Rotation.org Writing Team
Fruit of the Spirit
Bible Games Workshop Lesson
Summary of Activities
Students will play a fun Fruit of the Spirit board game with a variety of challenges that will help them remember and understand the Fruit of the Spirit and the importance of sharing fruit with others.
This game will work best if students have already had a previous lesson on the Fruits. See adaptations for more adjustments.
Scripture for the Lesson
"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,* faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (NRSV)
* "generosity" or "goodness" See the Bible Background for an explanation and to learn more about Paul's word choice here.
Lesson Objectives
See the Bible Background at Rotation.org for insights and this set's complete list of objectives.
Advance Preparation and Supply List
- Read the Bible Background and scripture.
- Preview the Fruit of the Spirit scripture video by LifeKids, available on YouTube. Decide if you want to use it or substitute a simple introduction and Bible reading of the passage. Note: Other lessons in this set may also be using this scripture video, so be sure to check with other teachers. (Though watching a video multiple times is a good learning tool!)
- If using the video, prepare to show it in your classroom. If your classroom doesn't have wired or Wi-Fi Internet access, you can use your cellphone's Internet connection to access YouTube (learn how here) and play videos on a larger screen (learn how to do that here).
- Print the Game Cards and read through them so that you are familiar with them. This will help you be able to choose a card based on the levels/ages of the children on the team if you need to differentiate. Tip: Print these cards on card stock.
- Print the Fruit Definitions Chart as a handy teaching reference. It is based on the Bible Background and was used to create the cards in the board game.
- Create a game board. Either print an enlarged version of the attached game board or use it as a guide to creating your own LARGER version using colored paper squares. See the Game Board Setup and Notes below for more tips.
Make a single six-sided die out of a small square box (approximately 6"x6"). The DIE will only have the numbers 1,2,3 on it: two #1's, two #2's, one #3, and "Lose Turn" on the sixth side. (The reason for not using 4, 5, or 6 is to keep teams close together and not moving too fast across the board. Pictured is one die with all its sides shown as a reference.)- Purchase and label plastic toy fruit for the Fruit Order Game. See the Endnotes for how to label your fruit. Also, see the Endnotes for an alternative to purchased fruit.
- Game markers, appropriately sized for your game board (one per team of two to four students). Small toys or action figures work great!
- A one-minute timer (Suggestion: use your cellphone). You may wish to invite a timekeeper to help with this task.
Easel or Whiteboard- Hand sanitizer.
- A snack to share at the end of the game. Suggestion: fruit-shaped candy such as "Welch's Fruit Snacks" or "Runts." Buy this candy in bulk bags.
- On the day of class, pour small cups of candy (one per student).
Lesson Plan
Opening
Welcome your students and explain what they'll be doing and learning today.
1. Explain why the Apostle Paul created the "Fruit of the Spirit," then show the video or read the passage.
Say: The video we're now going to watch introduces one of the most famous passages in the Bible: Galatians 5:22-23a, also known as the "Fruit of the Spirit." It was written by the Apostle Paul to the new Christians living in a region of Turkey called Galatia. The Galatians were having a hard time figuring how to ACT like Christians. Some people were telling them they had to follow the old Jewish customs and rituals about what they should eat and wear, how to worship, and which Holy Days to celebrate. But Paul told the Galatians that they were FREE from those old customs. In their place, he gave them a list of NINE WAYS to act as followers of Jesus. He called them the "fruit" which comes from the Holy Spirit. Today's video is going to tell us what those NINE fruits are and how we can get them.
2. Show the Fruit of the Spirit video found at https://youtu.be/E2bhXAR1gCU and answer the questions below.
Alternatively, read the passage together and answer the questions below in preparation for the game.
3. Questions to Ask After the Video (or Scripture Reading)
a. Think of a fruit, such as an orange. What can you tell me about this "fruit"? (Write on the board the various answers given, including, "sweet, nourishing, grows, ripens, and has seeds which can be used to grow more fruit.")
