When you're gathering as a large group, opening your children's church, starting your Sunday school, or beginning your mid-week kids' group, it's nice to start with an icebreaker to warm your kids up. It helps to get them talking - not just with you, but with one another. There are a lot of icebreaker ideas out there, but many are "sit down". So, I've gone on a search for ACTIVE ones. Why? because when they first arrive, they usually come with an abundance of energy! lol But I did throw in a few sit down ice breakers at the end. Some of these are secular, some are religious, and some could be both depending on how you play. Many of the religious items need to be put together beforehand, which I've done for you if you'd like to purchase them. There are 5 and you can get them all in my TPT store!
If you have others to add, comment below and share!
1. Scavenger Hunt - Now, I don't mean take them outside, or through the church. This is a hunt right there in the room. Think about the story that you will be studying, and then print out pics or write words that have to do with the story. Maybe 10-20. Hide them all around the room before the kids arrive and tell them they have 5-10 minutes to find them all! If you teach the kids a memory verse, you could hide all the words around the room. Then, when they find them, see if they can help you put them in the correct order! Need some help thinking of good hiding places? Here are some...inside or under a plant, rolled up and taped on the pull cord of the curtains, under a lamp, taped to the underside of a table/chair, inside a lamp shade, taped to a picture frame. taped to a string that is behind a frame and then attach a piece of paper that says "pull me", taped to the back of a door, on a window, or if you have a mic stand, under the stand.
2. Speed Centers - This can be a religious activity or not - depending on your questions. It's more of a "get-to-know-you" activity. Divide your group into small groups of 5-8 (if your group is already small, just have one group). Set up enough centers around the room so that each small group is at one. I would say a minimum of 4 centers. At each center there is a list of 5 questions that they each have to answer in 3 minutes. They can't think about their answer - just go around the circle and say it quickly! If you have bigger groups and need more time, then do 4 minutes. Once their 3 minutes is up, call time and "Rotate!". Count down from 5 and they have to hurry to the next center as the 3 minute timer will start when you get to 0! When they've hit every center, call them together and give them a little quiz to see how well they were listening. Can they remember their friends answers to any of the questions at each center? If you'd like some example questions, they are included in my TPT bundle (5 questions for 5 centers - at least one religious question at each one)
3. Line up - This is a popular game that is on everyone's list of icebreakers. But I've seen a lot of new variations and added a few of my own. Maybe you can think of some new ways as well! Basically, you tell your group to line up in a specific way - by birthdate, month, year, height, etc. But they can't talk. We've probably all played that at some time :) But here are some new ways to play it - 1. blindfold a few of your kids and those kids can talk. 2. add in some new questions - how many cousins they have, how many times they've (fill in the blank), the number of times they've moved, etc.
4. Bible Pairs - As everyone comes in, give them a Bible name. You can just hand it to them, write it on a nametag, tape it to them...whatever! Once you have everyone there, tell them to find their pair! Take it up a notch, and have them look up their pair in the Bible and tell the group about them :) I have included a list of Bible pairs you could use in my TPT bundle. There are 17 pairs of people or things in my document. In addition, I added a twist and put a 3rd word with each pair that you can write and tape up around the room. Once everyone has successfully found their pair, then instruct the duo to find the word on the wall that fits into their Bible story! Have some Bibles handy in case they need them :)
5. Write a story - This isn't as active, but sounds like fun :) Write a prompt up on the board and tell each child as they come in, to add only FOUR words to the story. Once everyone has arrived, read the story :) Here are some prompts you could start with...(these are all religious ideas) "One day, Jesus was on his way to the next city to preach, when he..." "After David knocked down Goliath with his stones, he ..." "A modern day parable - Love your neighbor: I walked out of my house to get on the school bus when all of a sudden..."
6. Get to know you BINGO - This is very popular and I'm sure everyone has used this at some point. you can find lots of versions online to print out for free. I have made one that is more religious if you'd like to use it.
7. Also, I created a Bingo game RACE where the kids have to start at the beginning of their game board and proceed in order to the end. Whoever gets to the end first wins :) This can be bought separately or in the bundle.
8. This or That - this is another popular game you can find all over pinterest. Ask your kids random questions of things they like better - this or that. Or, use this "Would you Rather" game I made - Bible version! :) Divide the room into two parts and assign one half to "this" and "that". I changed it up a little and created a fun, random Bible trivia game called A or B - where they have to decide what the answer is and then go to that side of the room. The catch is, they most likely won't know the answers :) These are weird, random, questions that I made up like: Which is heavier? A. the stone rolled away from Jesus' tomb or B. a hippo? :) You can make it an elimination game and those that guess right stay in and continue. The game goes so quickly no one is sitting out very long.
