Protestant Reformation Day Activities and Resources

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Protestant Reformation

October is a great time to learn about the Protestant Reformation because it was on October 31, 1517 that Martin Luther (a Protestant reformer) wrote his 95 theses and nailed them to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. (Martin Luther’s 95 thesis were a list of concerns he had with the teachings of the Catholic Church at that time which included things like purgatory and indulgences.) His actions sparked the Reformation; a movement aimed at reforming the Catholic Church.

Martin Luther is just one of many reformers who challenged the teachings of the Catholic church and sought to bring back the truth of the gospel: that the salvation of a sinner is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in the work of Christ alone, for the glory of God. And all this is based on Scripture alone.

Martin Luther is known as the “Father of the Reformation” but several reformers laid the work for Luther to build upon including John Wycliff and John Huss. Other reformers include William Tyndale, John Calvin, and John Knox.

The foundation of these men’s teachings can be summed up with the Five Solas.

Sola Scripture (By Scripture Alone)
Sola Fide (By Faith Alone)
Sola Gratia (By Grace Alone)
Solus Christus (Christ Alone)
Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)

Reformation Day Activities

After you’ve learned more about the Protestant Reformation, try incorporating some of these fun activities into your learning time or put together a Reformation Day Party for your family, church, or neighborhood.

Eat German Food

Martin Luther was a German monk. Do an internet search for some traditional German foods that you can enjoy with your kids. If you are hosting a Reformation Day party, ask guests to bring a German dish or food to share.

Dress in Renaissance Attire

The Reformation took place during the Renaissance era. Dress up in Renaissance attire or as a nun or monk!

Nail the 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Door

Type up some of Luther’s 95 theses or print out my Five Solas sheet (available for free to email subscribers) and have your kids “nail” it to a door. I use painters tape on the back of the paper and let my kids use a soft toy hammer to bang the sheets of paper in place.

If you plan on hosting a Reformation Day party, you can use large pieces of paper to create a church door that you hang on a wall in your home or church. The kids can “nail” their 95 theses or Five Solas sheet to the paper.

Write with a Quill

Martin Luther translated the Bible into the German language so common people could read God’s Word for themselves. Luther would have used a quill and ink to copy the Bible. Give writing with a quill (feather) a try! You can purchase some feathers from a local craft store. Pour some paint into a plastic container and have your child dip the quill into the paint and try their hand at writing with a quill!

Printing Press Activity

Johannes Gutenberg introduced the printing press to Europe around 1440. Because of the printing press, Luther’s writings were able to be reproduced and shared all over Europe which aided in the spread of the Protestant Reformation.

Set up a table with letter stamps, sponge stamps, or homemade potato stamps along with some ink pads and paper. Let kids “print” their own creations.

Make a Stain Glass Window

During the time of the Reformation, churches had beautiful stain glass windows. Search the internet for stain glass mirror crafts or purchase a kit on A mazon.

Sing “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”

Martin Luther wrote many hymns however, his most famous one is A Might Fortress is Our God. Gather everyone together and sing this wonderful hymn.

Reformation Day Worksheets

Print off my Reformation Day worksheets to use with your family and friends. Free to email subscribers.

The Reformation Day Activities Packet includes:

Luther Rose coloring page
Martin Luther coloring page
Five Solas of the Reformation
Reformation Day Maze
Reformation Day Word Search
Ephesians 2:8-9 Handwriting Sheet

Play “Toss the Indulgences”

One of the practices that Luther disagreed with was the sale of indulgences. A fun way to remind children that we don’t need indulgences to pay for our sins (or anything else besides Jesus Christ) is to play the “Toss the Indulgences” game. Give each child 5 to 10 pieces of paper and have them stand several feet (more or less depending on age and ability) from a waste basket. Let them crumple up the paper and toss it into the waste basket. The child who gets the most “indulgences” in the waste basket wins! Optional: As they are tossing each piece of paper or “indulgence” have the child shout out, “In Christ alone!”

Bobbing for Solas

Fill a small plastic kiddie pool with water. Gather rubber fish or ducks or even fresh apples and write one of the the Five Solas on each item. It would be helpful to have at least 15 items (that float) so that each sola is written 3 different times. Have children bob for each sola. Once they find all five they can get a prize!

Reformation Day Scavenger Hunt

Write up a list of items, related to the Reformation, for your kids to find. Hide the items around your house and send your kids on a Scavenger Hunt! You can also attach fun facts about the Reformation to each item. If you are doing this with a large group of kids, you might want to print out pictures related to the Reformation with fun facts on them instead of using the items themselves.

Examples of items or images you could hide: Bible, hymn book, quill, hammer, stain glass window, pictures of the reformers, monk and/or nun costume, chalice/goblet, etc.

Pin the Beard on the Reformer

Print out a picture of one of the reformers and tape it on a wall or door. Then cut out beards and let the kids (and adults) try to pin the beard on the reformer. (You can enlarge the picture of Martin Luther on the coloring sheet that comes in my Reformation Day Activities Packet.)

Carve a Pumpkin

Try carving a reformer’s face or the Luther Rose into a pumpkin! Not sure what Martin Luther or the Luther Rose looks like? Grab my free Reformation Day Activity Packet that includes coloring pages of Martin Luther and the Luther Rose.

Build a Castle

Dump out the Legos or other building blocks and have your child construct a castle! Did you know that Martin Luther was “kidnapped” by his friends and hidden away in a castle where he translated the New Testament into the German language? You can read about it it this book.

Reformation Skits

After reading about the life of a favorite reformer, have your kids put together a short skit about an event in that reformer’s life. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Act out when Martin Luther got struck by lightening and decided to become a monk.
Reenact when Martin Luther bravely stood before the Diet of Worms and said, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen”
Katharine von Bora, who eventually became Martin Luther’s wife, escaped from her nunnery in a fish barrel! That might be fun to reenact.
Act out portions of Jeanne D’Albret’s life. She was a French princess who helped spread the gospel in the 1550’s.

Reformation Day Resources

I’ve curated a wonderful list of Reformation and church history books for you and your kids. Head over to my Amazon store to see them all.

Enjoy these YouTube videos related to the Reformation with your KIDS.

Enjoy these YouTube videos related to the Reformation with TEENS & ADULTS.

Note: Please watch each video before showing to your children to make sure you approve of the content.

Homeschool Mom Podcast Episode 30

Download the Reformation Day Activities Packet for FREE

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Protestant Reformation Day Activities and Resources

Protestant Reformation