play Archives - Page 5 of 18 - Jesus Without Language

This passage is sometimes called the 10 virgins or the 10 bridesmaids: what we know about this is that they were young girls. A gaggle of girls waiting with the bride would probably be quite a fun, if not exhausting, way to spend an evening, it’s not surprising they fell asleep. Here is a selection of games that tie into various elements of the story, choose the one that would best suit your group, age range and setup.

Hidden light

Under 7’s

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Play ‘hide the object’ with use a torch or glow stick. How easy was it to find? Was it easier to find when the room was brighter? Did its light make it easier to discover?

Bridesmaid Search

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

A printable pairs game available by clicking on the image. Play classic pairs or use the scoring system written out on the page to try to beat your opponent.

Running out of oil

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

If you have access to a water friendly space, this is a fun game. The aim is to float a candle in a container by filling it with water. You may not touch the candle, though you can blow it off the top of the container. Give each child a cup they can fill with water and have them run back and forth from the water source. Make it a bit more challenging by making a few small holes in the base of the container!

He’s arrived

All Ages

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

When the music stops, someone knocks on the door and the groom arrives, but don’t let him find you sleeping. Each pair of kids shares a dice, taking it in turns to roll. If they roll a 5 or 6, they fall asleep — sit/lay down. A roll of 1 or 2 wakes both people up — kneel/stand up. Make sure you have a third person to randomly stop the music or set a timer if you only have 2–3 kids. As a group game, all those asleep are out for the next round.

I Packed My Bag

Ages 7+

Any size group

No Setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

This classic game, also called “when I went to grandma’s” is a memory game listing all the things you’d take with you. Take it in turns to recite the whole list of items in the bag before listing a further item. How many can you remember?

This passage about the religious hypocrites holds such a lot of symbols, but all of them have at their root the idea of pride. This is reflected in these games, each taking the ideas from a slightly different angle.

Inverted Mirror

All Ages

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

This mirroring game takes two people facing each other, but they are going to copy each other’s actions in reverse: i.e. if one moves left, the other will move right. Have both people start by sitting down on chairs. As one person moves to become bigger/taller, the other moves to become smaller/shorter — generally this is if one person leads at first. Talk about how Jesus reversed the importance we place on people in this passage.

Hypocrites Hunt

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Hide each letter of the word ‘hypocrites’ in your space, have the kid(s) find the letters and reconstruct the word. For younger kids, they can just find the letters and place them on the written word to fill it, older kids can try to work out what the word is from the letters.

Impractical clothing

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

The Pharisees made their tassels impractically long, this game ties into this. You will need to set up a series of obstacles the kids need to pass through and lay out some oversized clothing. The first time through the obstacles, the kid(s) can go without any extra clothes, but the second time round they have to choose one item to wear. Talk about how their new fashion choice hindered their movement.

Symbols Search

Ages 7+

Small group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

Walk around your space looking for symbols. Print out some symbols to ‘hide’ if you don’t think there are enough naturally around you. (road signs, power symbols, play, pause, a cross, a company logo, a flag etc).

Simon says

Under 7’s

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

This traditional game links so well to the idea of saying one thing and doing something different. The leader gives an instruction and the children perform it… but only if the leader uses the words ‘Simon says’ before the instruction… Get it wrong and you are out!

The question about taxes isn’t really asking Jesus’s opinion on economic systems, it’s trying to trap him. These games play with the idea of questions, the odd pairing of the Herodians and the Pharisees and even give a nudge to what taxes are because sometimes kids get confused on this passage simply by this unknown word.

This is part of a single lesson pack, all ready to print and go.

Tricky questions

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Have two hoops or marked spaces and ask the kid(s) a question they may know the answer to and assign two possible answers, one to each marked area. Have the kids run to the answer they think was right. At the end, explain that Jesus managed to stand in both hoops in today’s story.

Unlikely pairs

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

Grab plenty of food types and lay them out for the kids. Get them to pick the most unlikely pairings and challenge them to see if they will taste test their combination — don’t forget the spit bucket!

Payday

Ages 7+

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Explain that each child must cross the room and touch the paper pinned to the wall. Some children must do so while sitting in a seat or otherwise hindered. Give each child three coins or tokens each time they do it, but say they must pay 1 token in tax. How did it feel to give your tokens away? What should we do with the tax tokens? How did it feel to be at a disadvantage?

Question treasure hunt

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

This is a lovely, simple activity, but it does take some time to set up. Children search and find a question whose answer tells them where to find the next piece of treasure. Alongside the piece of treasure (a jigsaw piece works well) is another question whose answer is the location of the next piece of treasure and so on. Link to questions leading to truths.

No right answer

Ages 7+

Any size group

No Setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

Challenge your kids to find an answer to these questions. Let them mime out the encounter, starting with the question. Talk about how sometimes it’s better not to answer a question directly.

