The special liturgical color for Advent is purple
Virtue: Hope
Saint: St. Nicholas
Bible Verse: “Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage.” Psalm 27:14
Journey with Jesus
Warm Up Activity
Theme Connection:
Dress up in a desert theme: carry a walking stick/wooden staff, a satchel or backpack, VBS tshirt/vest and sand colored pants or shorts, sandals or hiking boots.
Welcome friends and disciples of Jesus! My name is _________________ I will be your Games Guide for this Great Journey with Jesus VBS! We need to make sure we’re all ready to embark on our GREAT JOURNEY in this fun GAMES Station!
To start off, we need to stretch our muscles and warm up. We are going to play a Journey with Jesus (warm-up) game!
Make sure kids and leaders do each action as you demonstrate it. When I call out an action, you need to do that action as best as you can and as fast as you can! Okay, here we go! Ex. When I say Walk with Jesus, you walk with high knees in the same spot.
1. When I say: Play a sport with Jesus: Do an action of your favorite sport..
2. When I say: Work with Jesus: Jesus was a carpenter, so help him work! Pretend to saw or hammer wood.
3. Find a disciple: Run to find a partner and link arms.
4. When I call out, Workout with Jesus: Do 5 jumping jacks!
5. Pray with Jesus: Kneel down, put your hands together in prayer and say, “Thank you Jesus.”
6. Run with Jesus: Run on the spot and count to 10!
7. Rest with Jesus: Lie on the ground,say “Goodnight Jesus.”
8. Dance with Jesus: Let’s see some cool dance moves.
9. Read your Bible: Sit on the floor and open a Bible!
10. Hug Jesus!
Repeat actions in any random order, moving faster each time.
(Opt.) Award Journey with Jesus coins for great participation.
Advent Adventure
Theme Connection:
We’re going on an Adventure (pun intended) to discover what the Advent season is about and to search for the four missing candles on our Advent wreath .
Are you ready? Encourage kids to respond with excitement! Let’s stick together and follow my commands.
Ages: Interactive activity for ages 4-5
You’ll need:
- Advent Wreath with candle holders
- 3 purple candles and 1 pink candle (hidden)
Activity:
Leader: Advent is a time of waiting and preparing for Christmas. It starts four Sundays before Christmas. (show four fingers) We light a candle each week during Advent. That’s why we need to find the four missing candles. Can you count down with me, while walking backwards? Kids count down together: “Four, three, two, one!”
Awesome! Each week of Advent has a special theme. The first week is all about hope. We remember the gift of hope that God gives to us. Let’s find the hope candle. It’s purple for the color of Advent. Guide them to find the purple candle. (example) Take five steps forward, move to the right, then take two big steps forward. Great job! We found the first purple candle.
Now, let’s move to the second week of Advent on our journey which is all about peace. On this peaceful part of the journey, let’s walk together quietly using soft steps. (whisper) Stay close and follow me. Hey, that’s what Jesus says: “Follow me.” If we’re quiet enough, we might be able to even hear the birds chirping (or other sounds). Guide them to find the next purple candle.
In the third week of Advent, we celebrate joy! We will search for the pink joy candle. Stay close and follow me. Guide them to find the pink candle. When we find it, let’s celebrate with joy. Let’s jump up and down. Can you spin around 2 times and show me your biggest, happiest smiles?
Now, let’s hop and skip with lots of excitement to our final destination on our Advent adventure. On the fourth and final week of Advent, (show four fingers) we focus on love. Can you take REALLY BIG steps as you walk? Guide them to find the last purple candle. Can you give someone a hug or a handshake? Have the kids form a big circle. (like the shape of an Advent wreath). Insert the candles into the wreath.
Three cheers for finding the hope, peace, joy and love candles to our Advent wreath! Hip-hip, hooray! x3
Advent Calendar Countdown
Theme Connection:
Advent is a time of waiting! Advent calendars help us count down the days until Christmas. The countdown builds excitement and anticipation for the birth of Jesus. In this Advent Calendar Countdown game, the goal is to be the first team to cross off all the numbers on your Advent calendar!
You’ll Need:
- Advent calendars (PDF)
- Markers (1/team)
Set up:
- Divide the kids into equal teams.
- Place one Advent calendar for each team at a designated spot (table or floor) a fair distance from the starting line.
- Give each team a marker.
Activity:
- Each team will line up at the starting line.
- On the signal “Go!”, the first player from each team runs to their Advent calendar with a marker.
- The first player marks an X on the #1. The player runs back to their team and hands the marker to the next teammate.
- The player runs to cross off the next number (#2). The relay continues until all the numbers are marked off (one by one).
- The first team to successfully complete the Advent Calendar Countdown wins!
Rule: A player must only cross off one number at a time on their turn. Game leaders can stand near the Advent calendars to supervise.
Game Variation: Add physical challenges (like hopping, skipping, or crawling) to the relay to make it even more engaging.
St. Nicholas Treasure Hunt
Theme Connection:
Our Saint of the day is St. Nicholas! We celebrate St. Nicholas’ feast day during Advent on Dec. 6th. He was a kind bishop who gave gifts (treasures) to people in need. There’s a story that tells how St. Nicholas secretly provided money for three poor sisters by tossing gold coins through their window, which landed in their stockings. This act of kindness led to the tradition of placing coins in stockings during the Advent season. When we play this fun St. Nicholas Treasure Hunt game, let’s remember St. Nicholas and all the good things he did for others.
