Type: Active Listening Game
Time: 10 minutes
Group Size: 5+
Materials:

• A blindfold (a bandana or sleep mask).

Purpose

To help children understand how confusing it was for young Samuel to hear a voice in the dark without knowing who it belonged to, emphasizing the importance of listening carefully.

Setup

Have all the children sit in a wide circle on the floor.

Exact Instructions

1. Choose one child to be “Samuel” and have them sit perfectly still in the center of the circle.
2. Carefully place the blindfold over their eyes so they cannot see.
3. Explain the rules to the group: “The room must be completely silent. I am going to point to one person in the circle. That person will softly call out the name of the person in the middle, just like God called Samuel.”
4. Point to a child in the circle. That child says, “Samuel, Samuel!” (using the real name of the child in the center, e.g., “David, David!”).
5. The child in the center must point in the exact direction the voice came from, and guess the name of the person who called them.
6. If they guess incorrectly, they get two more tries.
7. Rotate a new child into the center and play several rounds.
8. Twist: For older kids, allow the person calling to slightly disguise their voice to make it harder.

Discussion

Ask the children who were in the center: “Was it hard to figure out who was calling you when you couldn’t see them?” “How carefully did you have to listen to the sound?”

Connection Back to the Bible Story

Explain: “Samuel heard his name being called in the middle of the night, but he couldn’t see anyone. He thought it was Eli, the old priest. It took three tries before they realized it was God calling his name! Samuel had to learn how to stop, hold still, and listen very carefully to hear the voice of God.”