kids playing with a parachute on a summer day 5 fun and easy kidmin games you can play over and over title slide — Photo by Artem Kniaz on Unsplash

One of the best things about children’s ministry is we get to play games. They don’t have to be elaborate or gross like in Youth Group. Kidmin games are just fun and easy and hopefully have a point that works with the lesson. And having fun is a key ingredient to a successful children’s ministry.

However, sometimes you need a game in a pinch or one that will work with parents. Through the years, I’ve found a couple of games that are fun to play, easy to set up, work with small or large groups, and even parents enjoy participating. Many of these listed today come from High Voltage Kids Ministry Curriculum. If you’re looking for a great video driven curriculum, you should check them out.

So, whether you need to fill those last 10 minutes when the adult service runs long or looking for a fun game to play in your next family service, these can help.

1. Slappy Hands

I’ve played this game countless times. It’s fun and easy to set up but does cost a little money. First, you’ll need sticky hands. These rubbery sticky hands stretch and stick to anything. Unfortunately, once you open the package, they start collecting dust which renders them useless in a few days. So, if you’re planning on playing this in a pinch you need to have a few on hand. Frequently, I let the kids take the hands with them when the game is over. They don’t do well with a second play through.

Second, you’ll need strips of paper. These can be blank, have points on them, or words written like the day’s memory verse. Several times, I took old printed lessons and tore them into scraps.

Finally, take the strips of paper and scatter them on the floor in front of the kids. You can see an example in this video.

Once you say go, the kids will sling the sticky hands on to the paper and then bring it back to them. If they did it right (it’s super easy) the paper should stick. They get points for however many papers they collect. You can have them play for anywhere from 20 to 60 seconds. The kid with the most points wins. If you’re making this a memory verse game, you can add an extra step of unscrambling the verse after they have the required pieces.

2. Noodle Joust

This is one of my favorites, and like slappy hands, I’ve played it countless times. If you have parents play along, make sure it’s parent vs parent. You don’t want a David and Goliath situation.

The game is simple. You need two wide brimmed hats (I’ve used sombreros and cowboy hats) and two pool noodles. I mark a line on the floor that the contestants stand on either side of and can’t cross. When I say go, they then swing their pool noodle and try to knock off their opponent’s hat. Usually, the best out of three wins. You can see an example here.

While you can pick any two kids to play, I generally try to pick kids of similar size. Like the Parent vs Child situation, you don’t want a full grown fifth grader going against a kindergartner. The reach and coordination will make the competition one sided.

If you want to expand the game, introduce more hats and pool noodles and have a free for all, but that can get chaotic fast. You can also turn it into a tournament and let the winner keep playing until they lose. I’ve filled a lot of extra time playing this game.

3. Rock-Paper-Scissors Tug O’ War

The first two games I got from High Voltage Kids Ministry Curriculum. This one I found on Facebook a few years back. Every kid plays this game, and all you’ll need is a bunch of hoola hoops. First, set the hoola hoops up in a line. You can have as many as you want, but I’d suggest no fewer than 5. Then split the kids into two groups and have them stand at either side of the hoola hoop line.

When you say go, one kid from each group will then hop toward one another. When they meet, they play rock-paper-scissors. The winner gets to keep hopping to the other side, the loser goes to the back of the line. Once the loser is declared, the next player for the losing team then hops toward the other side until they meet the winning player. Keep repeating this process until a player makes it all the way to the other side.

This game is fast paced, and you’ll have to make sure kids actually hop instead of run and play rock-paper-scissors fairly. I played this once with 40 kids, and it can be very exciting.

If you wanted to make this into a memory verse game, you could have the winner of rock-paper-scissors recite the verse before they’re allowed to move on. If they fail, then the loser has a chance to keep going. Like Noodle Joust, I’ve filled a lot of time with this game and the kids love it.

4. Snowball Fight

Ever wondered what you should do with all those extra printed papers week after week? Well just follow the old PSA cartoon about recycling, recycle, reduce, reuse and close the loop! Take those old papers, ball them up and put them in two different containers. Then when it’s time to play snowball fight, put the containers on either side of the room with a line down the middle. Then choose two teams of kids. I’ve done as few as three per team and as many as every kid in the room. It really depends on how much paper you have and how big your space is.

When you say go, the kids then take the paper in their basket and try to throw it to the other side of the line. Sixty seconds is best. Shorter than that, and the game will feel stunted, but play it longer and the kids will get tired. The team with the least amount of paper on their side wins. Make sure you have some help to pick up the paper and count. If the winner is obvious, add some bonus points or just countdown from 10 and see how fast the kids can pick all the paper.

A couple of extra rules for this game, because kids are tricky and devise ways to win.

No hoarding. Kids can’t hold more than two pieces of paper on their side at one time. They must be actively moving the paper.
You can’t move the container. Some kids will take their container over to the line and dump it or use it to pick up more paper and dump it at the last second.
Kids must stay on their side of the line. They can’t go over the line and when you say stop, they must stop throwing the paper.

I’ve played this game for as long as I’ve been in kidmin. In fact, I think I remember playing it when I was a kid. It’s a crowd favorite and a great way to fill time.

4. Memory Verse Unscramble

I don’t play a lot of memory verse games these days. Most of the curriculums either have a video, or it’s part of small group. But when I did play these types of games, it was essentially how inventive can we be to unscramble the verse. I’ve used a magnetic board and tape, running from one side of the room to the other, and riding tricycles around the room to deliver “the Word.” But my favorite by far is the bucket pyramid.

I get 20 buckets, 10 for each team, and split the memory verse into 10 segments. Then I stack the buckets on top of each other to look like a pyramid. Four on the bottom, then three, then two, then one. I then attach the memory verse to the buckets so it can be read from top to bottom. For the buckets, I’ve used flower pots from Walmart and mop buckets from the Dollar Store. Whatever you pick, make sure they’re big enough to hold an 8.5x11 sheet of paper.

To begin, pick two teams of 2-4 kids. The game has two parts. First, allow the teams to scramble the opposing team’s buckets. They have to keep it relatively in one space and can’t throw or kick them. After about 10 seconds of scrambling, the teams switch back. When you say go, kids unscramble the verse. But there’s a trick. They not only need to know the verse; they need to know it backwards. They have to start at the bottom and work their way up to rebuild the pyramid. The first team to successfully stack the buckets in the right order wins.

I learned quickly to keep the memory verse on the screen. It helps the game go much faster. You can play this game over and over and leave the pyramid up the entire service to remind them of your key verse for the day. When you’re ready to set up next week, you now have 20 more “snowballs” for the snowball fight game.

Kidmin games don’t have to be complicated. Kids will play with just about anything, even paper balls and a line on the floor. I’ve used these games for years and hope they bring your kids as much joy as they have mine.

What games do you play in your kidmin?