Bible
Crafts and Activities For
Sunday School
Bible Themes: Anytime Bible Crafts and Activities
Crafts and Activity Ideas That Will Work with Any Bible Lesson.
Make a Video
Bring in a camcorder and tape the children
playing, making a craft, singing, and saying their memory verses for
the day. Replay the tape at the end of class on a VCR for the
whole class to see. This will help keep the children quiet while
they wait for their parents. Their parents may even be interested
in seeing what their children did in class that day.
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Record Voices
Bring in a cassette
tape recorder and record the children's voices. If the children
are very young, tell them a bible verse or phrase relating to the
day's lesson and then have them repeat it. Make sure you say
their name before you record them because sometimes it is hard to
tell them apart.
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Play with Play Dough
We always have Play Dough on hand in case we run out of things
to do. This play dough isn't cheap to make but it lasts
for a long time. It is much softer and lasts longer than the
store bought type if you make it right. When we have a large class,
we like to put some play dough out on one table so that we don't have
all the kids at the craft table at the same time. The kids usually
start at the play dough table then work their way to the crafts. As
they arrive and start playing with the dough, we can talk to them
about their week and what we will be learning that day. Meanwhile
another teacher starts making crafts with the kids that arrived first.
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Bible Verse Memorization Using the Memory Cross
Here is a great craft that is not only fun but educational as well. This origami cross can be folded over and over changing shapes and showing a different part of the Bible verse each time. Your children will find that it is hard to stop using them once they start. Memory Cross offers Bible verses that go along with many of the most popular Vacation Bible School programs. They also have one for the plan of salvation, which would be a great witnessing tool. They also have many other Bible verse packages you can pick from. If they don't have what you want, you can custom order them. Or you can order blank ones and have your children make their own. (See the pictures below.) Go to Memory Cross to order yours today!
Make You Own Memory Cross
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Play a "Pin the Tail on the Donkey"-Like Game
Use the popular "Pin the tail on the Donkey" birthday game
idea except change it to fit your lesson. For example, you could
pin the animal in the ark, pin Zaccahaeus in a tree, pin the eyes
on Saul, pin the fish in the net, or pin the word love in a
center of a heart. Young children love this popular birthday game,
however; you don't have to have a winner. The children just love to
see how close they can pin whatever they are pinning to the intended
object. Caution: Instead of using pins just use a piece
of tape.
We will be having a Valentine's Day party next week, and I am
going to use your idea for "pin the tail on the donkey",
but using a heart. I also wanted to tell you that I used a variation
of the "pin the tail on the donkey" game for our Kids
Club Birthday Party for Jesus. I made a manger scene on a poster
board. I made a stable, crib with straw, Mary, Joseph, a shepherd and some sheep out of different colors of felt.
I glued everything to the poster board. Then I made "Baby Jesus"
out of felt. I made one for each child, and I put their initials
on the "Baby Jesus" with marker. I called this game "Put
Baby Jesus in the Crib". The kids loved it. I used a pattern
out of a craft book to make Mary, Joseph and the Shepherd. All the
other shapes I just freehanded. It wasn't perfect, but these are
small children, so it didn't matter to them.
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Identify Pre-recorded Sounds
Record sounds relating to your
bible lesson and have the children guess what they are. For example,
if you are studying the creation story record animal sounds. If you are studying about God making families record home sounds.
If you are studying about Baby Jesus, record baby sounds. Instead
of recording the sounds yourself, you can often find tapes or CD's
in the library with all different kinds of sound effects.
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Reenact a Bible Lesson on Flannel Boards
Make a flannel
board for each child by stapling a piece of felt (9 x 12) on
a sheet of heavy paper (poster board or manilla). Have the children
draw or color pictures of bible characters and props onto heavy paper
or poster board, cut them out, and then stick a piece of sticky Velcro
(not the kind you sew on) on the back of each piece .
The person that sent in this ideas says, "We did the story of Daniel
in the Lion's Den and were able to remove and add lions and people
as needed to tell different parts of the story. The kids loved it!
They took their felt boards and story home at the end of the session."