9. Never have I ever - This has been around for a while, but it's always a group favorite! For young children, the idea of saying something you HAVEN'T done and then answering in the affirmative may be confusing. So, you can tell the person in the middle to say something they have done, and if those seated have also done, they get up and switch seats.
10. Human Knot - I played this game when I was in youth group :) If you have a large group, divide up into small groups of 7-10. You all stand in a circle and then everyone reaches out and grabs someone else's hands (but you can't hold both hands of the same person). Now you're all tangled up and you have to undo your knot! It's actually possible!
11. Hula Hoop Pass - This is another circle game. Everyone stands in a circle and holds hands. Two people let go of their hands and you put a hula hoop on them. They link hands again and then you pass the hula hoop around without anyone letting go. Have them go around the circle once and time them. See if they can beat their record. If you have a big group, divide into two groups and compete!
12. Pass the gift - Wrap a small giftbox (has to fit in one hand) and have everyone stand in a circle. Pass the gift behind your backs while someone stands in the middle with their eyes closed. When the person says STOP, the one holding the gift tries to unwrap it very quietly. The person in the middle has 2 guesses to name who is unwrapping the gift. If they guess it correctly, they join the circle and the "unwrapper" goes in the middle. You can make this relevant to your lesson by wrapping up items to introduce your Bible story! After 3-4 rounds, see if they can guess what the story is!
13. The Left/Right game - The way I've always seen this played is everyone sits in a circle and the leader reads the story. Every time you hear the word "left" you move one seat to your left. When you hear the word "right", you move one seat to your right. Another way I've seen it played is to pass something to your right or left. Whoever ends up with it, gets to keep it. To make this more active, I would have them stand up in a circle on pieces of paper (or carpet squares, etc) - something to mark the spots. Then, I would designate 2-3 of the circles/squares as "special". If they land on one of those squares at the end, then they win! (you can decide what they win :) You can find lots of story ideas floating around on the internet, but I suggest that you rewrite you Bible story so that it can be introduced in this way! I have written one as an example - Ruth! Buy it separately or in the bundle.
14. 20 Questions - Write down the names of people or places in the Bible that your kids would know on name tags. It's okay if some of the people have the same name. As they enter the room, stick a name on their backs and instruct them not to tell anyone what their nametags say. Once everyone has arrived, have them pair up (one way is to tell them to yell out their favorite disney movie and find someone yelling out the same thing). In their pairs, they are to ask the other person up to 20 questions to try and guess who their person is.
15. Four Corners - This is a great game to use to review a story that you've learned! Label each corner of the room four characters from your story. For example, if you're learning the story of Jacob and Esau, you could label one corner Jacob, one Esau, one Isaac and the last one could be Rebekah. Then, ask review questions about your story and they have to run to the corner that is the correct answer! If you want to use this as an icebreaker and not a story review, then label the corners, "agree, strongly agree, disagree, and strongly disagree". Make random statements and have them either agree or disagree with you - like - Dogs are better than cats. Math is the worst subject. etc.
16. Human Tic-Tac-Toe - I actually saw this played here in Peru and thought it was a really fun idea :) Divide your group into two teams - x's and o's. It might be easier to use colors and tie a ribbon or string to everyone's wrists so they know who is on their team. Set up a tic tac toe board in the middle of the room - either with chairs or standing. This can be a story review, or just random Bible trivia, or it could be a Bible exercise where the first person who finds a verse gets to enter the "board". Call out the question and the first person who answers, gets to stand/sit on the board in whatever spot they want. When a team gets 3 in a row - they win! The group here loved this game and played it 3-4 times!
17. Sheet Drop - I've seen this game used as a name game. you divide the group up into two teams and they sit across from one another. you hold up a sheet in the middle and call up one person from each side. On the count of 3, you drop the sheet and the first person that names the other person wins :) You could use this same idea but make it Biblical. Instead of dropping a sheet, you simply reveal a word or name in the Bible. The first person who can call out the story or scripture wins. For example, you reveal the word "angel". The first person that can remember a story in the Bible with an angel and call it out, wins. The angel that visited Mary, the angel that moved the stone from the tomb, etc. Other words you could call out - "stone" (david and goliath, resurrection, etc), "the number 3", "water", etc.
