GROW Circles: A Super Bible School Activity for Elementary Kids
Posted by Kathy Vincent
Did you know that growing in God is as simple as G-R-O-W? We can grow in God by G – Going to church or a Bible-believing Bible study. We can grow in God by R – Reading the Bible and praying every day. We can grow in God by O – Obeying God and doing what He says and we can grow in God by W – Witnessing or telling others about Jesus. Second Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen!” What a great verse about growing in God and here’s a great Bible school activity to help your kids memorize it. I call it “GROW Circles.”
Here’s what you do:
There are no teams in this game, per se. Each child in your class will try and win as many points possible. For this activity you will need to make enough large circles on the floor to accommodate your class so that 3 kids at the most can stand inside of them. In other words, if you have 10 kids in your class, you will need to make 4 circles. You could make these by drawing them with chalk or you could make them from paper. You will also need to prepare 4 index cards. One will have a “G” on it and will be worth 100 points. One will have an “R” on it and will be worth 200 points. One will have an “O” on it and will be worth 300 points. And the last one will have a “W” on it and will be worth 400 points. I suggest you laminate these for long-term use as well as prohibiting the kids from bending a corner to act as a marker to show which card is which. Place these cards inside a bucket or hat so that the cards can’t be seen. You will also need some music to play that you can easily stop at different intervals. You are now ready to play.
Introduce 2 Peter 3:18 and discuss the four different ways that they can grow in God which I have listed at the beginning of this article. Have the class recite the verse several times so that they can memorize it as soon as possible. They will also need to memorize what each of the four letters in G-R-O-W means. Once the class feels somewhat comfortable with the verse and letters, explain that they are going to play “GROW Circles.”
Have the children scatter around the room. They should NOT stand on a circle. Begin playing the music. The children should walk around the room anywhere they like, but they may not touch a circle. You, the teacher, will stop the music at an unknown time to the kids. Once the music stops, every child should get on a circle. There cannot be more than 3 on one circle. Now, take the bucket of GROW cards to each circle. Have one child in each circle pick out one of the cards. He must first say what the letter means. If he does this correctly, then his circle must now say 2 Peter 3:18 together. If they say the verse correctly, then everyone in that circle earns the number of points the letter of the card is worth. Go to each circle and do the exact same thing. Play this Bible school activity as many times as you would like. You will need someone to keep score of what each child gets. You can award the winning child with something special – maybe a growing plant of some kind.
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!
GROW Circles: A Super Bible School Activity for Elementary Kids
Posted by Kathy Vincent
Did you know that growing in God is as simple as G-R-O-W? We can grow in God by G – Going to church or a Bible-believing Bible study. We can grow in God by R – Reading the Bible and praying every day. We can grow in God by O – Obeying God and doing what He says and we can grow in God by W – Witnessing or telling others about Jesus. Second Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen!” What a great verse about growing in God and here’s a great Bible school activity to help your kids memorize it. I call it “GROW Circles.”
Here’s what you do:
There are no teams in this game, per se. Each child in your class will try and win as many points possible. For this activity you will need to make enough large circles on the floor to accommodate your class so that 3 kids at the most can stand inside of them. In other words, if you have 10 kids in your class, you will need to make 4 circles. You could make these by drawing them with chalk or you could make them from paper. You will also need to prepare 4 index cards. One will have a “G” on it and will be worth 100 points. One will have an “R” on it and will be worth 200 points. One will have an “O” on it and will be worth 300 points. And the last one will have a “W” on it and will be worth 400 points. I suggest you laminate these for long-term use as well as prohibiting the kids from bending a corner to act as a marker to show which card is which. Place these cards inside a bucket or hat so that the cards can’t be seen. You will also need some music to play that you can easily stop at different intervals. You are now ready to play.
Introduce 2 Peter 3:18 and discuss the four different ways that they can grow in God which I have listed at the beginning of this article. Have the class recite the verse several times so that they can memorize it as soon as possible. They will also need to memorize what each of the four letters in G-R-O-W means. Once the class feels somewhat comfortable with the verse and letters, explain that they are going to play “GROW Circles.”
Have the children scatter around the room. They should NOT stand on a circle. Begin playing the music. The children should walk around the room anywhere they like, but they may not touch a circle. You, the teacher, will stop the music at an unknown time to the kids. Once the music stops, every child should get on a circle. There cannot be more than 3 on one circle. Now, take the bucket of GROW cards to each circle. Have one child in each circle pick out one of the cards. He must first say what the letter means. If he does this correctly, then his circle must now say 2 Peter 3:18 together. If they say the verse correctly, then everyone in that circle earns the number of points the letter of the card is worth. Go to each circle and do the exact same thing. Play this Bible school activity as many times as you would like. You will need someone to keep score of what each child gets. You can award the winning child with something special – maybe a growing plant of some kind.
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!
Did you know that growing in God is as simple as G-R-O-W? We can grow in God by G – Going to church or a Bible-believing Bible study. We can grow in God by R – Reading the Bible and praying every day. We can grow in God by O – Obeying God and doing what He says and we can grow in God by W – Witnessing or telling others about Jesus. Second Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen!” What a great verse about growing in God and here’s a great Bible school activity to help your kids memorize it. I call it “GROW Circles.”