When you have a lesson to teach, an idea to drive home, a point to make, turn it into a game.
Religious education class games will teach your students what you want them to know in a memorable way - and they may not even realize they're learning!
Good Samaritan Relay Game: When teaching service to others
Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team is the Pharisee. He lies down on one side of the room and his team is on the other side. At your signal, each team begins to help its Pharisee – first person in line puts a Band-Aid on him, second person gives him a sip of water, third person gives him a cracker, etc., in a relay. First team to be finished wins. Add a blanket, pillow, a stethoscope check, ice pack or whatever you need to meet the number of students in your class.
What Saint Am I?: When teaching about saints
Use saint cards or paper with saint names printed in large letters. Tape one to each child’s back. The students take turns having the rest of the class give them clues so they can guess what saint they are.
Review Baseball Game: When reviewing material
Set up bases on the floor in a diamond shape. Divide the class into two teams. One team goes up “to bat.” The teacher asks the batter a question – tell him it’s a single (an easy question), a double, a triple or a homerun (the hardest). If they answer correctly, they go to that base. If incorrect, it’s an out and they go to the back of the line. Three outs and that team sits down and the other team gets up.
Other Review Games
Review games are great if your students are expected to do a lot of memorization and fact learning.
For a Review Jeopardy game, set up an answer grid on a large board. Write answers on 3-by-5 note cards and stick them to the board, answer side down, using Sticky Tack. Write the value on the face-up side of the card. Post categories at the top of each column.
Students take turns choosing a category and value and giving the correct “question” to the “answer” you read. If the reverse question/answer method is too confusing, write questions on the cards and have the children provide answers.
In Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, write questions and have students in two teams take turns answering them in increasing values. Let them use a “life line” by asking someone on their team to help them.
Shepherd, Shepherd, Who Has Your Sheep?: When teaching Jesus’ role as our shepherd
Have the children sit in a circle with their hands behind their backs. Select one child to be the shepherd. He sits in the center of the circle with his eyes closed. The leader walks around the circle and places a small stuffed sheep in the hands of one of the children in the circle. The children pass the sheep from one to another around the circle, keeping the sheep behind their backs until the leader says, “Find the sheep.” The shepherd then opens his eyes and has three chances to guess who has the sheep behind his back.
Go Fish: When teaching the Bible, and about being “fishers of men”
Attach a string to a stick and tie a magnet on the end of the string, to make a fishing pole. Using colorful paper, cut out fish shapes and attach a paper clip to the top of each one. Write a bible chapter and verse number on the back of each fish and place them in a large, shallow container. The children take turns fishing by placing their fishing line down into the box until they catch a fish. They have to look up the Bible verse that’s on their fish.
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