POSTED BY KATHY VINCENT

Nehemiah 8:10 says this: “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”  I think this Scripture is one of my favorites.  When I am joyful, I seem to have a ton of energy and strength.  When I am sad and depressed, I am very weak.  God knows we will have times of sadness, but He also knows that if we concentrate and meditate on the joy we have in Him, we can have abundant strength.  Here is a fun Bible verse game that will help your kids learn this wonderful verse.  It’s called “Spinning for Joy.”

Here’s what you do:

This game requires a bit of construction, but it is a game that you can use to help your kids learn any verse.  You will need to make a large circle about 24 inches in diameter.  (You can make it bigger if you’d like, especially if you have a large class.)  Separate the circle into 10 pieces of “pie.”  In each slice of pie write one word of Nehemiah 8:10 as follows:  the, joy, of, the, Lord, is, my, strength, Nehemiah, 8:10.  Do not write the words in order.  (If you’d like to use this circle for other verses, just attach a word to each of the slices without making it permanent.)  Now make 5 to 6 sets of index cards with one word of the verse on each card.  In other words you will have 5 cards with the word “the” on them, 5 cards with the word “joy” on them and so on.  Make enough sets so that each child in your class will have a least 5 cards in his hand.  Shuffle these cards so that they are not in order.  The last thing you will need for this game is an empty glass soda bottle.  Place the bottle in the middle of the Bible verse spinner.  You are now ready to play the game.

This game will not be played between teams, but individually.  Introduce Nehemiah 8:10 to your class in the following way:  There are lots of things in this life that can make us feel really strong.  Watching your muscles grow as you get older can make you feel strong or having a lot of money in your piggy bank might make you feel strong.  But do you know what the Bible says is our strength?  It says that “the joy of the Lord is our strength.”  That’s’ found in the book of Nehemiah 8:10.  Let’s say this verse together many times.  The faster you learn the verse, the better are your chances for winning.

Now deal out at least 5 cards to each child in your class.  Explain that each of them will have a chance to spin the bottle that is in the middle of the Bible verse spinner.  But before he spins, he must say Nehemiah 8:10 correctly.  If he does so, he may spin the bottle.  Whatever word the bottle lands on, he may discard that word from his own hand if he has it.  If he does not say the verse correctly, he loses his turn to spin.  The play moves to the next person.  The first person to get rid of their cards is the winner.

Tips for playing this Bible school activity:

You should encourage the players of this game to go quickly so that it doesn’t lose momentum.  Also, the kids should be allowed to look at the spinner while saying the verse.  Lastly, if you use the Bible verse spinner with a longer verse, just break the verse up into 10 phrases along with the reference.  Have fun!

Next, if you liked this Sunday School/Homeschooling idea, then sign up today to receive Scripture Lady’s Free Email Kid Tips packed full with creative ideas and receive 6 FREE Bible Review Games to help your kids get excited about the Bible!

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POSTED BY KATHY VINCENT

The fact that God even leans His ear toward us is amazing enough, but that He actually grants our requests is even more astounding.  God answered Hannah’s prayer and we have a record of her rejoicing before the Lord in one of the most beautiful prayers of the Bible.  It is important that our children learn early on that God does answer our prayers according to His plans and purposes for our life.  It is also important that they learn to follow Hannah’s example of praising God for His answers.

Here are seventeen 5 “W” questions – who, what, when, where, why and how – with their answers for the story of “The Birth of Samuel and Hannah’s Prayer” found in 1 Samuel 1 and 2.  These questions can be used with both young children and elementary children.  Just be ready to tweak them a little bit for the appropriate age.  You can also read a verse first, and then ask the question or you can read the whole passage of Scripture and then ask the questions. Your younger children might enjoy having some kind of puppet ask the questions.  Have fun!

