While the parting of the red sea and the amazing escape for the people are obviously key to this story the games here also tie in to Miriam’s song. Choose the game best suited for your group and space – the key to the symbols is at the base on this page.
Parachute seas – This simple parachute game is lovely for younger groups. After you’ve established positions around the parachute use it to talk about how the seas move, big waves, small waves, controlled, random etc. Place a wooden board or line of heavy pillows down the middle of the parachute talk about how God’s powerful wind moved the waters so they couldn’t cover that part. have the children walk through the waters – using adults to create walls of waves.
Catch the rhythm – Using instruments or by tapping, clapping and clicking play this follow the leaders pattern game. Start by having the children repeat a pattern then say they can join in once they have the beat. Play a few times then choose a pattern that ties in with a praise song the children know and start to sing. Tie into Miriam’s song and the women joining in.
Moving the water – God used a strong east wind but your kids need to use straws or pipes to blow a pathway through their ‘sea’. Make a pile of small light balls (paper balls, table-tennis, ball-pit, or practice golf balls work well) or paper scraps if you ware working on a table. Have the children make a clean pathway through. Can they make the pathway straight, curvy, turn a corner etc?
Musical statues – Miriam and Moses lead the people through the water with song (or at least in our retelling they do). Linking to music causing movement play this classic game.
Moving a nation – This simple race works by having each team take turns to run back through the sea to collect someone who can’t walk the distance themselves. Either use pictures of those less able, for the teams to collect, or items to represent them. At the end of the game talk about how difficult to would have been to move the huge number of people with all their belongings through the sea in a single night.