Holy Spirit games help children understand who the Holy Spirit is and how He works in the lives of believers. Through movement, puzzles, balloons, wind, drawing, Bible verses, and creative crafts, children can explore the Holy Spirit’s work in ways they can see, feel, remember, and discuss.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and plays a crucial role in the Christian faith. He appears in the very first verses of the Bible, where we read that the Spirit of God was present at the creation of the world. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we see the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of God's people, guiding, teaching, and empowering them to fulfill His purposes.
What Children Can Learn About the Holy Spirit
Jesus spoke often about the Holy Spirit and the important role He would play in the lives of believers. He promised that the Spirit would come and empower them to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, empowering them to speak in tongues and to proclaim the Gospel boldly.
As children's workers, it is important to help kids understand who the Holy Spirit is, what He does, and how He works in us. With interactive activities, Bible study, and other resources, you can help kids explore the nature of the Holy Spirit, understand His role in the Trinity, and learn how He guides and empowers believers to fulfill God's purposes.
- The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity.
- The Holy Spirit teaches and reminds believers of what Jesus said.
- The Holy Spirit guides people into truth.
- The Holy Spirit gives courage and power to tell others about Jesus.
- The Holy Spirit gives peace, joy, hope, and strength.
- The Holy Spirit helps believers make right decisions.
- The Holy Spirit is unseen, but His work can be recognized by its effects.
- The Holy Spirit helps believers produce the fruit of the Spirit.
Holy Spirit Balloon Game and Object Lesson
A balloon activity gives children a clear picture of what it means to be “filled with the Holy Spirit.” A person who is not filled with the Holy Spirit is like a deflated balloon: lifeless, limp and not much fun.
Needed: a print out of the Bible verses, four large balloons, and enough space for children to move safely. Ahead of time you will slip the verses into the balloons. As they are inflated and tied you talk about being "filled with the Holy Spirit." Then four kids will race to pop the balloons and find the notes inside.
Print out the Bible verses, cut out the pieces, and fold and roll them up as small as you can. Narrow rolls are better than folded squares. Insert each paper through the neck of a balloon until it falls inside, and then inflate and tie the balloon.
Four children can race to pop the balloons and find the notes inside. In the order that they are popped, have the children read the verse and then explain how the Holy Spirit helps us.
Balloon Popping
Let all the children blow up a balloon and see who can POP the balloon first, after the teacher says GO!
Balloon-Filled Room
The teacher will have many balloons already blown up and in a separate room or designated area. When the teacher says GO, the children can begin stomping on all the balloons until all the balloons have been popped.
Make sure the other classrooms in the church have been alerted that the balloon popping will occur during classtime!
Bible Verse Balloons
Place one word from the Bible verse in separate balloons. Let children pop a balloon and when all the little pieces of paper with Bible verse words are popped out of all the balloons, the children will tape or glue the words IN ORDER on a poster board with a large balloon tracing on the board.
Let the children color the big balloon after the Bible verse has been glued in order.
Balloon Air Fun
As the teacher tells the story, let the children blow short breaths of air into their balloon and talk about being FILLED with the Holy Spirit. Then tell children that if we aren't FILLED with the Holy Spirit, then we'll be LIFELESS and let the balloons fly around the room until they all land on the floor without the air in them!
Balloon Snacks
Lead the children to a designated area or have a garbage bag filled with balloons that have a piece of candy inside. Each child will get a balloon and burst it to retrieve the candy!
Wind and Paper Toss: An Unseen Power Game
This game uses movement and experience to teach about the Holy Spirit. It helps make an unseen reality easier to understand and talk about.
The game focuses on the idea that we cannot see the Holy Spirit, but we can see what the Spirit does. Youth will feel the wind from the fan and watch how it moves the paper. This gives them a clear image. It helps them begin to understand how God is present even when we cannot see Him.
Time: 10-15 minutes
Best for: elementary to middle school
Setting: indoor, open room with outlet for fan
Scripture connection: John 3:8 - The Spirit like the wind
Materials: paper, waste basket, fan
Group size: 5-20 players
Energy level: moderate
How to Play
Give each person three pieces of paper. Have them crumple the paper into balls. Place a waste basket a short distance away. Set up a fan so it blows between the players and the basket.
Turn the fan to a strong setting so it affects the throw. Let each person take turns throwing their paper into the basket. The player with the most baskets wins. If needed, have a short playoff.
