Practical Advice for Group Games!
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Games can be both educational and entertaining. Review games add zest to the class while reinforcing the main thoughts for the day. It is our goal to have kids remember what we teach and review games are an effective way of doing that. Though it is fine to play some games just for fun once in a while, remember that your time with the children is limited each week, so make the most of it to instill God’s wonderful truths in their memories.All of us know that various children have different mental and physical skills. It’s good to vary games according to these skills to allow each child to feel good about his or her accomplishments during the game time. For example, a child who is not well coordinated will withdraw or become discouraged if all the games center on physical challenges or abilities. The opposite is also true. A child who does not do as well with recitation and memory challenges will be uneasy if the games always focus on answering questions. By varying the type of participation required in a game, each child will be able to play games that fit his/her abilities and feel good about himself and his experience at church. For example, let’s say the challenge is to use a foam bow and arrow to hit a balloon. One week you may have the children answer a question correctly to receive a point and the opportunity to try to hit the balloon with the bow and arrow for a bonus point. The next week you may have each child who hits the balloon get a point and then the opportunity to answer a question for the bonus point.
Variety is the spice of life, so do remember to change the type of games you are using fairly often. Even if you have created a specific game to fit with the children’s church theme you are doing at the moment (such as a fishing game for an ocean theme), you will want to come up with one or two more theme-oriented games to alternate if you are going to use the same theme/set for a long time. Even old favorites will become just old if used every single week. A variety of game types will also increase excitement by creating a level of expectancy, the feeling that something new will be experienced each week. For example, one week use one of those foam toys like the bow and arrow, football, or Frisbee. The next week, use a colorful transparency review game. After that, try a relay. The next week use something like the Toss Across or another oversized board game.
Implementing these game tips will help your class as you increase their excitement level, reinforce scriptural truths, and help your students feel good about themselves and their church experience!
For other game helps, see the Vault article on Oversized Review Games that you can easily build yourself, or visit the Outlet Mall for numerous Downloadable PowerPoint Games that are ready-to-go!
© by Alisa Linn
Children’s Ministry Today
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