Leader Guide

Game

  • Two paper plates plus extras, or you may substitute sheets of card stock
  • Two round balloons plus extras
  • Optional: painters or masking tape

Inflate the balloons and tie them closed.

Place two taped lines or marks at opposite ends of the room, about 15–20 feet apart.

Read Acts 2:2:

Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.

When the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, it sounded like a mighty windstorm to those gathered together in the upstairs room. The Holy Spirit is represented as the wind many times in the Bible. The Hebrew word behind the word “Spirit” actually means “air in motion.” So, let’s play a game about wind or air in motion.

Demonstrate how to use the plate to create wind to move the balloon.

Divide the class into two equal teams—Team 1 and Team 2. If teams are unequal, one player may play twice. Divide each team into two groups.

One group for each team lines up behind the first mark, while the other group for each team lines up behind the second mark, with groups facing each other.

Give a plate and balloon to the first player in one group of Team 1. Then, walk to the mark on the opposite side of the room and give a plate and balloon to the first player of Team 2’s group standing there.

The object of the game is to move the balloon along the floor to the opposite side only by the wind.

Players may only move the balloon by quickly fanning the plate to create wind.

The plate cannot touch the balloon at any time! If that happens, the player must start over again.

Optional: if a player touches the balloon past the midway point of the course, you may have them return to the middle and resume play from there.

When a player’s balloon crosses the line at the opposite side, the next player on that team takes the plate and begins fanning it to move the balloon to the other side.

Continue play until all players have reached the opposite end with their balloon.

The first team to do this wins.

Conclusion: That looked like a lot of fun. Let’s find out more about the Holy Spirit, who came with the sound of a roaring, mighty wind on Pentecost!