David and Goliath Assembly (Good to be me)

May 28, 2015Leave a comment

This is an assembly to go with the SEALS theme ‘Good to be me.’

5 mins	Game- bring a child to the front and put a post it note on their head with the name of a famous person on it (don’t let the volunteering child see it). The child has 2 minutes to ask questions to try and find out who the famous person is. Make sure everyone else in the room doesn’t give the game away! The point of the game is that knowing who we are is important!
5 mins	story- Read the story of David and Goliath from a good Children’s Bible. See here for some useful links, or get the children to act it out.
5 mins	Talk and illustration- talk about the fact that it is sometimes hard for other people to know who we actually are. Sometimes there are things we are good at that only we and God know about. Though others thought that David had no chance against Goliath, David trusted God and God was able to use him and the skills he had. We all have things that we were good at (sometimes things that no one else but God and ourselves know about) and we can all be used by God to help others. Before the children arrive, take a balloon and fill it with about a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. It’s quite easy to make the balloon seem as though it is empty as long as the children don’t get close enough to touch it! Fix it to the neck of a bottle containing some white vinegar (this will look like water). Talk about how it would seem impossible for me to inflate the balloon using just what is in the bottle. You might think I was silly to even think it… But… At this point lift up the balloon and let the bicarbonate of soda be released into the bottle and explain that, even though no one else could see it, I knew there was something inside the balloon that could do the job. Watch the balloon inflate! Then talk about how God gives everyone special gifts and talents and sometimes no one else knows except you and God that they are there. When you use those special gifts, God can help you to do things that others might think you would never be able to!
2 mins	Light a candle and give the children time to think about the gifts and talents that God has given them and why it is good for them to be who they are. End with a short prayer saying thank you to God for each person.

Lego Prayers

May 28, 2015May 28, 2015Leave a comment

If you have lots of bits of lego lying around then this prayer activity is for you!

This way of praying involves lots of colour and touch so it’s great for visal and kinesthetic learners…

You will need: A lego baseboard, lego bricks, lego people, lego accessories of any and every kind!

Make a cross shape on the baseboard using some bricks to symbolise bringing your prayers to Jesus.

Use bricks to pray! Here are some ideas:

Use different colours to represent different types of prayer e.g. sorry, thank you, healing.
Use colours to pray for different people or places
Use accessories to pray e.g. flowers as thanks for nature
build bricks on top of each other to pray for groups or families

Do this over a period of time, either in a family, on your own or as a prayer station. See how long it takes to fill the cross with prayer!

5-7s: David and Goliath Session Ideas

May 25, 2015May 25, 2015Leave a comment

Here are some ideas for exploring the story of David and Goliath with 5-7s.

Tell the story from a children’s Bible or use items in a story bag…

Challenge the children to walk in ‘Goliath feet’ made from cardboard and string (see picture above).

Have a bean bag target throw competition (as a reminder of David’s throwing skills).

Have a go with some paper ball catapults. Click here to see the original idea.

Decorate some stones to remind the children that something so small had such a great impact. .

Talk about times when we need to be brave. How do you feel? What or who helps you? Talk about times when you have trusted God to help you (it’s great for adults to share their expriences with the children!)

Prayer: Write each child’s name on a different stone and give them out so that each child has thier own name. Children hold their stone and ask God to help them when they need to be brave. Swap stones with someone and pray that God will help that person to be brave. Take that person’s stone home and remember to pray for them in the coming week.

5-7s: The Good Samaritan Session Ideas

May 25, 2015May 25, 2015Leave a comment

Here are some ideas for exploring the story of the Good Samaritan with 5-7s.

Tell the story with felt shapes: Click here to see the idea. Alternatively, tell the story with fruit. This gets a bit messy!

Let the children play with toy doctor’s kits

Draw out the themes of being good neighbours and helping and encouraging others.

Make ‘Get well soon’ cards
make hand print art work to help children think about being ‘helping hands’ to their neighbours.
draw pictures of the characters, cut them out and stick them onto lolly sticks to make stick puppets and retell the story

Pray for people who are ill using the healing board

Take home a ‘Helping Hands’ challenge sheet and encourage children to be good neighbours during the week!

School Club Session: Daniel in the Lions’ Den

May 25, 2015May 25, 2015Leave a comment

5 mins	Reflective colouring while waiting for all children to arrive. Click here for ideas to print out
5 mins	Game- Blindfold a child and get them to stand with their back to the rest of the children. Choose a child to roar like a lion. The blindfolded child has to guess who has roared. If the guesser guesses correctly, they change places with the roarer.
2 mins	Song (click for a Pinterest board of Children’s Ministry songs)
10 mins	Tell the story from a children’s Bible or use this story card activity.Talk about things we face that might be a bit frightening. Have you ever had to be brave? Have you ever had to stand up for what you believe in? How does it feel? What helped you? How might Daniel have felt at certain points in the story? How would you have felt? Speak about trusting in God and share any times God has helped you to be brave.
10 mins	Make ‘Protection Pictures’ or these origami Lion chatterboxes
3 mins	game- sleeping Lions. Children lie on the floor as if asleep. The ‘hunter’ goes around and silently tries to get them to laugh or move. If a child laughs or moves they are out. The last ‘lion’ left asleep is the winner.

School Club Session: Jesus Calms the Storm

May 25, 2015May 25, 2015Leave a comment

5 mins	Reflective colouring while waiting for all children to arrive. Click here for ideas to print out
5 mins	Game- musical statues This links well with the idea of ‘calm’ (statues) and ‘storm’ (dancing)
2 mins	Song (click for a Pinterest board of Children’s Ministry songs)
10 mins	Tell the story either from a book or interactively. The Lion Storyteller Bible is great! Talk about ‘stormy’ or difficult times in life. How do they make you feel? Who do you go to for help? Have you ever asked God to help you? What happened?
10 mins	Use this Play Dough Mat to explore the story further and/or use this ‘anchor’ craft and prayer activity.
3 mins	End with a game! Click here for a Pinterest board full of ideas.