The Scripture Lady loves creating Bible verse games for kids! Here is one called “Archeological Treasures” to help learn Romans 12:12.
Life is full of hope. Life is also full of troubles. From the beginning of time, man has had to deal with both. So as Christians what are we supposed to do with these two ends of the spectrum? I think Romans 12:12 has an answer. It says this: “Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times.” I think the secret to our success is prayer. There have been countless men and women over the centuries that prayed to God and trusted Him with their lives. Here is a fun Bible activity to help your kids learn Romans 12:12 and look at some interesting artifacts from Bible times to remind them that God is with them today just as He was with man hundreds of years ago.
Bible verse games will help your kids hide God’s Word in their hearts and for this one you will need to do the following:
This game has 2 parts to it. For the first part, you will need to make a card for each word in Romans 12:12. Don’t forget to include a card for the reference. Place these in correct verse order on a pocket chart or on a table for all to see. You will also need an envelope in which you can put 5 of the cards. The second part of the game will require you to make either picture cards or title cards for each of the Bible artifacts found below. You will also need someone to keep time for 30 seconds. (What would be really nice is if you could have a large battery operated clock that you are able to stop and start easily.)
How to play:
Divide your class into 2 teams. Have a child from the first team come up to the Scripture display and take off 5 cards and place them in the envelope. He will give the envelope to you, the teacher. A child from Team Two now must come forward and recite Romans 12:12 correctly while looking at the board. If he does so successfully, he now gets to try and earn points for his team by playing the following game:
The player is shown an artifact from the Bible and is given a range of time that the artifact might have come from. For example, you show him a picture of a 2,000 year old ritual cup found in Jerusalem. It is estimated that it is from the year 136 BC. He has to try and guess the year 136 within 30 seconds. Before beginning the clock, you tell him he must guess between 100 and 200 years BC. He gives a starting guess then the time begins. You, the teacher, will give him clues by saying whether the year is higher or lower than each guess he gives. If he guesses the correct year within 30 seconds, he earns 100 points for his team.
Before play goes to the next team, this child now gets to pick 5 new cards off of the Scripture display. (You will have placed the 5 cards back on the board after each recitation.) The next team is up and play proceeds as already explained.
Before playing the game, you might want to introduce the lesson in the following way:
Who can tell me what an archeologist does? (Wait for responses.) An archeologist searches for old things that help prove the existence of ancient cultures. There are many archeologists who look for artifacts to help prove the stories in the Bible. Some things have been found from hundreds and thousands of years ago! But even after all this time, man has always had to struggle with the good times and bad times in life. As Christians, how do we live our lives whether things go good or not so good? (Wait for responses.) Maybe Romans 12:12 has an answer for us. Who would like to read it? (Wait for responses.) God wants us to be joyful knowing that some day we will live in Heaven with Him forever and ever, but while things are difficult here on earth, He wants us to be patient and pray a lot. There are many Bible stories that show us how many men and women prayed to God and trusted Him with their lives. Let’s play a fun Bible memory verse game to help us learn Romans 12:12 and look at some interesting artifacts from Bible times to remind us that God is with us today just as He was with man hundreds of years ago.
Artifacts from the Bible:
1. 2,000-year-old limestone cup with 10 lines of Aramaic or Hebrew script found near the Zion Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem – estimated date 136 BC
2. Amarna Letters – correspondence on clay tablets – estimated date 1348 BC
3. Babylonian Chronicles – dealing with Nebuchadnezzar‘s siege of Jerusalem – estimated date 747 BC
4. Code of Hammurabi – a well-preserved ancient law code – estimated date 1786 BC
5. Gezer Calendar – from the Biblical city of Gezer – estimated date 922 BC
6. Goliath Potsherd – a piece of broken pottery inscribed with the name of Goliath – estimated date 877 BC
7. King Ahaz’s Seal – a king of Judah – estimated date 716 BC
8. Balaam Inscription – speaks about the prophet Balaam – estimated date 836 BC
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Thank you, Alyson! Hope you enjoy it and thank you for stopping by my site. Blessings!
This looks great – a history lesson and a Bible lesson all in one. Thanks!