Sunday School is a fun place to be when it involves meeting your friends while learning about the word of God playfully and interactively. Keeping children engaged every Sunday isn’t hard with the right methods, so we’ve come up with a list of the Top 10 Sunday School Games that will be a hit with any child of faith.
1. Ring the Bell
Divide the class into two or three teams, give each team a bell and have a list of Bible lesson questions prepared. Then, start the game by asking a trivia question. The first team to ring their bell gets to answer the question – if an answer is correct, points are awarded; if it’s incorrect, points are deducted. Each time a team answers incorrectly, give another team the chance to answer the question. Optional: allow each team to look up the answer in the Bible for a reduced number of points.
2. Build a Tower Challenge
Set up a table with styrofoam or plastic cups and have a list of questions ready. Divide your students into two or more teams and then alternate by asking each team a question. When a team answers a question correctly, a team member may take a cup and place it on the table, slowly building a tower. The highest tower wins!
3. Bible Adventure
The perfect game for younger children, Bible Adventure, is an alphabet game that starts with the teacher saying, “I took a trip through the Bible and found Abraham.” The fun continues with each child taking a turn by repeating the phrase and adding a person whose name begins with a B, C, etc. Continue the game until the entire alphabet is completed. If you don’t want to use the names of people, you can opt to use places.
4. Disappearing Words
Memorizing verses helps kids learn about the contents of the bible. A simple game is one of disappearing words – you start by writing the verse to be memorized on a whiteboard and ask the children to recite it. Then, ask one of the kids to erase one word and have all of them repeat the verse. Continue to do so until all words are erased, and the children continue saying the verse from memory.
5. Sword Drill
In Sword Drill, children have to find a Bible passage as quickly as possible. The teacher and each child should have a Bible on hand. Start the game by opening the Bible and selecting a random passage. Then, give them a passage reference and ask the kids to find it in their Bibles as quickly as they can. The first one to find it reads it out loud and earns a point. The one that earns five points first wins. Instead of letting each child compete against the other, you can also form teams or partners.
6. Running Away
Set up three stations representing the different parts of the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32. Include a play cash register and a mini “store” in the first station where students can spend all the pretend money you give them. Set up a few stuffed animals in the second station and pretend to eat the gross pig food that the son ate with the pigs. After this station, ask the students to pretend to run home. Then, finish with a dance party and special treats, and end the game by talking about how God will never stop loving us, even when we disobey and run away.
7. Bible Bingo
Prepare a fun game of Bingo to help your Sunday School children become more familiar with the various sections and books of the Bible. Each Bingo card is divided into sections that correspond to the sections of the Bible. No need to prepare the cards yourself; you can easily download them for free at Bible Games Central.
8. Boat Fun
Outline a boat on the floor of your classroom with painter's tape. Make sure it’s big enough for all students to fit in. Then, have all the kids sit inside while you teach about Jesus calming the storm in Matthew 8:23-27. You can also cut strips from a blue plastic tablecloth to create waves.
9. Bible Tic Tac Toe
Prepare a list of questions, then use masking tape to make a Tic Tac Toe board pattern (three columns by three rows) on the floor. Divide the class into two teams, then start asking your questions. When a team answers a question correctly, it can place a colored bean bag on the Tic Tac Toe board until one team gets a line of three completed.
10. Balloon Bop
The ideal way to remind children to keep God’s commandments, Balloon Bop is an interactive game that requires a Bible, a beach towel, and ten inflated balloons. Tell the kids that they should pretend each of these balloons represents one of the Ten Commandments. Now, all the participants have to do is keep all ten balloons in the air at once. Start the game with two children holding the ends of a beach towel, balancing four colorful balloons on top of the towel.
Let the kids take turns to hold the edge of one end of the towel and stand apart, so the towel is taut. Then, ask the kids to shake the towel while you add each balloon—each time naming one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17).
Continue for 30 seconds after you’ve added all the balloons, and replace any balloons that fall. While piling on the balloons, ask the kids what it was like to keep all the balloons in the air. Then, explain to them how it relates to trying to keep all of God’s commandments and continue to discuss why it’s helpful for their lives to keep the commandments.
Sunday School doesn’t have to be monotonous. Instead, make it interactive by playing one of the games listed above and you can be sure that all your students will have fun while learning about God and the Bible.
Weathering the storm (Bonus idea!)
This interactive game brings the story of Jesus calming the sea to vivid life. Start by outlining a large boat shape on your classroom floor using painter's tape. Gather all the children inside the boat and begin narrating the story of Matthew 8:23–27, where Jesus calms the storm.
As you tell the story, use a fan to simulate wind and wave sounds through a speaker to build the atmosphere. Provide the children with blue fabric strips to wave around, mimicking the turbulent waters. The aim is for the kids to learn about faith and trust in God during tumultuous times by reenacting the disciples' fear and Jesus’ miraculous calming of the storm.