Jesus Without Language

Kingship is quite a simple concept to describe to children on one level. It’s the idea that one person has the authority to make decisions for others. Like so many things, Jesus turns this Kingship idea on its head. By the time we reach the passage with Pilate, it certainly doesn’t feel like a very kingly setting. Jesus is seen at one of the weakest moments, he’s arrested, questioned like a criminal, and about to be sentenced to die by the brutal execution process of crucifixion. It may seem tempting to act out this passage, but playing the role of one who thought they had authority over Jesus, or Jesus himself, is a lot for anyone to take on. These games skit the passage, look at it sideways and spark conversations.

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

Who am I?

Ages 7+

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

Also known as the Sticky Note game. Write the name of someone the child will know and stick it to their forehead. The child then has to guess who they are by asking questions that can only be answered with a yes or no.
Link: Pilate was trying to work out who Jesus was.

Sticky crowns

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Give each team one hat and one roll of sticky tape. The “crown” must be worn by one player. The aim is to attach as many different things to the crown as possible. At the end of the game, each king or queen must walk a full circle of the room before the teams are scored.
Link: Jesus’s crown was unexpected for a king.

Card circles

All Ages

Big group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Mix up one suit from a pack of playing cards and have the children make a circle, so each card gets progressively bigger. (Aces beat kings but are beaten by 2s.) Do this either as a timed race or by giving each child a card and standing in a circle.
Link: The Sunday of “Christ the King” is the last Sunday in the Church year, forming a circle that never ends.

It’s easy to trivialise or minimise the importance of the temple to the people of Jerusalem. We often mistakenly consider it to be a large building and ignore the gigantic structure that it stood on. The whole setup was considered one of the wonders of the ancient world and bigger than 30 football pitches in size. The idea of it being removed or destroyed must have seemed impossible. Here are a few suggestions to get the wiggles out and learn though play as you launch into this lesson.

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

Part of the picture

All Ages

Any size group

No Setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

Give each child a piece of paper with a squiggle on it. Have them complete the picture. You could also do this with a piece of jigsaw puzzle and have them verbally describe what is missing.
Link: The disciples only saw a tiny bit of the whole picture; they couldn’t imagine the temple not playing a big role.

Don’t wobble the structure

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

Play a balance/stacking game like Jenga®, bottle balance or stacking chairs. You can make your own version of many of these games if needed.
Link: The temple was impressive, but it would fall.

Lean on me

All Ages

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Have the kids get into pairs and sit back to back. Interlock arms and push against each other to stand up. They must not use their hands. Add one person to the group each time they are successful.
Link: God asks us to lean on him, not on the things we build in this world.
 

It’s easy to feel sympathetic for the rich young man, he is obviously truly seeking belief beyond what he has experienced, but Jesus sees his heart is more tied to his wealth than his faith. These games play with this idea and the imagery of the needle and camel that Jesus used to illustrate the difficulty wealth can cause.

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

Human knot

All Ages

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: the rich man had tried to follow all the rules but failed because his love of money was greater than his faith.

Find the camel

Under 7’s

Small group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Print the page (click on the picture for the file) and hide the camels around the room. Once collected, talk about the different sizes.
Link: even these tiny camels can’t get through the eye of a needle!

Dominoes

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

Use dominoes or Jenga blocks to make a fall run. For older kids, give each team a set-up time limit!
Link: In dominoes, the first falling block does not complete the series, that honour goes to the last block to fall.

The needle’s eye

Ages 7+

Any size group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

Can you fit the camel? Print this page by clicking on the image for the PDF and let your kids try the challenge!

These games tie into the idea of predictions, of God being all knowing, and of the disciples’ confusion.

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

Guess the number

All Ages

Any size group

No Setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

Working in pairs, have one child choose a number and the other child guess what it is. The child who chose can’t speak, only make faces. (For younger children, choose a number below 20.)
Link: Jesus wasn’t guessing, he knew.

Follow the leader

Under 7’s

Any size group

No Setup time

Quiet game

Space needed

In this classic game, you follow the leader around the room, imitating their actions.
Link: We try to guess what will come next, we don’t know, like Jesus did.

Meet the line

All Ages

Big group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Blindfold one child and place them on one side of the space. The other children make a line on the opposite side of the space. (Make sure they have a little room behind them.) The line should be silent! The blindfolded child needs to walk towards the group with their arms outstretched to meet the line. When someone touches their hand, they should stop walking so they don’t push people over. The further the distance and faster the walk, the better this works.
Link: It’s really difficult to judge when the line will come. We don’t know the exact future like Jesus did, but we know God will always “catch” us.

Snakes and ladders

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

Play this classic game.
Link: Death may have felt like a defeat for Jesus’s friends, but Jesus knew it was a small snake and a bigger ladder!

David danced, and Dancing is the key element to most of the game suggestions here, though there is also a game for older kids about moving the Ark.

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

Relocation

Ages 7+

Small group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

In this challenge, the kids must transport a small box from one side of the room to the other without touching it or it touching the floor. If working in teams, give each team some prep time.
Link: David needed to move the ark correctly. Read verses 3 and 6 to find out what happened when it was wrongly transported.

