Fruit of the Spirit Twist and Pull: A Preschool Bible School Activity to Memorize Gal 5:22
One of my favorite Bible verses has to be Galatians 5:22-23 which gives us the wonderful “Fruit of the Spirit”. This is because it was one of the first scripture songs I ever wrote. I love sharing this verse with children of all ages, but when I share it with preschoolers I tend to focus on the first 3 fruits of love, joy, and peace. Here is a fun Bible school activity to help your little ones learn the first part of this verse. I call it “Fruit of the Spirit Spin and Toss”.
This is what you do:
For this activity you will need to create 9 large circles that the children will launch. I created mine from the tops and bottoms of frozen juice cans. In 3 of the circles, attach a picture of a heart. In 3, attach a picture of a happy smile and in the last 3, attach a picture of a baby or child sleeping peacefully. You will also need a large container or bag into which the circles will be thrown. Finally, you’ll want to make a line on the floor with a piece of chalk or tape behind which the children will throw the circles.
This is how to play:
Choose a child to come to the front and stand behind the line. Before letting him drop the 9 circles into the bowl, spin him around slowly as he says the following Bible verse with a bit of rhythm. Emphasize the words I have underlined:
“But Fruit of the Spirit
It is lovejoy and peace…”
After the giggles, let the child drop the circles into the container one at a time. Count how many circles made it to the bucket by encouraging your little ones to count on you. Then point out what kind of “fruit” got into the bucket: love, joy, or peace. Showing each circle, you could say, “God wants us to love each other,” or “God wants us to be joyful,” or “God wants us to be peaceful.” After each child has had at least one turn. You may want to conclude your activity by handing out cups of fruit.
Before you play this Bible school activity, you may want to present it as follows:
Who can tell me their favorite fruit? (Wait for responses.) I am so glad that everyone likes fruit. Did you know that God also loves fruit? He does. He loves apples, oranges, and grapes just like you do, but he also loves a special kind of fruit called Fruit of the Spirit, like love, joy, and peace. When we have love, joy and peace in our lives, we will be sweet and “delicious” to everyone we meet, like a good fruit. Let’s play a fun game to help us remember the wonderful Fruit of God’s Spirit. It’s called “Fruit of the Spirit Spin and Pull”.
