Our country church is small numbering about 12 adults and two little girls. We meet weekly and have an adult age Bible Study. My wife is a retired. kindergarten teacher and she assists in the Bible Study. List 100 things we could do to integrate the bible study that will interest the two little girls.
Of course. It is a wonderful goal to make your Bible study a rich and welcoming experience for all ages. Leveraging your wife's kindergarten teaching background is the perfect approach. The key is integration—finding simple, engaging activities for the girls that run parallel to the adult discussion and tie into the same theme.
Here are 100 things you could do to integrate the Bible study for the two little girls, categorized for easy reference.
Arts, Crafts & Building
These activities can be done quietly at a small table while the adults discuss the lesson.
Bible Story Coloring Pages: Have a binder of coloring sheets related to common Bible stories.
Play-Doh Sculpting: Let them sculpt characters, animals (Noah's Ark), or symbols (a cross, a fish) from the story.
Drawing the Story: Give them blank paper and crayons to draw what they hear as the scripture is read.
Popsicle Stick Crafts: They can glue sticks into crosses, stars, mangers, or even people.
Paper Plate Angels: Simple to make with a plate, doilies, and some yarn for hair.
Torn Paper Mosaics: Let them tear colored paper and glue it to create a scene, like Joseph's colorful coat.
Finger Painting a Rainbow: For the story of Noah's covenant. (Have wipes ready!)
Building Block Temple: Use LEGOs or wooden blocks to build Solomon's temple, the walls of Jericho, or the Tower of Babel.
Nature Collage: During a creation lesson, use leaves, twigs, and flower petals they gathered outside beforehand.
Pipe Cleaner People: They can bend and shape pipe cleaners into the characters from the day's lesson.
Handprint Doves or Lambs: Use their handprints as the base for a classic craft.
Bead Bracelets: Use colored beads to represent parts of a story (e.g., the days of creation).
"Stained Glass" Windows: Use contact paper and colored tissue paper to make beautiful "windows" to hang up.
Decorate a Prayer Box: A small shoebox they can decorate and use to hold written or drawn prayers.
Make a Scroll: Tape two paper towel tubes to the ends of a long piece of paper (from a roll or taped together) for them to draw the story on.
Yarn-Wrapped Crosses: Cut a cross shape from cardboard and let them wrap it with yarn.
Sun Catchers: With pre-made frames and colored beads or plastic.
Crowns for Kings and Queens: Make simple crowns from paper when studying Esther, David, or Solomon.
Fabric Scrap Joseph's Coat: Glue colorful fabric scraps onto a person-shaped cutout.
Diorama in a Shoebox: Create a 3D scene from the Bible story.
Storytelling & Drama
These activities can introduce or summarize the lesson in a way they'll understand.
Felt Board Stories: Your wife can use a felt board and characters to tell the story visually while the passage is read.
Puppet Show: Use simple sock puppets or finger puppets to act out the Bible story.
Simple Costumes: Have a small box with scarves, robes (old bathrobes), and fabric sashes so they (and maybe the adults!) can dress up as characters.
Act It Out: Have the girls (and willing adults) act out simple scenes, like David facing Goliath or the shepherds visiting Jesus.
Story Stones: Paint simple symbols from a story on smooth, flat rocks (a sheep, a star, a well, a baby). The girls can put them in order as they hear the story.
Hold the Prop: Let the girls be the "Prop Masters." When you mention a staff, they hold the staff (a broomstick). When you mention a lamp, they get to hold a small flashlight.
Sound Effects Crew: Assign them sound effects for the story: wind, thunder, animal noises, a trumpet sound for Jericho.
"Interview" a Bible Character: Have an adult pretend to be a character from the story, and let the girls ask them simple questions.
Tell the Story from an Animal's Perspective: Retell the story from the point of view of the donkey that carried Mary or a sheep in the shepherd's field.
Use Action Figures/Dolls: Use small toys to physically move through the story's narrative.
Music & Movement
Incorporate these at the beginning or end of the study.
Action Songs: Start or end with a classic children's Bible song with motions ("Father Abraham," "This Little Light of Mine").
Make Simple Instruments: Create shakers with plastic bottles and rice/beans to use during singing.
Marching Around Jericho: Have everyone (adults included) march quietly around the room six times, then shout and make noise on the seventh lap.
Praise Dance: Put on a worship song and let them dance with ribbons or scarves.
Follow the Leader: Do actions from a story. "Follow the leader, build an ark!" (hammering motions). "Follow the leader, be a shepherd!" (walking with a staff).
Freeze Dance: Play a Bible song and have them freeze when the music stops.
Rhythm Sticks: Tap out the rhythm of a simple verse or song.
Food & Sensory Activities
Connecting lessons to taste, touch, and smell is very powerful for young children.
Themed Snacks: Fish crackers for "Fishers of Men," pretzel sticks for crosses, rainbow fruit platter for Noah.
"Manna" from Heaven: Small crackers or wafers, perhaps with a little honey or cinnamon sugar.
Bake Unleavened Bread: When discussing the Passover or the Last Supper.
Sensory Bin: A shallow tub with sand for desert stories, water and toy boats for stories about the Sea of Galilee, or dry beans and scoops for harvest parables.
Smelling Spices: Let them smell spices like cinnamon and cloves when talking about the gifts of the wise men or the spices prepared for Jesus' burial.
Goliath's "Stones": Chocolate rocks or rolled-up balls of cookie dough.
Fruit of the Spirit Salad: Make a fruit salad and name a fruit of the spirit for each type of fruit you add.
