Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Four Corners
Materials: signs with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; tape
Tape a sign in each corner of the room (or four different areas of the room).
Choose one child to be It. Tell him to stand in the middle of the room with his eyes covered. Guide other kids to move around the room and stand near one of the signs while It counts to 10. Then It calls out one of the Gospels and a movement (hop, clap, jump, turn around). The kids in the named corner make that movement. Then It begins to count again and kids move again. Change It after 3 rounds. Tell kids that they will hear a story today that is in all four Gospels. This story tells why Jesus came to earth.
Live It Out
Game – Pass the Bag
Materials: paper strips, marker, gift bag, timer
Write review questions on paper squares, one question per strip. Fold the strips and drop them in the gift bag.
Guide kids to sit in a circle. Set the timer for 15 seconds. Tell kids to pass the bag as quickly as they can. When the timer sounds, the kid holding the bag should pull out a review question. Read the question and lead the group to answer it. Reset the timer and pass the bag again Continue playing until all review questions are answered. Say the Life Point.
Craft – Bead Cross
Materials: chenille craft stems, pony beads, paper strips, hole punches, pencils
Give each child two chenille stems and tell her to form a cross with the stems. Lead her to slide beads on to fill out the cross. When she adds the beads she wants, help her bend the end into a circle to keep the beads from sliding off. Help kids write the words of the Life Point on small strips of paper. Punch a hole in one end of the paper and slide it onto the cross. Add one more bead and bend the end. Talk about the Bible story and say the Weekly Verse.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Easter Word Hunt
Materials: paper strips, plastic eggs
Before class write key words or phrases from the Bible story on individual slips of paper and place each word in a plastic egg. Words might include: cross, grave, empty, tomb, crown of thorns and so forth. Place the eggs around the room. Guide the kids to each pick up an egg. Direct the kids, one at a time, open their eggs and read the words on the paper. Tell the kids they will hear about these words in today’s Bible story.
Live It Out
Game – Cube Stack
Materials: wide craft sticks (one per kid), 6 numbered cubes, timer
Group the kids into two teams. Hand the 6 cubes to a team member on Team 1. Set the timer for 30 seconds. Guide the kid to hold the craft stick in her mouth and stack the cubes on the stick, one on the other. She can try to stack and hold the cubes until the timer sounds. When the timer sounds, tell her to take whatever cubes are on her stick and roll them. Add up the numbers. Ask the team a review question. If they answer correctly, the team is awarded the number of points she rolled. Repeat with Team 2. Alternate teams until all questions have been answered. Total the points for each team. Talk about the Life Point and God’s plan for salvation.
Craft – Rock Reminders
Materials: smooth rocks, acrylic paints, paintbrushes
Talk about the Bible story with preteens. Say the Life Point. Give each preteen a rock. Tell them they can choose to paint symbols on the rocks to remind them of the Bible story. Discuss possible symbols that could be used to remember Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. As kids paint their rocks, remind them of the rock that covered the tomb. Tell kids that the rock was moved away and the tomb was open and empty. Say the Bible verse together. Tell kids to place their rocks where they will see it each day this week. Each time they see the rock, they can thank God for Jesus and salvation that comes from Jesus paying for our sins.
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