Reformation Day Party Ideas
Why celebrate Reformation Day?
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of a Catholic church in Wittenberg, Germany to protest corrupt teachings. He was outraged that the church was selling indulgences as a form of forgiveness for sin.
The Bible says that forgiveness of sins can't be bought by anything other than the blood of Christ! Salvation is a free gift from God!
Luther and the other reformers stepped up to teach that salvation is by God's grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone.
They also risked death by the church in order to translate the Bible from Latin into languages like German and English that people could read. That way, people wouldn't be so easily tricked into false beliefs. They would know God's truth!
The truth of the gospel being brought back to light and having a Bible we can read in English is definitely cause for celebration!
The ideas below can be used at home, with friends, or with youth groups. This is your party! You choose what's best for your setting. There's also a link to a 20-minute lesson on the Protestant Reformation if you want to teach before celebrating.
Activities & Games
Pin the Theses on the Wall. Print out a copy of Luther's 95 theses and post it on a door. Blindfold players and have them try to stick a hammer cutout at the top center of the theses like "Pin the Tail on the Donkey."
Papal Bull Toss. Set up a trash can with tape lines on the floor at three different distances away. Players crumple up lookalike letters from the Pope and toss into the trash can to score points. Shooting from the farthest line earns 3 points, from the next line earns 2, and from the closest line only earns 1 point.
Coin in the Coffer. Similar to the Papal Bull Toss game. Set up a jar and mark lines on the floor. Have players take turns tossing pennies into the jar to remember Tezel's famous quote while selling indulgences that, "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs."
Luther's Insults- Which is Worse. Print out slips of paper with Luther's insults written on them. Then call out the insults written on the first two pieces of paper. Have one player silently decide which is worse and hold onto that slip of paper. The other players have to guess which insult was chosen. Players who guessed correctly get a point. Then the next person gets to decide which of two new insults is worse and hold onto that slip of paper while everyone guesses which they chose.
Bible Smugglers. Kids are divided into two teams, and each team is given a stack of Bibles (or other hardback books to represent Bibles) and an oversized pair of pants. When time starts, the first runner for each team puts on the oversized pants (over their own!) and has teammates help stuff Bibles inside them. Then they run to a designated location and back. They unload the Bibles, and the next teammate stuffs and runs. The first team to have all members back wins.
Reformation Trivia. Divide the group into two teams and have them answer trivia questions. This game is especially fun if you have buzzers for each team or use a web-based quiz dashboard so players can use their phone to answer questions.
Scripture Copy Race. Have participants copy a section of Scripture as quickly as they can in order to recognize the dedication it took for reformers to write out the Bible in a new language. To even the playing field for kids of varying ages, have the older ones copy Scripture in a different language so that it takes them longer to keep from making mistakes. The winner is the fastest person without any mistakes.
Reformer Cake (or Candy) Walk. Tape papers with the names of reformers onto the floor in a large circle. Players walk around the circle while music plays. (Luther's A Mighty Fortress is Our God would be an excellent choice.) When the music stops, the name of a reformer is drawn from a hat (or container). Whoever is standing on that reformer's name gets a piece of candy.
Photo Booth. Set up a picture area with cutout props such as mustaches and beards of the reformers, a hammer, and thought bubbles with "Nailed it" and "Here I stand."
Reformation Crafts
Luther Rose. Use this template to create a Luther Rose in the same way you'd fold and cut out a paper snowflake.
Feather Pen Writing. Use feathers from a craft store or collected on a hike to copy a Bible verse or the Five Solas.
Parchment Scrolls. Crumple a piece of printer paper, smooth it back out, tear the edges a bit, then tip it in tea and let it dry on a flat surface. Then copy Bible verses on it, roll it up, and tie it with a ribbon.
Lego Build. Use Legos to recreate Reformation scenes. (There's a 4-minute Playmobil video about Martin Luther listed below in the movies section to serve as inspiration!)
Reformer Pumpkin Carvings. Instead of carving a jack-o-lantern, make a Reformation pumpkin with a reformer or Martin Luther's rose.
Coloring Pages. There are tons of free coloring pages available for download.
Reformation Food
Cupcakes or Dirt Cake with Gummy Worms. Remember the Diet of Worms with these treats.
Pretzels. Pretzel rhymes with Tetzel (who was selling indulgences), but they were made by monks during this time and supposedly inherited their shape from the look of crossed arms in prayer.
Tulip Cookies. Bake and decorate sugar cookies in the shape of tulips in remembrance of Calvin's ideas.
Marshmallow Mallets. Insert a pretzel stick into a marshmallow and dip it in chocolate so that it looks like a mallet Luther may have used to nail up his 95 Theses.
Lutherbrot. This sweet pastry is shaped like a Lutheran rose. The recipe includes nuts, dried fruit, and jam. It was reportedly created by Luther's wife and is baked in Saxony on October 31 in honor of Reformation Day.
German Food. Branch out and try new recipes to see what Luther ate.
Reformation Movies
The Martin Luther Story. This video in the Torchlighters series is approximately 30 minutes long and is suitable for all ages. The Torchlighters website has excellent free downloads and games available to go along with their videos.
The William Tyndale Story. This is another short Torchlighters video appropriate for all ages with free downloads from their website.
The Story of Martin Luther (Playmobil Animation). This 4-minute video by Go Chatter Studios can be watched on YouTube.
Luther. The 2003 film is excellent, but it's rated PG-13. There's also an older black and white film by the same name that's rated G.
A Man for All Seasons. This movie is rated G and focuses on Thomas More and Henry VII.
The Radicals. This movie focuses on two Anabaptists and isn't rated.
The Reformer: Zwingli. This movie focuses on Zwingli and the Reformation in Switzerland. It isn't rated.
Reformation Books
The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World. This is my favorite book about the Reformation and can be read by ages 12 and up. It's written by Stephen Nichols.
Reformation ABC's. This picture book by Stephen Nichols and Ned Bustard highlights people and places of the Reformation. This is not a baby book! It's for ages 7 and up.
The Barber Who Wanted to Pray. This is a picture book by R. C. Sproul that teaches about Martin Luther.
Martin Luther. Simonetta Carr has several beautiful and informative biographies on reformers.
John Knox. Another great biography by Simonetta Carr.
John Calvin. Yet another by Simonetta Carr.
Martin Luther, A Man Who Changed the World. This is an informative picture book by Paul Maier.
Luther: Echoes of the Hammer. This is a graphic novel by Susan K. Leigh.
Katie Luther: Mother of the Reformation. This is another graphic novel by Susan K. Leigh.
Reformation Day Lesson
Click over to our free 20-minute discussion-based Protestant Reformation lesson. It's set up with the same open-and-go format as our in-depth Bible studies which are written for ages 7-16.
