Summary
- Practice finding and naming key Old Testament books.
- Review major sections (Law, History, Poetry, Prophets).
- Grow confidence flipping through the Old Testament quickly and joyfully.
Verse
Psalm 119:16 – “I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.”
Action idea:
Use this as your “heart check”: we don’t drill just to win, but to treasure God’s word.
Action idea:
- Delight” – big smile, hands on cheeks.
- “Decrees/your word” – open hands like a book.
- “Will not neglect” – shake head “no,” hug the “book.”
Use this as your “heart check”: we don’t drill just to win, but to treasure God’s word.
Movement: “Sections Corners”
Label 4 corners:
Call out a book; kids run to the correct section corner:
Once they’re there, they shout a simple phrase you’ve taught:
- Law (Genesis–Deuteronomy)
- History (Joshua–Esther)
- Poetry (Job–Song of Songs)
- Prophets (Isaiah–Malachi)
Call out a book; kids run to the correct section corner:
- “Exodus!” → Law
- “Ruth!” → History
- “Psalms!” → Poetry
- “Jeremiah!” → Prophets
Once they’re there, they shout a simple phrase you’ve taught:
- Law: “God’s teaching!”
- History: “God’s people’s story!”
- Poetry: “Songs and prayers!”
- Prophets: “Messages from God!”
Drill Block 1 – “Book Order Dash” (Law + History)
Focus on the first half of the OT.
1. On the board, write the Law books and first few History books in order.
2. Say them together several times.
3. GAME:
Optional:
1. On the board, write the Law books and first few History books in order.
2. Say them together several times.
3. GAME:
- Split into teams.
- Give each team a mixed set of cards: Genesis–Deuteronomy plus Joshua–2 Kings (or as many as you’ve already taught).
- On “Go,” teams race to line them up in order.
- When finished, everyone recites them together.
Optional:
- Run it twice—first for Law only, then add History.
Drill Block 2 – “Bible Flip Sprint – Old Testament”
Kids with Bibles in pairs or small groups.
Call out things in increasing difficulty:
First pair to stand quietly and show the page gets a point.
After each find, ask:
Call out things in increasing difficulty:
- “Find the first book of the Old Testament!” (Genesis)
- “Find the last book of the Old Testament!” (Malachi)
- “Find Psalms!”
- “Find Isaiah!”
First pair to stand quietly and show the page gets a point.
After each find, ask:
- “Is this in Law, History, Poetry, or Prophets?”
Short Teaching Pause – “Why Drill?”
One or two minutes:
- “We’re not doing this just to be fast; we’re doing it so that whenever you want to hear from God, you can actually find His words.
- “Hiding God’s word in our hearts includes knowing our way around His book.”
- Then repeat Psalm 119:16 together.
Drill Block 3 – “Section Relay”
Teams, each with a stack of mixed OT book cards.
Four baskets or taped areas labeled: Law, History, Poetry, Prophets:
Four baskets or taped areas labeled: Law, History, Poetry, Prophets:
- One runner at a time grabs a card, runs, and drops it in the basket they think is right.
- When all cards are sorted, pause and check them together, “fixing” any out of place.
- After correction, quickly chant each section’s books (or as many as your kids can handle) while pointing at that basket.
Small Groups: “My Old Testament Map”
Calmer segment to consolidate:
Each child gets a simple “Old Testament Map” sheet divided into 4 colored bands:
Leaders help them:
This becomes their take‑home reference from Drill Day.
Each child gets a simple “Old Testament Map” sheet divided into 4 colored bands:
- Top band: Law
- Next: History
- Next: Poetry
- Bottom: Prophets
Leaders help them:
- Write or paste a few representative books in each band (you choose based on what you’ve already covered: e.g., Genesis, Exodus; Joshua, Ruth; Psalms, Proverbs; Isaiah, Jonah, etc.).
- Draw one small icon per band (tablets for Law, crown or tent for History, harp for Poetry, megaphone for Prophets).
This becomes their take‑home reference from Drill Day.
Closer Game: “Stand / Sit Quick Fire”
Whole group, no Bibles needed:
Explain:
Call out:
End with one more round of Psalm 119:16 and a brief prayer thanking God for His word.
Explain:
- “Stand if it’s Old Testament, sit if it’s New Testament.”
- When they’re doing well, switch to: “Stand if it’s Poetry, sit if it’s not,” etc.
Call out:
- “Leviticus!”
- “1 Samuel!”
- “Proverbs!”
- “Micah!”
End with one more round of Psalm 119:16 and a brief prayer thanking God for His word.