Grapes & Juice: Taste grapes from the vine when talking about Jesus being the vine.
Honey Tasting: For stories about the "land of milk and honey."
Games & Puzzles
These are great for reviewing a story's main points.
Bible Memory Match: Create a simple matching game with pairs of characters or symbols from the story.
Bible Story Puzzles: Purchase or print and laminate simple puzzles of Bible scenes.
"I Spy" Bible Version: "I spy with my little eye... something God created that is green."
Scavenger Hunt: Hide objects related to the story around the room for them to find.
5al
Bible Character Bingo: Create simple bingo cards with pictures of Bible characters.
Fishing for People: A magnetic fishing game where the "fish" have the names of disciples on them.
"Simon Says" Bible Edition: "Simon says, 'Praise the Lord!'" or "Simon says, 'Row your boat like Noah!'"
What's Missing? Lay out several items related to a story, let them look, then cover them and remove one. They have to guess what's missing.
Floor is Lava: Red Sea Crossing: Use pillows and blankets to create a "dry path" they must cross without touching the floor.
Sorting Animals: Have a bucket of toy animals for them to sort into pairs for Noah's Ark.
Special Roles & Responsibilities
Giving children a job makes them feel important and included.
Official Greeters: Their job is to say hello to each person as they arrive.
Song Chooser: Let them pick the opening or closing song from a few pre-approved choices.
Bell Ringer: Give them a small bell to ring to signal the start and end of the study.
Page Finder: Let one of them find the chapter in a large "teacher's" Bible.
Light Helper: They can be in charge of turning the lights on or off.
Snack Assistant: A very important job—helping to pass out the snacks and napkins.
Prayer Starter: Ask one of them to start the prayer with "Dear God..." and an adult can finish it.
Supply Manager: In charge of handing out crayons, paper, or Play-Doh.
"Weather Reporter": Have them look outside and report on what part of God's creation they can see today.
Attendance Taker: Let them put a sticker next to the name of each person who is there.
Reading, Writing & Technology
Engage them through different forms of media.
Picture Bible Parallel Reading: While an adult reads from the Bible, have another adult (or your wife) sit with the girls and point to pictures of the same story in a children's picture Bible.
Watch a Short Video Clip: A 2-3 minute animated Bible story from a reputable source can be a great introduction.
Listen to a Story: Use an app or audio recording of a children's Bible story.
Trace a Keyword: Write a key word from the lesson (LOVE, PRAY, JESUS) in large letters and let them trace it.
Picture "Notes": Give them a special small notebook to draw one picture in each week that represents the lesson.
Use a Bible App for Kids: Explore a story together on a tablet for a few minutes.
Service & Application
Connect the lesson to real-life actions.
Make "Get Well" Cards: For any church members who are sick.
Water the Church Plants: Give them a small watering can to care for God's creation in your church.
Start a "Blessing Jar": Have everyone write or draw something they are thankful for on a slip of paper and put it in the jar. Let the girls decorate the jar.
Create a Prayer Chain: Write prayer requests on strips of paper and let the girls link them into a chain.
Practice Being Kind: Role-play a scenario from the story, like the Good Samaritan helping someone.
Draw Pictures for the Bulletin: Let them create the artwork for the church bulletin board.
Pack a "Care Kit": Put together a small bag with socks, snacks, and water for someone in need.
Help Clean Up: Give them the special job of wiping the table or putting the Bibles away.
Nature & Outdoors
If weather and space permit, connect God's Word with God's world.
Plant Seeds: Talk about the Parable of the Sower.
Go on a "Creation Walk": Spend 5 minutes outside finding as many different things God created as you can.
Find Your "Rock": Have each person find a small rock to hold while you talk about God being our rock.
Look at the Stars: If you ever meet in the evening, step outside to look at the stars when talking about Abraham's promise.
Cloud Gazing: Lie on the grass and talk about how God created the heavens.
Tying It All Together
These are metacognitive tips to ensure the activities feel integrated, not separate.
"Show and Tell" Time: At the end of the adult discussion, give the girls 2 minutes to show the adults what they made or drew.
The "Connecting Question": Your wife can ask them, "How does your drawing/craft show us something about our story today?"
Adult Participation: Encourage the other adults to occasionally join the girls' activity for a few minutes or to help them.
Use Their Creations as Visual Aids: If they build a tower of Babel, use it as the centerpiece while the adults discuss that story.
Start with Their Activity: Sometimes, let the children's activity introduce the topic for the adults.
Give Them a "Quiet Bag": A special tote bag for each girl with their Bible study notebook, crayons, and a few quiet toys that only comes out during this time.
Vary the Activities: Don't do crafts every single week. Rotate through the categories.
Let Them Choose: Offer two simple activity options and let the girls choose which one they want to do.
Integrate into Prayer: In the closing prayer, thank God for the girls and specifically mention what they created or did ("Thank you for the beautiful rainbow they painted that reminds us of your promise...").
Display Their Work: Have a dedicated bulletin board or wall space to display their creations week after week.
"Wondering" Questions: Your wife can use her teaching skills to ask open-ended questions like, "I wonder what it felt like to be in the boat with Jesus?"
Keep it Simple: The goal is engagement, not a Pinterest-perfect craft. The process is more important than the product.
Celebrate Their Contribution: Verbally praise them for their help, their ideas, and their presence.
Thematic Consistency: Ensure their activity, no matter what it is, clearly connects to the scripture the adults are studying.
Pray for Them: Most importantly, pray for the girls by name, that their time with you would plant seeds of faith that will grow throughout their lives.
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