Elementary + Preteen Activity: Holy Spirit Power Experiment

Teach kids about the power of the Holy Spirit through the story of Nicodemus and this fun hands-on experiment.

Cook’s Eye View: Kids will have “tasty” fun with this experiment where they first taste plain soda water and later add a white grape juice to create a delicious bubbly drink. This activity, coupled with the story of Nicodemus, teaches kids what it means to be “born of water and the Spirit.”

You’ll Need:

• Bible
• bottles of soda water
• white grape juice
• cups

Gettin’ Ready: Place all the ingredients on a table that the kids can gather around.

Elementary + Preteen Activity: Holy Spirit Power Experiment

Ask:

• What are the differences between a newborn baby and someone your age?

Say: It’s easy to see the differences between newborn babies and those who are older. But there are other things you can’t tell about people just by looking at them.

Ask:

• When you look at someone’s outer appearance, how can you tell whether he or she is nice or mean? How about whether a person is hungry or thirsty?

Say: In the same way, we can’t really tell if a person is a Christian just by looking at his or her outer appearance. In the Bible, there was a man named Nicodemus who didn’t understand one of Jesus’ stories because he was thinking about a person’s outside appearance only. Listen as I read the story to you.

Read aloud John 3:1-7. Ask:

• What did Nicodemus think Jesus meant when he talked about a man being “born again”?

Say: Jesus was talking about the inside of a person. Jesus meant that our souls, or the part of us that makes us who we are, are “born again” when we receive the Holy Spirit. Let’s do an experiment to demonstrate how this works.

Let’s let this water represent a person who doesn’t know about God.

Pour about one-third cup of soda water for each child, and have them take a small drink. Ask:

• What does the water taste like?
• How do you think people who don’t have God in their hearts might be kind of like this water?

Say: Let’s let this white grape juice represent the Holy Spirit.

Mix about as much juice in the kid’s cups as they have water, and have them taste it.

Say: The sweet juice helps the drink taste much better and sweeter. Even though it looks the same as it did before, the drink is different on the inside. That’s why Nicodemus didn’t fully understand what it meant for a man to be “born again.” He was thinking about the outside of a person and not the inside.

Experiment Debrief

As kids finish their drinks, ask:

• How is being “born again” like what we did to the plain water?
• Why can’t we tell by looking at another person if he or she has received the Holy Spirit and been “born again”?
• What things does a person who has been “born again” do?
• How would you define “born again” in your own words?
• How can a person receive the Holy Spirit and be “born again”?
• Can people tell by looking at you that you have the Holy Spirit in your heart?
• If they watch you for several days, what would they be able to learn about you?
• How are your actions and attitudes different from those of a person who isn’t a Christian?

Look for people showing they have the Holy Spirit in their hearts. As you see them doing kind things for you or others, thank them.

Looking for more hands-on Bible activities? Check out Group’s Friends With God Bible Lessons (New Testament). You can also check out these posts!