Liturgical color for Ordinary Time is green.

 

Virtue: Faith

Saint: St. Peter

Bible Verse: “We will walk in the name of the Lord our God, forever and ever.” Micah 4:5

 

 Disciples’ Dash

 

Theme Connection:

Have you ever heard about Jesus’ disciples? They were a special group of friends who followed Jesus and learned from him. There were twelve disciples and each one played an important role in sharing Jesus’ message with the world! The disciples showed us the importance of learning from Jesus, staying close to Him and sharing His message of faith with everyone we meet!

 

Activity

Leader: In this game called Disciples Dash, I will introduce you to some of the disciples from the Bible and give a quick description and action of their role. Follow me by doing the actions.

 

Peter was a fisherman.

Action: Pretend to cast for fish.

Andrew was Peter’s brother.

Action: Say: Hey, Bro!

Matthew was a tax collector.

Action: Pretend to count money.

John was known for being the author of the Gospel of John.

Action: Open the Bible and pretend to write.

Thomas was a doubter.

Action: Shrug your shoulders and say, I don’t know.

James witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus.

Action: Kneel down, look up and say:Whoa!

Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Action: Step back and make an X with your arms.

 

Now the game begins. Move or dance around the games area (to music), and when the music stops, you all freeze. I will call out the name of a disciple, for example: “Andrew”. Everyone would then have to perform the action related to that disciple. When the music starts up again, keep dancing until I call the next disciple.

Rotate through different disciples and actions to keep the game engaging.

(Opt.) Give out prizes for best actions.

 

Follow the Leader

 

Theme Connection:

We need to follow Jesus on the Great Journey as He knows the way! We can trust Him as He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus says: Come follow me!

 

Ages: 4-6 year olds

 

Here are fun objects you can use to create an exciting obstacle course for kids:

1. Cones: Great for weaving in and out or marking boundaries.

2. Hula Hoops: Kids can jump through or balance on them.

3. Jump Ropes: Use for jumping challenges or as hurdles to jump over.

4. Pool Noodles: Set up as balance beams or obstacles.

5. Tunnels: Use play tunnels or cardboard boxes for crawling through.

6. Balls: Set up targets to knock down or use for rolling challenges.

7. Pillows or Cushions: Create soft landing spots or hopping challenges.

8. Plank or Board: A sturdy plank can serve as a balance beam.

9. Buckets: Use for tossing games or as markers to run around.

10. Chairs: Set up for crawling under or climbing over.

11. Blankets: Create crawling areas or use them as tunnels.

12. Balloons: Incorporate balloon popping or carrying challenges. 13. Sidewalk Chalk: Mark paths, hopscotch, or boundaries.

 

Activity:

Line up behind the games leader (Jesus) and try to do exactly what He does. Sing songs, dance, clap, whistle, hum, and even say prayers on the journey! Set a time limit of 10-15 seconds per action to keep the game moving.

 

 

God’s Green Light Game

 

Theme Connection:

Ordinary Time is about growing in faith and connecting with God. This game is played similar to the classic game of Red light, Green Light, but with a faith filled focus about connecting with God. The Green light in this game represents GO to Mass to grow in your faith. The red light means stop and take time to kneel and pray, just as you would do in front of the red light in the church. It’s called the sanctuary lamp/light. When you see the red light in the church, it means Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament.

(opt.)The yellow light means we should be cautious with our actions

 

Activity:

1. All players line up at the starting line. The leader, who is “God”, stands at a reasonable distance, facing towards the players.

2. When “God” says, “Green Light,” players move towards Him using giant steps. When “Red Light” is called, players must get on their knees and freeze in a prayer position. If God sees someone who needs more direction (rules explained), He will call them by name and ask them to go back to the start!

3. (Opt.) You could introduce a “Yellow Light” where players walk carefully on their “tiptoes”.

4. The first player to make it to the finish line and reach/touch (God) wins!

Play multiple rounds

Game variation for older kids: Incorporate obstacles on the path to represent sin or temptation, in which the kids need to avoid touching. If they touch the obstacle, then they must go back to the start.

 

St. Peter Fishing Fun

 

Ages: 4-7 year olds

 

You’ll need:

• Paddling pools or plastic containers
• Plastic fish and nets

Set Up: 

Fill little paddling pools (or two bins) with water and add little play fish/sea creatures.

 

Activity:

Kids can fish for 5-10 mins using toy fishing nets or rods. Award little fish gummies for prizes.

 

Fish Cracker Relay

 

Theme Connection:

Simon Peter was a poor fisherman and one of Jesus’ disciples. He also became our very first Pope! Cool, eh! Jesus said to Peter, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The following games remind us of Peter and how he dropped his nets and followed Jesus. Let’s remember to ask St. Peter to pray for us today. St. Peter, (pause) pray for us.

 

Ages: 4-7 year olds

 

You’ll Need:

• Fish crackers (2/team)
• Plastic spoons (1/child)

 

Set up:

• Set up a start and finish line.

 

Activity:

1. Divide kids into equal teams.
2. The first player on each team lines up on a start line about 12 ft from the finish line.
3. Each player takes a turn to balance two fish crackers on a spoon, by racing to the finish line and back and successfully passing the crackers to the teammate next in line.
4. Older kids: If the fish cracker falls off, you must go back to the start. Younger kids: Pick up the cracker(s) with their hands, place them back on the spoon and continue.
5. The team that finishes first wins.

 

 

Sharks and Minnows

 

Ages: 7 and up

 

You’ll Need:

• A large rectangular playing area

 

Set Up: 

• Set up end zones with cones or tape to mark out a rectangular area.

 

Activity:

1. Choose between one to four children to be the “sharks”. They will stand in the middle of the playing area.

2. The rest of the children are “minnows”. They must attempt to cross the playing area. The minnows stand on one edge of the playing field.

3. The game starts with the sharks shouting, “Fishy, fishy, fishy, come swim in my sea!”.

4. The minnows respond with “Sharky, sharky, sharky, you can’t catch me!”, then they attempt to run from one side of the playing area to the other without being tagged.

5. When a minnow is tagged, they become a shark and will try to tag the other minnows. 6. The final one or two minnows are declared the winners and will start as sharks in the next round. 

 

Capture the Fish

Played similar to Capture the Flag

 

Ages: 7 and up

 

You’ll Need:

• 2 hula hoops/team
• Fish graphic PDF (3/team)
• Rope or tape to separate the two sides

 

Set up:

• Divide the games area into two sides using tape or a rope.
• Place a hula hoop at both ends of the games area.
• Place three fish inside each hula hoop.

 

Activity:

1. Divide players into two teams.
2. Once a player crosses the center line into the other team’s zone, they’re eligible to be tagged.
3. Goal of the game is to catch the other team’s fish, bring them back to your zone and put them in your hula-hoop.
4. Players can only take one fish at a time. If a player reaches the other team’s hula-hoop, (safe zone) they cannot be tagged until they leave the hula-hoop again.
5. Players who get tagged by an opponent must sit down and wait until someone on their own team tags them in order to be freed. Both members from the same team get a free walk back to their team side.
6. First team to collect the most fish (in 5-7 minutes) and bring them back safely to their hula-hoop wins the game!