Questions for the story “The Birth of Samuel and Hannah’s Prayer”

1.   What kind of baby did Hannah have – a boy or a girl?

Answer: A boy.  (1 Samuel 1:20)

2.   What name did Hannah give her son?

Answer:  Samuel.  (1 Samuel 1:20)

 

3.   Why did Hannah wait to take Samuel to the Lord’s house for the yearly sacrifice?

Answer:  She wanted to wait until he was older and then she would leave him to work at the temple as she had promised.  (1 Samuel 1:22)

4.   What did Hannah take with her to the house of the Lord?

Answer: Three bulls, some flour and wine and Samuel.  (1 Samuel 1:24)

5.   How old was the child – was he young or old?

Answer:  He was young. (1 Samuel 1:24)

6.   Who was the priest that Hannah brought her son to?

Answer: Eli. (1 Samuel 1:25)

7.   Why did Elkanah give a double portion of an offering to the Lord?

Answer: Because he loved Hannah even though she had no children. (1 Samuel 1:5)

8.   What did Hannah say to Eli?

Answer: She told him that she was the one who had prayed for a baby and that God had answered her prayer. (1 Samuel 1:26-27)

9.   Who did Hannah worship at the house of Lord?

Answer: She worshipped the Lord. (1 Samuel 1:28)

10.           Who did Hannah pray to?

Answer:   The Lord. (1 Samuel 2:1)

11.           How did Hannah feel because God had answered her prayer and given her a son?

Answer:  She rejoiced.  She was happy. (1 Samuel 2:1)

12.           Who is holy like the Lord?

Answer:  No one. (1 Samuel 2:2)

13.           Who will make us strong if we stumble?

Answer:  The Lord. (1 Samuel 2:4)

14.           Who makes some people poor and some people rich?

Answer:  The Lord.  (1 Samuel 2:7)

15.           Where did Samuel stay after his father went back home?

Answer:  He stayed at the house of the Lord. (1 Samuel 2:11)

16.           Who did Samuel minister to?

Answer:  The Lord. (1 Samuel 2:11)

17.           What was the name of the priest Samuel stayed with?

Answer:  Eli. (1 Samuel 2:11)

Next, if you liked this Sunday School/Homeschooling idea, then sign up today to receive Scripture Lady’s Free Email Kid Tips packed full with creative ideas and receive 6 FREE Bible Review Games to help your kids get excited about the Bible!

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 by Kathy Vincent

 

My Sunday School class loves the memory verse game “Get Behind the Easel”.  It truly makes learning a Bible verse loads of fun.

Here’s What You Need:

Some kind of board on which to display your memory verse.  I personally use a pocket chart.  These can be easily found at your local teacher supply store or you can order them online at www.orientaltrading.com.  I then write each word found in my verse on an index card including one card each for the book of the Bible and its reference number and I display the verse in its correct order on the chart.  If you prefer, you could just write the verse on a chalkboard or dry erase board.

You will also need an easel on which your board sits.  If you don’t have an easel, that’s all right, but a child must be able to stand behind the board.  Therefore your board could not be attached to a wall.

Here’s How to Play:

Tell your children that they are going to play “Get Behind the Easel”.  Show them the memory verse you have picked for them to work on.  Have them read it out loud several times to help them begin to memorize it.  Once you feel they are starting to get a handle on the verse, have one child come up and stand behind the easel.  Instruct another child to quietly come up and take off one of the

words on the board and then have them give it to you.  On the word “GO”, the rest of the class is to say the verse nice and loud, but when they get to the word that was taken off, they are to clap and then continue saying the rest of the verse out loud.  Once the verse has been read, the child behind the easel must guess what word was clapped on.  If he gets it right, he could get some kind of treat or at least a hearty, “Way to go!”  Replace the word that was taken off and play all over again.

 by Kathy Vincent

 

My Sunday School class loves the memory verse game “Get Behind the Easel”.  It truly makes learning a Bible verse loads of fun.

Here’s What You Need:

Some kind of board on which to display your memory verse.  I personally use a pocket chart.  These can be easily found at your local teacher supply store or you can order them online at www.orientaltrading.com.  I then write each word found in my verse on an index card including one card each for the book of the Bible and its reference number and I display the verse in its correct order on the chart.  If you prefer, you could just write the verse on a chalkboard or dry erase board.

You will also need an easel on which your board sits.  If you don’t have an easel, that’s all right, but a child must be able to stand behind the board.  Therefore your board could not be attached to a wall.

