In his comedy As You Like It, Shakespeare wrote, “All the world's a stage.” Although many may challenge Shakespeare's notion, some would agree that an effectively staged theater production creates a sensory and emotional experience for an audience that nearly equals that of an experience in the real world. Even more might argue that performing in a theater production gives an actor the opportunity to understand a character, emotion, or event in a creative and memorable way.
Incorporating dramatic play and performance into a Sunday school, confirmation, or youth group session paves a unique path to faith formation in a creative and memorable manner. But to effectively use drama with kids, you must first overcome any personal misgivings about acting or performing. Since you volunteered to be a leader, you may have a bit of a performer in you already. But any unwillingness you show may discourage kids from participating, especially if they are already apprehensive. Provided below are three popular theater activities that can be readily adapted to a variety of Bible stories and topics. These games are simple enough for younger kids to enjoy while still holding appeal for preteens and teenagers.
Still Life
This activity is good for first-time performers because it does not require dialogue and it utilizes three to five participants, lessening the focus on individuals. Preface this activity by reading and discussing the day's Bible story. Then ask for three to five volunteers. Explain that as a group they must create three still images that illustrate the message of the Bible text.
Remind the performers that there is no dialogue and that all volunteers must be included in each still image. Give kids a few minutes to create their images and, if possible, provide a space separate from the rest of the group where they can work. When they are ready, have them stage the images for the audience. After the final image has been staged, applaud their creative work. Next, ask the participants to remain “onstage” while you begin a discussion of their images. Ask those in the audience to describe what they have seen and how it made them feel. Discourage qualitative judgments on whether the images were good or bad. Explore what is unique in each image and what the images share in common. Then invite the performers to discuss what they tried to convey with each image, and how it felt for them as performers. “Still Life” is a great activity to help kids learn how to use their bodies to convey emotion and meaning without relying on dialogue.
Park Bench
This activity works best with more experienced performers or older kids, although it can work with younger children with proper coaching. Prepare ahead of time by creating a list of people from the Bible discussed in Sunday school, confirmation, or youth group over the last few months. It is best to pick easily recognizable people (Miriam or David from the Old Testament, Jesus or Paul from the New Testament), but older groups might enjoy the challenge of more obscure Bible time people.
Explain to the group how the activity will work. You'll need three volunteers for the park bench. One volunteer will need to leave the room or find a spot where they cannot hear the group. After this person leaves, announce that person's identity to everyone else. With older learners, give the option of choosing the identity. Quickly discuss important details about this person's life. Invite back the participant with the hidden identity and start the activity as described.
The third participant joins the two people already seated on the park bench. This new arrival will not initially know his or her identity in the activity, although the two seated participants know it. They proceed to ask a series of questions or make statements that provide hints to the new arrival’s identity, but do not directly give it away. If the identity of the new arrival is Jesus, they might ask, “What was it like to walk on water?” or “Do you remember that time you healed the person who was blind?” They should not, however, say the person's name.
The new arrival will eventually recognize their identity and start responding with appropriate answers. If this person has trouble guessing who she or he is, provide hints to help move the conversation forward. Remind kids that you will allow the conversation to continue for a short time, but you will end it if it starts to lose focus or become silly. Bring the activity to a close by asking the new arrival to announce [their] identity. Applaud the participants for their creative work
This activity is an enjoyable way to role play and reinforce the lives of important figures from the Bible.
In the Bible I Read…
This is a fun activity that challenges both your memory of the Bible and your memory in general. It involves the entire class—including you! Begin by sitting together in a circle on the floor. Ideally, everyone in the circle should be able to see everyone else since this may help with the memorization. Explain to the group that you will pick something you read about in the Bible that starts with the letter A. For example, “In the Bible I read about Adam, the first man.” The person to your left repeats what you said and also adds something from the Bible starting with the letter B. They might say, “In the Bible I read about Adam, the first man, and Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.” This pattern of following the alphabet continues around the circle, each person adding another detail from the Bible to the growing list. If someone forgets a previous detail or is unable to think of something for a letter, that person is eliminated and must sit outside of the circle. The game ends when you reach the letter Z or when one player remains. Be sure to applaud when you reach the end of this activity! The rules are flexible, and you can decide if people can ask for help if they get stuck. This fun activity will help kids develop their memories and knowledge of the Bible.
Have fun with these activities and remember that sometimes it is okay to “act up” at church.
