The account of Young Jeremiah’s first call from God is spectacular, but contains some simple and relatable elements. Use these games as a way of looking at some key themes in the passage while catering to the kids who need gross motor activities and hands on learning to better engage.
Human knot
Ages 7+
Any size group
No Setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
Standing in a circle, have every child reach out both hands into the centre and grab another random wrist. The aim is to untangle the knot formed without letting go of each other by stepping over arms and spinning, etc.
Link: Jeremiah’s job was to help God’s people see the mess they had made.
How many does it take
All Ages
Small group
Requires setup time
Quiet game
Can be seated
Cut up one magazine picture per child/team and place each complete 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: Jeremiah’s calling was just the start of his big story.
One day, I’ll be…
Under 7’s
Any size group
No Setup time
Noisy game
Can be seated
Have the kids take turns to stand and say, “one day, I’ll be…” and then have everybody do actions to represent their chosen thing. For example, a fireman may mine hosing down a building, a chef could mix some batter etc. Remember this is a game and the rules of logic don’t apply, one day the child could be a lion or a tiny baby!
Link: Talk about how each child used their platform moment to influence the crowd.
Limitations
Under 7’s
Any size group
No Setup time
Quiet game
Can be seated
Place an elastic band around a volunteer’s wrists, a hat on their head, or some other identifier that does limit their movement. Get them to then complete a few challenges: write their name, pick up two footballs at the same time, open a jar etc. Repeat with a different volunteer, or break into small groups for more kids to try. Link: Jeremiah saw his age as a limitation