If it is too easy, move players farther away. If it is too hard, lower the fan speed. Make sure players have enough space and the fan is placed securely.
A strong fan works best. It should blow hard enough to move the paper in the air. If the fan is too weak, the game will not work as well.
You can try it outside, but only if it is not too windy. A steady breeze can work like a fan. Just be sure the paper does not blow too far away.
Faith Connection
It also brings to mind Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in John 3. He said the Spirit is like the wind. You don’t see where it comes from or where it goes. But you know it is there because of what it does.
The wind in the game makes it hard to aim. It changes the paper’s path. That’s just like the Spirit in our lives. The Spirit moves us in ways we might not expect.
Read John 3:8: “The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Reflection Questions
- Could you see the wind from the fan?
- How did you know the wind was there?
- What did the wind do to your paper?
- On a windy day, what do you notice?
- How do we see the effects of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
Give youth time to answer. Help them connect their experience in the game to their faith. Keep the focus on noticing and understanding, not just getting the right answer.
This game also connects well with Pentecost. In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came like a strong wind. The apostles were filled with courage and went out to share the message of Jesus. The wind in this game helps youth imagine that moment. It gives them something they can feel and remember.
The Holy Spirit Is Like the Wind: Kite Activity
A kite shows how something unseen can still guide and move us. It works well outdoors and is especially good for younger or mixed-age groups.
Time: 45-60 minutes
Best for: elementary, Grades 3-5
Setting: outdoor
Scripture connection: John 3:8 and Acts 2:2-4
Teaching tie-in: Holy Spirit, guidance, listening to God, Pentecost
Materials: Bible, kites, string or kite line, optional markers or stickers
The Holy Spirit Is Like the Wind kite activity goes well with the Paper Toss Holy Spirit game. Both activities help youth understand that we cannot see the Holy Spirit, but we can feel the effects.
The kite activity gives a bigger outdoor example of how the wind moves and pulls. It helps young people see how the Spirit might guide their lives in different ways.
“Help Me Find Him” Bible Lesson and Puzzle Game
This activity is designed for children in 1st through 6th grade and takes 45-60 minutes. Through a review game, a Bible lesson game, and an art project, students will learn how to identify the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives.
Bible story: “Help Me Find Him”
Scriptures: multiple references about the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives
Target age group: 1st-6th grade
Time: 45-60 minutes
Preparation
Prior to class, cut out pieces of construction paper into rectangular pieces. Mine were 6”w x 2”h. Cut through the middle with a puzzle design. You now have a matching puzzle.
On the left side, write the question. On the right side, write its corresponding answer or verse. Continue to make individual puzzles of two pieces each, making certain that each cut is different.
Hide the puzzle pieces around your space before children arrive. Estimate one for each child. Turn lights off and distribute flashlights if you have them available. Vary the difficulty of hiding spots according to the age of the students involved.
Instructions
Before the game begins, say: We’re learning more about the Holy Spirit every day, but He still is a mystery. Let’s try to hunt for clues to decipher what He does. I’ve hidden questions and answers around our space. Your job is to be a detective and find them! Everyone here needs to find one puzzle piece. Once you find that piece, find a friend who has its match. Read your question and answer together. Try to figure it out so that you can help the rest of us understand.
Have children search for the puzzle pieces. Once children find a puzzle piece, have them find someone with their match. Once a match is found, have the students sit and read their puzzle pieces to try to figure out the meanings.
After all matches have been found, have the students bring up the puzzle pieces one by one and read them. If students are confident readers, they can do so. If not, read for them. Post them on the blackboard or whiteboard and briefly explain verses as necessary.
After the game, say: You’ve found the puzzles, now let’s figure them out! As each group reads their question and answer, listen for what the Holy Spirit does. You may hear the Holy Spirit teaching, comforting, guiding, and giving you joy. Help me find Him!
Once the students figure out what the Holy Spirit does, have the students collectively say, “That’s Him!”
