There is just less than two weeks until Valentine’s Day. As with any holiday, I always look for ways to honor Christ.  One idea to honor Christ this Valentine Day is to consider having a Valentine Day party with games designed to point a child’s heart towards God’s love.  Below are four game ideas to get you started (these games are also great family activity).

Play a ball-toss memory game with I Corinthians I 3:4-8.

Spend some time at the start of the party learning I Corinthians 3:4-8 (you can also include instructions to learn the verse before the party). After you learn the verse, toss a ball. Whoever catches the ball says one thing that love is. Then that person tosses the ball to someone else.  If the person cannot think of something, he is out.  “Love waits . . . is kind . . . doesn’t want what others have . . . doesn’t brag . . . isn’t proud . . . has good manners . . . doesn’t think of itself ahead of others . . . doesn’t get angry very fast . . . doesn’t try to remember who was wrong . . . isn’t happy with sin . . . is happy to know the truth . . . always takes care of people . . . always trusts . . . always hopes . . . always keeps going . . . never fails.” Last person in the game wins.

Loving Acts:

At the start of the party, give everyone 5-10 colored stickers (but you can use anything, paper clips, candy kisses, etc.).   When one person observes a loving action, he or she should stick one sticker on the person.  At the end of the party, read 1 John 4:16-21 have people tell why the received or gave away their sticker.

Find God’s Heart

Cut a heart from construction paper and write the word, “God” in the center of it. Hide the heart somewhere in the room. At some time during your party, tell the kids you hid “God’s heart” in the room somewhere. Give them one minute to find it. The person who finds it gets a prize.

Valentine Pop

This Valentine’s party game requires balloons (helium or air-filled) slips of paper with verses on them, scissors and string. Before the kids arrive, tuck one “love” themed verse in each balloon. Fill the balloons and tie them to strings. Invite kids, one at a time to pick a balloon, pop it and read the verse inside. (Be prepared. Some children may not want to pop their balloon. That’s okay. You can send them home.)

What other games can you think of to point our youth to God’s love?