Point out that these are all things that describe how we grow and act as Christians.
b. The Fruit of the Spirit comes from the Holy Spirit. What kind of fruit might "grow" in you if you don't let the power of the Holy Spirit help you grow good fruit? (According to the video, the fruit of our sinful nature will grow in us without God's help: selfishness, pride, anger, greed, and anything that keeps us from getting along with each other.)
The video reminds us that we need a relationship with God, and among 
other things, suggests "prayer" as a great way to do that.
Do: Draw on the board a fruit tree with roots to emphasize the point that we need a relationship with God to grow the fruit of the Spirit (i.e., be like Jesus). Label the tree "your relationship with God" and include "roots"—things we do to build this relationship, such as, prayer, worship, Bible study (Sunday School), and serving others. (This tree image is also part of the game board!)
Play the Fruit of the Spirit Board Game!
Gameplay: Divide the class into teams of 2-4 children. Teams roll the die and move their marker the number of spaces rolled. Based on the color square the team has landed on, the teacher initiates the game matching that color. (See the list of games below.) The game is explained and when the game leader says "go!" a timekeeper starts a one-minute countdown.
- The one-minute game is over when the team completes the game's task or time is up!
- Their reward for winning a game is to move forward the number of squares indicated for a game. Play continues to the next team. Remind students to pay attention to gameplay so that they can learn from other teams' correct and incorrect answers.
- If while taking their winning steps forward a team lands on a White "lose a turn" square, they do not lose their turn. A turn is lost only when a roll of the die lands them on a white square.
- Shuffle the cards of a particular color, after each game is played.
- You may add extra time to all the games if you determine that one minute isn't long enough for your group. You can also adjust the number of "correct" answers required in each game for a team to move forward.
- You can speed up the game by eliminating one of the games and turning that color's square into "roll again," or by awarding more squares to advance when they win a game.
Game Board Setup and Notes: The BOARD has a ribbon of four different colored squares (blue, yellow, red, green) that correspond to the following four games, PLUS "Lose a Turn" white squares.
You can enlarge this game board and print it big if you like, or use it as a guide to making your own BIG game board with five different colored squares. You will need 6 red squares, 8 green, 5 blue, 5 yellow, and 6 white. Label one of these white squares as "Start Here." Paul's Fruit Tree is also attached for you to print and use on your Big Board as the final game square.
The arrangement of these squares is significant! Notice that we have placed more red and green squares near the START because the red and green games help students learn the fruits early on, which will help players with the other games.
THE FOUR GAMES
The game cards are attached to this lesson.
1. BLUE: One Minute Fruit Definition Cards
On each card is a word or phrase, such as, "This fruit is the opposite of hate." ("Love" is the answer.) "This fruit means the same as to share gladness and be happy." ("Joy" is the answer.)
Gameplay: The leader reads a Fruit Definition Card one at a time to the team which shouts their answer to win the card. (Do not read the answer which is in parentheses on the card.) Only allow two answers per card to keep teams from simply shouting out all the fruits. Note that all the students will learn fruit definitions as they play this game if they listen!
Reward: Move one space forward for each card they correctly answer in under a minute.
2. YELLOW: One Minute "Which Fruit?" Situations Cards
This game takes students a little deeper into the meaning of each fruit—which is why the yellow squares only start appearing on the gameboard halfway through the game. (The red, blue, and green games help provide some of the learning needed to answer the yellow game cards.)
Gameplay: The leader reads aloud a "situation card" and the team must "name the fruit" used in the situation. The team can only have two tries at naming the fruit before the leader selects and reads a new situation card and waits for their collective answer.
To help students answer the yellow situation cards, you can offer them two or three possible fruits to choose from and extend the game time if needed.
