Years ago, I was invited to lead a regional training for Sunday School teachers. The topic? “Getting Kids Actively Learning the Bible.” It sounds simple enough—but in this particular region, many faithful, long-serving teachers were feeling stuck. Their classrooms were quiet. Kids sat around tables with open Bibles and workbooks, but the energy and engagement just weren’t there. The teachers longed for change but didn’t know where to begin.
So, I showed up to the training with a Bible—and a big bag of random objects.
After reading a short Bible passage aloud, I tossed various items into the crowd—hula hoops, cotton balls, masking tape, paper towel tubes, bandanas, spray bottles, and plastic cups—and asked the teachers to brainstorm: How could this object help kids remember and interact with this truth? At first, they looked at me like I was a little crazy. But within minutes, the ideas were flying. Laughter erupted. Suddenly the room was alive with possibility. This was what their classrooms had been missing.
What followed was a simple but powerful principle: You don’t need a massive budget or a Pinterest-perfect setup to teach the Bible creatively. Sometimes all it takes is a little imagination—and the willingness to get up from the table.
Below is a collection of object ideas and simple games you can use to get kids actively learning the Bible, using common household or classroom items. Each one includes a brief Bible connection to help you tie truth to action.
And, although all of these are ready for you to add to your next lesson, this is merely a jumping off point. My suggestion to you is walk around your house (or classroom) and gather random ideas. Then sit down and start brainstorming (even better if you can do so with a friend of co-teacher).
🟡 Hula Hoops
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“Faith Step” Challenge – Lay hula hoops in a path. Kids must walk from one to the next while blindfolded, relying on a partner’s voice to guide them.
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Tie-in: Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord…” or the story of Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:22–33).
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Sin Toss – Label each hoop the word sin or temptation. Have kids toss beanbags representing “truth" into the hoops. As they toss a beanbag they should say a Bible verse or name a truth about God as a reminder that God's word fights sin and helps us overcome temptation. You can have teams racing to get the most truth in their hoop.
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Tie-in: Psalm 119:11 – “I have stored up your word in my heart…” OR, Jesus' temptation in the wilderness as he responded to temptation with Bible verses... OR the armor of God with the truth that the Bible is the only weapon in the armor.
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🟣 Cotton Balls
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Gentle Words Game – Have kids try to blow a cotton ball across the table using only gentle puffs, representing kind words.
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Tie-in: Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft answer turns away wrath…”
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Snowball of Sin – Build a huge pile with cotton balls. Each one represents a small sin. Eventually it topples, showing how even little sins build up.
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Tie-in: Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned…”
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🔵 Masking Tape
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Path of Obedience – Lay a masking tape trail around the room. Kids must follow it exactly to reach a goal. Add distractions or temptations (obstacles) along the way as a reminder to stay focused on Jesus.
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Tie-in: Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet…”
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Taped Off Heart – Use tape to make a heart shape on the floor. Inside represents a clean heart; outside represents distractions. Have kids sort behaviors or ideas accordingly by jumping in and out of the heart.
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Tie-in: Psalm 51:10 – “Create in me a clean heart…”
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🔴 Plastic Cups
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Stack & Build – Give teams a set of cups to build a tower as they answer Bible questions. Wrong answers? They have to remove a cup.
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Tie-in: Matthew 7:24–27 – The wise and foolish builders and the reminder that we need to build our lives on Jesus and not be distracted by the things of the world
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Names of God Tower – Each cup has a name or attribute of God. Kids stack them as they discuss what each name means. [along the same line is Bible Book Tower where they stack cups in Bible book order].
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Tie-in: Exodus 3:14, Psalm 23, etc.
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🟢 Bandanas
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Blindfold Trust Walk – One child is blindfolded with the bandana while another guides them verbally.
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Tie-in: 2 Corinthians 5:7 – “We walk by faith, not by sight.” OR Saul being led to Damascus
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Sin & Forgiveness Relay – Kids carry a heavy “sin burden” (like a bag of books) while blindfolded, then drop it at a cross (or chair with a picture of a cross).
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Tie-in: Matthew 11:28–30 - if possible read that portion of a children's version of Pilgrim's Progress.
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🔶 Spray Bottles
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Washed Clean Demo – Write the word sin in washable marker on a whiteboard or mirror. Let kids spray them away.
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Tie-in: 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins…”
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Living Water Tag – One child with the spray bottle represents Jesus. The rest are thirsty. If they get sprayed, they’re “filled” and become taggers too (getting their own spray bottle).
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Tie-in: John 4 – The woman at the well.
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⚪ Paper Towel Tubes
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Gospel Megaphone – Turn tubes into mini megaphones and have kids “proclaim” truths or memory verses.
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Tie-in: Romans 10:14 – “How will they hear without someone preaching?”
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Tunnel Vision – Let kids look through the tube to show how our focus can become narrow or miss what God is doing.
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Tie-in: 2 Kings 6:17 – “Open his eyes so that he may see…”
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Final Encouragement
Active learning isn’t about being noisy or chaotic—it’s about helping children connect mind, heart, and body to the truths of God’s Word. When kids move, they remember. When they engage, they internalize. And when we, as teachers, embrace creativity, we reflect the wonder of the One who made us.
So next time you reach for a lesson plan, grab a random item too—and ask, How can I use this to make the truth come alive?