21 Little To No Prep Sunday School Time Fillers

We all know the moment: the moment the craft or activity was too short and your entire lesson is totally done. What do you do in that time, the 3 minutes or even 15 minutes of free time you have in your class? Time fillers can be a great tool that allows you to get to know your students and drive home the main points of the day. Try some of these the next time your lesson runs a little too quick: 

1. Highs and Lows. This can be the first thing you do each time you meet, or as a time filler.  Ask each kid in the room what was their high, or favorite, part of their week, and what is their low, or least favorite, part of their week.  
2. Sword Drills. Provide each kid with a Bible and ask them to put it in their lap or above their head. Call out a book of the Bible, chapter, and verse, and say “GO.”  At that time, kids can search in their table of contents or through their Bible to find the exact verse. When they find it they can stand up and you can call on one of them to read it out loud. (Need a curriculum to help kids memorize Bible verses?)
3. Memory Verse Matchup. Write out the memory verse on sheets of paper and cut it up in a puzzle form (if time permits, enlist some students to do this minimal prep).  Each small group can have a puzzle to put together. When they have completed it, they can read the verse out loud. 
4. Memory Verse Theater. Invite the class to say the memory verse in lots of fun ways. Some suggestions: loud, soft, Texan accent, eyes closed, motions, and singing. Get creative and come up with your own fun ways to learn the memory verse!
5. Memory Verse Scramble. Write the memory verse on the whiteboard or chalkboard. When you get to keywords, scramble the letters. Invite the class to guess the scrambled words to reveal the full verse. 
6. Telephone Expressions. A mix of the game telephone with facial expressions! Organize your class into a line facing one direction. The last one in the line needs to face the opposite direction so they cannot see the game until the end. The first person in line comes up with a crazy, funny face and shows the person next to them in line. They turn and tell the next, and so on like the game of telephone.  The last person will need to make the face and see if they matched the first person in line. Continue to play with new line leaders. 
7. Guess the Word. Using words found in the lesson or memory verse, write it on the board in dashes.  Invite the class to guess the letters of the alphabet to see if they fit in the blanks.  If it doesn’t, they can be marked off.  Invite the class to think of words as well. 
8. Prayer Stations. Set up various stations around the room to encourage the kids in your class to pray over specific areas and people. This can be written or you can use an object to mark each station. Invite them to pray over: their school, teachers, family, friends, countries, leaders, and pastors.  Set a timer and ask them to rotate through the stations as time permits. (Study the Lord's Prayer with this Children's Ministry Curriculum).
9. Prayer Partners. Invite the group to pair up in groups of two or three. Lead them to share a prayer request or two with their group.  Then, the groups can pray over each other and their requests. When they are done, they can pray together for their church or others in the room. 
10. Four Corners. Designate the four corners by colors, Gospel books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) or other categories. Find a leader who will close their eyes in the middle of the room.  The rest of the class can walk to a corner they choose. The leader will name one and everyone in that corner will be out of the game and can sit in the middle or at their seats.  Find a new leader and play until there is only one winner.
11. Favorites Game. Name some favorite things and see how many of the class agree. They can show their favorites by raising their hand, standing up, or going to one side of the room. 
12. Oh the Places You Will Go.  Go around the room and invite the kids to take turns saying where they would go in the world. Try not to repeat any places! 
13. Holiday Activities. Throughout the year, change some of these time fillers to fit the holiday: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Valentine’s Day, etc. 
14. Starburst Game. Invite your class to sit in a circle. Using a ball of yarn, toss it to someone across the circle while holding the end of the yarn.  You can say your favorite thing about the lesson, your name, or a favorite thing. The person you toss it to will need to hold that spot in the yarn and toss it to another person.  Continue until everyone has had a turn, and the middle of the circle will be a fun starburst shape. 
15. Lego Stations. Set up different stations around the room or tables for kids to play with legos or building blocks. Guide them to build something that relates to the lesson or main theme. This is a great activity to go along with the Some Assembly Required Children's Ministry Curriculum.
16. Draw It Out. After the lesson, pass out paper and markers or crayons to the class. Invite them to draw out the main point, or what the story was about. As time permits, allow the kids to share their pictures or hang them on a focal wall.
17. I Have Never. In this whole class game, everyone can hold up one hand to play. Go around the class and invite them to share something they have never done or a place they have never been to. If someone in the class has been or done those things, they have to put a finger down.  
18. Worship Time! Play some of the kids' favorite worship songs. Encourage the class to do any motions they know, make them up, or simply focus on the words of the songs. Discuss what the songs mean after each one. Need some new worship songs for your ministry?
19.  A Note to…. Pass out paper and markers. Invite the class to write a note to a favorite teacher, children’s ministry leader, pastor, or friend.  You can deliver them or encourage the kids to do so.
20. Hula Hoop Review.  As you are preparing your lesson, write out some review questions if the curriculum does not provide them.  Using a hula hoop (or make one with tape on the floor) and a bean bag, ask the children one of the questions. If they get it correct, they may toss the bean bag and try to make it into the hula hoop. 
21. Review Competition. Use review questions provided by your curriculum, or questions that you make up to play a review competition. This can be boys vs girls or split up randomly. 

Time fillers do not have to be boring! Using these ideas can fill the time, enhance your lessons, and provide a fun ending to the class time. Have one or two of these on hand each week, so you’re always prepared. You may be surprised at how some of the time fillers can really enhance your time with the kids!