1. If lying is always wrong, is it OK to ruin a surprise if asked directly?
2. If a Cyclops were to close its eye, is it winking or blinking?
3. When did time begin?
4. If you punch yourself, and it hurts, are you weak or are you strong?
5. If you expect the unexpected, doesn’t that make the unexpected expected?
6. Is your answer to this question ‘no’?
7. Does this outfit make me look fat?

The parable of the Banquet guests is a strange one! On the one hand, you have the remarkable generosity of the banquet host, or king as he’s referred to in Matthew’s passage, but on the other hand you have the blatant failure of friendship from the invited guests. These games look at the idea of invitation, the roller coaster of emotions, and the idea of a party. Here is a selection of games to suit a wide range of ages and set-ups. Choose the game you would most like playing and your youngsters would respond to best.

Wipe that smile off your face

All Ages

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

The first person pulls their silliest smile and directs it at each child in the circle, trying to make someone giggle or laugh. On the leaders’ mark, they use one hand to literally “wipe” the smile off their face, and hand it to the next person, and on it goes. This can get silly rapidly but shows how much infectious smiles and excitement can be.

Every spot

Under 7’s

Small group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Lay paper plates out on a table to indicate how many people/cuddly toys you need. Hide the cuddly toys around the room. Make it harder by putting names or colours on the plates, they need to match up.

You are invited…

Under 7’s

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

First mark a section of your room as the party area and a section outside where the ‘guests’ (kids) start. This can be played two ways, either as a form of Simon says ‘you are invited if you can jump’- the kids then jump into the party. Once everyone is in the areas, swap and you give a new command. For older groups, each child presents themselves miming an action, the host can invite them in by naming that action by saying “you are invited …. (insert action e.g. doing the washing up!)”

Who am I

Ages 7+

Small group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

A traditional game that works well with older groups (sometimes referred to as the post-it note game). Place the name of a famous person on the forehead (or back) of each player. The player must work out who they are by asking yes/no questions of the other players.

Pass the parcel

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Space needed

This classic game involves a parcel with many layers that gets passed around a circle as the music plays. When the music stops, the child removes a single layer and the process begins again. Link to the idea of all these strangers sharing the joy of a party, passing the food, enjoying the undeserved gifts they received.

The parable of the bad tenants is all about consequences, about unheeded messengers, about responses that should never have been an option. Jesus may seem to be teasing the religious leaders with such a brash tale, but the truth is that we all too easily forget that our actions send ripples into the future. Here is a selection of games to suit a wide range of ages and set-ups. Choose the game you would most like playing and your youngsters would respond to best.

How many does it take

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

Cut up on magazine picture per child / team and place each picture into a separate bag. Have a child randomly pick one piece and try to guess what the whole picture is. Repeat until they guess or reconstruct the picture. Link this game to the idea of how many servants/prophets were sent.

Story Road

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

Print this game and travel the journey of the parable. You’ll need dice and counters. Print available by clicking on the picture.

Ripple effect

Ages 7+

Big group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Easily described as ‘Simon says’ meets ‘a crowd’s rolling wave’. Have the kids stand in a circle and pass an action around. The easiest is a wave, encourages creativity. Once the action reaches the person who started it for the 2nd time, they stop the action and the next person starts a new one. Links to the idea of consequences.

I was stopped by…

Ages 7+

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

A storytelling game that escalates swiftly. The first person tells the story of beginning a journey (eg. walking down the road) when “they were stopped by…” (eg a falling piano). The second person continues the story, navigates the obstacles and continues the journey until “they were stopped by…” and the third-person takes over.

Consequences

Ages 7+

Small group

No Setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

This is a classic game. If you don’t know it each player is given a sheet of paper, and all are told to write down a word or phrase to fit a description, optionally with some extra words to make the story. Each player then folds the paper over hide the most recent line, and hands it to the next person. At the end of the game, the stories are read out.

An example may be
1) An adjective
2) A man’s name
3) The word “met” followed by an adjective
4) A woman’s name
5) The word “at” followed by where they met
6) The word “to” followed by what they went there for
7) The words “he wore” followed by what he wore
8) The words “she wore” followed by she wore
9) What he did
10) What she did
11) The words “and the consequence was” followed by details of what happened as a result
12) The words “and the world said” followed by what it said

This parable talks about the two sons and encourages us to reassess, to be willing to change our mind, to question our answers. The games therefore link to these key ideas and sprinkled in there is the idea of two, matching two, and counting.

Yes/No

Under 7’s

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Ask the youngster(s) “can you…(insert action)” and have them shout out yes or no. Then specify a single child and say “X will you….(insert action demonstrate or mime)”. Examples – Can you do a star jump? Can you whistle? Can you tidy your room? Saying you can/will and doing are different things.

