Over the past several months I have shared some things with you that I did when I was still able to teach children's Bible classes. The Museum of the Old Testament, the David Game, the Return of the Stick Man parts 1 and 2 (a method for teaching memory verses to very young nonreaders), and the Memory Verse Relay Races can be found with just a little scrolling and clicking on the right sidebar under Children and/or Bible Study. Today I want to share yet another game I came up with.
The People, Places, and Things Game helps the students remember important people and events and where they took place as you go through a quarter of lessons—or any other type of series for that matter. However, you must have been through at least 5 or 6 lessons before you can begin.
On card stock cut into 3 x 4 rectangles—or just on plain index cards—write the people, places, and things from each lesson that you want the children to remember. Create 2 sets of cards written in two different colors, for example, a red set and a blue set. When you have at least 20 cards each, divide the class into two teams and line them up on opposite sides of the room. At the front of the class place 3 chairs, one labelled "People", one "Places", and one "Things".
For this game you will need two teachers, one standing by each team. (It helps if someone has a stopwatch.) When one adult calls "Go," the teachers hand the first one in each line a card, and the students must place it in the correct chair. The teacher cannot hand the next card out until the first student has returned. This continues, but at 15 second intervals, a teacher calls, "Stop!" Whatever card the student from each team is holding must be identified in detail in the context of the lessons being studied. David might be identified as the one who killed Goliath or the King of Israel, depending upon which section of scripture you are studying. The Jordan River might be what the people of Israel crossed or where Jesus was baptized, but it must match what is being taught.
If the card is identified correctly it goes in the correct chair and the student goes to the end of the line. If it is not identified correctly it goes back in the pile the teacher is holding and the student returns to the end of the line. One teacher calls out "Go" again and play resumes until the next "Stop" is called. When one team runs out of cards, the game is over. Then the teachers check the cards in the chairs and count how many are in the correct chair for each team (hence the different color print for each team). While the team that ran out of cards first has the edge, they could still lose if they have placed cards in the wrong chair. Now it is time to sit the students down and go over the misses so they will do better the next week, especially since you will be adding more cards each week.
I hope that is not too confusing. If you don't quite get it, just use the idea and make up your own game. For some reason these things come easily to me, and I imagine you can develop the same skill because I am far from brilliant.
And, yes, in case you are wondering, sometimes I get dinged for too much "playing" in my classes, but I would have put my students against any other class out there (especially the three year olds who can quote a dozen memory verses from a simple line drawing). They learn these things quickly and easily when it's a little more exciting and a lot less boring.
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—how on the day that you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’ (Deut 4:9-10)
Dene Ward
The People, Places, and Things Game helps the students remember important people and events and where they took place as you go through a quarter of lessons—or any other type of series for that matter. However, you must have been through at least 5 or 6 lessons before you can begin.
On card stock cut into 3 x 4 rectangles—or just on plain index cards—write the people, places, and things from each lesson that you want the children to remember. Create 2 sets of cards written in two different colors, for example, a red set and a blue set. When you have at least 20 cards each, divide the class into two teams and line them up on opposite sides of the room. At the front of the class place 3 chairs, one labelled "People", one "Places", and one "Things".
For this game you will need two teachers, one standing by each team. (It helps if someone has a stopwatch.) When one adult calls "Go," the teachers hand the first one in each line a card, and the students must place it in the correct chair. The teacher cannot hand the next card out until the first student has returned. This continues, but at 15 second intervals, a teacher calls, "Stop!" Whatever card the student from each team is holding must be identified in detail in the context of the lessons being studied. David might be identified as the one who killed Goliath or the King of Israel, depending upon which section of scripture you are studying. The Jordan River might be what the people of Israel crossed or where Jesus was baptized, but it must match what is being taught.
If the card is identified correctly it goes in the correct chair and the student goes to the end of the line. If it is not identified correctly it goes back in the pile the teacher is holding and the student returns to the end of the line. One teacher calls out "Go" again and play resumes until the next "Stop" is called. When one team runs out of cards, the game is over. Then the teachers check the cards in the chairs and count how many are in the correct chair for each team (hence the different color print for each team). While the team that ran out of cards first has the edge, they could still lose if they have placed cards in the wrong chair. Now it is time to sit the students down and go over the misses so they will do better the next week, especially since you will be adding more cards each week.
I hope that is not too confusing. If you don't quite get it, just use the idea and make up your own game. For some reason these things come easily to me, and I imagine you can develop the same skill because I am far from brilliant.
And, yes, in case you are wondering, sometimes I get dinged for too much "playing" in my classes, but I would have put my students against any other class out there (especially the three year olds who can quote a dozen memory verses from a simple line drawing). They learn these things quickly and easily when it's a little more exciting and a lot less boring.
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children—how on the day that you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’ (Deut 4:9-10)
Dene Ward
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