Grades 1–6: Making Choices — Session 1: Gideon Obeyed God (July 5)

Grades 1-3

Introductory Activity – Quiet Formation

Materials: words of the Life Point written on paper, one word per page (one set per team)

Group the kids into two teams. (Create more teams if your group is large.) Hand a set of mixed words to each team. Guide team members to hold the words and stand in a line. On your signal, team members work together silently to put the sentence in order. No team member may speak or make a sound. When a team completes the sentence, members hold the words over their heads (still silent). Tell kids that a group of men had to move quietly in today’s Bible story.

Live It Out

Game – Table Shuffleboard

Materials: tape, permanent marker, button or coin

At one end of a table, create a triangle or square. Divide the shape with more tape into sections or a grid. Use the marker to label the areas with points; make the highest value points closest to the end of the table.
Group the kids into two or more teams. Tell the first player from Team 1 to slide the button across the table and try to make the button stop on the shape. If the button does not reach the shape or slides off the table, the team’s turn is over. If the button stops on the shape, ask a review question. If the team answers correctly, award the number of points indicated. Continue the game, alternating among teams and asking questions. After you have reviewed the story, say the Life Point. Talk about how Gideon obeyed God. Tell kids that choosing to obey God is not always easy but is always right.

Craft – “O” Flyer

Materials: paper plates, scissors, markers, clear packing tape

Give each child a paper plate. Help him cut the center from the plate, making an O shape. Lead kids to print the Life Point along the bottom edge of the plates. They can create designs on both sides of the ring, too. Guide kids to lay the ring on the table and cover one side with lengths of packing tape. Then they can flip over the rings and cover the other sides. As time permits, lead them to toss their flyers to see how far they can go. Comment on the shape of the flyer and connect with the word obey. Talk about how Gideon obeyed God. Talk about ways people at your church obey God.
Alternate Idea: Give each kid two plates. Follow the same steps except decorate only the back sides of the plates. After covering the sides of the plates, place the plates together (decorated sides out) and tape together to make a “saucer” flyer.

Grades 4-6

Introductory Activity – Pass the Motion

No materials needed.

Guide kids to stand in a line, each facing the back of the one in front of him. Tell the first kid in line to make a motion. (The motion should be done while standing in place.) The first kid should do the motion only once. The next kid repeats the motion, the next kid does the motion, and so on down the line. After the last kid does the motion, he moves to the front of the line and makes a new motion to pass down the line. (Possible motions: stretch left arm straight out to the side; clap hands over your head; lift one leg and then the other leg; touch shoulders and then hips; put thumbs in ears and wiggle fingers.) Tell kids that in the Bible story today God told Gideon what to do.

Live It Out

Game – Flying Disk Tic-Tac-Toe

Materials: masking tape, flying disks or plastic plates (3 each of 2 colors)

Create a large tic-tac-toe board on the floor with tape. Group the kids into two teams. Alternate asking review questions to the teams. After a team correctly answers a question, a player can toss the disk onto a space on the board. If no team gets 3 in a row after all 6 have been tossed, a team can retrieve one of the disks and toss it again after answering a question. Continue until a team gets its 3 disks in a row.

Craft – Washer Necklace

Materials: large metal washers, thin-line permanent markers, baker’s twine or leather shoe lacing

Give each preteen a washer. Guide kids to print Obey God on the washers. They can also draw designs on their washers. Cut lengths of twine or lacing, about 3 feet each. Assist kids in folding the twine in half, inserting the folded end through the opening in the washer, and pulling the ends of the twine through the loop. Tie the ends to make a necklace. Talk about the Bible story and the Life Point.
Options: Use nail polish or stickers to decorate the washers. Use plastic lacing or yarn for the necklace.