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Bryan has been busy filling our 2020 deputation schedule. We’re so thankful for the churches in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Missouri, and Ohio that are allowing us to share our ministry this year.
To get to all these churches, we will be spending a lot of time in the van. Which means we will be playing a ton of car games.
When you’re traveling with kids, car games help make the miles fly. They can turn a, “Are we there yet?” attitude into a, “We’re there already?” one.
These are some of the games that we enjoy. They are adaptable, making them a good fit for kids of various ages.
They’re all Bible-themed, which help draw us into the word of God. Playing these games help prepare us for the upcoming services, and remind us why we are driving all over in the first place.
And to keep it simple, these games don’t require any materials, except a single Bible for two of them. This way we don’t have to plan ahead to make sure we have certain supplies. Or try to cram yet another thing into the van. It’s just one thing that’s already on the “must-bring” list.
Let’s get playing…
1.Three Word Story
Can you describe a Bible story in only three words? That’s the goal of this car game.
One person starts. They think of three words that, when put together, can get the other players to accurately guess the Bible story.
They say their words clearly and loudly enough for everyone to hear. Then, the other players take turns guessing.
When the right answer is guessed, it’s someone else’s turn.
Here are some examples:
Tomb, Weep, Jesus – It’s when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.
Grain, Question, Shoe – Ruth and Boaz
Prophet, Disobedience, Sea – Jonah running away from Nineveah
This is a fun way to review Bible stories. If no one can guess, it’s up to the person who named the words to tell the biblical account.
And it also works on summarizing and retelling – both important skills!
2. Who Am I?
Players take turns secretly selecting a person from the Bible. The other players ask yes and no questions to narrow it down and eventually correctly name the person.
We don’t limit the number of questions since so many of our players are young, but you could definitely do that if you wanted.
Here are some useful questions:
- Are you a female?
- Were you in the Old Testament?
- Did you see Jesus in person?
- Is there a Bible book with your name?
- Were you a parent?
As long as it’s a yes or no question, go for it. The person does their best to answer. If they don’t know, they can say they don’t know.
If you get stuck along the way, we always allow for some “hints.” So the person thinking of the person will give us a clue. It could be the book of the Bible this person is in, or mentioning that it’s someone in the family’s middle name.
Then if after the hint and a few more questions we still can’t get it, we give up and the person shares who it was. If it’s someone we aren’t familiar with, they tell us more.
Then someone else takes a turn.
3. Name that Hymn
This one isn’t really Bible themed, but it does have to do with worshiping God, so I left it in my roundup.
Our family enjoys singing hymns together (but only among ourselves). That’s another fun way to pass time in the car.
But, you can also use all those wonderful lyrics to play a game.
In this one, players take turns saying a single line from a hymn. The other players try to guess the hymn and sing the line.
It’s such a fun way to remember different verses, and test our memory. Saying something you normally sing is also a challenge!
Here are some to get you started – though any hymn you know is fair game.
- Tis the Lord, the king of glory (Who Is He in Yonder Stall)
- And some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of victory (Victory in Jesus)
- Do you rest each moment in the Crucified? (Are You Washed in the Blood?)
- And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known. (In the Garden)
- Save from wrath and make me pure (Rock of Ages)
Our kids enjoy picking as obscure of lyrics as they can and seeing how hard they can make it.
It’s so much fun to hear them giggle when we finally give up and they have to sing it.
4. Memory Verse Show Down
In this game, each person takes a turn saying a memory verse. We keep going around the car, letting each person go, until someone can’t think of anymore.
Then that person is out and the others keep going. The game is over when only one person is left.
You can adapt the rules to fit your family. Our current rules are:
- Only the younger kids can repeat a memory verse someone else said. Everyone else must say a different one.
- You have to say the “address” with the verse, so name the chapter and verse.
- One person of reading age doesn’t play. Instead, their job is to hold the Bible and check verses. They can help call out the next word to help out a younger player, or verify that the correct address was given.
As people get “out”, they start cheering for the others and encouraging them. It’s always a great way to review scripture we’ve memorized and try to recall it.
5. Name the Books
Who can get the furthest in saying the books of the Bible in order? For this game, we start at the youngest and move forward.
Each person starts at Genesis and says as many books in order as possible.
One person needs to be listening carefully for mistakes. This person needs to either have the order memorized, or be looking at the list of them in the Bible.
When the first player gets as far as they can, the next person takes a turn. Keep going until everyone has had a chance.
The we typically say the books of the Bible in order altogether just to practice again.
6. One Word Bible Story
Have you ever played the classic car game where one person says a word and then another says one? Over and over again players take turns telling the story one word at a time.
One fun twist is to do this with Bible stories. At the beginning, the players won’t necessarily know what story it is. But, as new words are added, the story will take shape.
Here’s an example of how three different stories could come from the same first word:
Player one: One
Player two: day
Player three: God
Player four: said
Player five: let
Player one: there
Player two: be
Player three: light
Then the story could go on, recounting the days of creation.
But, the story could have changed several times in those first few words. Look at this one:
Player one: One
Player two: night
Player three: Ruth
Player four: went
Player five: to
Player one: see
Player two: Boaz
And the story of him becoming the kinsman redeemer could be told.
It could also shape up like this:
Player one: One
Player two: man
Player three: was
Player four: called
Player five: to
Player one: lead
Player two: Israel
Player three: out
Player four: of
Player five: bondage.
Player one: his
Player two: name
Player three: was
Player four: Gideon.
And the story of Gideon setting out his fleece for a sign and leading the army to the river to whittle it down and fighting could be told.
What’s really fun here is to go back at the end of a story and ask the first person what story they were thinking of when they started. It’s almost never the one we told.
7. A-Z in the Bible
Several of our younger kids are working on letter sounds, so here is a game that supports that. One at a time, take turns thinking of words in the Bible that start with each letter of the alphabet.
One person starts with A. They could say Adam, anointing, arm, or anything else from the Bible.
The next person does B. Maybe baby Moses or bulrushes?
Keep going and try to get to Z. We let bigger kids help younger kids and work together on those harder letters like Q (queen Esther) and Z (Zacharias).
It’s a fun way to practice letter sounds and try to recall things in the Bible. If someone questions another player’s word, talk about it. Where is it at? What story was it in? These discussions are some of our favorites!
Bible Themed Car Games for Kids
There you have it, seven Bible themed car games to help keep everyone engaged on the road.
And for even more inspiration, here are some other fun games you can try:
- Math car games
- English Language Arts car games
- Musical car games
- Science themed car games
- Car Games to encourage observation
- Color themed car games for kids
- Social studies car games
- Art themed car games