If the winner of the second game asks for a reward say you have heard them and thank you for the reminder. At the end sit the youngsters down and ask them to review the games, which did they enjoy more. Ask the winner of the second game how it felt not to be rewarded.
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The hero in this story is Mordecai the loyal advice giver. These simple game ideas can be used, or any from the ‘Purim’ set which includes Esther and the King Xerxes.
 

Charades – Mordecai was observant so noticed the men plotting to kill the king. Simple charades can be a fun way into this story. Have younger children to act out an everyday task, such as washing up, or doing homework – older children can act out dramatic stories from films.
 

Haman hats – Traditionally Haman is portrayed as wearing a three point hat. This game uses an old fashioned coathanger (which has three points) worn as a hat. Give each child a hat and a few elastic bands. The aim of the game is to slip an elastic band onto the hook of the coat-hanger someone else is wearing. Only one band can be placed at a time. You may find it helpful to leave a few piles of elastic bands around the room for children to re-stock. (For younger children bend the handle upwards so the bands don’t fall off as they run)
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The hero in this story is the soon to be Queen Esther. These simple game ideas can be used, or any from the ‘Purim’ set which includes Modecai and the King Xerxes.
 

Blind beauty – This is a game where your hands are not your own. pair the players and get one to put their hands behind their backs while the other player slips their arms through the loop created under the armpits. give each team a few items of make-up and tell them to make themselves look beautiful for the king. This game is fun as a demonstration piece.
 

Purim corners – with decorations being an optional, play a game of corners using the four main characters in the Esther story. Have a corner full of chairs for the King on his throne, use girly scarves or accessories for Esther, have a set of beach mats for Mordecai sitting at the kings gate, and musical instruments to down out the name of Haman. (Traditionally when the story of Esther is told in Jewish households they use instruments to down out Haman’s name)
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The hero in this story is the young Josiah, he is depicted as the child king and yet by the time of clearing the temple he is probably abut 26 years old, having reigned for 18 years. Yet he must have been, even as a child, a reliable king, to have reigned for 18 years.
 

Message paper fight – This game is totally unforgettable and any ‘typical little boys’ in your care will have a ball! prepare a big bag of scrunched up paper balls and tip them all over the room, don’t tell the children but on 3 pieces of paper write a bible verse before scrunching. Split your children into 2 groups and draw a line to divide your space into left and right. The children will act the part of the people clearing up the temple, but they decided to be lazy, and just throw the rubbish over to the other people to sort. Agree a signal to stop and then let them go, when they stop say the winning team is the one who found the treasure in the trash. They will probably look confused and then frantically start searching, if they don’t then prompt them!
 

King for a day – Have the kids imagine they are king for a day, make a simple paper crown (template download from here) and pass it round the circle. in a similar manner to ‘simon says’ have the other kids mime the kings request.
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The hero in this story is the Shepard. This lesson is written as one of three Christmas lessons for those of us who don’t necessarily have 4 or 5 weeks of Christmas story teaching time, often because other Christmas events and special services take our time.
 

The Sheep Game – this is a computer game that can be played vis an internet connection or, by using the downloads page, saved onto a computer or desktop. The basic game takes only seconds to play and could be played in turn by a group of children. A video projector and a wireless mouse would work well if the resources are available or could be borrowed. click here for the sheep game website
 

That looks like a… – the idea of this game is to identify a picture while only being able to see a small amount. Take a large envelope and cut a small hole in the side (a hole punch will do this neatly, don’t worry about having holes on both sides). slip a picture into the envelope and give it to the children. the children will probably try and more the picture about to see as much as possible. Have the last picture be one of an Angel.
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