Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Knock It Over
Materials: empty water bottles, paper strips, marker, small ball
Print the Life Point on paper
strips, 1-2 words per strip. Roll each strip and place in a bottle, end
sticking out of the bottle. Set all of the bottles in the middle of the room;
leave space around each bottle.
Tell kids to form a wide circle around the bottles. Give the ball to one child;
he can roll the ball across the circle and try to knock down one bottle. If he
does topple one of the bottles, he can remove the strip and place it on a
table. (If more than one bottle falls, he can remove one strip and reset the
other fallen bottles.) Guide kids to continue knocking down the bottles and
removing the strips. When all the strips have been removed, lead kids to work
to put the Life Point in order. Read the words together. Tell kids they will
hear a Bible story about someone who showed love for Jesus in an unusual way.
Live It Out
Game – Pass the Verse
Materials: large plastic cups, index cards, marker, tape
Print the words of the Bible verse
on index cards, one word per card. (If you want to play in teams, make a set of
verse words for each team.) Place five pieces of tape (spaced apart) from one
end of the game area to the other; make a line of tape pieces for each team.
Group the kids into teams of 5. Give each team member a plastic cup and tell
the team members to stand on the pieces of tape. To begin the game, say the
first word of the verse and drop that card in the first team member’s cup. That
team member runs to the second child, says the word, and “pours” the card from
his cup into the second team member’s cup. He stays on the tape piece while the
second team member runs to the third space and repeats the actions, passing
along the card. This continues down the line to the last team member. That team
member runs to the far wall, lays down the card as he says the word, and runs
back to the first tape space. Say the second word of the verse and drop that
card in the child’s cup to start the process again. Continue for all verse
words. Say the verse together after all the words have been assembled at the
end of the game area. Recall the Bible story. Talk about ways to show love to
God and Jesus.
Note: If you are playing the game as one group or if teams have more than 5
players, place 5 kids on the tape spaces. The others can stand to one side
behind the first player. When the first player moves to the next space, another
child can step to the first space. The last player moves to the group after
running back from placing the verse word. Start the second word before the
first word makes the complete trip to speed up the game.
Craft – Sun Catcher
Materials: paper plates, scissors, tissue paper, clear contact plastic, permanent markers, hole punch, yarn
Cut the middles from the paper plates. Cut pieces of clear contact plastic to fit the openings in the paper plates. Give kids pieces of contact plastic and guide them to print Love God and Jesus on the plastic. Tell a child to remove the paper backing and lay the plastic sticky side up. Help him place the paper plate ring on the plastic, centering the plastic in the opening. Tell the child he can cut tissue paper squares (or other shapes) and stick on the sticky plastic. When he has finished creating a design, help him remove the paper backing from other piece of contact plastic and stick the plastic on top of the design (sealing in all the sticky surfaces). Punch a hole in the top of the sun catcher and thread a piece of yarn through the hole and tie it for a hanger. Talk about the Bible story and the Bible verse as kids work.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Things Jesus Did
Materials: paper strips with things that Jesus did (optional)
Choose a preteen to act out something that Jesus did. He can think of the something or choose one of the strips of paper. Lead other kids to guess what he is doing. After the kids guess, choose another actor. Play the game several times. Tell preteens that today’s Bible story focuses on something that someone did for Jesus.
Live It Out
Game – Balloon Release Review
Materials: paper plate or sheet of construction paper, balloons (1 per person), permanent markers
Give each kid a balloon; ask kids to write their names on the balloons. Place the plate or paper on the floor as a target. Tell kids to inflate their balloons but do not tie them; they should hold the balloons closed. On your signal, tell kids to release the balloons to fly around the room. The kid whose name is on the balloon closest to the target can answer a review question or say the Bible Verse. Lead kids to locate their balloons and reinflate them to play again. Say the Life Point and talk about how Mary showed love to Jesus.
Craft – Embossed Name
Materials: craft foam rectangles, aluminum tape, dull pencils or toothpicks
Lead kids to cover their rectangles of foam with aluminum tape. They can use the pencils or toothpicks to name the name Jesus in the aluminum tape. They may want to create block letters or bubble letters so they can add designs within the letters. They can also add designs around the name. Talk about the Bible story and the Life Point as kids work. Tell kids they can place their verse plaques in their homes to think about ways to show love to Jesus and God every day.
Leave a Reply