Here’s How to Play:

Tell your children that they are going to play “Get Behind the Easel”.  Show them the memory verse you have picked for them to work on.  Have them read it out loud several times to help them begin to memorize it.  Once you feel they are starting to get a handle on the verse, have one child come up and stand behind the easel.  Instruct another child to quietly come up and take off one of the

words on the board and then have them give it to you.  On the word “GO”, the rest of the class is to say the verse nice and loud, but when they get to the word that was taken off, they are to clap and then continue saying the rest of the verse out loud.  Once the verse has been read, the child behind the easel must guess what word was clapped on.  If he gets it right, he could get some kind of treat or at least a hearty, “Way to go!”  Replace the word that was taken off and play all over again.

POSTED BY KATHY VINCENT

Feather Duster Toss:  A Super Bible Verse Game for Elementary Kids

I don’t know about your mom, but mine is a fierce duster. I grew up in a dust-free home. God is fierce about cleansing His children from sin. I John 1:9 says this: “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When I was trying to come up with a song for this Scripture, I thought of a feather duster simply because when we confess our sins, God cleans our hearts from all unrighteousness. Feather dusters are great cleaners too and can be a great reminder of this verse especially if you play “Feather Duster Toss.”

Here’s what you do:
For this Bible verse game, you will need 10 feather dusters. I found mine at my local dollar store. You will also need to create an index card for each word in I John 1:9. There are 25 words in this verse including one each for the book – I John – and one for the chapter and verse. It would be best to place these cards on a pocket chart, but a table will be OK. Place the cards face down and in correct order. Finally, you will want to draw or create a circle on the floor about 36” in diameter. Place a marker about 10 feet to 15 feet away from the circle. The child will toss the duster from this point. You are now ready to play the game.

Introduce I John 1:9 to your class by saying the following: What does a duster do? (Wait for response.) Right. A duster gets rid of dust, dirt and grime. What is in our life that needs to be cleaned away? (Wait for response.) Yes. Our sin. What is sin? Try this definition with me. Sin is anything I think…(Point to your brains, because this is where God has us think) Sin is anything I say…(Point to your mouth because this is where we speak) and sin is anything we do…(Move your fingers in front of you from left to right to symbolize doing something) …that displeases God. (Point up to God.)

I John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins, He will cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. What does it mean to confess? To confess our sins means we tell God what we have done wrong. Does God already know what we’ve done wrong? Of course! He’s God. He knows everything. But He wants us to say what we’ve done wrong so that we acknowledge and understand our sin. He wants to see our hearts. When our confession is real and sincere, God will always forgive us and get rid of everything that is not right.

Have the kids recite I John 1:9 several times. When they start to have a handle on it. Announce that they are going to play “Feather Duster Toss.” Divide your class into 2 teams. Explain that a child from the first team will come up to the line 10 feet away from the circle. He will try and throw each of the 10 feather dusters into the circle. For every duster that makes it completely inside the circle, the child will get to turn over one of the cards on the verse. He must now say the verse correctly. If he does, he will earn his team the number of feather dusters inside the circle times 100. The next team is up. Make sure everyone has at least one chance to play. Your kids will love this!

Tip: A feather duster that lines on the line of the circle does not count.

Next, if you liked this Sunday School/Homeschooling idea, then sign up today to receive Scripture Lady’s Free Email Kid Tips packed full with creative ideas and receive 6 FREE Bible Review Games to help your kids get excited about the Bible!

Just click here: http://myfreebiblegames.com to receive your  6 FREE Bible Review Games today!

 BY KATHY VINCENT

Does God like music?  You Betcha!  Here are some verses to prove it: 1 Chronicles 15:16, 2 Chronicles 5:13, 2 Chronicles 7:6 (David actually made the instruments in this  verse), and Psalm 150:4 – just to name a few.

Why not have your kids read and memorize a couple of these along with having them make some of their own instruments?  For example, a plastic cereal bowl can become a terrific tambourine.  Choose a plastic bowl that you could easily poke holes around its edge with an awl or ice pick.  (Make sure an adult does this part ahead of time.)  Now let the children tie on jingle bells through the holes with colorful yarn or ribbon.  Finish their creations off by allowing them to either “Puffy” paint the bottom of the bowl or decorate it with stickers.  Your kids are now ready to make a joyful noise to the Lord.

