A child selected to be king will judge the abilities of the other kids to describe a situation that is pleasing to God. If accepted by the king, they can enter his pretend kingdom. 


Godliness, Pleasing God, Values, Walking with God


Index cards, Basket or Shoe box
Chair for a throne, Crown (optional)


Approximately 15 minutes



Write the following words on index cards, one word on each card, and place the cards in a shoe box or basket. repeat the words as needed to have enough cards for each child.


Select one child to be king (or queen). Have the king sit on a chair (throne) at one end of the room, and have the remaining kids draw one card from the basket. Then have them line up in front of the king. The object is for children to come up with a situation that describes the word on their card. For example, if they picked the card KINDNESS, the child may say something like, "My little brother wanted to play with my toys, so I let him. This is Kindness." The king (or queen) will decide if the situation truly described the word kindness. If so, will let the child enter the pretend kingdom.


(After selecting the king and lining up the children with their cards) The King is a very wise king and wants to be sure you know what is pleasing to God before he or she lets you enter his or her kingdom. That is why the King gave each of you a word. You must show the king you know the meaning of the word by giving an example of something you can do that matches it. For example, if your word is CARING, you could say "My grandma is sick, so I helped her by cleaning her house." If the King agrees that your example describes caring, he or she will let you enter the kingdom. Otherwise, you pick another word from the basket and go to the end of the line to try again.

The play starts by saying, "Knock-Knock." The King will ask, "What's your word?" You say what word you have, then give your example. If the King accepts your example, he or she will say, "Please enter my kingdom." If not accepted, he or she will say, "Sorry, be away with you."

Note: The make believe kingdom in this game may resemble heaven, but it is not heaven. There is no way to get to heaven on our own, not by what we know or what we do. That's because heaven is a free gift. Only by receiving Jesus in our heart do we receive this wonderful gift. However, as children it is important to know what behaviors are Godly and what behaviors are a result of a sinful nature. By knowing the difference, we can begin to recognize there is a lot of sin in our life. When we admit we are sinners, we begin to understand the need for God's grace and forgiveness.