I’m really excited to introduce our Alvin from Bible games central today, who is going to share a fantastic game for the Miriam’s song – Parting of the Red Sea lesson.
Hi, My name is Alvin Gan and I am the father of three noisy (but lovely) teenagers and founder of 2 websites that provide creative evangelism and discipleship resources. This is one of the games from my site Bible Games Central. Bible Games Central is all about conveying Bible truths through games.
Fan a-way
All Ages
Small group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
Up to 4 players can play at a time. If you have more than 4 players, either take turns to play, or set up multiple sets and play in teams to compete against each other: Place a Hula hoop in the middle of the room. Place 20 ping pong balls inside the Hula hoop (2 different colors, 10 each). (Consider using fewer ping pong balls for younger children.) Give each player a paper plate to use as a fan. On “go”, work as a team to fan the ping pong balls. The goal is to separate the two colors with a “path” between them. If the ping pong balls are knocked outside of the Hula hoop, place them back in the middle and continue playing. Use this game to introduce the story of Moses and the parting of the Red Sea.
Head over to Bible Games Central for more bible games for kids that you can use to introduce popular bible stories. Great for Sunday School or other children’s ministry events, these bible games for children will bring an added dimension of fun and energy to your lesson. You may also want to check out their youth group games and bible games for adults as well.
Alvin’s other site is : Let The Little Children Come and specializes in unique child evangelism tools and resources to help convey the gospel message to children effectively – you may want to take a look there too.
Thank you so much Alvin for sharing your game with us today, it looks fantastic, and I’m excited to try it out myself.
The story of the parting of the Red Sea is so very visual, it’s difficult to resist the urge to curl paper and dive into creating a scene. This version has the depth that’s needed without the hundred strips of paper, so it shouldn’t flatten too easy on the trip home. Miriam heads up the crowd while Moses stands aloof, on a classic overhanging rock, watching the crowd move. While there is quite a bit of cutting, it’s simple to put together.
To make this craft, you will need the 1-page template printout, scissors, and some paper glue.
This template uses valley and mountain marks on it to help with folding.
Valley folds create a valley with the printed sides touching Mountain folds create a mountain with the printed sides on the outside.
Cut out the pieces – I’d strongly recommend following the dotted lines round the crowd pieces.
Fold the base so you form a gully in the paper
Snip the waves along the middle of the lighter lines.
The waves attach to the main piece like this. Either attach them and then curl or curl once attached.
To curl the waves, rolling with fingers really is enough. Alternatively, wrapping lightly round a pencil or by using a flat edge such as a ruler or scissors will also work.
Prepare the crowd pieces by folding the three supports and gluing each onto the crowd.
Place the crowd pieces along the pathway, gluing into position.
Fold and glue Miriam slightly to one side.
Fold the Moses piece and then gently curl the edge of the rock.
Attach the smallest tab to the corner of your scene.
Place glue on the second tab and glue to the inside of your waves.
If the children have problems with this curl, just fold the piece and stick flush to the waves.
Your scene is now complete.
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This worksheet follows the story of the parting of the red sea, going from Pharaoh’s regret through to Miriam’s song of Joy. This worksheet would work well as an extension activity or review, for an individual or as small group work – some of the questions would work well as small group discussions.
To complete the worksheet you will need some colored pens or pencils and to turn your thinking caps on!
The PDF can can be downloaded by clicking on the image.
While the parting of the Red Sea and the astonishing escape for the people are obviously key to this story, the games here also tie in to Miriam’s song. Choose the game best suited for your group and space.
Parachute seas
Under 7’s
Big group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
This simple parachute game is lovely for younger groups. After you’ve established positions around the parachute, use it to talk about how the seas move, big waves, small waves, controlled, random etc. Place a wooden board or line of heavy pillows down the middle of the parachute talk about how God’s powerful wind moved the waters so they couldn’t cover that part. Have the children walk through the waters – using adults to create walls of waves.
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” 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 select a pattern that ties in with a praise song the children know and start to sing. Tie into Miriam’s song and the women joining in.
Moving the water
Ages 7+
Any size group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Can be seated
God used a strong east wind, but your kids need to use straws or pipes to blow a pathway through their ‘sea’. Make a pile of small light balls (paper balls, table-tennis, ball-pit, or practice golf balls work well) or paper scraps if you are working on a table. Have the children make a clean pathway through. Can they make the pathway straight, curvy, turn a corner etc?
Musical statues
Under 7’s
Any size group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
Miriam and Moses lead the people through the water with song (or at least in our retelling they do). Linking to music causing movement play this classic game.
Moving a nation
All Ages
Big group
No Setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
This simple race works by having each team take turns to run back through the sea to collect someone who can’t walk the distance themselves. Either do this as forming a human chain, or use pictures of those less-able, for the teams to collect, or items to represent them. At the end of the game, talk about how difficult it would have been to move the huge number of people with all their belongings through the sea in a single night.
The Red Sea parted, the people passed through, then Miriam took her timbrel and led the women in a dance and song of joy. Join in Miriam’s dance and music with this moving paper craft.
To make this craft, you will need the 1-page template printout, scissors, and some paper glue.
To make into a puppet, you will also need some sticky tape and a stick or straw. I’d strongly recommend printing on thicker paper.
