5 Best Tips For An Interactive Bible Study For Kids

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Let’s face it, adults can have a hard time just sitting still and listening to someone lecture, so we shouldn’t expect kids to be able to do it. Allowing children to participate in a Bible study instead of having to sit and listen will help them focus and boost overall understanding. Interactive Bible studies are a great way to keep kids engaged and interested in your lesson. Here are a few simple things you can do to lead an effective interactive Bible study for kids.

What Is An Interactive Bible Study For Kids?

Interactive Bible studies allow for a hands-on approach to learning. Instead of mindlessly listening to you read to them and answer questions at the end, making your lesson interactive allows kids to play an active role in learning. Any way you can get your kids to participate in the lesson instead of making the teacher do all of the work is a fantastic way to help God’s word come alive instead of simply being words on a page. 

Why You Should Consider Leading An Interactive Bible Study

Bridging the gap between the Bible seeming to be a storybook and the Bible being God’s word can be difficult, especially for young children. Interactive Bible studies can help make that process easier. Making your Bible study interactive doesn’t have to be complicated or require any special skills as a leader or teacher.

The most effective interactive parts of a lesson allow the children to think for themselves, with a bit of guidance on our end as teachers, and create a fun and exciting environment. From what I’ve seen, allowing the kids to think for themselves and make their own decisions during a lesson is the most effective way to get them to remember the lesson and care about why it should matter to them.

5 Tips For Leading An Interactive Bible Study In Children’s Ministry

1. Incorporate Movement

Including some way for kids to move into your Bible study is a great way to keep them engaged. As leaders, we tend to discourage any type of movement while we are teaching because it looks like the children aren’t paying attention, but for a lot of kids, this simply isn’t the case. Finding ways to not only include but also encourage movement throughout your lesson will help your group be better engaged.

There are several different ways you can incorporate movement into your Bible study. One way that I have seen work in various group sizes is simply giving the kids a keyword to listen for and having them react to it in some way. This reaction can be as small as raising their hand or touching their nose or as big as standing up or giving their neighbor a high-five.

Another way to include motion is to have the kids react to parts of the Bible story where motion would happen. For example, if there is a storm in the story you are going over, have your group sway around in their seats as if they are sitting in a storm. You could have them march in place to help bring down the walls of Jericho, run in place as they follow the disciples racing to the empty tomb, or dance along with King David. The opportunities are endless!

2. Play Bible Games

Bible games are another way to keep your group focused while still having fun. Almost any game can be used to continue a lesson, or reinforce it after you have finished teaching. A favorite of mine to use is 4 Corners. You can use this super simple game in any number of ways. You can use it during your lesson by having each corner be an answer to a question such as: What emotions do you think this character felt during this story? Tell them which corner is which answer and let the kids run to their answer. This particular question doesn’t have a right or wrong answer, so you could use it as an opportunity for discussion. 

Another simple, and no set-up, game you can use is red light- green light. I have found this game to be a great way to help with memory verses. Instead of saying red light and green light, have your leader read the memory verse slowly. When the leader either stops reading or says something that isn’t in the memory verse, anyone who is still walking is out. You can do something similar with the game Musical Chairs, but swap out the music for your memory verse.

3. Use Object Lessons

If you are struggling to find a way to explain a difficult topic, Bible object lessons are a great place to start. Giving kids a visual example of a tough concept is an amazing way to hold their attention and help keep them engaged. Object lessons don’t need to be overly complicated in order to be effective. An easy science experiment or simple illusion can do wonders to help explain your lesson.

For example, one of the more recent object lessons I have done only used a plate, salt and pepper, and a balloon. Add salt to the plate; as you do this, tell the kids that the plate represents us before sin entered the world, then add some pepper. As you add the pepper, have the kids call out some things that they know were wrong for them to do. Next, take the balloon and explain that the balloon represents Jesus. Rub the balloon on your pants or on your head to create static. Because of the static, the balloon will pick up the pepper as you hover the balloon over the plate.

As you do all of this, explain that Jesus came into the world to take away our sins. But he doesn’t just take away our sins; he forgets them, too. Throw the balloon on the ground and stomp on it. You are making the balloon gone, along with all the pepper (sin), too. The crazy hair created by the balloon gets a few laughs, and the balloon popping gets a few jumps, which leads to more laughter, but it is always important to remember to keep the focus on the lesson once the laughing is over.

4. Act Out The Story

Having the children act out a Bible story helps them understand biblical characters better by letting the children decide how they think the people in the story would have looked or sounded. As you read the story from the Bible, act as a narrator telling the kids what their character does next. This helps them stay focused on what actually happens in the Bible instead of letting them make up the story as they go. 

Before having your group do this, consider taking the time to talk about the differences between modern times and biblical times. This will help the kids realize that the context of a specific time period or place in the Bible has a huge impact on how the story happened. It can also be interesting for you as a teacher to see how your kids interpret the story. Use what you see to deepen your discussion of the overall topic of your Bible study.

5. Include Crafts

Crafts are an easy way to give your kids something to take home to share what they have learned. Even something as simple as a coloring sheet can be an excellent way for kids to have something to look back on and remember what that particular Bible study was about. They can even take it home and show their family. Crafts are a physical reminder of what they have learned and can be great for helping to continue the learning process at home if you encourage your kids to tell their families about what it is and what it means. 

Things To Expect When Starting Out

It is important to keep in mind that not every kid is going to like everything that you try. Some of your kids who are shy probably won’t like having to act out a Bible story, but they might enjoy doing a craft instead. A major benefit in a small church setting is that you get to know all of the kids’ personalities better so you can add interactive moments to your Bible studies that you know your group will enjoy.

As you add more interaction to your lessons you will notice that your students will be much more engaged and excited to learn. It may seem a little chaotic to have kids moving around during lessons, but the joy you will see that comes from them getting to take part in learning God’s word will make it worth it.

Looking for a Sunday school curriculum built for small churches?

We recommend Two or More™—a low-prep, Bible-rich curriculum created specifically for small churches. It works with mixed-age groups, flexes to fit whoever shows up, and makes it simple for volunteers to lead. Learn why we love it here.

Already using it? Check out our Two or More™ video guide for practical tips to get the most out of every lesson.

It All Starts With Trying

Many find it difficult to bring the Bible to life for their kids. However, when simplified, it is something that can make a difference in your ministry. Try acting out the Bible story by having the kids act as different characters. Bring the Bible to life by saying key phrases, or the main part of the story, in a funny voice.

Try adding movements to the passage when available to help make the story stick with them. Bible games are fun yet exciting activities that allow kids to connect the story in a fun way! The Bible is life-giving, and every word that is written is from our Heavenly Father. Children need to know that his words are joyful, just as we do. Finding ways to bring the Bible to life in your Bible study is a way that the word of God will stay with them in their everyday life.

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