Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity—For All People
Materials: pictures
Before class, search online and print pictures from locations around the world. Ensure the pictures show a famous location or the people of a particular country. In class, show the pictures to your children and ask them to identify the country the picture is from. If you know, give some information about how people in that country live. Say that missionaries go to many different places so that all people have a chance to know Jesus. Read the Weekly Verse and lead the kids to repeat it with you.
Live It Out
Game—Tic-Tac-Toe Toss
Materials: masking tape, 10 plastic plates (5 of each of two colors)
Create a tic-tac-toe grid on the floor. Group the kids into two teams. Guide players from the teams to take turns tossing plates (like flying disks) onto the grid. When a team’s plate lands in a space on the grid, ask a review question. If the answer is correct, the plate stays in the space. If the answer is incorrect, the team must retrieve the plate. The first team to get three plates in a row on the grid wins. Say the Life Point and talk about times it may be difficult to tell about Jesus.
Craft— Framed Reminder
Materials: heavyweight paper, construction paper pieces, glue, markers, scissors
Lead kids to print the Life Point in the middle of the heavyweight paper. Tell kids they can cut smaller pieces of construction paper and glue along the edges to create frames around the words. As they work, recall the Bible story. Tell how Stephen told about Jesus even when his life was threatened. Say: “Some Christians lives may be threatened today. Our lives may not be threatened. We will face difficult times, but Christians should still tell about Jesus.” Talk about times it may be difficult for kids to tell about Jesus. Pray and ask God to help each of you tell about Jesus whenever you can, even when it is difficult.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity—The Whole World
Materials: large world map
Show your children a large world map. Ask them to identify every country they know, one at a time. Each time a child identifies a country, ask them to share one fact they know about it. After the children have identified all of the countries they know, point out Israel and tell them that is where Jesus lived. Point out where your church is located on the map. Next, have everyone say the Weekly Verse together. Comment that missionaries go to these countries and tell about Jesus. Some of them face hardships and difficulties. Tell kids that today they will hear about someone who face a difficult time telling about Jesus.
Live It Out
Game—Multiplying Blanks
Materials: whiteboard, dry-erase marker
Write the Weekly Verse on the board in your room. Say the Weekly Verse together. Erase one word from the Verse, replace it with a blank space, and say the verse together. Keep erasing words until you hit the limit on how many blanks your children can handle. Remind the kids that God calls us to tell everyone about Jesus, no matter how hard it is. Say the Life Point.
Craft— Window Clings
Materials: gallon ziplock freezer bags, glue, food color, toothpicks or coffee stirrers, scissors, hair dryers, paper, pencils
Guide kids to cut a cross shape (or other shape) from the paper. Direct kids to slide their shapes into a ziplock bag, pour glue into the bags, and spread glue over the shapes. They can add drops food coloring to the glue and swirl it around with toothpicks. Use hair dryers to help the glue dry. When the glue is dry, cut the shape from the ziplock bag. Tell kids that when they get home, they can peel the plastic from the back of the shape, moisten the back of the shape, and stick it to a window or mirror. (You may want to play to set aside the clings to dry for the week and complete them next week.) Talk about Stephen’s witness about Jesus, even in a difficult and dangerous situation. Say the Life Point.
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