Sunday School or Bible Clubs > Games > Giant Dice, Spinners, Bells, and more to add game fun to the classroom
Score board
How to make it
Print out or write your own cards--4 each of the numbers 0-9 (they can be in 2 different colors, for two teams if you wish.) Punch two holes in the top two corners of each card, and hang them on the top of a board with ring clips. The board can be plastic (shown here) cardboard, particle board, or peg board (you don’t have to poke holes--just make sure you punch the holes in the cards to match the board!)
How to use it
You can use this to keep track of scores up to 99 for two teams--just flip the cards until it is the number of their score.
Download number cards
Giant Dice
How to make it
Many hundred yen store sell large sponge dice in the toy section. If you can’t find any, draw or put sticker dots on a box. Can’t find a box? Cut two milk or juice cartons to the same height as the carton is wide, then stuff one inside the other. These are surprisingly strong. Cover with colored plastic sheets that are backed with adhesive (contact paper) and add dots (plastic sheets and dot stickers are sold at many 100 yen stores.)
How to use it
Large dice can be used with many games to determine how many spaces to move, or used alone to determine the number of points for answering a question.
Hot Potato
How to make it
Buy or make a soft ball that is so light and soft that it couldn’t hurt anyone or break anything, no matter how hard it is thrown. It can be as simple as buying a pair of socks at a hundred yen store, and stuffing them into a ball
How to use it
Whether the children are sitting in a circle, or in rows, whoever catches the ball answers the question.
If your group needs competition to keep it interesting, divide into two groups, and keep points for correct questions answered.
Spinners
How to make it
There are basically two ways to make a spinner. Steps 1 and 3 the same for both:
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1.Draw or make a spinner on the computer and print it out.
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2.Glue the spinner to a piece of cardboard, or slip it into a clear plastic folder (100 yen stores sell packs of 10 for 100 yen)
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3.Poke a hole in the middle and push a paper clip, safety pin, or cardboard arrow onto a brad and through the board. Make sure the brad is loose enough for the spinner to spin freely.
How to use it
Spinners can be adapted to many different games. Two ways to use them: 1)Determine how many spaces to move on a game board, or how many points to earn for correctly answering a question.
Right/Wrong paddles
How to make it
Many hundred yen stores sell these--10 to a pack for paper, and 3 to a pack for plastic. Make your own by writing O (for correct statements) on one side and X (for incorrect statements) on the other side of card stock or poster board and tape to unsharpened pencils or disposable chopsticks.
How to use it
Pass one out to each person. Make statements about the Bible story, some of them correct and some incorrect. Each person can hold up their O/X paddle with the answer they think is correct.
If your group needs competition to keep it exciting, each person can keep their own score, or divide into two groups and add up the correct answers in each group after each question.
Another way to use these is to have the children on the team quietly agree or disagree with the person who answered a game question. That way the child can match the answer so the majority wins, and there are no hard feelings if a child answers incorrectly.
Thumbs up
How to make it
God took care of that!
How to use it
Make statements about the Bible story, some of them correct and some incorrect. Each person can hold his or her thumb if he/she thinks it is correct, and hold it down if he/she thinks it is incorrect. If your group needs competition to keep it exciting, each person can keep their own score, or divide into two groups and add up the correct answers in each group after each question.
This can be used as an application activity, too. Make up situations that your students might find themselves in, and include good ways to handle it, and bad ways to handle it--kids give it the thumbs up, or thumbs down.
Bells
How to make it
Some hundred yen stores and office supply stores sell these
How to use it
Provide one bell per team. The first team to ring the bell gets to answer the game question. If teams tend to ring without figuring out the answer first, either dock points, or let the other team answer if the team who rang first, can’t answer within a certain number of seconds.
Whiteboards
How to make it
Some hundred yen stores and office supply stores sell these
How to use it
If it is a small group, each person can have their own white board to answer the question. This can be helpful when there are only 2 or 3 children, and so it is difficult to form teams. This way they can both , or all 3, get the answer right. It is also a good way to get shy children to answer question. They don’t have to say it--they can just show it.
For large groups, each team can choose a scribe, or pass the board around so many kids have a turn to write.
Stop watch
How to make it
Some hundred yen stores and sporting good stores sell these
How to use it
These are great for getting groups to work on their own--such as seeing who can line up the story cards or verse cards in the right order the fastest.
Download spinner
Download spinner
Download spinner
Sunday School or Bible Clubs > Games > Giant Dice, Spinners, Bells, and more to add game fun to the classroom