Time
10-15 minutes
Description
This game is a bit of a “Knock, Knock” joke about Peter’s situation when he was released from prison by an angel. Even though the believers had prayed for a miracle, they didn’t really believe one would happen and were surprised when he showed up at their prayer meeting. Children will sit in a circle and try to say the right thing when it becomes their turn. If they say the wrong thing or hesitate, they are out.
Scriptures
- Acts 12:12-17
Materials
- Bible
Preparation
- Select a space to play the game.
- Practice the script.
Procedure
Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):
- “Peter was once locked in prison by King Herod, but an angel came during the night and released him in a miraculous way.”
- “All the Christian believers had been praying together for him, but they were totally surprised when he knocked at their door.”
- “Let’s read about it.” (Have volunteer read Acts 12:12-17.)
- “That’s pretty funny, huh?”
- “They were praying for a miracle, but they didn’t believe it when it happened!”
- “Let’s play a game about this story.”
- “Everyone sit in a circle.” (Have children arrange themselves in a circle.)
- “I’m going to pick someone to start, and that person will say, ‘Knock, knock’ to the person on their right.”
- “The second person will say, ‘Who’s there?’ and the first person will respond, ‘It’s Peter?’” (You might want to practice this much so that they don’t get confused.)
- “Then, the second person will turn to the person on their right and say, ‘It’s Peter!’”
- “The third person will then deny that it’s Peter to the person on their right.”
- “For example, person #3 could turn to person #4 and say, ‘No it’s not!’”
- “Then the forth person and everyone after them has to turn to the person on their right and deny that it’s Peter in a different way.”
- “For example, person #4 could turn to person #5 and say, ‘That’s impossible!’”
- “And person #5 might turn to person #6 and say, ‘Unbelievable!’”
- “And person #6 might turn to person #7 and say, ‘You’re making that up!’” (You might want to practice this once so that they get the idea.)
- “This continues all the way around until even ‘Peter’ (the first person) denies that it’s him!!!”
- “This starts a new round, and person #2 (who said ‘Who’s there?’ in the first round) now becomes Peter and turns to the person on their right to say, ‘Knock, knock.’”
- “This continues until someone hesitates, says the wrong thing or uses the same denial someone else used in the same round. If they do, that person is out.”
- “The game is over when there are only two people left.”
- “Does anyone have any questions?” (Answer questions, and then start the game. Play several rounds, starting with different people each time. Then ask the Debrief Questions below.)
Debrief Questions
- Would you have believed it was Peter at the door? Why or why not?
- Why was it so hard for the “believers” to believe in this situation?
- Have you ever prayed for something and been surprised when God gave you what you asked for? What happened?
Teach Them 