About Alphabet Race – A Humility Game

This humility game will help participants consider if they are really as good at a task as they think they are. This can be a good lead-in for a discussion about humility.

How to Play Alphabet Race

Materials

• one bowl for each player
• one set of alphabet letters for each player

Instructions

1. Ask who knows their alphabet. Watch for all of the hands to go up.
2. Ask who thinks they are the best at knowing their alphabet. Choose your players from this group.
3. Give each player a bowl with the letters of the alphabet it it. They must lay them out in reverse order.
   • They must leave the other letters in the bowl until they are ready to place them.
   • If they put a letter out of sequence, they must put all of their letters back in the bowl and start over.
4. The first player to lay out the letters in reverse order wins.

Reflection Questions

• When you were asked how well you knew the alphabet, did you consider that you might have to know it backwards?
• Is is possible to overestimate how good you are at something?
• Have you ever considered that in life, some people struggle with what others find easy?

Notes

• It is helpful to have someone watching each player to let them know if they place a letter incorrectly. Give these monitors a cheat sheet to help. See the printable version.
• To make it even more challenging, add some extra letters to each bowl.

Printable Copy of Alphabet Race Humility Game

Related Resources

The Alphabet Prayer

This prayer uses the alphabet to get everyone involved in the prayer circle. Each person uses a letter of the alphabet to spark a prayer intention.

Pope Francis Reflects on Humility

“There can be neither humility nor holiness without walking the path of humiliation.” Pope Francis reflects on King David.

Actions Speak Louder than Words – Reflection and Discussion Questions

We can’t just say we are Christians. We must act. And sometimes we have to have the humility to admit that we didn’t get it right.