Acting and Drama Activities

Get kids up and moving with a quick skit. Kinesthetic and extroverted learners really benefit from putting themselves in the characters' shoes.

Act it Out	Have students act out parts in the story. Narration can be done by you, one student, or as choral reading. You don't need lots of props or costumes, and you don't have to do the entire story. One scene done with one prop can have a great impact.
Broadcast it	Do a "TV news" broadcast of a Biblical event with interviews of witnesses, etc. Variation: publish a newspaper covering events in your lesson.
Charades	Play charades with Biblical characters or scenes as the subject.   Guesstures: Bible Edition A challenging version of split-second Bible charades, this fast-action game requires quick thinking! Describe words found in the Bible for your teammates using just gestures. But hurry! After a few seconds, the timer makes the word card disappear! Four or more players, ages 8 and up.
Walk a Mile in their Shoes	Blindfold a student, hand them an object from a bag you've prepared before. See if they can identify it. Give each student a turn. Then discuss what it was like for those Jesus healed.
Biography	Do a "This is Your Life" segment on a character.
Following Orders	Follow the Leader and Simon Says can teach students about discipleship and obeying God. Variation: have students follow your directions as you say, for example, 1) all students wearing blue stand up, 2) all students with brown eyes, clap your hands, 3) everyone whose name has an S in it, jump up and down, 4) if you have a dog, raise your hand; etc.
Dolls	Bring action figures or dolls to class with robes to simulate Bible characters. Have the students act out the story with the dolls either while you tell it or afterwards as a review.
Puppets	Puppets can act out a story and interact with the students.
Hand Motion Stories (Fingerplays)	Make up simple verses with hand motions to summarize a story. See examples: Noah, Garden of Eden, Tower of Babel and Jesus blesses the children!
Skits	Tanis Harms has a web site at http://www.church-skits.com/ with skits arranged by topic and scripture. She even takes requests!

Available from Christian Book Distributor

Nifty, Thrifty, No-Sew Costumes and Props By Carol Ann Bloom / Social Studies School Service Enhance the power of play with no-sew costumes and props for more fun-filled and meaningful play experiences. Complete directions and illustrations show you how to create a full array of characters, animals, and creatures quickly and easily. Special costume stories suggest how to incorporate costumes into everyday play and school situations. Thirty-two costumes are shown in full color. 208 pages.