Print
out characters and scenes from your current bible lesson onto T-shirt
transfer paper. You can find pictures in clip art books and coloring
books. Iron the transfer onto white flannel using the wool setting
on your iron. Let the children take turns reenacting the lesson after
you tell the story. If you don't have a flannel board make one by
stapling flannel onto a cork board or other board.
Here
is an idea to make an inexpensive flannel board sent in by Janet Morris
First you need to buy a piece of heat and bond. I bought
mine at Walmart, 5 yards for $5.00. You need a piece of flannel.
I bought 1 yard and had extra to use for additional flannel board
pieces. You will need a piece of heavy cardboard like a freezer
box. Cut the card board, flannel, and heat and bond to the same
size. Iron the heat and bond onto the flannel then remove the paper
and iron the flannel with the heat and bond on to the cardboard and
you have a flannel board for less than ten dollars. They are $30.00
at the office supply store.
P.S. I used a thin piece of plywood instead of the cardboard. It bonded to it also. You just need to let it get really warm.
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Play Musical Chairs
Play just like musical chairs except
the child that is still standing when the music stops has to say something
he is thankful for or something that has to do with the current lesson. Keep playing like this. No one should ever have to be out of the game.
Everyone should be able to play every game.
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Reenact a Bible Lesson
Use simple bible costumes to reenact
a bible lesson. Cut pieces of material into rectangle shapes
to form a poncho type outfit. Cut a hole out in the center to fit
over the child's head. Cut out long pieces to use as ties to
tie the costume around the waist. Cut rectangle pieces to fit
on the head and long pieces to use as a tie. These can be used
over and over again.
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Use Puppets to Teach a Story
Tell a story from a puppets
point of view. For example, you can use a donkey puppet to tell the
story of Palm Sunday or a lamb puppet to tell the story of the lost
lamb. Have the children make simple puppets out of TP rolls or craft
sticks and reenact the bible story.
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Fishing Game
This idea comes Linda Ryan from our bulletin
board she wrote: To reinforce details of the Bible lesson, I made
oak tag fish and attached questions and a paper clip to each fish.
A dowel fishing pole with a magnet attached to the line would pick
up a fish and a question. If the child could answer the question he
could keep the fish until the game was over. Save the old questions
and substitute new ones for the next time. Pick the best questions
from all the lessons for an end of term contest. This was one activity
for a Sunday school hour with "learning stations". Linda, Thanks for your idea.
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Bible Bingo
This idea comes from Angie Reveles. Make
large pictures from your bible lessons like, Noah's ark, Jonah
and the whale etc. Then make "bingo" cards to match the pictures.
Mix up the large pictures and call the names of the pictures out one
by one as you hold up the large pictures. Play like bingo. Whoever
wins gets a small prize or gets to call out the pictures. This will
help the children remember all the bible stories with pictures.
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Toss Game
Another game we played, which was a big hit, especially with the
older kids, was a variation of a bean bag toss game. I saw a bean
bag toss game for sale in a catalog, but I felt it was too expensive.
I showed the picture to my husband, John, and together we decided
to make one of our own. We took a scrap piece of wood. John drilled
five holes in the wood, and then he made a wooden brace for the back
so that it would stand. It was about two feet tall. Then I painted
the whole board white. Next I painted black around the holes to make
them stand out, then I put the numbers 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 by each
of the holes. (The holes with the higher points were smaller than
the other holes). Last, I painted a rainbow and a smiling sun on the
top of the board and painted the phrase "Jesus Loves You" on top of the rainbow. I made bean bags out of scrap material and
filled them with dried beans. I couldn't believe how big of a hit
this game was. It takes a bit of work, but it's worth it because it
will last a long time. We still use this game for their Kids Club
class on Thursday. (Sent in by Donna)
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Door Hanger Attendance Charts
Use foam door hangers (or make your own) to use for attendance charts. Your children can add stickers or sequins each week they come to Sunday school. They are much better than a paper attendance chart because the children know that when they are filled up, they can take them home to enjoy. Kay Hershberger
You can buy Foam Door Hangers
fromonline from Amazon.com.
