Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Family Portraits
Materials: paper plates, crayons or markers
Lead kids to use the materials to make family portraits. As they work on their family portraits, talk about things they like to do with their families. Say that God made families and has a plan for families. Comment that kids will think about how God wants people to treat their family members.
Live It Out
Game – Hide the Baby Relay
Materials for each team: 4 paper plates (or pieces of paper), a baby doll, and a blanket (Plan for at least two teams.)
Place one paper plate for each team at the starting point. Space the other three plates across the room to create one relay course for a team. (Use a different color plate or piece of paper for each team.) Group the kids into teams. Gather each team at its starting point. Tell kids how to run the relay: “The first team member will wrap the doll in the blanket and carry the doll to the first plate and lay the doll on that space. The second team member will run to the doll, pick it up, run to the second plate, and place it there. The third team member will run to the doll, pick it up, run to the third plate, and place it there. The next team member will run to the doll, pick it up, and run back to the start point. The next team members will repeat the pattern. Teams will continue until all members have a turn. The last team member will bring the doll back to the start point to end the relay.” Run the relay. Talk about the Bible story, emphasizing how the family hid their baby. Say the Life Point. Run the relay again or ask kids to develop another way to use the materials to run the relay.
Craft – Thumbprint Hearts Bookmark
Materials: red stamp pads, white paper strips, heavy colored paper, scissors, glue sticks, markers
Show kids how to press a thumb in the stamp pad and make a thumbprint slightly angled to the left. Add a thumbprint slightly angled to the right, with bottom of the prints overlapping. The two prints will make a heart shape. Encourage kids to make several thumbprint hearts on their paper strips. Note that the thumbprints are different for each child. Comment that each child has a different family group. Talk about the Bible story and the Life Point. Emphasize that God plans for family members to care for and protect one another. Kids can use markers to print the Life Point on the marker. Kids may want to cut colored paper slightly larger than the white strips and glue the white strips onto the heavier paper. Suggest kids place the bookmark in a Bible or family book at home.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Pharaoh Says
Materials: masking tape
Use tape to divide the play area into two (or more) sections. Place a group of kids into each section. Play “Pharaoh Says” like “Simon Says.” Give kids an action; they do it if you include “Pharaoh says” and do not do it if you do not include those words. Say: “Pharaoh says, ‘Hop three times.’ Pharaoh says, ‘Clap once.’ Stand on one foot.” If any kids stand on one foot, they must move to the other section. If you have a large group of kids, create separate groups, each group with its “pharaoh.” After the game, tell kids that they will hear in the Bible story what Pharaoh said to do and what God said to do.
Live It Out
Game – Backward Soccer
Materials: two cube tissue boxes; 4 chairs; tape
Reinforce the boxes with tape. Use 2 chairs to make a goal at either end of the game area. Group the kids into two teams and assign goals to the teams. Tell kids they will play backward soccer with square balls. Each team will have a “ball” (box) to try and kick into the goal. They will try to keep the other team from kicking the ball into their goal. All players must move backward and kick the ball with their heels instead of their toes.
Line the teams in the middle of the game area with the balls. Start the game. When a team scores a goal, stop play. Ask that team a review question. Award 1 point for the goal; award 2 additional points for a correct answer to the question. Move to the middle of the game area after each goal and start play again. Talk about the Bible story and the Life Point. Ask kids to tell what the family did and how that fulfilled God’s plan.
Craft – Door Hanger
Materials: foam door hangers or paper cut into door hangers, thin-line permanent markers, clothespins, stickers (optional)
Tell kids to write the Life Point on a door hanger. On clothespins, kids can write ways family members care for one another or protect one another. Lead kids to clip their completed clothespins to their door hangers. Talk about the Bible story and read today’s Bible verse. Encourage kids to write the verse reference on a clothespin and attach to their door hangers. Comment that the church is God’s family and church families can help care for and protect other families.
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