Dartless Balloon Game: Memory Verse Edition: Memorizing Bible verses should not be boring! Help your kids have a blast learning Bible verses with this exciting game!
The Dartless Balloon Game is so easy to make and can be played in several different ways. My favorite way to play with my class is to write the words on the balloons with a sharpie marker. We say the verse several times, reading it from the balloons. Then, the kids take turns throwing the bean bags at the balloons. They each get three tries, or until they break a balloon. Then, the whole class says the verse again, filling in the missing “word” (balloon) from memory.
Here’s how to make the game:
Materials Needed for Dartless Balloon Game
- Two large poster boards
- 12 Wooden Clothespins
- 36 Flat headed Tacks
- Hot Glue Gun and Glue
- Balloons
- Sharpie Marker
- Bean Bags
*Note: I got my poster board, clothespins, tacks, and balloons from the dollar store! These items are quite inexpensive there!
Directions for the Dartless Balloon Game
- Use your hot glue gun to glue the clothespins to the poster board in two rows, one at the top and one near the middle of the board. I put six clothespins on each board, in two rows of threes.
(If you are wondering what is all over my glue gun… I have no idea. It looks suspiciously like dried hay. My glue gun has clearly been a victim of older kids’ crafting experiments. ?)
2. Glue the flat tacks to the board, point side up. I place one tack toward the bottom of where the balloon will sit, and one tack to each side. You want the tacks to be positioned so that when the bean bag hits the balloon, it is pushed back against one of the tacks.
3. Blow up your balloons and use a sharpie marker to write the words of your verse on the balloons. If you have more than twelve words in your verse, you can write more than one word on different balloons as needed. If you have fewer words, you can use fewer balloons.
4. Clip the balloons into place, in verse order.
How to Play:
To play, have your kids stand back from the board in line (or have them remain seated and call up one volunteer at a time). Say the verse together as a class several times. Have the first student throw bean bags at the board until they break a balloon. Repeat the verse again as a class, filling in the missing word from memory.
Continue playing until all of the balloons are broken and the class is saying the verse from memory.
To make the game easier for younger kids, have them stand closer to the board. If you have a small class, you can also give them more than three tries.
To make the game harder, have your kids back up farther away from the board. The farther back they stand, the harder it is to play.
If a balloon escapes from a clothespin without breaking, set that balloon aside and say the verse as though the balloon broke. At the end of class, the student who “freed” the balloon gets to keep the balloon. ?
How to Play as a Review Game:
You could also use this balloon game as a lesson review game – simply write point values on the balloons OR have small pieces of paper with the point values INSIDE the balloons that kids can collect after the balloon breaks. Then, when a team answers a review question correctly, they can break a balloon and get those points.
Now it’s your turn! Will you use this dartless balloon board for your kids? Do you have any questions about it? Do you have any suggestions or brilliant ideas about this? I would love to hear from you! Please comment below to let me know what you are thinking.
May God bless you!
P.s. Do you want more game ideas like this? Sign up below to get a PDF file of FIVE Brilliant Bible Verse Games your kids will love – including PDF instructions on how to make this game! Woo-Hoo!
Hi 👋 I love this idea! I definitely will use it with my 4th grade SS class! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
This game sounds like so much fun for kiddos! Verse memory is so important but doesn't have to be boring!
Love It! a new, energy spending, take on the old erase board memory game. My question is how do you secure the boards, so they don't topple over when hit with the bean bags?
I didn't have too much problem with them toppling over in the classroom. I was working with third and fourth graders, so the biggest thing for me was figuring out how to have them stand far enough back that it was a challenge and that they weren't blasting my board. (Some of those boys can throw!) I had it up on a table and leaning against the wall. It did topple over a couple times, but I just sat it back upright and we kept playing. If you have a dry erase or chalk board, you could also set the board on the ledge and tape the top with masking tape. I hope that helps!
This looks marvelous, my dear! Thank you for all the ideas and patterns that your share with us. God bless you!!
Awww, thank you, Penny! I appreciate you! – Anna Joy