For older children, consider using the cards from Bible Charades.
Preparation
Download, print and cut up the Bible Charades for Kids Cards.
How to Play
We recommend playing Bible Charades for Kids as a cooperative game, where all players work as a team to achieve a common goal. This is more fun and encouraging especially for young children and it avoids any unnecessary tension that competitive games sometimes create. (To play as a competitive game, see Variation below)
Players take turns to pick a Bible Charades for Kids Card and, without speaking, act out the word or phrase. The other players must try to guess the correct answer within a given time.
(Usually 3 minutes, but you may vary this according to the age and skill level of your players.)
There are 3 hints provided on each Bible Charades for Kids Card.
The game master should gradually read out these hints if the children are having difficulty acting or guessing. You can give other additional hints as well.
It would be good for all players to take turns to act, but never force any child into that role. Some kids may not be comfortable with acting and just enjoy guessing.
Before you begin, set an achievable goal. For example, the goal can be to guess 5 correct phrases within 20 minutes. (You should vary this goal according to the age and skill level of your players.) If the group collectively achieves this goal, then everyone wins.
Tips for Playing Charades with Kids
1. Before the game begins, share with everyone these common charades gestures:
– Number of words in the charade phrase: Hold up the correct number of fingers.
– Which word you are acting: Hold up the number of fingers again.
– Number of syllables in the word: Place the number of fingers on your forearm.
– Sounds like: Cup one hand behind your ear or pull on your earlobe.
2. Do not assume the child can read or that he/she knows the Bible story. Be ready to whisper the phrase to the child. If necessary, briefly remind the child of the Bible story and provide some ideas about how to act it out. If the child is not confident with that phrase, allow swapping with another player (the player who has seen that card must sit out that round).
3. Be flexible with the rules and be encouraging. The main objective is to have fun!
Variation
For a competitive game, divide into teams of 2-6 players.
Teams take turns to play.
The team playing sends one player to pick a Bible Charades for Kids Card.
Without speaking, that player must act out the word or phrase on the card while his or her teammates try to guess the correct answer within a given time.
(Usually 3 minutes, but you may vary this according to the age and skill level of your players.)
If they get it correct within the time limit, the team scores 10 points.
Players can ask for a hint but deduct 2 points for each hint given.
Play for a pre-determined number of rounds or period of time.
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For festive charades cards, check out
Bible Lesson for Kids/Youths – Love in Action
Discuss
1. Did you enjoy the game?
2. Did you find this an easy or difficult game? Tell us more.
3. In this game, you weren’t allowed to say the words or phrases, so you had to act them out. Did it come naturally to you? Tell us how you felt.
4. Which is easier. Simply saying the words? Or trying to act it out?
5. How does this game compare to real life?
6. In real life, do you always find it easy to do what you say? Can you give us some examples of things that are easier said than done?
Say
Some things are easier said and done. But the Bible tells us that it is important for our actions to match our words.
Read
1 John 3:18
Discuss
7. What does this verse tell us?
8. What does it mean to love not just with words but also by our actions? Can you think of some examples?
Say
Let’s read a popular parable, where Jesus gave a religious leader an example of how we can “love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” and “love your neighbor as yourself”.
Read
Luke 10:25-37 (The Parable of the Good Samaritan)
Discuss
9. Who are the characters in this parable that Jesus told?
10. How many people saw the injured man? Who are they?
11. How many people stopped and helped the injured man? What did he do? Why do you think he did what he did?
12. What are some thoughts that might have crossed the minds of the priest and the Levite, who did not stop to help the injured man?
13. What would you have done? Have you ever behaved like the priest or the Levite?
14. What is Jesus teaching us through this parable?
15. We don’t often see people being robbed or injured. What are some things that we can do to put today’s lesson into practice?
Conclude
It is easy to say that we love God and that we love one another. But God expects us to not only say these things, but to put this love into action in our daily lives.
Bible Lesson for Kids/Youths – Faith in Action
Discuss
1. Did you enjoy the game?
2. Did you find this an easy or difficult game? Tell us more.
3. In this game, you weren’t allowed to say the words or phrases, so you had to act them out. Did it come naturally to you? Tell us how you felt.
4. Which is easier. Simply saying the words? Or trying to act it out?
5. How does this game compare to real life?
6. In real life, do you always find it easy to do what you say? Can you give us some examples of things that are easier said than done?
Say
This is just a game where we had to put words into actions. It was just for fun.
But in the Bible, we read about the importance of our actions.
Read
James 2:14-17
Discuss
7. What does this passage tell us about faith and actions?
Read
Matthew 25:31-46
Discuss
8. Can you summarize this passage in your own words?
9. Who did the King put on his right?
What did these people do?
10. Who did the King put on his left?
What did these people not do?
11. How did the King decide who goes on his right and left?
What is the difference between those on the King’s right and left?
12. What reward did the King reserve for those on the right?
Conclude
The Bible tells us that we are saved through faith. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
But it does not end there. The very next verse also says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10).
Hence the Bible is very clear that faith and actions go hand in hand. While we cannot be saved by good works alone, if we have faith, it must surely manifest itself in good works.
