Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – What’s Missing
Materials: several baby related materials (bottle, rattle, diaper, diaper bag, onesie, small shoe, etc.)
Arrange the items on a table or the floor. Lead kids to name each item. Tell kids to turn their backs and close their eyes. Remove one item and rearrange the items slightly. Ask kids to turn back and look at the items. Challenge them to name what it is missing. After they name the item, return it to the grouping. Ask kids to look away again and remove another item. Repeat as time allows. Ask kids to tell you what these items have in common. Tell kids that a baby is important in today’s Bible story.
Live It Out
Game – Act It Out
No materials needed
Choose a child to begin the game. Tell her to pantomime something her family 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. Say that family members can care for and protect one another. Continue the game, pantomiming things families do to care for one another.
Craft – Family Banner
Materials: large note cards or paper (6 per child), markers, yarn, scissors, hole punches
Talk about the Bible story. Note that the family helped care for and protect the baby. Give each child 6 cards or pieces of paper. Invite kids to make banners. They can print one letter of the word family on each card. If they choose, they can use embellished letters or draw designs around the letters. Help a child punch two holes at the top of each card and thread the cards on a long length of yarn. If needed, knot the ends of the yarn to prevent the cards from sliding off. Suggest kids turn their banners over and print words or draw pictures about the Bible story on the backs of the letters; they could also print the Life Point and today’s Bible verse. Encourage kids to hang their banners at home.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Twenty Questions
Materials: cards with names of everyday objects seen at school or church
Choose a child to start the game. That child chooses a card and silently reads the name of the object. The other kids can ask questions to determine what object is on the card. The child can only answer Yes or No to the questions. Continue until the kids guess the object, or until 20 questions have been asked. Name the object (if needed) and ask how a family member uses that object. Choose another child and continue the game. Tell kids that today you will be talking about ways family members can care for and protect one another.
Live It Out
Game – Hoop Toss
Materials: plastic hoop, paper balls (one per child), paper airplanes (optional)
An adult or two kids can hold the hoop as a target. Lead kids to take turns tossing the balls to try to get the balls through the hoop. (Lead the child to retrieve his ball before another child tosses a ball.) If a ball goes through the hoop, give 1 point. Ask a review question and award another point for a correct answer. If you choose, use paper airplanes for double points. Talk about the Life Point. Help kids think about how families can care for and protect their family members.
Craft – Fingerprint Pictures
Materials: washable stamp pads, white paper, pens, thin-line markers, cleaning wipes
Talk about the Life Point. Tell kids that they can create pictures about their families. Kids can press their fingers on the ink pads and use their fingerprints to make their pictures. They can add details with the pens or markers. Suggest kids print the Bible Verse or Life Point on their pictures. (Use the cleaning wipes to clean fingers when kids finish making fingerprints. Also wipe pens and markers after a child uses them.)
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