Cut out the three pieces. (If you are making a puppet, you will need the extra rectangle too.)
Fold the three lines on Miriam’s chest. These folds will go both ways.
Now cut the arm lines to detach them from the body. Make sure they go through the fold.
Folding Miriam along the existing fold, cut along the straight line on her necklace.
Split the folds, so one bends backwards (the side with the timbrel) and the other forwards. It’s worth taking an extra second to make sure these folds are right before continuing.
Both arms have one fold too. The timbrel arm has a mountain fold and the other a valley fold.
Add glue to the back of the sleeve and stick the timbrel arm in place.
Repeat with the other arm.
You can stop here if not making the puppet Hold the head in one hand and the skirt in the other and push and pull gently to see the hands move and the timbrel tapped as she celebrates crossing the Red Sea.
Fold and glue the guide tab on the back of Miriam slightly to one side so you miss the middle split line.
Insert the skewer, stick, or straw through the guide tab and tape onto Miriam’s head.
Hold the stick in one hand and the skirt in the other. Gently move the skirt up and down.
Perhaps you could sing about the people passing through the Red Sea too?
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These are the Character resources provided for: Miriam’s song – the Red Sea (Exodus 15)
For each passage, there is a collectable card alongside high-quality character images and a colouring page. All other graphics are extra’s!
Click on the images below to see a larger version. Save the images by right click + ‘save image as’ (computers) OR long press + ‘save image’ (mobile).
These images are NOT copyright free.
These resources are provided for personal/classroom use only. Use can use them for teaching, games, publicity, decorations, big screen presentations, flannel graphs, stickers, or any other non-commercial activity in your church, school, home, or organised group. You may not use them in products you are going to sell (both printed and digital). Nor may you upload the original images online, on websites, social media or in YouTube videos. Any questions, please reach out to me using the contact page link at the end of the page.
The story of passing through the Red Sea is such a well referenced one, what immediately follows is Miriam’s song. It is actually quite dark at points, and yet the idea of spontaneously breaking into song as a response to something inexplicably deep is one that still prevails to this day. This retelling takes a little artistic licence with the order of things but also leads the kids through the joy and panic, fear and relief of the Israelite’s.
This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice. Main Passage : Exodus 15 Additional Passages : Exodus 14 + 16
Miriam stood near her brother Moses watching the pillar of cloud move round the camp of Israelite’s. There was a distant figure leading it, the Angel, not that Miriam had ever managed to get close enough to see. Miriam wasn’t the only one watching, everyone seemed to be standing staring. The strange pillar had been ahead of them, a great marker of where they should go, soft and white during the day and burning with fire, bright enough to light the sky, thorough every night. What did it mean that it was moving?
Suddenly, a shout went up, not a shout of joy but of fear. On the horizon there was the great dust cloud of an army approaching. The Egyptians were coming to reclaim their slaves. Panic rose in the people, there was nowhere to escape, death or capture were the only options. Moses was quickly surrounded by a crowd of angry family leaders. Miriam looked around at the chaos in the camp and the growing dust cloud, panic was everywhere, then she remembered the pillar of cloud.
“Look” she shouted as loud as she could, “look at the pillar” She grabbed her timbrel and banged it’s skin fiercely, continuing to shout until Moses saw her. He followed her gaze and saw the cloud moving into the path of the army. The cloud seemed to grow even brighter that evening, there was no fire, and its calm glow soothed the worried camp as they packed their belongings.
Miriam, Moses, and their brother Aaron walked down to the water’s edge. Handing Miriam his staff, Moses stretched his hands over the water and lifted his face to heaven. Moments later, Miriam dug the staff into the ground to stop herself from being blown over. From the east a tunnel of wind came pushing the water into gigantic arcs.
“Aaron, go tell the people we must walk through as soon as the land is dry enough” shouted Moses above the roar of the wind. Staring at the shapes in the waters, Miriam saw the ground appear, first like dry puddles in the sea, then the puddles grew and joined to form a path with giant walls of water on each side. “Come Miriam” shouted Moses, taking the staff from her hands.
The Israelite’s stood on the banks of the sea with faces of fear, shock, and wonder. Aaron ran up to Moses, shouting breathlessly; “They will not move”. Miriam knew just what to do. She grabbed Moses by the hands and dragged him into the pathway, them she turned around, lifted her timbrel and started to sing;
“I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The Lord is my strength and my song, he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him!”
She repeated her song, then started to walk through the pathway with Moses by her side. Their voices raised in song together. Behind them, the fear softened, and the people started to join in with the song as they passed through the water lined route.
As the sun rose, the pillar of cloud seemed to fade and the horses and chariots of the Egyptian army could be seen clearly camped on the other side. They, too, saw the last of the Israelite’s walking through the strange pathway in the sea. Grabbing their belongings and readying their horses, the army shouted and rushed towards the water. The chariots found the mud and stones difficult to pass over, the horses sunk in the soft ground, but the army didn’t not stop pouring into the path. Miriam noticed Moses walk calmly to the water’s edge and once the last Israelite had left the pathway in the sea, he stretched his hands over the sea and the giant walls of water collapsed. A cheer went up from the Israelite’s and Miriam once again lifted her timbrel and started to sing a song of praise.
“I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy.”
Today’s hero is Miriam, she shows us the gift of Song.
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