The story of the stubborn Pharaoh and the escape from Egypt is a favourite with many because of the vivid imagery. These games both use the ideas of many plagues, the stubbornness of the king and the characters of Moses and Aaron to compliment the story.
The Plagues Dominoes
All Ages
Any size group
Requires setup time
Quiet game
Can be seated
These dominoes are a great review tool and suitable for the younger age group. Challenge the older ones to put the plagues in order first as a review of the different symbols. The download and full instructions can be found by clicking on the image.
The Staff
Ages 7+
Any size group
No Setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
This miming activity gets silly quickly but is a great way to identify with the frustration of the egyptians. God uses both Aaron’s and Moses’ staff to begin some of the plagues – this activity builds on the transformational nature of these staffs. Lay a pole or staff on the floor and a marker about a meter beyond. Explain that once the youngster passes the staff, they must pretend they are affected by one of the plagues. (Please be sensitive here and avoid the final plague with young groups.) Have them step or jump over the staff, then go around the marker and return to the beginning. Use the cards that come with the story post as prompts if needed.
Dodge the plague
All Ages
Big group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
This dodgeball variant plays just the same, except each coloured ball (or cuddly toys if you can source them) represents a plague. Have 2 people play Moses and Aaron, God’s messengers ‘sending’ the plagues, and the rest of the people can be the Egyptians. Talk about how the Egyptians may have felt about Pharaoh by the end.
Door Frames
All Ages
Small group
Requires setup time
Quiet game
Space needed
Run a simple competition to decorate a door frame swiftly… scope out the available door frames in advance and dependent on the surface you could use chalk, whiteboard markers, stickers or decorations with sticky tack to adorn the frame. Talk about how the door markings were important to protect God’s people – but that they were done in a rush.
He said “No”
All Ages
Any size group
No Setup time
Noisy game
Can be seated
Have the youngsters write a small challenge on a piece of paper then throw it into a tub, or prepare some age appropriate ones yourself. Talk about how the Pharaoh had a choice but kept saying no – but God didn’t let him say no forever. Then have a volunteer pick out a challenge and ask them if they would do it or say ‘no’ to doing it. If they say no give then a chance to pick another but this time they can’t say no!