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Play a Tick Tack Toe Review Game
Draw a Tick Tack
Toe on the board. Divide the class up into two teams. Assign one
team "Os" and one team "X's". Ask questions from the lesson. If a team gets the correct answer, they can
place an X or O on the Tick Tack Toe. If they get it wrong, the other
team gets a chance to answer the question and put their mark on
the Tick Tack Toe.
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Folder
Games
Folder Games
Fun and educational at the same time. Use these inexpensive
games when you've completed your lesson early and just don't know
what to do, or use them when you just want a change of pace. They
are also great to use at the beginning of class to keep the children
who arrive early busy and out of trouble.
Just print out the patterns, glue them to the inside of manila folders,
and you're ready to play.
1.Name
Two Things (easier)
2.Name
Two Things 2 (harder)
You
will find more file folders games like these at D
and L Crafting a crafting site for kids and adults including
crafts relating to Bible verses, file folder games, and printable
coloring pages.
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Bible Verse Memorization and Lesson Review
Play a Concentration Type Game
 What
you will need: Poster board or foam core board, index cards or
squares of poster board, marker, tape.
How to make:
1. Prepare a board to display in front of the class. You can skip
this part and just put the cards down on the table if you would like.
Draw 5 rows and 5 columns of rectangles 3 1/2" x 5 1/2"on the foam
core board.
2. At the bottom of each row tape a 1/2" strip of poster board all
the way across the bottom and sides. This should make a pocket to
place the index cards in each row.
3. Print one word of your memory verse on a separate card. On
the extra cards write questions about the lesson or draw pictures
that pertain to the lesson.
4. Across the top of the board write the memory verse in large letters
with the scripture reference.
How
to play:
1. Starting with the first word of the Bible verse, have the children
take turns turning over cards to try and find the matching words.
If the card doesn't match the first word the child turns it back over.
If they pick a card that has a review question or picture, they answer
the question or tell how the picture relates to the story and then
turn the card back over. Continue in this manner until all the words
are found in order.
How to Print or Copy these Instructions.
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Bible Verse Hand Picture
 "Remember
This" Memory Verse Hand Picture- Explain
to the children that sometimes when someone wants to remember something
important, they tie a string on their finger to help them remember.
The Bible verse today is very important so we are going to make a
picture of a hand with a string tied on the finger to reminds us of
how important this verse is.
What
you will need: 6 1/2" hand cutouts, construction paper,
glue, and bright colored yarn. If you don't
want to buy the cutouts, you can use this Hand
Bible Verse Pattern and cut them out yourself. (Printing Problems?)
How to make: Have the children glue their hand cutout onto a piece of
construction paper. Show them how to bend down the thumb and third
finger to meet each other and glue them together. Bend down the pinky
and middle finger and tie a piece of yarn on to the pointer finger.
Children can decorate the rest of the pictures anyway they would like.
How to Print or Copy these Instructions.
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You Can Find Many More Bible Verse Memorization Games on the Bible Verse Review Games Page.
Ideas from
Subscribers
Bookmark
We made a really simple and fun craft for the kids. You take the
foam cutouts and put two back to back, (the same pattern) on each
end of a piece of ribbon and make a bookmarker. The kids loved finding
their shapes and were excited about taking them to school to use in
their books. Shelly Farler
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Balloon Bible Story Review Game
I can't tell you how much I appreciate
your help in preparing my lessons for 1- 3 graders. If I am
at a blank wall, I can always depend on something here to help. Let
me share one little thing. When I review my lesson with the children,
I always try to look for some special way to present the questions
to make it more interesting. In my Bible school class today I put
the questions on small rolled up pieces of paper and inserted them
into balloons and then blew them up. They had to pop the balloon and
answer the question. They had a blast. Thank you again. Peggy Mitchell
(Note: I have
also used this idea. I have found that some children do not like
the loud noise of the balloons popping and did not want to participate.
Before you start any activity using balloons that may pop ask the
children if they wish to participate, send the children who do not
out of the room before you start and have another activity that
they can do.)
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Bible Story Review Game - Bible Dice
Make a die out
of a square Kleenex box. Use Bible story clip art and shrink it down
to fit your box. Or cut pictures from your used Sunday school materials.
Glue a picture on each side of the box. Have the kids roll the dice
and tell you about the story. (Nancy Foss)
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