Explore & respond with children
Do, Make, Pray and Sing activities based on Acts 2.1-21
Choose from these ideas to help the children make connections between the Bible reading and their lives
Do
The Holy Spirit says… 10 mins E
Play a game that requires waiting patiently
You will need: space and leaders to observe.
- Invite the children to spread out around the space and lie comfortably on the floor.
- They must lie totally still until they hear the words, ‘The Holy Spirit says…’ plus an instruction, e.g. raise your right hand,
sit up.
- Children are ‘out’ if they move before they hear, ‘The Holy Spirit says…’, or if they move when only an instruction is given.
Balloon release 10 mins W E S
Demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit
You will need: balloons of various shapes and colours, one or more balloon pumps.
The Holy Spirit has lots of energy and can be unpredictable – just like a balloon!
- Invite each child to choose a balloon and blow it up with the pump, then hold onto the end so it doesn’t deflate. Younger children may need help.
- Get everyone to stand all together at one end/side of the room, pointing the ends of their balloons upwards into the air.
- On the count of three, everyone lets their balloon go and enjoys watching where it travels!
Make
Holy Spirit streamers 10 mins E S
A symbol of the fire of the Holy Spirit
You will need: red, yellow and orange ribbon cut into 40cm lengths, rainbow string/beading cord, cut into 50cm lengths.
- Invite each child to choose at least nine lengths of different coloured ribbon and hold all the ends together. Double back approx. 3cm of ribbon and wind some rainbow cord several times around this ribbon bunch before tying tightly to secure.
- Make a loop in the other end of the cord, large enough to slip over the child’s wrist.
- Encourage the children to move around the space, waving their arms and making the Holy Spirit streamers ‘dance’ about and trail behind them.
Holy Spirit shakers 10 mins E S
Recreate the sound of the Holy Spirit
You will need: clean and empty plastic, or cardboard, containers with lids, e.g. vitamin tablet tubes, Pringle™ canisters, cocoa tins, uncooked rice or lentils, spoons, red, yellow and orange electrician’s tape and scissors.
- Remind the children that the disciples experienced the Holy Spirit like a powerful wind. They are going to make musical instruments to recreate that sound.
- Give each child an empty container and invite them to fill it a quarter to a third full of rice or lentils and put the lid on. Seal the lid with tape, then use the tape to decorate the rest of the container.
- Have fun making wind noises with the finished instruments.
Pray
Blowing bubbles 
5 mins E S
Invite the Holy Spirit to fall on us
You will need: bottles of bubble solution with bubble loops, one per child; a recording of Chris Tomlin’s ‘Spirit Fall’.
- Invite the children to sit in a circle with you on the floor. Give each child a bottle of bubble solution.
- Remind everyone how, in the story, the Holy Spirit appears like a mighty wind. Invite the children to blow into the loop with a big breath like a wind and make a big bubble. Then try blowing more softly.
- Play the song quietly and invite the children to listen and gently blow bubbles into the centre of the circle.
- Gently fade the music out and pray:
Loving Father,
let your Holy Spirit fall,
fall on us – like a mighty wind;
light the fire again.
Come and breathe your breath on us.
Amen.
More prayers are available via the Prayers page.
KEY
Sing
Key to abbreviations for hymn book titles
Under 5s
You’ve got to move when the Spirit says move (CHY, HON, RSJ)
Come, O Holy Spirit, come (STF, GTG, TS4, WGWG)
Under 12s
This is the day (verse 3) (MP, RSJ)
Let The Fire Fall, Christ Music Kids on Shine Like the Son
12+
Pour out, I will pour out my Spirit (WGWG)
Church On Fire, Hillsong Worship on Touching Heaven, Changing Earth
Songs from Out of the Ark for Churches: Thank you God