Question and Answer Puzzle Pieces
| Question | Bible answer |
|---|---|
| How can we learn more about God? | “…The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26 |
| How will we know what to say? | “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” Luke 12:11-13 |
| Jesus left us with a gift. What was it? | “If then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13 |
| How can we know the way to go? | “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide us into all truth.” John 16:13 |
| How can we tell others about God? | “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 |
| How can we have peace in this world? | “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 |
| How do we tell others about Jesus? | “My message and preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” 1 Corinthians 2:4 |
| Where does joy and peace come from? | “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 |
| Does hope in God disappoint us? | “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:5 |
| How can my faith grow stronger? | “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Ephesians 3:16 |
Building on Our Foundation Review Game
Use this activity in conjunction with the first two Holy Spirit lessons as a review. You will need any type of building block. Big blocks can be used, but random recyclables such as cereal boxes and mailing packages can also work.
Read the following fill-in-the-blank statements to your students. Have students raise their hands if they know the answer. If they can complete the statement with the correct word, they get a block for building. Award students one block for every fill-in-the-blank statement they complete.
- The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity of God. There are three parts: The Father, _________, and the Holy Spirit. The answer is The Son Jesus.
- Sometimes, we compare the Trinity to an ________. The answer is egg.
- We get the Holy Spirit by ________________ of our sins. The answer is repenting.
- If we have accepted what Jesus has done for us on the cross, the Holy Spirit makes His home in _________. The answer is us.
- When the Holy Spirit is part of our lives, He gives us courage to tell about Jesus, teaches us, gives us peace, and convicts the world of guilt.
- The fruit of the Spirit is _________, joy, _________, patience, __________, goodness, gentleness, ____________, and self-control. The answers are love, peace, kindness, and faithfulness.
- We can actually make the Holy Spirit __________ by making wrong choices for our lives. The answer is sad.
- Luke 10:27 says to love the Lord your God with all your _________, with all your soul, with all your ___________, and with all your mind. The answers are heart and strength.
- When we love God the way He asks us to, we also end up loving our _____________ as ourselves. The answer is neighbors.
- The church is not a building that we go to on Sunday mornings. It is a group of believers, who each have the _______ _________ in their lives. The answer is Holy Spirit.
Now look at our house! We started with one brick and now we’ve got quite a building! Is our building perfect? Absolutely not! But together, we are definitely stronger than we could ever be on our own!
This reminds me of a verse from our last lesson: Ephesians 2:21-22, “In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”
Holy Spirit Symbols Pictionary Game
Engage your students with a review of Holy Spirit symbols by playing a Holy Spirit-filled game that works like Pictionary. An understanding of the symbols of the Holy Spirit are important because it is God’s power in action.
The Holy Spirit is the active force to help us act like Jesus. The symbols used in this Holy Spirit game come from a list of symbols that can be gleaned from a review of Scripture.
For Lower Elementary Students
Make yourself the full-time drawer. Divide the class into two teams. Draw a symbol from the set above on the whiteboard. Concentrate on doing the first five because they are the most familiar.
The first person to guess the symbols wins a point for their team. If your teams are big, only let one person from each team be guessing.
For Upper Elementary Students
Write the words on slips of paper. Randomly pick someone to be the first drawer. The drawer pulls a slip of paper and draws that symbol on the whiteboard.
The first person to guess the symbol gets to be the next drawer.
Stained Glass Art
Stained glass windows have been around for thousands of years. They have mostly been used to decorate churches. Sometimes stained glass windows tell a story about people from the Bible. Sometimes a lot of windows work together to tell about the days of creation, the life of Christ, or the early church.
Today we shined light on some of the things that the Holy Spirit does in our lives. We learned that we can find Him teaching us, giving us words to say, helping us make right decisions, giving us joy, peace, and hope, and making us stronger.
If you were to make a stained glass window that described the Holy Spirit, what would it look like? It may have a heart, a dove as a symbol for peace, words such as hope, love, and joy, or maybe a person as the Holy Spirit’s home. You choose!
Supplies
- Pictures of stained glass windows
- Construction paper cutouts of a typical stained glass window frame
- Multi-colored pieces of tissue paper cut into ½”-1” squares
- Small containers for the tissue paper
- Clear contact paper squares big enough for the window cutouts
- Scissors
- A finished example
Instructions
Distribute construction paper cutouts. Fold in half. Make a parallel cut one inch inside to create the frame for the window.
Open the window and place it on the contact paper. Sticky side up, place the squares of tissue paper inside the window on the contact paper, in whatever design the student chooses.
When the window is filled with tissue paper and the design is complete, place a second piece of contact paper over the whole thing. Press it carefully, watching out for air bubbles.
Cut off the remaining contact paper, leaving some extra along the edges of the window to help it adhere better. You’re done! Hang up in a window and watch the light shine through!
