Matthew is a wonderfully simple character, he lives a bad life and turns it around when he meets Jesus. Any games that involve maths, discovery, or following links well, as do games linking to the idea of sickness and health. If you have a relevant favourite game already, do consider using that first.
Count up – this popular drama game involves counting as a group. Players call out ever increasing numbers, anyone can call the next number but if 2 people call at the same time then you must restart. Surprisingly difficult. Link to counting is easy but working with people can be hard.
Coin Hunt – a hide the thimble / egg hunt style game using real coins of a very low value or cardboard coins. Hide at least 2 coins per child and let them keep what they find. At the end of the game ask if the effort was worth the reward. Link to finding the biggest reward in discovering Jesus.
Discovering Matthew – Split your children into small groups and give them the split image of Matthew (save the image on the right, it’s bigger than it appears). Tell them that as well as solving the puzzle you want them to tell you about the person they discover. Do they think he is rich or poor, what is his job, is he happy or sad, intelligent or foolish.
Follow the leader – This traditional game links well to the simple statement of “follow me” that Jesus gives. Encourage children to follow not only one person but to imitate their actions.
Doctor Doctor – This is a simple game for younger kids often used in language teaching. One child is chosen and the rest of the group needs to ask ‘do you need a doctor?’ to which the chosen child replies ‘yes, my … hurts’ the group then needs to touch the named part of the child. The chosen child usually runs away. Alternatively the child can say ‘I’m the doctor’ at which point all the children run until one is caught.
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