Games are a commonly used activity included in lesson plans for Bahá’í children’s classes. They are usually energetic and full of movement, and, based on the childrens’ age, offer more or less structure, with rules and goals that must be well explained and understood by all players. Collaborative games are especially useful for Bahá’í children’s classes, as these help children to understand the importance of united, collective action in achieving goals.
birds of a feather
Participants exchange slips of paper with animal names written on them at “go”. Read the paper at “stop”. Make your animal’s noise at “action” and try and flock together with others making the same noise. The game’s original rules describe … Continue reading
fruit salad
Begin with all the children in a circle. The teacher stands in a circle and, one by one, points to each child in the circle and either asks the child to choose the name of a fruit or assigns one. … Continue reading
giving
This is a resource card game that helps children learn about economic justice, giving, and generosity. The main idea is that there are certain things in life that human beings need, and everyone should have access to those things. If someone … Continue reading
nature hunt
An outdoor “nature hunt”, similar to a scavenger hunt. Objective Children will be given a list of things that can be found in nature; as a group, they will be asked to find as many as they can. Some of … Continue reading
octopus
Another popular children’s game, also known as “Octopus tag”. One player, the “octopus”, starts in the middle of the playing field (the “ocean”), and the rest, the “fish”, are lined up against one wall. The fish try to cross the … Continue reading
simon says
Simon Says is a game for three or more players, where one player takes the role of “Simon” and issues commands to the other players, which should only be followed if prefaced with the phrase “Simon says”, for example “Simon says jump in the … Continue reading
the west wind blows
Begin with all the children in a circle, on chairs or cushions. Each round begins with the teacher, who is outside the circle, calling out the following phrase: “The west wind blows on everyone who…”, continuing by referring to some … Continue reading
virtue hunt
Strips of paper are hidden throughout the class, with different qualities written on each of them: some good, some bad. The participants must ignore the strips with “bad” qualities written on them, and bring back the ones with “good” qualities. … Continue reading
reverse scavenger hunt
Here’s a cooperative game we came up with to help our children think about helping to clean up around the house, in the context of a lesson on cleanliness. On a set of post-it notes, come up with a good … Continue reading
telephone
The classic game of “telephone” is a fun addition to any children’s class, and it can be played in many different ways. Gameplay is simple: The entire class should be sitting in a circle. One person is picked to choose … Continue reading
red light, green light
Red Light, Green Light is a popular children’s game played in different ways around the world. Here’s the way we play it. All players line up along one end of the playing field, and one person is chosen to be “it”. … Continue reading
sharing (the shark game)
“Imagine this whole room is a vast ocean. This square is a boat. When I count to three, the sharks come out—and everyone has to crowd onto the boat. If anyone falls off the boat, we all lose!” “The Shark … Continue reading
covenant relay
A relay race is a good way to help children understand how the Covenant operates, as it illustrates the idea of successorship—one person comes after another. If the classroom is too small for children to run around, this activity can … Continue reading