Be More “Picture Smart”
In his book “Seven Kinds of Smart,” Thomas Armstrong discusses the theory of multiple intelligences, which asks us to broaden our idea of what “smart” means to include a variety of types of knowing. One of these is spacial intelligence – the capacity to perceive and transform visual input. And one way to become more “picture smart” is to play visual thinking games, like...Bible Pictionary!
The game itself is simple, though for those less inclined toward spacial intelligence, it presents its own challenges. Break into teams (you’ll need at least four people if you want to compete for points, but if you’ve got two, you can still play for fun). Then create your drawing prompts. You can, of course, create your own list of Bible characters, concepts, and stories that might be communicated well through an image, but you can also use this list from Brightful. Put the prompts on slips of paper, then grab paper and markers OR a white board if you’d prefer to simple erase the image each round. Now you’re ready to go!
The first team chooses a drawer (the official term is “picturist,” which is an excellent word) to choose a prompt. The picturist gets five seconds to think, then one minute to draw while the rest of the team tries to guess what they are drawing. Then it’s the second team’s turn, and you can play as many rounds as you’d like.
There are "official" rules, but the major thing to keep in mind is that the picturist can’t use letters or numbers in their drawing, and can’t use gestures to help their team guess – the picture must speak for itself. The traditional Pictionary game board isn’t totally necessary either; if your family is crafty, you can create your own, but also consider just awarding a point if the team guesses the prompt, no point if they don’t. You might also establish that after a failed round, the group pulls out their Bible or an electronic device and looks up the thing they didn’t guess so you can all learn more about it.
Honestly, you can create whatever rules you like, so long as everyone playing agrees on them! That’s the fun of playing games with your family, isn’t it? The way you do things becomes “the way my family does things,” and as the young people in your family grow up, these are the memories that will stick with them.
So have fun drawing together, laughing together, and developing your spacial intelligence together. You might even find yourself adjusting your perception of your own intelligence, or that of the young people in your family, as you explore what it means to be “picture smart.” And we’d love to see some of your favorite Bible Pictionary pics – share with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
