One of my favorite Bible verses has to be Galatians 5:22-23 which gives us the wonderful “Fruit of the Spirit”. This is because it was one of the first scripture songs I wrote. I love sharing this verse with children of all ages, but when I share it with preschoolers I tend to focus on the first 3 fruits of love, joy, and peace. Here is a fun Bible school activity to help your little ones learn the first part of this verse. I call it “Fruit of the Spirit Spin and Toss”.

This is what you do:

For this activity you will need to create 9 large circles that the children will throw. I created mine from the top and bottom of frozen juice cans. On 3 of the circles, attach a picture of a heart. On 3 attach a picture of a happy smile and on the last 3 attach a picture of a peacefully sleeping baby or child. You will also need a large bowl or bag that the circles will be tossed into. Finally, you will want to make a line on the floor with a piece of chalk or tape that the children will throw the circles behind.

This is how it is played:

Choose a child to come to the front and stand behind the line. Before you let him drop the 9 circles into the bowl, turn it around slowly as he says the next Bible verse with a little rhythm. Emphasize the words I have underlined:

“But fruit of the Spirit

Is lovejoy and peace…”

After the giggles, let the child drop the circles into the bowl one at a time. Count how many circles made it to the bucket encouraging your little ones to count with you. Then point out what kind of “fruit” got into the bucket: love, joy or peace. Showing each circle, you could say, “God wants us to love one another,” or “God wants us to be joyful,” or “God wants us to be peaceful.” After each child has had at least one turn. You may want to conclude your activity by handing out cups of fruit.

Before playing this Bible school activity, you may want to introduce it as follows:

Who can tell me their favorite fruit? (Wait for responses.) I’m so glad everyone likes fruit. Did you know that God also loves fruit? He does. He loves apples, oranges, and grapes just like you do, but he also loves a special kind of fruit called the Fruit of the Spirit, like love, joy, and peace. When we have love, joy and peace in our lives, we will be sweet and “delicious” to everyone we meet, like a good fruit. Let’s play a fun game to help us remember the wonderful Fruit of God’s Spirit. It’s called “Twist and Throw Fruit of the Spirit.”