Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Act It Out
No materials needed
Choose a child to begin the game. Tell her to pantomime something she likes to do. She can use only movements, no words or sounds. Encourage the other kids to guess what she is doing. After the kids guess, choose another child to pantomime. Continue as time allows. Tell kids that they will hear about something Jesus did when He was a boy.
Live It Out
Game – Life-Size Gameboard
Materials: construction paper, tape, large numbered cube
On several pieces of construction paper, make a simple drawing of the temple. Mix the temple pieces with the blank pieces. Use construction paper to create a gameboard path across the room. Tape the paper to the floor. (You could do this ahead of time or involve the kids in creating the gameboard.) Group kids into teams and lead each team to choose one kid to be the “game piece.” Tell game pieces to stand at the start of the gameboard path. Team 1 rolls the numbered cube and the game piece moves that number of spaces. If the game piece lands on a temple space, the team can answer a review question from the Bible story. If the team gets the answer correct, the game piece can move ahead 1 space. Continue until a game piece reaches the end of the path. To lengthen the game, start a new game piece for a team when the first game piece reaches the end.
Craft – Story Tower
Materials: index cards, markers, scissors
Give each kid several index cards. Guide a kid to print the story title on a card. She can print facts about the story on the other cards. Help the kid cut two slits in the title card, from the bottom up. Then she can slide a card into each slit (perpendicular to the first card) and stand up the cards. She can cut slits in those two cards and slide in other cards to make a story tower. Talk about the story and the Life Point.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Spell and Sit
No materials needed
Lead kids to stand in a circle. Tell them to pass the bean bag around the circle, spelling Jonah’s name. The first kid will say the first letter and pass the bean bag; the next kid will say the second letter and pass the bean bag; and so on. The kid who says the last letter of the name will pass the bean bag and sit down. The next kid starts spelling at the beginning again. Continue until only one kid is standing. Say that the kids will hear a story about Jesus when he was a boy.
Live It Out
Game – Stick Drop
Materials: craft sticks, different colored markers
Print the words of the Bible Verse on craft sticks, one word per stick. Make several sets (at least one for each team), each using a different colored marker. Mix all the sticks together. Group the kids into teams; assign a color to each team (coordinating with the word colors). Hold sticks together a couple of feet from the ground. Drop the sticks into a pile. Give a signal. Team members run to the pile of sticks and find the words of their color and move to the team’s area to assemble the verse in order. The first team to correctly assemble the verse is the winner. Say the verse together. Say the Life Point.
Craft – Life Point Reminder
Materials: white construction paper, thin-line permanent markers, watercolor paints, cups of water, paintbrushes
Talk about the Bible story and say the Life Point. Guide kids to print the Life Point on white construction paper. They can add other designs with the markers and paint over the design with watercolors. Talk about God’s message in the Bible as kids continue to make their reminders. Suggest kids place the reminders in their rooms or other locations to remember that Jesus grew as God planned.
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