For more fun ideas for creating your own musical instruments, check out this site:  www.nancymusic.com.

Next, if you liked this Sunday School/Homeschooling idea, then sign up today to receive Scripture Lady’s Free Email Kid Tips packed full with creative ideas and receive 6 FREE Bible Review Games to help your kids get excited about the Bible!

Just click here: http://myfreebiblegames.com to receive your  6 FREE Bible Review Games today!

POSTED BY KATHY VINCENT

Preschoolers like to wiggle around. That’s the way God made them. So, when it comes time to tell them a Bible story, take this into consideration and give them a reason to wiggle, or in this instance, a reason to do some popping.

Before telling a Bible story, prepare some pictures of objects or people that will be spoken about in the story. For example, if you are going to tell the story of Elijah being fed by the ravens, you will want to prepare some pictures of ravens, bread, water, Elijah and maybe the brook or river that he sat by. I make all of my pictures on my computer and then laminate them for long-term use.

Invite the children to your story time. Fan out the pictures in your hands “card style” and then let each child pick a card. Make sure that each child has one picture. If your class is on the larger side, let more than one child have the same picture. After each picture is chosen, make sure you describe the picture they picked. This verbal description will help them listen more closely to the story as it is read.

Once every child has a picture, tell the class that you are going to read a special story from God’s Word the Bible. Explain to them that whenever they hear the picture on their card spoken about in the story, they should pop up out of their seats each time they hear it. Do a trial run by saying each of the pictures names so that they get the idea.

Finally, read your Bible story and enjoy the popping. You might want to treat them to some popcorn afterward!
If you liked this Sunday School idea, then sign up to receive Scripture Lady’s Free Email Newsletter packed full with creative ideas to get the kids you minister to excited about the Bible!
Just look to the right of this page for the subscription box, fill in the info and you’re good to go!

By Kathy Vincent

 

POSTED BY KATHY VINCENT

Matthew was a tax collector.  Paul was a tentmaker and Peter was a fisherman.  Everyone in the Bible had a job and there was a job for everyone to do…Just like today!  Occupations in the Bible were much like they are today.  Sure, we have lots of technical gizmos and gadgets now, but a baker still bakes and a seamstress still sews.

Why not have a little fun with the Bible and your kids while teaching them about the different jobs there were back in the Bible days?

Here’s what you do:
Take the list of occupations that I have provided below and write the occupation on one side of a 3×5 card and the Scripture that goes with it on the other side.  Mix all the cards up and place them in a hat or a bucket from which your children can choose.  You will also need 2 Bibles, one for each team.
Now divide your class into 2 teams.  Let one child from a team come and pick out one of the cards.  He should do this carefully so that no one else in the room can see the card he picked.  Once he has seen the occupation on the card, he must then act out the job without using any words, much like “Charades”.  For example, if the job of baker was chosen, the child must act out what a baker would do.  The first person in the class who guesses the occupation correctly comes to the front of the class and then picks a child from the other team for him to compete against. You, the teacher, will give each of these 2 children a Bible.  You will then give them the Scripture reference that was on the back of the occupation just acted out.  Say, “Ready, set, Go!” and then have the children find the verse in the Bible.  The first child to find the correct verse will earn 100 points for their team.  Have the child read the verse out loud if he feels comfortable doing so.  If not, then you, the teacher, should do so.

Have the last child who acted out the occupation pick the next child to be the actor and then play as before.  Now…get to work!

List of Occupations in the Bible:
Baker/Genesis 40:1
Barber/Ezekiel 5:1
Teacher/Psalm 119:99
Carpenter/2 Samuel 5:11
Fisherman/Matthew 4:18
Gardener/ Jeremiah 29:5
Potter/Isaiah 64:8
Musician/1 Chronicles 9:33
Tax Collector/Matthew 9:9
Soldier/Numbers 31:21

If you liked this Sunday School idea, then sign up to receive Scripture Lady’s Free Email Newsletter packed full with creative ideas to get the kids you minister to excited about the Bible!
Just look to the right of this page for the subscription box, fill in the info and you’re good to go!

By Kathy Vincent