Sermon bingo!

Keeping children occupied during the sermon is always difficult.  In our "Let Us Pray" leaflet, we have a space available for children to draw a picture from today's lessons during the sermon, but this isn't always enough.  Some children aren't as artistically inclined as others, some days the Gospel may be more abstract than others, and sometimes the sermon just goes on too long for one simple picture to fill it up.

So yesterday a parishioner mentioned to me that she'd seen a letter in the Telegraph suggesting an alphabet game during the sermon - children listen out for an "A" word, then a "B" word, and so on, and write them down as they hear them.

I've changed this idea somewhat and added it to our "Let Us Pray" leaflet - now there's a gamecard for "Sermon Bingo" underneath the explanation of the Gospel reading.

The concept is simple - there are sixteen squares, in a 4 x 4 grid.  Each of them has a keyword on it.  Children listen out for those words and cross them off as they hear them.  If a child gets four in a row - horizontally, vertically or diagonally - they come see me after the service and I give them a prize (a sticker, a cheap toy, a sweet - I have these on hand as part of our resource cupboard).

The sixteen words and phrases I've chosen are listed below, but you can choose your own, and, if you're feeling REALLY ambitious, change them with the seasons.

This way, children can actively listen to the sermon, and pick up on key spiritual vocabulary at the same time.

GOD’S LOVE	PROMISE	PRAISE	IN OUR OWN LIVES
DIED FOR US	APOSTLE	TEACHING	BAPTISM
HELP	PRAYER	EASTER	CHRISTMAS
NEW TESTAMENT	OLD TESTAMENT	GOSPEL	PSALM