18. Balloon burst - this is another game I played when I was in youth group, but I like the twist I found on pinterest. First, you tie a balloon to a string and then tie it to your ankle. Make sure the length of everyone's string is the same (shorter strings are harder to pop). Play some music and instruct everyone to pop all the balloons! The last one standing with a balloon wins (when yours is popped you sit out). However, the twist I read about said to put a blessing in each balloon - making it a Blessing Balloon Burst :) You could do something else besides blessings as well. When their balloon gets popped, they have to find their blessing and then sit down. At the end they could share their blessings.
19. Circle up and draw! - This is simple but fun and can be played with any amount of people. Give everyone a piece of paper (quarter of regular size would be good) and a pencil or crayon (no markers). Turn sideways and face the back of the person in front of you. Instruct them to put the paper on the person's back and draw a ____. I did it with a pig which was fun :) But you could instruct them to draw anything - maybe something to do with your story for the day? The catch to this exercise is, once they start drawing, instruct them to start walking in a circle! Let the hilarity ensue :)
20. Deck of Cards icebreaker - This is a no prep game! Hand everyone a card when they come in. If you have more than 52 kids, use two decks. If you have less, then use just 2 suits. Once they're all there, start calling out instructions! Find everyone that has your number, find everyone that has your suit, find all the even numbers, etc. Can you think of a way to make this religious??
21. Clothespin game - As everyone enters the room, have them pin 5 clothespins on their sleeve. Think of a "buzz word" that is a very common word and that the kids are liable to say during your opening. example - "me", "you", "like", etc. Pair them up for different activities and have them ask each other some questions. If they use the buzz word during their Q and A, then the other person can call them out and take one of the clothespins. At the end of your time, see who has the most clothespins!
22. Story Still pics - What is your Bible story for today? Divide it up into 3-4 sections for small groups or 5-7 sections for larger groups. Give each small group one section of the story that they have to read and then illustrate with a still pose. Take a picture of them and then tell the whole story/lesson using their pictures!
23. Bible Pictionary - This one may not be quite as active as the others, but you still have people getting up and moving :) I created a new version of Bible pictionary (well, it was new to me!). on each card is an "easy" and "hard" word. Your kids will get 2 minutes (you can add more or take less if you feel it's necessary) to draw the "easy" word on the card. Most likely, their team will get it pretty quickly. When they do, they get one point. THEN, with the time they have left, they attempt to draw the SECOND word on the card. Yes, it is harder, BUT it has to do with the first word so that helps! And the words all have to do with the Bible or church :)
Here are a few ice-breaker type games that I've made that are sit down - but not quiet!
23. Ten Dice game variations - Are you familiar with the Tenzi dice game? I bought it for my family and we really enjoyed it. While we were playing, I realized - I could totally make this into a Bible game! So, here are 5 versions that I've made - Thanksgiving (not religious), Christmas (religious), Parables, Valentine's Day (not religious), Bible stories. You will need ten dice per child OR per pair.
24. Gibberish - You could make this more active by having kids come up one by one to read the gibberish card...and see who the first person is that can guess what they're saying! If you aren't familiar with the game, you're given a nonsensical phrase that SOUNDS just like a real phrase. I turned it into a religious game. For example, "Could some hair eaten". What do you think that is? Say it out loud, try emphasizing different syllables, or saying it slower or faster :) Click the link to find out the answer ;)
25. Yell it out! - Have you ever played the board game Outburst? This is similar - but religious. You have one minute to yell out all 10 answers to the question - example: Parables. Six-seven of the 10 are pretty easy, but if you want to get all 10, you gotta think! This is best played with upper elementary/youth.
26. 5 Second game - This is also a Bible/religious game that gives you a category and you have 5 seconds to name 3 things in that category. Animals that may have been at the stable, parts of worship, fruits of the spirit, etc. Some of the categories are more difficult than others. If you're playing with younger elementary, I would go through the cards and pick the ones that you know your kids would know.
27. Bible Zingo - I know you've all played Bingo before, but have you played Zingo? It's a fast paced version of Bingo! I made a Bible picture version with 50 cards so 50 kids can play at once! Click the link for more specific instructions.
28. Alpha to Omega - you've probably also played the popular game Apples to Apples - here is the religious version I made!
29. I have...who has - Three Bible version of this game - books of the Bible, OT people and NT people. Each set can be played with 20 people.
Seems I'm one short :) lol. Someone give me one more idea so it can be 30! ;) Hopefully you have read at least one idea that you love and can't wait to use with your group! If you have any other ideas that I could add, please write them in the comments below so others can read it! Thanks and God bless!
