Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Old Testament or New Testament?
Materials: signs Old Testament and New Testament, tape
Tape the signs on the focal wall of the game area; tape the Old Testament sign low on the wall and the New Testament sign high on the wall. Guide kids to stand in the game area, facing you (spaced apart appropriately). Call out a book from the Bible. If the book is an Old Testament book, kids should squat down low. If the book is in the New Testament, kids should stand tall with arms over their heads. Quickly call different books from the Bible and allow kids to move. Play for several minutes. Call “Acts” last. Tell kids they will learn about a family in this New Testament book.
Live It Out
Game – Body Spelling
No materials needed.
Call out a word about the Bible story, such as Aquila. Lead kids to use their bodies to create the letters of the word. Call out other words about the story, such as teach, family, Priscilla, house, Jesus, Apollo, tents. Lead kids to recall the Bible story. Say the Life Point and ask kids to tell what Aquila and Priscilla did to tell about God.
Craft – Postcards
Materials: blank postcards or heavyweight paper cut into 4-by-6-inch rectangles, markers, cleaning wipes
Invite kids to create postcards to tell others about God. They can draw pictures and write messages on one side of the cards. Talk about the Bible story and the Life Point as kids work. If kids know someone to whom they could send the card, they can print the person’s name and address on the back. Otherwise, tell kids you will mail the cards to visitors or other people to tell about God.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Draw to Pass the Message
Materials: paper, pencils
Group the kids into equal groups of about 4 kids each. Give paper and pencil to each preteen. Call one person from each group to you. Whisper the name of a common object to these kids. The players take two steps toward their group and motion for a second person to come nearer to them. They draw a picture of the object you named. The players should not talk to each other. As soon as the second player understands what the object is, she nods, turns, and takes two steps away. She motions for the third player to come near to her and draws the object (with no talking). The third player repeats it for the fourth player. The fourth player runs back to you and tells what the object is. (If you want to play with points, each team with the correct object gets a point.) As time allows, play additional rounds, starting with different players each round. Tell kids that communicating messages can sometimes be easy or difficult. But God wants families to tell about Him.
Live It Out
Game – Write the Verse Relay
Materials: masking tape, two large pieces of paper, markers (one per person), cleaning wipes
Place paper at both ends of the game area. Make a tape line across the game area at the midpoint between the two papers. Group the kids into two teams. Give each person a marker. Say the Bible verse together a few times. Line teams up on the tape line; one team should face each end. On your signal, the first player from each team runs to his team’s paper and writes the first letter of the first word of the Bible verse. Then he runs back to the team. The next player runs to the paper and writes the second letter of that word. Play continues until the teams have written all the words of the Bible verse on their paper. Team members can assist their players by helping them know which letter to write (if needed). When both teams have completed the verse, say it again together. Talk about the Bible story. (Clean markers after use.)
Craft – Word Balloon Magnets
Materials: craft foam or heavyweight paper, scissors, permanent markers, self-adhesive magnets or magnet tape, cleaning wipes
Invite preteens to draw large word balloons (like in comic strips or comic books) onto the craft foam or paper. They can cut out their word balloons. Lead them to print words they would say to worship God or tell about God. Encourage preteens to talk about what they know about God and what they could tell about Him. Say the Life Point. As kids finish their word balloons, offer magnets to stick on the back. Suggest kids place their magnets somewhere at home to remind them that their families should worship God and tell about Him.
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