Kids learn best when they are having fun. And when you combine the fun of games with the richness of the Bible, something incredible happens — Scripture sticks. The stories, the verses, the characters, and the lessons lodge in their hearts and minds in a way that worksheets and lectures simply cannot match.
Here are 15 tried-and-true Bible games that work for Sunday school, family game night, VBS, homeschool, birthday parties, and rainy afternoons. Each game includes everything you need: the goal, the supplies, and step-by-step instructions.
Indoor Games
1. Sword Drill
What it is: A speed competition to find Bible verses. The "sword" is the Bible (Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word of God "the sword of the Spirit").
Ages: 7+ Players: 2 or more Supplies: One Bible per player
How to play:
- Everyone holds their Bible closed in both hands at chest level.
- The leader calls out a Bible reference (for example, "John 3:16").
- On the command "Charge!" everyone flips through their Bible to find the verse.
- The first person to find it and start reading it aloud wins the round.
- Play 10-15 rounds and keep score.
Why it works: Kids learn how to navigate the Bible quickly. They learn the order of the books and become comfortable finding verses on their own.
Tip: For younger kids, call out books that are easy to find (Genesis, Psalms, Matthew, John). For older kids, try books like Habakkuk, Philemon, or Obadiah.
2. Bible Charades
What it is: Classic charades with Bible stories and characters.
Ages: 5+ Players: 4 or more Supplies: Slips of paper with Bible characters or stories written on them, a bowl or hat
How to play:
- Write Bible characters and stories on slips of paper. Examples: David and Goliath, Noah building the ark, Jonah and the whale, Moses parting the Red Sea, Jesus walking on water, Daniel in the lions' den, baby Jesus in the manger.
- Split into two teams.
- One player from the acting team draws a slip and acts it out without speaking.
- Their team has 60 seconds to guess.
- If they get it, they earn a point. If not, the other team can steal.
- Alternate teams until all slips are used.
Why it works: Kids have to think about what makes each Bible story unique and recognizable. The physical movement helps them remember.
3. Bible Bingo
What it is: Bingo with Bible-themed squares.
Ages: 5+ Players: 3 or more Supplies: Bingo cards with Bible words or images, calling cards, markers (coins, buttons, or candy)
How to play:
- Create bingo cards with a 5x5 grid. Fill squares with Bible-related items: names (Moses, David, Mary, Paul), objects (ark, manger, cross, fish), or concepts (grace, faith, prayer, heaven). Make each card slightly different.
- Create matching calling cards.
- The caller draws a card, reads it aloud, and gives a brief clue or fact about it. For example: "Noah — the man who built the ark."
- Players cover the matching square on their card.
- First player with five in a row shouts "BINGO!"
Tip: Use candy (like M&Ms or Skittles) as markers so the winner gets to eat their row. Kids love this.
4. Who Am I? (Bible Edition)
What it is: Players figure out which Bible character they are by asking yes-or-no questions.
Ages: 7+ Players: 3 or more Supplies: Sticky notes, pen
How to play:
- Write a Bible character name on a sticky note for each player.
- Stick the note on each player's forehead (so they cannot see their own name but everyone else can).
- Players take turns asking yes-or-no questions: "Am I in the Old Testament?" "Am I a woman?" "Did I perform miracles?"
- Each player gets one guess per turn. If they guess wrong, play continues.
- First player to correctly guess their character wins.
Good characters to use: Adam, Eve, Noah, Moses, David, Goliath, Jonah, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Peter, Paul, Samson, Ruth, Esther, Daniel, Abraham, Sarah, Elijah.
5. Bible Memory Match
What it is: A concentration/memory card game using Bible pairs.
Ages: 4+ Players: 2-4 Supplies: Index cards or cardstock
How to play:
- Create pairs of cards. Each pair should connect: character + their story (David + Goliath), verse start + verse end ("For God so loved" + "the world"), question + answer.
- Lay all cards face down in a grid.
- Players take turns flipping two cards. If they match, the player keeps the pair and goes again. If not, they flip both back over.
- Player with the most pairs at the end wins.
Why it works: Repetition is the engine of memorization. Kids see the same cards over and over, and the connections between Bible facts become second nature.
6. Bible Pictionary
What it is: Drawing game with Bible stories and concepts.
Ages: 6+ Players: 4 or more Supplies: Whiteboard or large paper, markers, slips of paper with prompts
How to play:
- Write Bible scenes, objects, and characters on slips of paper. Examples: burning bush, Noah's ark, crossing the Red Sea, the empty tomb, five loaves and two fish, the nativity scene, a crown of thorns.
- Split into two teams.
- One player draws the prompt without speaking or writing words.
- Their team has 60 seconds to guess.
- Alternate teams and keep score.
7. Verse Scramble
What it is: Players race to unscramble a Bible verse.
Ages: 7+ Players: 2 or more (individual or teams) Supplies: Bible verses printed on paper, cut into individual words
How to play:
- Choose a Bible verse and print it in large font. Cut each word onto its own piece of paper.
- Mix up the words and put each set in an envelope.
- On "Go!" players (or teams) open their envelope and race to arrange the words in the correct order.
- First to get it right wins.
- After each round, read the verse together and talk about what it means.