Important Notes: Many of these situations have two possible fruit answers because some of the fruits are very similar to each other (like kindness and goodness/generosity). If needed, say “stop the clock” and ask the team to explain why they think their fruit answer is the correct one. If they make a good case for their answer, count it and start the game clock again.
If needed, display or give students a copy of the Fruit Definitions Chart which explains what Paul meant for each fruit.
Reward: If win 2 cards: move one square forward. 3 or more cards: move two squares forward.
3. RED: One Minute Whisper Fruit Charades
Gameplay: The team picks one member to be "the guesser." The leader shows or whispers a fruit to the rest of the team which must silently act out that fruit to the guesser. If the guesser makes two wrong guesses, a new fruit card is dealt (so that they don’t just name all the fruits until they get it correct!) The team can "pass" on a fruit that is stumping their teammate and ask for a new "whispered fruit." If anyone but the guesser says the fruit, a new fruit card must be picked. When the guesser gets the fruit right, the team quickly gathers to hear another whispered fruit from the leader and begins acting it out.
Note: This game can also be played like “Headbands” where the guesser holds the fruit card to their forehead so that only their teammates can see it and act it out to the guesser.
Reward: Move one square forward for each whispered fruit they got right in one minute.
4. GREEN: One Minute to Get Your Fruit In Order!
Gameplay: Using the labeled plastic fruit (or the labeled pictures of fruit) the team has one minute to place Paul's fruit of the Spirit in the correct order and set aside those fruits which are not mentioned in Galatians 5.
Reward: Move two squares forward for correctly ordered fruit.
Paul's Fruit Tree: At the end of the game when a team arrives on Paul's Fruit Tree, they can wait patiently 
until all players have joined them under Paul's tree, or continue to play by selecting any of the four games to play when it's their turn. (The tree on the board is like the tree graphic you drew in the lesson opening.)
Reflection
The "reward" at the end of the game is "RUNT" Fruit Candies or Fruit Snacks. This is a good time to discuss "sharing" as one of the key ideas behind the Fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit shares its fruits with us—growing them in us to be shared with others.
Distribute the cups of candy. Have students who received MORE of a certain type of fruit candy share it with those who received fewer of that type.
Close with a prayer that each of us would have a desire to welcome the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives, letting God's Spirit transform us to be more and more like Jesus every day.
Adaptations
In general, you should adjust gameplay based on your students' knowledge and ability by doing things such as extending the one-minute time, giving hints, and adjusting how many squares are awarded.
For Younger Students:
All the game cards can be used with younger children. You may need to explain a few words or give extra time.
Award more squares when they complete a square's game to speed up the game.
Provide multiple choice answers for Yellow ("Which Fruit" Situations) and Blue (Fruit Definition) card games.
For a Shorter/Simpler Lesson Plan:
Award more "move forward X spaces" per completed game to speed up completion of the game.
Eliminate one of the game options.
Change "Lose turn" on the die into "choose any game."
For those with more class time or older students:
Have students write additional cases for the Yellow "Which Fruit?" Situations game.
Include as an activity the process of labeling the plastic fruit (including the "Not Quite Fruit") for the Green Get Your Fruit In Order game.
For At-Home or Intergenerational or Small Group Use:
You could play as one team. You can also play the games without the game board.
EndNotes:
A package of plastic fruit is about $10 on Amazon and will be a good long-term memory game you can use again and again to reinforce this important passage. An alternative to purchasing plastic fruit is to print and label pictures of fruit from the Internet.
When labeling these fruit, in addition to the nine scriptural fruits, label and add several of the following "Not Quite Fruit" to the mix to get students thinking: "Strong" "Friendliness," "Holiness," etc.
When playing the "Fruit Order" game, students should set these "Not Quite Fruit" examples aside as they try to pick the correct nine fruit and put them in order. These "Not Quite Fruits" can also be a teaching opportunity.
Written by Chris Epstein and the Rotation.org Writing Team
Copyright Rotation.org Inc.
