Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Move the Coins
Materials: four bowls, play coins, tape
Use tape to create two lines at either end of
the play area. Place an even amount of coins in two bowls; set these bowls at
the start line. Place the two empty bowls on the other line.
Group the kids into two groups. Tell groups they will move the coins from one
end to the other end. Each player will crab walk, carrying a coin on his body,
to the other end and drop the coin in the bowl. Then he can stand and walk back
to the start line and the next player can crab walk a coin to the bowl. Tell
kids that they will hear a Bible story today that includes coins.
Live It Out
Game – Rock Slide
Materials: smooth stones or rocks, permanent markers, tape, felt and glue (optional)
Print a letter from the word GIVE on each rock. Make two sets of
letters for each team; use a different colored marker for each team (or use
different colored rocks for each team). Use tape to make a square (or other
target shape) on one end of a table.
Group the kids into teams. A player from one team will slide a rock down the
table, trying to land in the square. A player from the other team will then
take a turn to slide a rock into the square. Teams can bump the other team’s
rocks from the square, too. The first team to get rocks in the square that
spell GIVE wins.
Teaching Tips:
1. Glue felt to the bottom of the rocks to make sliding easier and protect the
tabletop.
2. Make the target square in the middle of the table. Teams can slide from
either end of the table toward the middle. (The distance will be shorter than
sliding the length of the table.)
Craft – Offering Envelopes
Materials: envelopes, fine-line markers, paint pens, foam shapes, glue sticks
Give each kid an envelope. Tell kids to use the art supplies to decorate their envelope to use to collect their offerings to bring to church. Talk about the Bible story as the kids work. Suggest they write the words of Mark 12:44 on the backs to their envelopes to remind them how much the widow gave. Say the Life Point. Tell kids to collect money during the week and bring their offerings next time.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Back Writing
Materials: paper, pencil
Tell kids to sit in a single-file line, with each kid 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 Give offerings.) 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 giving offerings at church.
Live It Out
Game – Give It Away
Materials: paper, masking tape
Use masking tape to divide the play area into four square areas. Wad paper to make a lot of paper balls. Group the kids into 4 teams. Divide the paper balls between teams. Tell kids that on your signal they should start “giving” the paper balls to the other teams by tossing the balls into the teams’ spaces. The goal is to give away all of your balls. After a minute or so, call time. Ask teams to count their paper balls. Determine the team with the fewest paper balls. Ask that team a review question. Redistribute the paper balls and play again. Continue until you have reviewed the Bible story. Talk about the Life Point.
Craft – Gem Magnets
Materials: large floral gems (flat marbles), paper, fine-line markers, glue, magnet tape, scissors Talk about the Bible story and the Life Point. Guide kids to trace around a floral gem on paper and cut out the shapes. They can print Give or other words to remember the Life Point on the shapes. Then they can put a thin layer of glue on the bottom of the floral gems and stick the words to the bottom of the gems (so the words can be seen through the gems). They can attach a piece of magnet tape to the bottom of the gems, too.
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