Grades 1–3
Introductory Activity—I Got Your Back
Materials: paper, pencil
Tell kids to sit in a single-file line, with each child facing the back of the person in front of him. Lay the pencil and paper at the front of the line. Tell kids you will send a message from the back of the line to the front of the line, one letter at a time. Trace a letter G on the back of the last child in line. He traces what he thinks you made on the back of the person in front of him, and so on up the line. The child in the front of the line prints the letter on the piece of paper and then moves to the back of the line. Trace the next letter on the child’s back and pass that letter up the line, too. (Spell the sentence God is in control.) After all the letters have been written on the page, look at the paper and ask kids to read the sentence. See if the letters make sense. Tell kids that today they will learn about God and His power.
Live It Out
Game—Drop and Tell
Materials: beanbag or handkerchief
Choose a child to be It. Lead the other kids to sit in a circle. It walks around the circle, carrying the beanbag. He drops the beanbag behind someone and continues walking. The child chosen says the Life Point or Bible Verse. If she completes saying it before It gets back to her, she becomes It and the other child sits in her space. You may want to change up the game, asking the chosen child to answer a review question.
Craft—Zipper Pull
Materials: white heavyweight paper, pencils, markers, lanyard hooks, scissors, clear contact plastic, hole punches, simple shape stencils (optional)
Guide kids to use the pencils to draw a basic shape (heart, circle, hand) and cut out the shape. They could use the stencils if available. Tell kids to write the Life Point and draw designs on the shapes. When a child finishes his work, help him cut small pieces of contact plastic and cover both sides of the shape. He can punch a hole in the top of the shape and slide his shape onto a lanyard hook to make a zipper pull. As kids work, talk about the Bible story. Suggest kids add the zipper pull to their backpacks to remember that God is always in control wherever they go.
Grades 4–6
Introductory Activity—Snowball Fight
Materials: paper of different colors (at least 12 sheets of each color), marker, writing paper, pencils
Print these letters on one color of
paper, one letter per sheet: c, o, m, m,
a, n, d, m, e, n, t, s. Make a set of letters for each color of paper; use
at least 3 colors. Wad each sheet of paper into a paper “snowball.” Put the
snowballs in a basket or dishpan.
Say: “We will have a colorful snowball fight.” Pour the paper balls onto the
floor and say: “Go!” Kids should pick up the balls and toss them at one
another. Say: “Stop! Everyone move to the sides of the room.” Group the kids
into teams (one team for every color of paper). Assign a color to each team.
Say: “When I give the signal, each team should gather all the assigned color
paper. Open the paper and spell as many words as you can. See if you can make a
word with all the letters. Go!” The teams gather their colored paper, open the
paper, and make words with the letters. The teams can list their words on
writing paper. After a few minutes, call stop. Ask teams if they found a word
that used all the letters. Say the word commandments
and tell teams to spell the word. Tell kids they will hear about the
commandments today.
Live It Out
Game—Write On!
Materials: paper, pencils
Group kids into three groups. Ask a review question. Lead each group to write down its answer to the group. Teams should stand when they have finished their answers. Call on a group to give its answer. Tell kids to sit; ask another review question. Talk about the Life Point.
Craft—Stick Puzzles
Materials: wide craft sticks, masking tape, markers, ziplock bags
Talk about situations or times that kids may want to make wrong choices. Say today’s Bible verse. Give kids 4–6 craft sticks each. Guide kids to lay the craft sticks side by side, flush at the ends. Help them tape the craft sticks together. A preteen can flip over her taped sticks and draw on the sticks. Encourage her to think of a situation that shows her making a right choice or doing what God says. Tell her to place her name or initials on the back of each stick. After the picture is complete, she can remove the tape and mix the sticks. She can reassemble the puzzle. Give her a ziplock bag to store her puzzle. Allow volunteers to tell about the pictures they drew. Repeat the Life Point with kids. They may want to trade puzzles and assemble one another’s puzzles.
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