Week 23 – New Testament Drill Day

Summary
Verse
Movement
Lesson
Small Groups
Closer Game

Summary

  • Practice finding and naming New Testament books in order.
  • Review main New Testament sections (Gospels, Acts, Letters, Revelation).
  • Build speed and confidence flipping through the NT, remembering it’s about Jesus and His church.

Verse

Hebrews 4:12a – “For the word of God is alive and active.”

Action idea:
  • “Word of God” – open hands like a book.
  • “Alive” – hands over heart, then big step forward.
  • “Active” – quick running-in-place.

Movement: “Section Corners”

Label 4 corners:
  • Gospels (Matthew–John)
  • Acts
  • Letters/Epistles (Romans–Jude)
  • Revelation

Call out books; kids run to the right corner:
  • “Luke!” → Gospels
  • “Acts!” → Acts
  • “Philippians!” → Letters
  • “Revelation!” → Revelation

At each corner, they shout a phrase:
  • Gospels: “Stories of Jesus!”
  • Acts: “Church begins!”
  • Letters: “Help the churches!”
  • Revelation: “Jesus wins!”

Drill Block 1 – “NT Order Dash (First Half)”

Start with the first 9 NT books:
  • Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, Galatians.

1. Write them in order on the board and say them together a few times.
2. Team game:
  • Give each team those 9 book cards, shuffled.
  • Race to line them up in correct order.
  • When finished, everyone chants them together.
3. Repeat later with the next set (Ephesians–Revelation) if your group is ready.

Drill Block 2 – “Bible Flip Sprint – New Testament”

Kids with Bibles in pairs.

Call out:
  • “Find the first book of the New Testament!” (Matthew)
  • “Find Acts!”
  • “Find Romans!”
  • “Find the last book of the New Testament!” (Revelation)

First pair to stand quietly with a finger on the page gets a point.
Ask each time: “Is this Gospels, Acts, Letters, or Revelation?

Short Teaching Pause – “What’s the New Testament About?”

One–two minutes, big-picture:
  • “The New Testament has 27 books about Jesus and His followers.”
  • Gospels – Jesus’ life, death, resurrection.
  • Acts – how the church began.
  • Letters – how to follow Jesus as His people.
  • Revelation – how the story ends with Jesus as King.

Connect to Hebrews 4:12:
  • “These words are alive and active because Jesus is alive.”

Drill Block 3 – “Mail Sort Relay (Letters Only)”

Focus on the epistles.

Three areas on the floor:
  • “Paul’s Letters” (Romans–Philemon)
  • “Other Letters” (Hebrews–Jude)
  • “Not a Letter” (Gospels, Acts, Revelation)

Give teams a mixed stack of NT book cards:
  • One runner at a time places a card in a zone.
  • At the end, correct them together, briefly noting that letters were written to churches and believers.

Small Groups: “My New Testament Map”

Quiet consolidation:
Each child gets a simple NT map divided into four sections:
  • Gospels
  • Acts
  • Paul’s Letters
  • Other Letters + Revelation

Leaders help them:
  • Write a few key book names in each section (e.g., Matthew, John; Acts; Romans, Philippians; James, 1 John, Revelation).
  • Add small icons: cross for Gospels, flame/people for Acts, envelope for Letters, crown for Revelation.
  • This pairs well with your OT map from the other drill day.

Closer Game: “Stand / Sit Quick Fire – NT Edition”

Whole group:

Round 1:
  • Stand for Gospels, sit for not Gospels as you call books.

Round 2:
  • Stand for Letters, sit for not Letters.

Mix in:
  • “Matthew!”
  • “Acts!”
  • “1 Thessalonians!”
  • “Jude!”
  • “Revelation!”

Close by reciting Hebrews 4:12 once more and thanking God that His New Testament word is still alive and active today.