Great verses to use: John 3:16, Psalm 23:1, Philippians 4:13, Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 29:11.
Outdoor Games
8. Bible Verse Relay Race
What it is: A relay race where runners must recite parts of a verse at each station.
Ages: 6+ Players: 6 or more Supplies: Cones or markers for relay stations, verse cards
How to play:
- Split the group into teams.
- Set up relay stations (cones about 20 feet apart).
- At each station, place a card with one segment of a Bible verse.
- When the race starts, the first runner runs to station one, reads the verse segment out loud, then runs back to tag the next runner.
- The next runner goes to station two, and so on.
- After all runners have gone, each team must recite the entire verse from memory.
- First team to recite it correctly wins.
9. Bible Scavenger Hunt
What it is: A scavenger hunt where clues come from Bible verses.
Ages: 6+ Players: 2 or more Supplies: Printed clues (Bible verses with key words highlighted), small prizes hidden at each location
How to play:
- Create clues based on Bible verses. For example: "Jesus said, 'I am the light of the world' (John 8:12) — go find something that gives LIGHT." The answer might lead them to a lamp where the next clue is hidden.
- Each clue leads to the next location.
- The final clue leads to a treasure (snacks, small prizes, or a fun activity).
Example clues:
- "God made the TREES and plants on the third day (Genesis 1:11)" — go to a tree
- "Jesus turned WATER into wine (John 2:9)" — go to a water fountain or hose
- "David used a STONE to defeat Goliath (1 Samuel 17:49)" — go to a rock in the yard
- "Noah built an ARK of wood (Genesis 6:14)" — go to a wooden structure (fence, deck)
10. Promised Land Obstacle Course
What it is: An obstacle course themed after the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land.
Ages: 5+ Players: Any number Supplies: Whatever you have — cones, jump ropes, hula hoops, blankets, chairs
How to play:
- Set up stations representing key events from the Exodus:
- The Red Sea Crossing: Two rows of blue blankets or tarps — kids run through the middle
- The Wilderness: A zigzag path through cones (40 years of wandering)
- Mount Sinai: Climb over a small obstacle (like a bench) and "receive" a piece of paper with a commandment
- The Jordan River: Jump over a rope or a chalk line
- The Walls of Jericho: Knock down a tower of cardboard boxes by throwing a ball
- Time each player and see who can complete the course fastest.
11. Disciples Tag
What it is: A tag game where Jesus "calls" disciples to join His team.
Ages: 5+ Players: 6 or more Supplies: None
How to play:
- One player starts as "Jesus."
- When Jesus tags someone, that person becomes a "disciple" and joins Jesus's team.
- Disciples also tag others.
- The game continues until everyone has been tagged and is a disciple.
- The last person tagged becomes "Jesus" in the next round.
Teaching moment: "Just like in this game, Jesus called people to follow Him. And then those people went out and told others about Jesus. That is how the church grew — one person at a time."
12. Giant Goliath Knockdown
What it is: A throwing game inspired by David and Goliath.
Ages: 5+ Players: Any number Supplies: Empty cans or plastic bottles (stack them to make "Goliath"), soft balls or bean bags
How to play:
- Stack cans or bottles into a tower and draw a face on the top one (that is Goliath).
- Players stand behind a line about 10-15 feet away.
- Each player gets 5 throws (like David's five stones from the brook).
- Score points for each can knocked down. Bonus points if you knock down "Goliath's head" (the top can).
- Read 1 Samuel 17 before or after the game and talk about courage and trusting God.
Games for Any Setting
13. 20 Questions: Bible Edition
What it is: The classic 20-questions game, Bible-style.
Ages: 6+ Players: 2 or more Supplies: None
How to play:
- One player thinks of a Bible person, place, or thing.
- The other players take turns asking yes-or-no questions.
- They have 20 questions to figure out the answer.
- If they guess correctly within 20 questions, they win. If not, the answerer wins.
Tip: Start with easier subjects for younger kids (animals on Noah's ark, well-known characters). For older kids, try trickier subjects (the burning bush, Balaam's donkey, the fleece Gideon put out).
14. Bible Story Telephone
What it is: The telephone game, but with a Bible story.
Ages: 5+ Players: 6 or more Supplies: None
How to play:
- Sit in a circle or a line.
- The first person whispers a Bible story summary to the next person. For example: "God told Noah to build a big boat because a flood was coming, and Noah put two of every animal on it."
- Each person whispers what they heard to the next person.
- The last person says what they heard out loud.
- Compare the final version to the original.
Teaching moment: "See how the story changed? This is why it is so important to go back to the Bible itself — the original source — rather than just hearing things secondhand."
15. Act It Out: Bible Story Theater
What it is: Kids work together to perform a Bible story for an audience.
Ages: 6+ Players: 4 or more Supplies: Simple props (scarves, cardboard swords, bathrobes, stuffed animals)
How to play:
- Assign a Bible story to each group (or let them choose).
- Give them 10-15 minutes to plan and rehearse.
- Each group performs their story for the others.
- After each performance, discuss: "What was the main lesson of that story?"
Great stories to perform: David and Goliath, the Good Samaritan, Daniel in the lions' den, the birth of Jesus, Jonah and the big fish, the feeding of the 5,000, Zacchaeus climbing the tree.