Pairs

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

Print this little pair’s set and see if you can match them all up and say how they relate to the parable of the two sons. Pairs is played by having all the cards faced down. Players take turns in flipping two cards hoping to get them to match, matches are left face up, non-matches are returned to face down and the next player tries. Access the PDF by clicking on the image.

Second answer

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

A simple guessing game. Hide some small prizes under many cups — there must be more cups than prizes. Ask a child to guess how many prizes there are. Turn over 1 cup or remove an empty cup. Would they like to change their answer? Talk about how we change our beliefs when new information appears.

Stop/Freeze

All Ages

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

This is a great game just to get the wiggles out. Start but shouting out an action (walk, wiggle, hop etc) and let the kids begin to make it their own movements. Give them a few seconds, then shout Freeze! Award the most interesting pose with a high five and start again. Talk about how the kids changed the starting instruction to make it their own, how do we change from one viewpoint to another.

Simon says

Under 7’s

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Use this classic following directions game to link to how the sons did or did not follow the fathers’ request or their reply.

Within the parable of the vineyard owner, there are two distinct themes you can pull out for games: the idea of the grape gather’s task and that of the fairness of the wages. I’ve tried to give you a selection of games to represent both, and that can also suit various setups and spaces.

Grape toss

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Basically, a beanbag toss game. You can use grapes or other small items, and you need to toss them into various containers. For one child, have them try to reach every container, for groups, have each group assigned a different container to fill.

Back of the line

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

A simple dice game where you draw a line on the floor and challenge the child to get to the end. They can move forward the number of steps (fairy steps, heel to toe) that they roll on the dice, but if they roll a five or six they must restart. Reward all kids at the end if they made it or not. Talk about the frustration of being sent back and how the position on the line didn’t really matter.

Gather

Under 7’s

Small group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Mirroring the workers, have the kids gather things from around your space. These can be anything you have a large amount of similar items: e.g. ball pit balls, plastic fruit etc. If you have multiple kids, start them at different times but reward them with the same reward.

Grape bunch

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Use packaging tape to a circle around one member of each team with sticky tape: sticky side out. Have the rest of the team stick balloons to them to make them into a grape bunch. The winning team is the one with the most balloons.

Order

Ages 7+

Any size group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

Print the game page by clicking on the picture. We order things to help us understand the world and how to act. In this game, you are given 5 random images and told to order them. How you order them is entirely up to you and no answer is wrong, but you must give a reason why. Are they in value order? Age order? Does the order tell a story? Etc.

The Parable Jesus tells here is super simple and yet very deep. We all expect the senior servant to forgive the debt of the lower servant because we expect him to continue passing on the blessings, it jars at us that he would not do so. These games tie into that idea of flowing from one to another and the key theme of forgiveness.

Dominoes fall

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

This story shows how mercy, forgiveness, and compassion should follow down from our heavenly father through us and to those we meet. Use dominoes, blocks, cardboard boxes or whatever you have on hand.

Many Hands Race

All Ages

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Draw a line on the floor and a dot as far away as possible, The aim is to make a path to the dot, round it and back to the line using hands. The first child lays their hand flat on the line, the next person must then place their hand touching the first child’s. Only once everyone has their hands on the floor can the first person stand and run to place their hand again in the line.

Upsize/downsize

All Ages

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

An imitation game where you imitate your neighbour but in an exaggerated way (upsize) or a restricted way (downsize). The first person may wiggle a finger, so the second can upsize to wiggle a hand, then an arm etc.

Word coins

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Space needed

A simple treasure hunt that works well as an introduction for the lesson. Hide 11 coins that each have a letter stuck on them. Use the sticky part of post-it notes or blank stickers. Once all the letters are collected, you can spell the word FORGIVENESS. Link to the overall theme and how the parable wasn’t really about money but about the mercy each person displayed.

Pass the parcel

Under 7’s

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

This classic game links well into the idea that each person is expected to do the same. If you’ve not played it before, the ‘prise’ is wrapped in many layers and circles the room until the music stops. The child holding the parcel then unwraps the layer, and it continues its journey. If you wish, you can add questions / tasks / or even prizes between layers,

Hidden light

Bridesmaid Search

Running out of oil

He’s arrived

I Packed My Bag

Inverted Mirror

Hypocrites Hunt

Impractical clothing

Symbols Search

Simon says

Tricky questions

Unlikely pairs

Payday

Question treasure hunt

No right answer

Wipe that smile off your face

Every spot

You are invited…

Who am I

Pass the parcel

How many does it take

Story Road

Ripple effect

I was stopped by…

Consequences

Yes/No

Pairs

Second answer

Stop/Freeze

Simon says

Grape toss

Back of the line

Gather

Grape bunch

Order

Dominoes fall

Many Hands Race

Upsize/downsize

Word coins

Pass the parcel

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