Although these Sunday school games are designed for children, older kids may enjoy them too. With some adaptations, these eight Sunday school games will be lots of fun with teens!
All these Sunday school games are excerpted from Wiggle Tamers (Group, 1995) and Fidget Busters (Group, 1992) by Jolene Roehlkepartain. (Both titles are out of print, but you can purchase them used on Amazon.)
As Roehlkepartain explains, when a class takes a break for a structured, movement-filled game, kids get their wiggles out. Then they have more focus and attention on the lesson. (That definitely applies to youth group students!)
So have fun with these 8 ageless Sunday school games. Try playing them at church with kids of all ages.
8 Sunday School Games for Kids and Teens
1. Balloon Grab (suggested for preschool)
You’ll need 17 balloons: four yellow, four green, four blue, one orange, and four red.
- Inflate the balloons. Place all the balloons — except for the orange one — in the middle of the room or field. Keep the orange balloon near you.
- Say: I’m going to name a color. If you see a balloon that color on the ground, grab it and run all around with it. If you can’t grab one, follow someone who has that color balloon. Then when I name another color, everyone is to drop their balloons and grab the color balloon I named. Again, if you can’t grab one, follow someone who has that color balloon.
- Start by naming yellow. Then after a minute or so, name a different color. Repeat the activity five or six times. End by naming all the colors.
- Then say: Orange! Grab your orange balloon and hold it high. Say: Now follow me as we go back to our lesson!
2. Broken Dishes (suggested for preschool)
You’ll need a paper plate for each child.
- Give each child a paper plate. Then have kids skip around the room while holding onto their plates. Whenever you say, “Broken dishes,” have kids drop their plates and shout “uh-oh!” Then have kids pretend to clean up the mess. After they pick up their plates, let them continue to skip until you call out “Broken dishes” again.
- Repeat the activity three or four times. Then say: Let’s set the table back at our lesson to find out what’s cooking.
- Have kids take their plates back to your lesson area to place neatly on the floor or table before you continue with the lesson.
3. Jelly Bean Roll (suggested for K-3)
You’ll need a bag of jelly beans.
- On one side of the room, have kids kneel side by side in a line. Place a jelly bean in front of each child.
- Say: When I say “go,” roll your jelly bean across the room using only your nose. Remember, you can’t touch the jelly bean with your hands. Ready? Go!
- Allow kids several minutes to roll their jelly beans.
- Then say: Let’s roll our jelly beans back to our lesson. There I’ll trade a clean, yummy jelly bean for your dirty one.
4. Peanut Butter (suggested for mixed age groups)
- Say: It’s time for the Peanut Butter Game! When I say “go,” hop around the room. Whenever I say, “peanut butter,” stick to the people closest to you no matter how many there are. Then, when I say “jelly,” unstick yourselves and hop around the room again. Ready? Go!
- Play four or five rounds.
- Then say: Let’s sit down now so we can stick to our lesson.
