The World Bean Game is an activity designed to provide kids an experience that makes the challenges of global hunger and the need for missions more tangible. Download the free PDF with game background, setup instructions, and rules for the kids.
This game was used at CentriKid Camps in 2007 during an evening party activity—but we still get requests for the instructions and content from church leaders, and it was over a decade ago since we used the game at camp.
QUICK DESCRIPTION:
Players must purchase supplies for their basic needs. By distributing different numbers of beans to players from different groups, you\’ll create a situation where some players have plenty and many who don\’t have nearly enough.
GOALS / OUTCOMES
After the game, plan for time to discuss the experience. You\’ll see some kids who are competitive and frustrated by the experience, but hopefully, all kids realize the physical needs that exist around the world and opportunities missionaries have to help meet physical needs and share the gospel.
Ask questions like:
- Was the game fair?
- What made the game easy or difficult?
- Was it easy to recognize the missionaries?
- What if everyone had the same amount of beans?
SUPPLIES NEEDED
Supplies are pretty simple, but setup takes a little bit of preparation. You\’ll need lots of beans, baggies for each player to hold their beans, and some cards and signs for gameplay. Everything you need for the game from background explanations, setup instructions, supplies, and rules for the kids can be found in the free PDF download of World Bean Game.
Surprisingly the clean-up after the game is not too crazy because kids are working hard to collect beans as currency, they tend to drop very few of them.
Jeremy Echols leads the camps area for Lifeway Kids. He, his wife Emily, and their precious daughter love their church, their neighborhood, and spending time together. Jeremy enjoys reading, watching sports, and all of his daughter’s after-school activities.
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