Follow the leader

Under 7’s

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

In this classic game, you follow the leader around the room, imitating their actions.
Link: David led the procession.

Move like a…

All Ages

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Call out something that moves and have the kids act it out. Everything is game, from a rabbit to a trash truck! Occasionally throw in “a joyful king!”
Link: David danced with joy.

Catch the rhythm

All Ages

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

Using instruments or by tapping, clapping and clicking, play this follow the leader’s pattern game. Start by having the children repeat a pattern, then say they can join in once they have the beat. Play a few times, then choose a pattern that ties in with a praise song the children know and start to sing.
Link: David was leading a procession of celebration, he probably wasn’t the only one dancing.

Musical statues

Under 7’s

Big group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

A classic dancing game, what poses can you get the kids to freeze in? Remind the kids that David’s dance was undignified – a total ‘dad dance’ – so don’t worry about looking silly!
Link: David danced!

David has finally become king, he’s leading his new army with the crown on his head to the city of Jerusalem, intent on making it his home base. These games tie into different parts of the story, David’s crown as king, the crawling through the water shaft and the strategic position of Jerusalem.

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

King of the tower

Ages 7+

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

The aim of this game is to get your ‘king’ (ideally a piece from a board game) higher than anyone else’s. Give each student the same number of “building blocks” and a time limit of 1 minute. Building blocks can be anything, not just blocks! (piece of paper, cup, sticky tape…)
Link: David was king of his new capital city.

Pin the crown

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

This “Pin the tail on the donkey” spin off sees kids pin the crown on David’s head… or not! All you need for this game is to draw a picture of David’s head and a crown shape with some sticky tape on it!
Link: David was finally king

Through the hoop

All Ages

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Kids link hands, and a hula-hoop is given to the person at one end, who then must pass it down the line without the kids’ hands letting go of their neighbour.
Link: David’s troops climbing through the tunnels.

Obstacle course

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

The journey through that water-shaft can’t have been easy, or the Jesubites would have considered it to be a weakness. Similarly, get your kids to squeeze through spaces by setting up a classic obstacle course with whatever you have on hand.
Link: David’s troops climbing through the tunnels.

Battle ships

Ages 7+

Any size group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

If you have access to this game to play as a group on the big screen, it’s a great one to think about why Link: David was strategic in choosing Jerusalem.

Pentecost is a day of movement, the elements of the story are dynamic, rushing wind, flickering flames, counting days and speaking tongues. These games tie into some of those ideas and are suitable for a variety of set-ups and groups.

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

Rebuilding the Flames

Under 7’s

Any size group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Space needed

Print the picture provided and cut apart. Hide the pieces of the jigsaw around the room. Find all the pieces and reassemble the picture. (click on the image for PDF)
Link: Holy Spirit separated over each person’s head.

Who Has The Fire?

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

Choose a child or adult to cover their eyes. Pass around a picture of a flame. When the person with the covered eyes says “STOP!”, the child holding the flame must hide it on their person. Can the person who covered their eyes find it? What clues can we give them?
Link: The Holy Spirit stays with us today even if we can’t see it.

10 Hallelujah

Under 7’s

Any size group

No Setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

This building memory game has each person say a number, then an action. Eg. First person “1 clap,” second person “1 clap, 2 jump,” third person “1 clap, 2 jump, 3 spin,” and so on until you get to 10 and shout “hallelujah” and reset
Link: Waiting for the Holy Spirit.

Take aim

Ages 7+

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

For this game, you’ll need some small pieces of paper, a fan, and a tub of some kind. The challenge is to get the small pieces of paper across a gap into the tub. Once the child works out a way of doing this, introduce the fan. Talk about the effect the fan, and the wind it produced, had on the outcome.
Link : the Holy Spirit came as a wind as well as a flame.

There are multiple things going on in this story of replacing the twelfth apostle, and it’s easy to get lost in the mechanism rather than see why this completion was important. These games look at the idea of completion and the act of choosing.

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

Completing

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

A team game where you’re challenged to complete ‘sets’. Write out some sets of four connected things to get the started. Teams are given the set title or, for younger kids, all but one of the set, and asked to guess what the set consists of. Examples of set types: compass points, gospels, band members, bedroom furniture.
Link: The Apostles felt incomplete.

Apostles dominoes

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Quiet game

Can be seated

The classic game of dominoes is a fabulous teaching tool because while you play, it’s easy to talk about what you are seeing. These dominoes feature the 11 apostles and one with a question mark on his face: who will be the new 12th? There is an image of who is who on the post too. ((Link to post))
Link: The Apostles were linked.

Dice symphony

All Ages

Small group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Can be seated

Label the keys of a keyboard or xylophone with the numbers 1-6. Have the child compose a tune by rolling a dice to choose each note. Works on any instrument or even pots and pans!
Link: Casting lots stops us from changing the decision

Replace the missing piece

All Ages

Any size group

Requires setup time

Noisy game

Space needed

Print some photo images. Remove one or more small sections from each image and stick it onto a piece of card. Write a letter on the cards with sections, and number each large image. The object of the game is to match the letters and numbers.
Link : Completing the twelve