Christmas Bible Games for Fourth Graders
Fourth graders will enjoy games that challenge their knowledge, creativity and resourcefulness as well as those that require team participation. For your Sunday school or grade school Christmas celebration, solidify your fourth graders' knowledge of the Bible's Nativity story with trivia games, a dramatic re-enactment, a scavenger hunt or a game that ends in gift-giving for all. Does this Spark an idea?
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Christmas Story Trivia Games
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Offer your fourth graders a word search puzzle to solve individually, including words associated with the story of the Nativity, such as "manger," "Bethlehem," "Annunciation," "Magi" and "shepherds." If you prefer to involve the whole group in a game, consider dividing the children into two teams and hold a "Trivia Bowl" game. Compile a list of questions, such as "Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem from which city?" Or "How many days after Jesus' birth did the Magi arrive?" Either alternate questions between the teams, giving credit for correct answers, or allow the teams to compete for the privilege of answering by raising a hand or "buzzing in." You can simplify the questions asked by re-framing them in "True" or "False" answers.
Nativity Story Re-enactment
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To make a dramatic presentation of the Nativity into an informative and fun activity, use the description of the story as it is told in Luke, Chapter 2. Write each of the significant events on separate slips of paper, identifying them simply by their verse. For example, the angels visiting the shepherds to tell them of Jesus' birth would be written as Luke: 2:8-14. Divide the kids into small groups of three or four and have each group randomly choose one slip of paper containing a Bible verse. Once each group has a verse, give them five or 10 minutes to figure out what part of the Nativity story their verse depicts then have them create a short skit of the event. Each group then presents their portrayal of the Nativity story in order.
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Nativity Scavenger Hunt
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Create a list of things that are found in the story of Jesus' birth in Matthew and Luke, for example: a donkey, stable, manger, star, sheep, swaddling clothes, gold, frankincense and myrrh. From your Biblical list, create a list of everyday objects that relate to the Biblical items but could be found in a modern household. For example, replace donkey with a stuffed animal donkey, the manger with a basket, swaddling clothes with a receiving blanket and myrrh with a perfume bottle. Divide your fourth graders into small groups and give each group a list of the scavenger hunt items. Have them go door to door in a safe, local neighborhood, collecting as many of the listed items as possible. Give the groups a time limit to get the most items.
Right and Left Game for Gift Giving
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Have each of your fourth graders write a special Bible verse or create a poem to offer as a gift for this game. Sit everyone in a circle, with their gifts. Explain to them that you will be telling the Nativity story, but interrupting it with a bell or chime, at which time they should pass their gift to the right. At the next chime, they should pass their gift to the left and so on, alternating the passing from right to left at each interrupting chime until the story is over. At the story's conclusion, whichever poem or verse each child has is her gift.
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