Category: 5-7s

Psalm 23: Cups Running Over Craft

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This craft was incredibly popular at our most recent Messy Church and is a great way to help children tithing about the image in Psalm 23 of God’s provision and an overflowing cup.

You will need: Clear plastic cups, white vinegar, food colouring, bicarbonate of soda

img_3019 Put some vinegar in a cup (about 1/3 full) and add some food colouring to it.  Add a heaped teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to the vinegar and watch the liquid bubble up and then overflow.

Talk: Ask children- where do you need help most in your life? Who helps you and gives you the things you need? Who makes you feel special and like you belong? How do they do that? Have you ever asked God to hep you with things you need?

Pray: Ask children to think of an area of their life where they would like God to help them. Pray as you add the bicarbonate of soda that he will bless that area!

5 Ideas for Reflective Prayer

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It’s always amazing to see the depth of spirituality children display when we give them freedom and encouragement to explore. Just as some adults prefer to connect with God in quiet contemplation, the same is true with some children and we underestimate them at our peril!  Here are some ways I’ve found useful to help children to reflect on God and to be with Him in silence and contemplation.

Each of the activities below allows children to speak to God, but also, as they are doing so, to listen for His voice.  After doing one of these activities, it might be helpful to ask them if they felt God was saying anything to them or if anything popped into their head while they were praying.  Be ready to be astounded!

Sand art reflection  

You will need: slightly damp sand, a tray, a lolly stick, pencil or finger!

Fill the tray with the sand and smooth out the surface. Ask children to spend time writing or drawing their prayers to God in the sand.  What do they want Him to know? What would they like to tell Him?

Letters to God

You will need: envelopes, paper, pens, a letter box

Ask children to write letters to God.  What questions do they want to ask Him? What do they want to say to Him? Do they want to thank Him for anything? Put the letters into envelopes and encourage children to address the envelopes and put them into the box.

Reflective colouring

You will need: Reflective colouring sheets or prayers or Bible verses.  Click here to print some off, pens and colouring pencils

Let children colour in silence.  As they colour, do any of the words or phrases stand out to them? Do they feel God saying anything to them? Do they have any questions for God?

Play dough reflections

You will need: Play dough, a wipeable surface

Encourage children to use the play dough to express their ideas about God: What might He look like? What words describe Him? What other signs and symbols reflect who He is?

Reflection bottles

You will need: Clear plastic bottles, water, oil, food colouring, glitter

Glitter bottle: fill a bottle with water and add a tablespoon of glitter,  seal and shake.

Oil Bottle: Fill the bottle 2/3 full of water.  Add some food colouring to colour the water.  Fill the rest of the bottle with vegetable oil or baby oil.  Seal and shake.

Watch the glitter or the oil mix with the water and then gradually settle. Use the time to focus on God and to listen for his voice.

School Club Session: The 10 Lepers

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5 mins Reflective colouring while waiting for all children to arrive.  Click here for ideas to print out
5 mins Game- 10 cup bowling

Set out  10 cups in a ten pin bowling formation and throw a soft ball or beanbag at them.  Can you knock down all 10 with 3 throws?
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! Get children thinking about what they are grateful for. Remind them that out of the 10 lepers, only one came back to say thank you. Why do you think that was? How do you feel when someone forgets to say thank you? What would you like to say thank you for?
10 mins Prayer: balloon praise- blow up balloons and write/ draw thank you prayers on them with sharpies (or write on stickers and stick to the balloons) Play some music and bat the balloons around. When the music stops, everyone grab a balloon and say thank you to God for something on that balloon. Repeat.

Make up a word search using words from the story or using word of things they would like to say thank you for.  Click here to print out a blank word search sheet.
3 mins End with a game!  Click here for a Pinterest board full of ideas.

The Exodus Story: Life in the Desert Sandpaper Painting

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The Exodus story is a fabulously colourful and exciting one.  Miracle after miracle happens to the Israelites as they journey through the Red Sea and across the desert to the promised land.  This craft touches on the life bringing provision God brings to his people through manna, quail and water.

img_2747You will need: sandpaper (use quite fine sandpaper if finger painting as it is much less rough on fingers), paint.

The sandpaper is rough and reflects both the sand of the desert the Israelites are crossing and the hardship of life there.  Adding colour helps to reflect the life that God’s proven brings to them.

Encourage children to use their fingers or brushes to paint on the sandpaper.  They might want to paint something from the story they have heard or simply to create a colourful picture.  Use the time to talk about how God provided for the Israelites in the desert, bringing them life and showing his love.

Bible Story Response: Styrofoam Prints

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This is a really easy idea that can be use with any Bible Story whatsoever.  Just beware that it involves getting the paint out!

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You will need: paint, paper, flat styrofoam circles or squares cut from styrofoam plates or sheets, pencils, paint brushes

Talk to the children about their favourite part of the story, their favourite character or the most striking part of the story they have heard. Ask them to draw a simple picture of what they have shared on the back of the styrofoam circle or square, pressing lightly with a pencil.

When they have drawn their picture lightly, get them to press harder with their pencil on all of the lines so that the lines become quite deep (but not so deep that they cut through the back of the sheet!)

Paint a thin layer of paint over the etched in drawing and then press the paint side down firmly onto a piece of paper.

Lift up the styrofoam and you should be left with a print of your picture! Repeat and give the children time to share and explain what their pictures show.

Jesus walks on water construction challenge!

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This craft is a construction challenge!

In the story of Jesus walking on water, Peter manages to walk a short distance on the water, but when he starts to pay attention to the storm around him rather than Jesus, he starts to sink.  When Peter get distracted by his problems and loses focus on Jesus he can’t keep going.  He needs Jesus’ help to walk across the water!

Set children the challenge of constructing a way, using recyclable rubbish, of helping a stone (which would naturally sink) to move across the water. The stone needs to stay afloat and it needs to move!

You will need: stones, marker pens, recyclable materials e.g. cardboard, plastic pots, tubes, plastic lids, scissors, glue, sellotape, balloons, straws, a tray of water.

There are no rights and wrongs with this craft- only imagination. It is probably best to give the children a time limit and to keep reminding them of what time they have left. Some will prefer to work with a partner and some will very much prefer to do their own thing. When time is up, let the children test out their constructions!

Talk about:

  • How do you think Peter felt when he saw Jesus walking on the water
  • Why do you think he wanted to try it himself?
  • What do you think he started to sink?
  • Have you had times when you needed help to keep going at something that was difficult?
  • What helped you?
  • Have you ever asked Jesus for help?

Pray

Pray for people who are experiencing , difficult, stormy times in their lives, where they feel that it is hard to keep afloat.  Put the children’s crafts on the water and pray that those people will find the help that they need.