Windows can be used for decoration in the classroom or brought home for the students to remind them of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives.
Craft Stick Church
Give each child enough craft sticks and glue to build a church. The children can pretend to BLOW air into the church as the HOLY SPIRIT breathed life into the church on Pentecost.
Display the churches on a table and ask the children to pray for all the churches in our country to be FILLED with the Holy Spirit.
Chalkboard Testimonies
Let the children use various colors of chalk to write their names on the board as ones who want to tell OTHERS about Jesus.
Tell children to draw their names inside a picture of a balloon that they draw with their chalk and attach all the balloons with strings to a LARGE CHURCH drawing in the middle of the chalk board.
Unscramble Word Fun
Give the children separate words in envelopes provided by the teacher. The words will say BE ALL THAT GOD WANTS ME TO BE.
The children will tape or glue the words in order on a piece of construction paper with a drawing of a balloon on it. After they have taped or glued all of the words on the balloon drawing, they will cut out the balloon and add a curly ribbon to the balloon.
Let the children hang their balloons around the room.
Pillowcase Art
Give each child a pillowcase and fabric pens to write BE ALL THAT GOD WANTS ME TO BE on the pillow case.
They will then decorate the rest of the pillow case with balloons to remind children of the Holy Spirit in their lives and to remember today's Bible lesson.
Remember to send a note home with the children for parents to soak the pillowcases in cold salt water to set the paints, before washing.
Bonfire Lesson
Older children might enjoy their Bible lesson today around a small bonfire. As they take turns BLOWING AIR into the fire, they'll see the fire "come to life" and the teacher can share our lesson today on the Holy Spirit.
Additional Holy Spirit Games and Activities
What’s on My Head?
In this no-prep, no-supply game, kids play a version of Charades as they explore the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This game helps kids explore Acts 1:6-14 and Acts 2:1-12 with the Bible point: Jesus passes on his power.
Say: Jesus is powerful, and he shares his power through the Holy Spirit. In today’s Bible story, the Holy Spirit came with so much power that people had flames that looked like tongues of fire on their heads. That must have looked so strange! Let’s see if we can figure out what’s on each other’s heads in this game called What’s on My Head?
Invite a willing child to be the first Actor. Whisper one of the items from the list below to the Actor. The Actor will put their hands above their head and use only their hands to act out that item. No sounds or speaking!
Other kids will guess what’s on the Actor’s head. The first child to guess correctly can be the next Actor. If kids would prefer not to act, they can invite someone else instead.
If no one guesses in about a minute, the Actor can announce the answer and invite the next willing Actor. Let the game keep going as long as needed to fill time until parents begin to arrive.
- A chomping alligator
- A flame
- A lollipop
- A bird
- Rain
- Spaghetti
- A lightbulb
- A fish
- A roof
- A spider
- A hat
- A hamburger
If you run out of items on the list, add your own or let kids make things up.
Holy Spirit Game Formats
Simple games with clear faith connections are easy to lead and adapt. They can be used as openers, transitions, or main teaching moments.
This game works well in youth group, religious education classes, vacation Bible school, or confirmation preparation. It fits especially well in lessons about the Holy Spirit or Pentecost.
You can also use it as an opening activity to get attention or as a transition into a Scripture reading. The movement helps wake up the group. The reflection helps them slow down and think.
Games like this help youth connect movement, fun, and learning. Catechists can use these moments to open the door to deeper conversations about God.
Adding games to your lesson plans can help reach different learning styles. Some youth learn best by listening, while others learn by doing. A mix of both helps more young people stay engaged.
Holy Spirit Songs
- “Spirit of the Living God”
- “Breathe on Me, Breath of God”
Additional Activities for a Holy Spirit Lesson
- Answers Without Speaking: Children learn that God can answer our prayers without speaking.
- Guide Me: One child draws an object only from verbal instructions given by another child. This activity shows how reading and studying the Bible can help us understand the Will of God.
- Holy Balloon: A person who is not filled with the Holy Spirit is like a deflated balloon: lifeless, limp and not much fun.
- Lunch Sack Surprise: The children will participate in an activity concerning the contents of our hearts.
- My Fruit: This activity will show that each of us is known by the type of fruit that we produce.
- Power Source: There are many different sources of power in the world today; what is your power source?
