Liturgical color for Easter is white/gold.

Virtue: Joy

Saint: St. Mary Magdalene

Bible Verse: “I am the resurrection and the life.” John 11:25

 

 

Journey Through the Church Year

 

Theme Connection:

This game is a recap of our entire week. What was our VBS Theme? That’s right! The Great Journey with Jesus! And what did we journey through? Yes! The Church/Liturgical Year! Let’s see how much you remember from our fun and faith filled week.

 

Ages: 7 and up

 

You’ll need:

• Station Posters (PDF)
• Liturgical Season Checklist (PDF)
• Markers

 

Set up:

• Set up posters with a marker at each station.
• If you have enough volunteers, have one person at each station to read out the question and challenge. If not, kids will read the question/challenge on the poster.

Activity:

1. Split into teams of four or five players.

2. Each team gets a Liturgical Season Checklist.

3. Teams will journey through all five stations (Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, and Easter).

4. Each team will start at a different station.

5. When you get to each station, you will need to answer a question and/or do a physical challenge.

6. Once your team completes the task for that station, use the marker to check off the appropriate liturgical season.

7. First team to complete all stations wins! 

 

Station Challenges:

Advent: Countdown to Christmas from 24 to 0 while doing lunges.

Christmas: Spin in circles while singing Joy to the World for 10 seconds. (one player counts to 10)

Lent: Run in place for forty seconds. Then, share with a leader one thing you would give up for Lent.

Easter: Count to fifty (Easter is 50 days) while doing jumping jacks and then when done, shout: Alleluia! Ordinary Time: Sit back to back with a partner, link arms and stand up while staying in that position.

 

EASTER EGG ON A SPOON RACE

 

Theme Connection:

Easter is a time when we see lots of bunnies and Easter eggs as springtime is a sign of new life. The Easter Bunny and Easter egg are familiar Easter symbols, representing new beginnings and the joy of the season

 

 

You’ll need:

• Large spoons (1/team) 
• Hard-boiled egg (or plastic eggs) (1/team)

Set up:

• Determine a start line and a finish line.

Activity:

1. Everyone gets into teams of four. Each team will get a spoon and an egg.
2. The first person from each team will hold the egg on the spoon. Without touching the egg with your hands, you need to carefully run to the finish line and run back to your team.
3. The next person on your team will grab the spoon with the egg and race to the finish line and back.
4. Everyone will get a turn. If someone drops the egg, they must pick up the egg, put it back on the spoon and go back to the starting line.
5. The first team to successfully finish the race wins.

 

EASTER BUNNY HOP CHALLENGE

 

Ages: 4 to 6

 

You’ll need:

• Tennis ball (or any soft, small ball) (1/child)

 

Set up:

• Determine a start line and a finish line about 15-20 feet apart.

Activity:

1. Stand at the start line with a tennis ball held between your knees. 
2. On the count of three, begin hopping towards the finish line like bunnies.
3. If a player drops their ball, they must stop, pick it up, and go back to the start line.
4. The first player to reach the finish line while keeping the ball between their knees wins! 

For added fun: Introduce obstacles like cones or hula-hoops to hop around or over.

 

 

BUDDY BUNNY HOP

 

Ages: 7 and up

 

You’ll Need:

1. Form a circle and put your two hands on the shoulders of the buddy/person in front of you.

2. When the leader says: Buddy Bunny forward, you all jump forward together.

3. When the leader calls out: Buddy Bunny backward, you jump backwards.

4. When the leader calls out: Buddy Bunny turn, you let go and turn 180 degrees to put your hands on the shoulders of the person who was behind you.

Set Up:

• Mark the start and finish lines (approx. 25 feet apart.)
• Place the full bucket at the start line with the team sponges inside.
• Place the empty containers at the finish line.

Activity:

1. Form a circle and put your two hands on the shoulders of the buddy/person in front of you.
2. When the leader says: Buddy Bunny forward, you all jump forward together.
3. When the leader calls out: Buddy Bunny backward, you jump backwards.
4. When the leader calls out: Buddy Bunny turn, you let go and turn 180 degrees to put your hands on the shoulders of the person who was behind you.

For added fun: To keep your bunnies on their toes and to generate lots of laughter, work up to combining multiple commands such as (hop forward 3 spaces, hop backward 2 spaces, etc.)

 

 

Water Games 

 

Theme Connection: As Catholics, water holds significant meaning during the Easter season, especially regarding Baptism. It symbolizes the washing away of sin and it’s a sign of new life. During the Easter Vigil, the priest will sprinkle holy water on all the congregation. Jesus is the “living water” (John 4:10), emphasizing how faith in Him leads to eternal life.

Choose from the following three fun and refreshing water games:

 

Scoop and Pass

You’ll Need:

• Buckets (2/team) (one filled with water, one empty for collecting water)
• Small durable plastic cups (1/child) 
• (Opt.) Towels

Set Up: 

• Mark your start line and finish line.
• Place a large bucket of water (Bucket A) at the start line and a large empty bucket (Bucket B) at the finish line.

Activity:

1. Divide players into even teams and give everyone a small cup.

2. Have players stand (approx. 2 feet apart) on their team line.

3. On “Go”, the first player scoops a cup of water from their team bucket and pours it into the next player’s cup. Each teammate passes the water down the line until it reaches Bucket B.

4. The fun part is the first player is continuously scooping and passing water down the line, so there is always a flow of water being passed down.

5. The first team to fill their bucket (or the most water collected within a set time) wins!

 

OVERHEAD PASS (fun game Variation for older kids)

Transfer water from one cup to another by having teammates sit down, one behind the other, and carefully pouring their cup of water over their head and into their teammates’ cup!

 

Sponge Relay Race

 

You’ll Need: 

• Large sponge (1/team)
• Large bucket of water (1/team)
• Large empty bucket (1/team)

Set Up:

This game is best played outdoors. 

• Place each team’s bucket of water on a start line and their empty bucket on a finish line.

Activity:

1. Divide players into even teams and line them up on a start line.

2. On “Go”, the first player from each team soaks the sponge in their team’s water bucket.

3. The player runs to the finish line and squeezes the sponge into the bucket.

4. The player returns to the start line and passes the sponge to the next player.

5. The next players repeat the process.

6. Set a timer for five minutes. The team with the most water collected at the end of the game wins!\

 

Splash Your Leaders

Have fun tossing water balloons or wet sponges at game leaders lined up as targets.

 

You’ll Need: 

• Large amount of water balloons or wet sponges
• A designated outdoor target area/wall
• Buckets for holding the water balloons or sponges

Set Up: 

• Mark a line from which players will throw the water balloons (approx. 2-3 feet from the leaders).
• Fill water balloons (or sponges in buckets of water) and place them near the “throwing line”.

Activity:

1. Several players can step up to the line at one time.

2. On the signal, players toss water balloons or wet sponges at the game leaders.

3. The game continues until everyone has a chance to throw a water balloon or sponge at their leader.