Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Bible True or False
Gather kids together and instruct them that for this game, their right hand stands for true and their left hand stands for false. Call out some of the following statements and create some of your own. If kids think the statement is true, they should raise their right hands. If they believe it is false, they should raise their left hands.
The Bible has 65 books. (False, 66)
Adam and Eve were the first people. (True)
Abraham had two sons. (True)
Jesus was born to Mary and James. (False, Joseph)
Jesus had 14 disciples during his ministry. (False, 12)
Revelation is the last book of the Bible. (True)
Remind kids that it is important for people to know what the Bible says. This week, they will learn that God’s Word is powerful. When the Bereans listened to Paul teach, they eagerly searched the Scriptures to see if Paul told them the truth. The Bible says that Jesus is “the Word.” Jesus is God who came to live with people on earth.
Live It Out
Game – Look and See
Materials: shoebox with lid, ten random items from the room, paper, pencils
Create teams of three or four kids. Gather together the items in a shoebox and show the first team the items for ten seconds. The next team will get twenty seconds, the next team thirty seconds, and so on. When finished, tell kids to write or draw everything they can remember seeing. See who could remember the most items. They will likely say that it isn’t fair that the previous teams only got a little bit of time with the items. Tell kids that the more time they spend studying something, the more they will be able to remember it. Similarly, the more time we spend studying God’s Word, the more we will be able to remember what He says and do what 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to do. Practice saying the Weekly Verse together.
Craft – Make a Bible Bookmark
Materials: poster board or cardstock cut bookmarks, markers
Give each child a bookmark and markers and instruct them to decorate the bookmark with their favorite Weekly Verse. Review the Bible story as the kids work. Comment that they can use the bookmark for their Bibles, marking where they left off reading last. Remind kids that they can always ask an adult when they have questions about what they read in the Bible, but just like the Bereans, they can search the Scriptures for themselves!
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Bible Drill
Materials: Bibles, one for each kid
Gather kids together and make sure each one has a Bible. Show them the table of contents in their Bibles and instruct them to sit down on the floor. Call out a Bible verse (consider using some of the verses provided below and come up with some of your own). As soon as you say it, kids should race to see who can get there the fastest. The first kid to stand to his feet with the correct verse gets to read it out loud in front of everyone. Tell kids that today, they’ll be learning how the Bereans searched the scriptures to check if Paul spoke the truth.
Example verses: John 14:6, Proverbs 8:35-36, Hebrews 4:10, Isaiah 53:5, Psalm 121:1, Colossians 2:9, Revelation 17:14, Micah 5:2
Live It Out
Game – Order the Books
Materials: Books of the Bible Cards (Printables) or index cards, marker, timer or stopwatch
Write all 66 books of the Bible on individual index cards if the printable is not available. Mix the cards and turn lay them on a table or the floor. Remind the kids about the table of contents at the beginning of the Bible. Tell them that you will time them to see how quickly they can the books of the Bible cards without using the table of contents. When finished, check their work and correct it, then see if they can do it again, beating their previous time. Remind them that throughout the entire Bible, Jesus is a central theme—He was even prophesied about in the Old Testament. Help them know that people can read and study the Bible to know the truth.
Craft – Search it Out
Materials: small clear plastic plates, washi tape, large craft sticks, permanent markers
Give each kid a plate, craft stick, and washi tape. Tell kids they will be making magnifying glasses to remind them that we can search the scriptures. Encourage the kids to print the Weekly Verse on the craft stick. Kids can place the washi tape around the outsides of their plates and attach the sticks to the bottom of the plates like a handle. Kids can get creative with decorating their pretend magnifying glasses and might consider writing “Search the Scriptures” on the center of the magnifying glass.
Awesome. Thank you so much