Arcade April: Ideas for Kids Church

When it comes to kids’ church, I am a theme addict. Not only do I constantly (well, almost) brainstorm ideas for themes, my volunteers and kids do too. All credit for this winning idea goes to one of the children I mentor for ministry–and she’s only 10 years old! For those of you don’t regularly use monthly themes, you could pare these ideas down to use for a special week or event. I hope you have as much as fun as we plan to, bringing the gospel to kids in fresh, new ways!
Save the Princess
“Lord save us; grant us success.” Psalm 118:25 (NIV)
Save the princess is a common goal for many of the “old school” video games like Zelda or Mario. Take this idea of a hero saving a princess and show how Jesus saves us. He moved through every obstacle (level) and defeated every enemy to save the one who needed him. (That’s me and you!) I’ve ordered an inexpensive Princess Peach outfit for my little volunteer to wear. We’ll be moving her around the room, freeing her from different levels (or stations) until we get her to salvation with Jesus.
Beat the Baddies
“The Lord your God is with you; the Mighty Warrior who saves.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
I’ve got a host of “bad guys” planning to show up in full bad guy gear for this lesson. It was easy to find masks and costumes to transform our mild mannered volunteers into enemies. (Nothing too scary though.) We’ll use the scripture to fight back the enemies and demonstrate that God is the Mightiest Warrior of them all.
Unlock the Treasure
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 (NIV)
One of the most important elements of the classic video game is to find and unlock the treasure. It’s frustrating to search for a box of potential goodies and not have a key or a map. This verse explains that finding true treasure (the Kingdom of God) is simple. Treasure the things of God and your heart becomes the key! I plan to use a cardboard treasure box filled with treats as a visual aid. I’ll wrap it in tons of tied ribbons and we will take our time cutting away each cord to get to the goodies inside.
Power Up!
“I will teach you about the power of God; the ways of the Almighty I will not conceal.” Job 27:11 (NIV)
Who has power like the Lord God? No one! For this lesson, I’ll have some Mario “Power Up” music cued and we will talk about how we power up with God. Kids need to be reminded that prayer, Bible reading, fellowship and even fasting, powers up our spirits, making us mighty through God.
I hope these basic ideas help you get started planning a great arcade themed month!
Read more from Mimi by visiting her blog at Encouragement for Christians.