Playing Bible Trivia games with kids can seem trivial. Why do they need to know all of those random facts? What purpose can they possibly serve in the faith development of your child? Isn’t it shifting the focus onto mundane things rather than loftier concepts?
Actually, playing games with Bible trivia involved can serve multiple purposes. First, it helps children review the basic facts of various Bible stories. Yes, the lessons learned from the life of Joseph are more important than knowing his siblings’ names. When your child hears a sermon or lesson which focuses on the behavior of Judah or Rueben however, it will help him connect the ideas to real people and the basic story.
Bible trivia is especially useful for children who are raised in a Christian environment. It is easy for them to begin to think they “know everything in there” and neglect the Bible study everyone needs. A good tough round of Bible trivia may just make them realize there are many things in there they don’t know or remember.
Finally, carefully selected Bible trivia questions can make children curious about reading their Bibles. What in the world was that story about? Is that really in the Bible? What happened next? The questions you choose can cause children to ponder any of these questions and hopefully lead them to their Bibles.
This week one of our centers was a Bible Treasure Hunt Race. Each team was given a clue based on a Bible story. For example, “Where did the Judge Deborah hold court?” Hopefully, the children remembered a palm tree and ran towards the ones on our property. If not, they were given a scripture to look up and read for the answer.
Once they reached each clue, they found another envelope containing a clue to another location. The teams were sent in different directions, but covered the same clues. The last clue found leads them back to the start. Their prize was a list of fun Bible stories to read (unusual ones), a Bible bookmark and a little pack of “Smarties” (my one exception to candy prizes this summer!). The winning team got an extra piece of candy.
As parents picked up their children, they received a packet on how to help their children learn to enjoy and study the Bible at home. You can create your own race at home or at your church. Placing the clues in the right envelopes is really the hardest part (so two teams are at two different locations every time).
In the past, I have also gotten a Bible Trivia book (Look before you buy. Often the cheaper ones are the best to use with kids.) Practice with the kids a few minutes each week, then have them compete against the parents at the end of the quarter. (The kids almost always genuinely win!)
How do you feel about spending time teaching children basic Bible facts? Have you found other exciting ways to review them? I would love for you to share your thoughts in a comment below.