I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to get on my soap box for a few minutes. Let’s talk bibles and technology. don’t get me wrong, i’m currently sitting here with my iphone (with the bible app open) serving as a hotspot for my macbook so i can write this article. and once this article is published i will use my iphone to share it on social media. I enjoy technology as much (or more) than the next girl. I love the speed with which we can find information and I am grateful for the freedom of communication we now have around the world. I also love the fact that I can read my bible anywhere…planes, cars (not while driving), coffee shops, supermarket lines, school pick-up lines, and anywhere else, thanks to the device I carry in the back pocket.
You are reading: Books of the bible games
But I am afraid that despite the increased availability of God’s word, as a people we are becoming increasingly bible-illiterate. the search functions of our bibles do all the work for us and we no longer need to know where a verse is located, or whether the Hebrews are in the old or new testament.
Psalm 119:11 says, “I have kept your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
so while I’m grateful for the ease of bible access and though I’m thankful that this means more of my kids have “bibles” with them at kids church, I’m still a fan of paper bibles . I still see the value in children learning to find bible verses in a bible. and, on a personal note, I find that when I read on paper (instead of on the phone) I tend to remember the words much more easily when I see the verse on the page (left or right, top or bottom, underlined or not, etc.) and this is even more true when I regularly read from the same bible.
so if learning the books of the bible is important, how do we go about teaching the books of the bible to the children in our ministry? We’ve all heard the statistics about learning. we know that students learn more when they say something than when they just read or listen to it, and that students learn even more from what they do.
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To help with the idea of doing while learning, here are 8 kid-tested, teacher-approved games to help your students learn the books of the bible.
#1 — top three
- write the books of the bible on a stack of index cards (or small pieces of paper), one book per card. you can use our printable Bible book flash cards.
- shuffle the deck of Bible book cards & place it in the middle of the circle face down.
- each child should take a card and hold it face down.
- on the count of 3, everyone should turn their card over. Whoever’s book is closest to the end of the bible gets a point.
- Keep playing until one player has 3 points and declare them the winner.
- Then work together to name all the books of the bible in order.
#2: Roll the Dice
- have the children sit in a circle and provide a die (large dice make this game more fun)
- take turns rolling the dice.
- As the children roll the dice, they must name as many books of the bible as the number that appears on the dice.
additional challenges (especially for ages 8+):
- try not to name books other people have named
- try to name the books in order…example: matthew, mark, luke & john
- the previous player can challenge you to name just old testament books or just new testament
- challenge the group to name books so everyone works together with each player adding the following set of books
#3: Old or New
- Have all the children stand in a line in the middle of the room.
- explain that you are going to mention a book from the bible and if the book you mention is in the old testament they should step to the left and if it is in the new testament they should step to their right.
- if you have older children in the group, challenge them with names other than books of the bible and have them sit with those names.
Here’s a video example of this outdoor game using sidewalk chalk.
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#4: Bible Book Launch
- every member of the group should stand in a circle.
- Give one person a bean bag or a beach ball. they will name a book of the bible and then say… “next”… “old”… or “new” and throw the bean bag to someone else in the group.
- when that child catches the bean bag, they should name a book from the bible that fits the category the previous person said…either the next book, an old testament book, or a new testament book, then toss the bean bag to someone else in the group while saying “next,” “old,” or “new.”
- play as long as there is interest in your group.
#5: get in order
- Write Bible books (as many as you have children) on cards or pieces of paper.
- The group leader should give a Bible book card to each child in the group.
- children should run to ‘get in order’ by standing in the order of the Bible book cards you are holding.
- once children are in line, say the books of the bible in order – naming the books that should be among the cards the children have (if you did not choose the books in order).
- collect the cards and play again…. rearrange and/or add new bible books.
- if you want to make it a competition, divide into 2 teams and deal out the cards and compete to see which team can get in order first.
#6 — bible book bingo
- Give each child a sheet of paper and encourage them to write 16 books of the bible on the page in 4 rows of 4. You can use our printable book of the bible bingo.
- Call out one book of the Bible at a time and ask anyone who has that book on their page to cross it out.
- continue until someone has 4 books in a row.
- to make it faster, you might want to start with all the same 16 books.
- did you need to prompt non-readers by telling them the first letter of the book or writing the book so they can match the letters. example… acts: starts with an a.
- If the children enjoy the game, ask them to make a new page and trade it with a friend this time, so everyone ends up with different books.
#7: Creating a Bible Book
- buy a set of “jenga blocks” (or similar block set) and write the name of a book of the bible on the side of each of the blocks.
- spread the blocks in the middle of the playing area.
- Divide the group into 3 teams. (1) genesis to proverbs, (2) ecclesiastes to malachi, and (3) new testament.
- At the “go” signal, teams will send one player at a time to the block pile to pick up one of the blocks they need for their bible section.
- As players return with blocks, the rest of the team must work to put the blocks in order.
- If a player picks up a block they don’t need for their bible section, they lose their next turn and return the block. block instead of getting a new one.
- once they have collected all their blocks, they must start building a tower with the books in order.
- the first team to build their tower with all the blocks in order is the winner.
#8 — I’m thinking about a book
- give each child a bible
- say a letter of the alphabet and have the children run to find a book that begins with that letter in their bibles.
- Have the children show the books they have found.
- After several rounds of saying letters (or with children who are more familiar with the Bible), challenge them by saying something from the book (example: moses leads the people out of egypt) and have the children race to find the correct book in their bible.
if you want to integrate technology, we have a powerpoint of the books of the bible.
more ideas from Bible Games Central
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- books of the bible memory game
- printable bible bingo