Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Draw with Your Feet
Materials: large paper, colored pencils (or regular pencils)
Lay large paper on the floor. Place chairs next to each piece of paper. Invite kids to sit in the chairs and take off one shoe each. They can hold pencils with their toes and try to draw or write on the paper. Suggest specific shapes or words for older kids. Talk with the kids about the task, whether it is difficult to write using their feet instead of their hands. Say that this difficult task is fun but sometimes Christians face difficult tasks as they try to tell about Jesus.
Live It Out
Game – Verse Pick-Up
Materials: table tennis balls, chopsticks, paper plates, permanent marker
Write the words of the Bible verse (or a portion of the verse) on the balls, one word per ball. If you want to play in teams, make more than one set, using different colors of marker. Mix the balls and place them on one or more paper plates. Set aside other plates as “home base.” (Create a home base for each team.)
Say the Bible verse with kids. Lead kids to take turns picking up the words of the verse in order, using the chopsticks. After kids have moved all the words in order, say the verse together again. Talk about the Bible story and how Paul faced an angry crowd and told them about Jesus. Say the Life Point.
Variations: (1) Use spoons instead of chopsticks to move the balls. (2) Write words on paper squares. Wad each square into a ball. (Use different colors of paper to make multiple sets if you are playing in teams.) Kids can move the paper balls onto the home base, open up the paper balls, and put the words in order. (Since paper balls have more “give” than table tennis balls, they will be easier to move with chopsticks.)
Craft – Paul Stick Puppet
Materials: white note cards, craft sticks, thin-lined markers, masking tape, scissors
Invite a child to draw a picture of Paul on a note card. When she finishes the person figure, she can cut out the figure and tape the figure to the stick. Lead kids to write the Life Point on the craft stick. Talk about the Bible story. Suggest kids use their puppets to tell family members what Paul preached about Jesus.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Fill-in-the-Blank Musical Chairs
Materials: chairs, Music, index cards, markers, large piece of paper, tape
Write the words of the Bible verse on cards, 1-2 words per card. Tape a large piece of paper on the wall and draw one blank for each word card. Make a circle of chairs. Start the music. Guide kids to march around the chairs as in the game “musical chairs.” When the music stops, everyone should try to be seated. The child left without a seat must choose an index card (with a word on it) and try to decide in which blank the word on his card belongs. Tell him if he is correct. If he is not correct, return the card to the floor and start the music again. If he is correct, tape the word in the blank. He may try to solve the puzzle (read the sentence). If he cannot solve the puzzle, leave the card on the board and start the music again. Continue until the puzzle is solved. Lead the children to read the verse together.
Live It Out
Game – Boom!
Materials: wide craft sticks, marker or pen, large cup
On one end of 4 craft sticks, write ?. On 8 craft sticks, write Life Point. On 8 craft sticks, write Bible Verse. On 4 sticks, write Boom! Mix all the sticks together and place them in the cup, word ends down. Group the kids into teams. Teams will take turns pulling sticks from the cup. When a team pulls the question mark, ask the team a review question. When a team pulls the Life Point stick, lead the team in repeating the Life Point. When a team pulls Bible Verse, lead the team in repeating the Weekly Verse. If they respond correctly, they keep the stick. If the team cannot answer the question or say the Life Point or the verse, they must return the stick to the cup. If a team pulls a Boom stick, all their collected sticks must go back in the cup. Play for a designated time and count the number of collected sticks. Talk about times it may be difficult to tell about Jesus.
Craft – Shoe Treads
Materials: pencils, paper, markers, scissors
Talk about the Bible story. Encourage kids to talk about what Paul did, even though it was difficult. Help them think about times it may be difficult to tell about Jesus in today’s world. Help a preteen stand on a piece of paper and trace around his shoe with a pencil. He can cut out the shape. Lead him to write the Bible verse on the shoe shape. On the reverse side, he may want to write a time it would be difficult to tell about Jesus. Suggest kids place the shoe shape in their notebooks or Bibles as reminders that Christians tell and live for Jesus wherever they go, even when it is difficult.
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