Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Follow the Path
Materials: tape, pompoms, straws (one per child)
Make several tape lines of several feet long across the play area. If you have colored tape, create some lines that cross one another. Give each child a straw. Place a group of kids at each end of each tape line. Give the first child in each group a pompom. On your signal, the players will place the pompom on the tape line and kneel down to blow the pompoms with their straws. The players should continue to blow their pompoms down the length of the line. (If the pompom goes off the line, kids can blow it back onto the line. Or, if it goes a long way from the line, they can pick it up and move it back to the place where it went off.) When a player reaches the end of her line, a new child blows the pompom back down the tape line. Continue until all kids have had a turn. Comment that Moses had led the people across the wilderness and to the land God promised.
Live It Out
Game – Take a Seat
Materials: chairs (one per child), colored paper (one of 6-8 colors), CD player and music
Place chairs in a circle. Place a colored piece of paper under about half of the chairs. (For small groups of kids, you will need fewer colors of paper.) Half (or more) of the chairs should have no paper underneath. Play music and guide kids to walk around the chairs. Stop the music and all kids should sit in a chair. Call out a color; the child in that chair can answer a review question. Tell kids to stand as you restart the music. Play the game several times. At some point in the game, call out “no color.” All kids with no color under their chairs can say the Life Point together.
Craft – Obey Magnet
Materials: wide craft sticks, thin-line markers, stickers or other art supplies, self-stick circle magnets (or magnet tape)
Invite kids to make magnets. They can write Obey God on craft sticks. They can use the markers, stickers, and other art supplies to add to the magnet. As they work, talk about the Bible story and the Life Point. Ask: “How can you obey God?” When a kid completes her design, provide circle magnets or pieces of magnet tape to attach to the back at both ends. Tell kids to place magnets in a place to remind their families to obey God even when others disobey.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Puzzle Relay
Materials: large index cards, large gift bag or plastic container, numbered cube, marker, scissors, tape
Write the Life Point on several large index cards. Cut each card into 2-3 pieces; use wavy lines or distinctive cuts so pieces can be matched more easily. Put all the pieces in a bag or container. Place the bag on one end of game area, and make tape start line at other end of game area. Gather the kids at the start line. Roll a numbered cube; tell that many kids to walk down to the bag and remove a puzzle piece. The kids return with the pieces and work to assemble the puzzles as they can. Roll the cube and send more kids to get puzzle pieces. When the puzzles are assembled, read the Life Point. Return pieces to bag and play again (as time allows). Tell kids that in today’s Bible story they will hear about men who chose to disobey and men who chose to obey God.
Live It Out
Game – Yardstick Racing
Materials: yardstick, clothespins (one per team), numbered cube
Make marks on each clothespin to differentiate them. Group the kids into two (or more) teams and assign each team to a clothespin. Alternate asking review questions to the teams. When a team answers a question correctly, the team can roll the numbered cube and move the clothespin along the yardstick. (For the first correct answer, the team will clip the clothespin on the number rolled. After that, the team will move down the yardstick the quantity rolled.) Continue until a team reaches the end of the yardstick. (You may want to roll two cubes instead of just one cube to speed up the game.) Say the Life Point together.
Craft – Spin Art
Materials: heavyweight paper, markers, old CDs, washi tape
Insert a marker through each CD and secure with tape. (You should still be able to remove lids.) Give paper to kids. Lead kids to write Obey God as large as possible on their papers. Show them how to remove the lid from a marker and spin the marker/CD on paper (to make circular designs). As kids work, talk about ways people obey can God today. They could name times or places it may be challenging to obey God. Mention that Joshua and Caleb chose to obey God even when the other men said to do otherwise. Talk about the Bible story. When kids finish making their spin designs, they can use the tape to make a border around the paper (as they choose). Suggest kids use these signs to remind them to obey God this week.
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