- Spiritual Pruning: An activity to teach children that God prunes us and cuts things out of our lives so that our lives will produce more fruit for Him.
- Teach Me! The children will practice teaching their peers a learned skill.
- What Can I Hear? An activity to show that we hear many things with our ears, but we can also hear the voice of God when we listen with our hearts.
Holy Spirit Crafts, Games, Lessons, and Object Talks
Crafts
- Tongues of Fire: The children create a craft to learn about the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost.
Games
- Bible Superheroes: The children will race to dress as superheroes while carrying a Bible.
- Guided in Truth: In this free Sunday school game, children have fun trying to duplicate a pattern of blocks hearing only verbal commands. The unseen Holy Spirit guides us in truth, if only we listen.
- Inside-Out Race: The children will turn clothing items inside-out while learning to obey the Holy Spirit.
- Listen Carefully: Can you recognize the voice of God? A fun game to see how well you can listen for the master’s voice and know the Will of God.
- Pop the Fruit: This noisy and lively game will help the children learn the nine attributes of the Fruit of the Spirit.
- Voice of God: A game that shows how we can have confidence that God is talking to us through His Scriptures.
Lessons
- Abba: God is Abba and He desires a close relationship with us.
- Fruit of the Spirit: This lesson series teaches children the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit and how to apply them to their lives.
- Holy Spirit: A five-week lesson series on the Holy Spirit.
- Pentecost: The promised Holy Spirit came at Pentecost.
- The Inspired Word of God: After completing this Sunday school lesson, the children will learn that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.
- The Lord Calls Samuel: Children will discover that by listening carefully, they can hear the voice of God through the Holy Spirit.
- We Can Obey Jesus: After completing this lesson, the children will learn that we can obey Jesus, because He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us recognize the truth.
- Who Is the Holy Spirit: After completing this lesson, the children will have a better understanding of the three persons of God, the Trinity, and specifically the third person of God, the Holy Spirit, or the Holy Ghost.
Object Talks
- A Heart for Jesus: The Holy Spirit can reach our heart no matter how much we may have sinned.
- Bear Good Fruit: The children will identify godly people from ungodly people by the type of fruit each group bears.
- Can You Do a 180? Children will have fun learning about the phrase “180” and how it applies to our relationship with God.
- Empowered: Using the proper tools empowers us both physically and spiritually.
- Fan the Flame: We should have a burning passion to let others see Jesus alive in us, but sometimes we need to fan the flame.
- God’s Forgiveness: This Object Talk demonstrates the power of God's forgiveness of our sins through Christ, and how the Holy Spirit can melt away the barriers that keeps us from Him.
- Holy Spirit Power: With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do great things for the kingdom of God, but without it we are powerless.
- Life’s Filter: The world around us may be polluted, but God gives us the means to remove these impurities.
- Never Runs Out: The power of the Holy Spirit is an everlasting gift that never runs out.
- Soar for God: When we have faith and follow the Holy Spirit, we will soar as high as a kite for God.
- Wash Away Sin: No matter how much we have sinned, Jesus can wash all our sins away.
- What Can I Hear? If we listen carefully we can hear God's small still voice in a big way.
Puzzles
- A Promised Helper: The children will complete a word search that teaches about Jesus’ promised helper.
- Pentecost Word Scramble: The children will unscramble the words pertaining to Pentecost found in Acts 2.
- The Holy Spirit Crossword: The children will complete a puzzle to learn about the Holy Spirit.
Suggested Lesson Structure
A Holy Spirit lesson can combine an active game, a Bible activity, reflection, and a creative response. The following sequence uses the activities above without requiring every activity in one class.
- Begin with Balloon Air Fun or Paper Toss to introduce the idea of an unseen power that can be felt through its effects.
- Read John 3:8 and discuss how the wind helps children imagine the Holy Spirit.
- Use “Help Me Find Him” to help children identify the Holy Spirit’s work in Scripture.
- Review the Trinity, the fruit of the Spirit, and the ways the Holy Spirit teaches, guides, comforts, strengthens, and gives courage.
- Choose one creative response, such as Stained Glass Art, Craft Stick Church, Chalkboard Testimonies, or Pillowcase Art.
- Finish with “Spirit of the Living God” or “Breathe on Me, Breath of God.”
Some youth learn best by listening, while others learn by doing. A mix of both helps more young people stay engaged. Over time, these experiences help youth grow in understanding and in their relationship with God.