5 Super Messy Games for Your Children’s Ministry

If you’re in children’s ministry, you can’t be afraid to get messy and play messy games. From slime fights to shaving cream wars, I’ve seen my fair share of mess in the name of ministry. With the nice spring weather, plan a day for your kids to get outside, have some messy fun, and learn about God in the process. Have parents bring old clothes they don’t mind getting dirty, because here are five messy games for your ministry.

5 Super Messy Games for Your Children’s Ministry

1. Paint Twister

Grab a few Twister games from a thrift shop (or make your own by drawing dots on a tarp) and buy some washable paint to put on the dots. This colorful version of the classic body-twisting game is loads of fun. I love the idea of connecting the paint to sin. When it’s time to wash off with a hose and some soap, remind kids the water represents Jesus’ forgiveness for us. Use 1 Corinthians 6:11 or Psalm 51:2 as the Bible verse.

2. “Snowball” Toss Game

This fun game by Mari Hernandez-Tuten looks like a blast. With simple materials: shaving cream, Styrofoam balls, and shower caps, players try to get “snowballs” to stick on top of other players’ heads. I can see many applications with this. If you first have kids try to play without the shaving cream, the “snowballs” will roll right off their heads. Adding the shaving cream will help the “snowballs” stick. Then you can tie it into how we need to stick close to God, or how we can do things with God that we couldn’t before, or even how we should keep God’s word in our minds.

3. Messy Play

How fun does this look!? Make, Do, and Friend created this messy concoction out of water beads and goop (starch and water). In our field tests, kids absolutely love water beads (we call them Silly Spheres around here). Mixing them with goop apparently creates a brittle material. Let kids play with it, then after it solidifies compare it to a real, hard rock. You can show that what the world has to offer breaks under pressure, but what God offers us last forever.

4. Slip and Slide

I’ve always wished for a birthday party like this kid had. I’m not even talking about when I was a kid, I mean I hope someone plans this for my next birthday! This mom pulled out all the stops and had one messy party. At one point, all she needed was a trampoline and shaving cream to create a slippery floor kids loves to try to stand on. Try it out yourself (with a tarp if you don’t have a trampoline). You can have a discussion with older kids about how we can stand strong for God and talk about what things makes us slip in fall in our faith.

5. Anger Bubbles

This bubble-blowing contest is a game younger kids will love. Refer to James 1:19 as the Scripture to help kids will learn how blowing bubbles relates to how we control our anger.

Do you have any messy games you want to share? Tell us all about it using the comment section below!

Looking for more ministry games? Check out these ideas!