You’ll Need:
- Coins (chocolate coins or real coins)
- Bag or stocking (red and green)
Set up:
- Hide coins in the games area.
- Set up a red and green bag or stocking in the center of the playing area.
Activity:
- Split into two teams. (red team and green team)
- You’ll have three minutes to search for coins.
- Each team must fill their designated colored bag (or stocking) with coins.
- The team with the most coins in their team bag when the timer runs out wins.
Group leaders can re-hide coins and play another round.
St. Nick Hop Race
You’ll need:
- Old pillowcases or sack race bags
- Cones or tape to mark the finish line
- (Opt.) Coins and stockings
Set Up:
- Mark the finish line.
- Give each child a pillowcase. If you have limited pillowcases or race sacks, kids can race at separate times, in several rounds (relay style).
Activity:
- Line up racing participants on the start line. (Distance can vary between age groups).
- On the signal “GO!”, kids must hop in a race sack to the finish line.
- First child (or relay group) to cross the finish line wins.
- (Opt.) Kids can drop a coin in a sock at one end of the games area.
Advent Wreath Obstacle Course
Theme Connection:
An important part of the Advent season is waiting and preparing for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. A special Advent tradition is to light a candle on the advent wreath on all four Sundays leading up to Christmas. Each candle symbolizes hope, peace, joy, and love. This game is a fun way to help us learn more about the Advent Wreath and incorporates the aspect of waiting!
Ages: 7 and up
You’ll Need:
- Advent Wreath coloring page (PDF) (1/team)
- Colored markers (4 markers/team) (Purple, pink, yellow)
- Flat/hard surface object such as a large book, small table (1/team)
- Cones, hoops, boxes, and other obstacle course items
Set up:
- Print an Advent Wreath coloring page for each team.
- Set up a basic obstacle course for each team (cones to run around, boxes to hop over, a rope to walk on, hoola hoops to circle around, etc).
- At the end of the Obstacle Course, set up an Advent Wreath Coloring page for each team on a flat/ hard surface, placing the four markers next to each sheet.
Activity:
- Divide into equal teams of 4 or 5.
- Each team member will go through their team’s obstacle course (following directly behind the player in front of them). No running ahead of your team members! This helps you practice waiting.
- Using a purple marker, the first person on each team will color the letter “H” on the hope candle, and return back to the start line to run through the obstacle course once again. The other players will take turns coloring a letter on the HOPE candle and the flame yellow.
- Once the HOPE letters and flame are colored, the players will race through the obstacle course once again to color the letters to the PEACE candle in purple and its flame yellow.
- Repeat with the JOY candle (in pink) and the LOVE candle (purple).
- The first team to successsfully complete their Advent wreath wins.
(Opt.) Consider this game a coloring contest where the best team picture wins.
Hail Mary Hunt
Theme Connection:
During the Advent season, we celebrate two Marian feasts: The Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec 8), and The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec 12). So, let’s play a game to help us honor Mary! The Hail Mary is a beautiful prayer that Mary taught us to pray. Each time we pray a Hail Mary, we’re offering a gift of love to Mary, so that she can present it even more beautifully to Jesus. This game is a fun way to help us learn and remember the Hail Mary.
Age level: 7 and up
You’ll need:
- Hail Mary Checklist (1/team)
- 7 Hail Mary Game Posters
- 7 different colored markers
Set Up:
- Print a Hail Mary Checklist for each team
- Print the Hail Mary Game Posters and hide them in your games area.
- Place one colored marker beside each poster.
Activity
1. Divide into teams and each team will be given a Hail Mary Checklist
2. Everyone on the team must stay together by linking arms
3. Hunt for all seven posters that have the parts of the Hail Mary prayer.
4. When you find a poster, check off the part of the prayer that matches the one on your team’s checklist. Use the colored marker that you will find beside the poster and be sure to leave it there.
5. The first team to fill up their checklist with the designated colors, wins.
Bible Verse Game
Theme Connection:
It’s important for everyone to learn and memorize scripture. The Word of God is a powerful tool to help us discover God’s plan for our lives. This game will help us remember the Bible Verse of the day: “Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage…” Psalm 27:14
Age level: 7 and up
You’ll need:
- Day 1 Bible Verse of the Day Word Cards (1 set/team)
- Colored paper (different color/team)
- Colored streamers (2 ft. long) (different color/group)
Set Up:
- Print the “VBS Day 1 Bible Verse of the Day Word cards.” Note: Be sure to print each group’s set of word cards on colored paper that matches the group’s color of streamer. For example, the blue group will have blue “Bible Verse of the Day Word Cards and a blue streamer,” the pink group will have pink cards and a pink streamer, etc.
- Scatter the cards in your playing area.
- Establish a start line and finish line.
Activity
1. Get into teams of 3 or 4. Give each group a streamer.
2. All the players on your team must stick together to collect your 5 Bible Verse Word Cards that match the same color as your streamer. You must all keep one hand on the streamer at all times. The goal is not to tear your streamer or it will become more challenging to stick together as your streamer gets smaller. If any leaders catch you from breaking out of your team, then your entire team will need to go back to the start line.
3. You must bring all five cards to the finish line and work together to place them in order of the Bible verse. Who remembers the Bible verse?
4. The first team to read out their Bible Verse Word Cards correctly to their games leader gets two prizes, and the other teams can win runner-up prizes.
Be sure to check out the digital program for the remaining Daily Bible Verse Games of the week.
