CROSSING THE RIVER

Game Type: Strategy

Age: 8-adult

Number of Teams: 2

Playing Area: Medium Indoor playing area

Equipment or Supplies: Carpet or cardboard squares (3-4 per team)

Object of Game: To cross from one side of the room to the other before the other team does.

How to Play Crossing the River:

Students place carpet squares down one at a time and try to cross their entire team over the river.

Begin by placing both teams on the same side of the room, about 5 feet apart.
Tell the students that there is a massive body of hot lava in front of them. If anybody part touches it, it’ll burn and be rendered useless.
The only things immune to the hot lava are the lava sharks (you and other adult leaders), and the lava stones (carpet squares or carboard).
The teams will place carpet squares down and jump onto them in an effort to cross the river. They can go backwards or forwards and can have as many carpet squares on the river as one time.
However, the sharks will look for “drifting lava stones” (carpet squares that are on the river with no foot or hand on them to keep them down). If they find these lava stones drifting, they can pick them up.
If a lava stone has been picked up by a shark, it is out of the game, and the team is down a carpet square.
If a player’s hand or foot touches the lava, they lose their hand or foot. They become one-legged or one-armed.
The objective is to get the entire team across the playing field before the other team gets there.

In this game, children must cross the river. Here are some Bible passages that it can be linked to.

Crossing the Red Sea – Exodus 14

Cross over into the Promised Land – Joshua 3