Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Home Favorites
Materials: paper, crayons or colored pencils
Give every child a piece of paper and crayons. Tell them to draw a picture of their home. Underneath the picture of their home, instruct them to write one thing they love about their home. Afterwards, give volunteers the opportunity to share their picture with the class. Tell your kids that in the Bible Story today, they will see how Jesus went back to his boyhood home of Nazareth to teach others in the synagogue about how He was the fulfillment of Old Testament promises.
Live It Out
Game – Liberator Toss
Materials: indoor snowballs (crumpled paper), large cups
Choose one volunteer to be the Liberator and place that volunteer on one side of the room. Place everyone else, the prisoners, on the opposite of the room. Give the Liberator one indoor snowball and everyone else a large cup. Instruct the Liberator to toss the snowball to one of the other kids, who must attempt to catch the snowball with their cup. If they catch it, they are “free” and can join the Liberator. Each time a child is liberated, they help the Liberator free the rest of the prisoners. Prisoners cannot move their feet, and they must stand still. After everyone is free, explain that the prophet Isaiah said that when the Messiah came, he would free people who were held captive. Have everyone read the Weekly Verse together.
Craft – Scroll of Prophecy
Materials: 11-by-17-inch paper, yarn, crayons or colored pencils, white board, dry erase markers
Give kids the materials needed for the craft. Write the entire verses of Luke 4:18-19 on the board. Instruct kids to turn the paper sideways and write Luke 4:18-19 on their paper. Next, tell them they can decorate their paper with their crayons. After they decorate their papers, instruct them to roll up their paper from both ends to make a scroll. Next, tell them to use their yarn to tie their scroll together. Have everyone say the Weekly Verse together.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – One vs. One
Materials: blindfold, items of your choice
Explain to your kids that you will have two volunteers do an activity at one time, but one will be blindfolded and the other will not be blindfolded. Do several activities with different volunteers. Afterwards, tell your kids that the prophet Isaiah said that when the Messiah came that the blind would be able to see. Have everyone read the Weekly Verse together, and tell your kids that Jesus fulfilled that prophecy when He lived on earth.
Possible activities: Draw a picture of a house on the board, find an object that you’ve placed on the opposite side of the room, write the entire verse of John 3:16 on the board.
Live It Out
Game – Teach the Gospel
Materials: no materials needed
Go over the basics of the Gospel with your kids. Next, ask for volunteers to stand up and “teach” the Gospel to their classmates. After each child teaches, ensure the rest of the class cheers and claps for the volunteer. Afterwards, explain that Jesus stood up in the Synagogue to teach others how He was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. Have everyone say the Life Point together.
Craft – Envelope Synagogue
Materials: construction paper, letter size envelopes, markers, yarn, glue, jumbo craft sticks, scissorsHand out the supplies to your kids. Instruct them to glue the front of the envelope to the construction paper with the flap open. Using markers and yarn, have each child decorate five jumbo craft sticks as people, one of them looking like Jesus. Instruct kids to put the craft sticks inside the envelope and glue them so it looks like their standing inside of the envelope. Next, have them draw doors on the envelope. As they are making their craft, remind the kids that Jesus taught in the Synagogue. Instruct the kids to write the Life Point on the bottom of the page, beneath the envelope.
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