The Sneaky Snake of Temptation: Learning to Stay Away from Temptation

Learning to stay away from temptation is an important topic to share with your children. Play “The Sneaky Snake of Temptation” Bible review game with your kids to help them say , “No!” to life’s many temptations.

Giving into temptation will always give you more than you bargained for – and not in a good way. Therefore, learning to stay away form temptation should be a spiritual skill that we practice in our homes and in our classrooms and all throughout our lives. Play this fun Bible review game with your elementary kids to help them learn that giving into temptation will only lead to heartache, discontentment and a slew of other sins. I call this game “The Sneaky Snake of Temptation.”

How to prepare for: The Sneaky Snake of Temptation – Learning to Stay Away from Temptation

For this game, you will need to purchase or make a bunch of snakes. Many party stores sell plastic snakes. I suggest you purchase ones that are about 3″ long. Attach 3 – 5 snakes together by tying them end to end. You will need to make 10 sets of snakes and then place them in a bucket or bowl.

Next, make “TRUE” or “FALSE” cards – one set for each team. Place each set of cards at opposite ends of the room that your are playing the game in. The children will need to run to get the correct card, so you may need to make sure there is a safe running path.

Finally, have the verses ready below along with the true or false questions to read to the children.

How to play: The Sneaky Snake of Temptation – Learning to Stay Away from Temptation

Divide your children into 2 teams. Give each team 200 points with which to start the game. Have a scorekeeper keep points.

Have one child from each team stand next to you. Read the first Bible verse then ask the true or false question. When you say, “Go!” the children must run to pick up the card that has the correct answer of true or false. The first child who runs back and gives you a “high-five” is the winner as long as he picked up the correct card. He automatically earns 50 points for his team.

The other child who came in second, must now reach into the bucket of snakes and pull out a set of snakes. Make sure he is not looking into the bucket when he is choosing. Let’s say he pulls out a set of 5 snakes. He now loses 50 points for his team – 10 points per snake.

Play the game in the same way with the next two children.

What to say before playing the game:

Let’s read the part of the story when Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. (Chose a version of this story to read to your children. Click HERE for a retelling of this story.)

This story shows us that Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent to disobey God.

What is temptation? (Wait for some responses.) Simply put, temptation is a trial or test that comes along in our lives where we are given the choice to be faithful to God and do what is right or not to be faithful to God and do what is wrong. When we give in to temptation and do what is wrong according to God’s ways, we are sinning.

Giving into a temptation may seem great at the beginning, but then it ALWAYS leads to sin and we end up with more than we bargained for. Eve wanted to be like God. She gave into the temptation to eat the fruit that she knew she wasn’t supposed to eat and ended up giving away her close friendship with God. She thought eating the fruit would give her something wonderful and great. Instead, she ended up with something awful and devastating.

Let’s learn a little bit more about temptation from the Bible by playing “The Sneaky Snake of Temptation.” (Proceed to tell the children how to play the game. After the first child pulls out the first set of snakes, say the following: “See, when you give into temptation, you end up with a lot more than you you expected – a lot more danger, a lot more grief and a lot more sin!”

Bible Verses and True or False Questions for learning to stay away from temptation.

John 1:13-15 says this:

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (NIV)