Watch Your Step!

Description
In this creative icebreaker, youth will make some important observations based upon footprints or photos of feet and relate these to our personal walk – our personal journey in life.

Resources
For this activity you will need a fairly accurate representation of each participant’s feet. There are a variety of ways you can achieve this.

1. My personal preference is to have sheets of colored paper – the type that does not leave a stain when wet. (Test it first so you don’t have permanent footprints across your carpet!). Have the participants remove their shoes and socks, then step on a damp towel and then finally step on the paper. A wet footprint will be left behind. Quickly trace it with a dark colored marker and let it dry! For a quick meeting just paste the sheets of paper around the room or project them on a wall using an OHP. If you have a longer event for a couple of days, like at a youth camp, you can also cut them out and place them around the teaching area.
2. Alternatively, you can have students remove their socks and take digital photos of their feet. Paste them into a powerpoint presentation or a photo slide show and project them on a wall for students to see.
3. A little messier variation is to use water soluble finger paints and have participants step into a tray of finger paint and then onto a white sheet of paper. Be sure to have a damp towel ready to thoroughly clean their feet before they leave a mess of prints across your meeting area!

You might also want to number the prints and have a numbered name list so that you can correctly identify the prints later.

Preparation
Preparation will depend upon how you plan to make the footprints.

What to Do

1. As the youth arrive, collect their footprints.
2. Prepare the prints for display by making them into photo enlargements, slides, overhead transparencies, powerpoint slides, digistal slideshows, or etc so that the pictures are large enough for the entire group to view them at the same time.
3. For fun, you can also throw in a few gag prints, such as animal feet, baby feet, big clown's shoes, and two feet side-by-side but facing in opposite directions. These will be your beautiful feet pageant.
4. Go through the numbered prints and have youth match the print with the person who made it. Can you even identify your own footprint?
5. Award the person who correctly identifies the most feet! With the Incredible FEAT award!

A lot of our idioms and common sayings refer to “feet”. Share a few appropriate idioms or the entire list of idoms with the group. Which of these idioms best describes you? Why?

Idioms referring to feet
• back on your feet again
• dip your toes in the water
• drag one's feet
• fall at his feet
• find your feet
• fleet of foot
• foot the bill
• get a foot in the door
• get cold feet
• get off on the wrong foot
• get to one's feet
• get your feet wet
• has two left feet
• have a foot in both camps
• have feet of clay
• have one foot in the grave
• have your feet on the ground
• hold someone's feet to the fire
• hot foot out of here
• land on your feet
• make an about face
• My foot!
• on foot
• on your back foot
• pussyfoot around
• put a foot wrong
• put your best foot forward
• put your feet up
• put your foot down
• put your foot in it
• put your foot in your mouth
• shoot yourself in the foot
• sit at the foot of a teacher
• stand on your own two feet
• step on another person’s foot
• step on the gas
• stop dead in your tracks
• sweep someone off his/her feet
• take a load off your feet
• take a stand
• take steps toward something
• the ball is at your feet
• thinking on your feet
• throw yourself at someone's feet
• tiptoe through it
• to get under foot
• vote with your feet
• watch your step
• world's at your feet

Taking It to the Next Level
Many times when we talk about the characteristics of a person, we refer to their heart. But we reference the feet almost as often in our expressions. That's because the feet tell us two very important facts about someone: where one's standing and which way someone is going. A firm stand and a consistent walk are both traits we admire in others. When we talk about our journey in life we often talk about those times we slip and stumble as well as those times when we took a step in the right direction.

• What is something that you have taken a stand for in your life? What are some things that you need to take a stronger stand on?
• What are some steps that you have taken in the right direction with your life? The wrong direction?
• What are some areas in which you have stumbled along the way in your journey?
• What are some ways that we can make our walk sure? How can you get back on your feet and take a new step in the right direction with your life? In what areas do you need to watch your step?
• Taking a stand and finding your footing in life isn’t always easy – especially when you might need to step on a few toes to do so. How can you find the balance between taking a stand on things that are important to you without stepping on too many toes? Should you worry about stepping on toes? Why or why not?

Action Point
As a footnote to this lesson, identify at least one area of your life where you need to get back on your feet! How can you take a new step in the right direction with your life beginning today? In what areas do you need to watch your step in the journey ahead?

(As a meaningful reminder, give the participants the piece of paper with their footprint on it to write the answer to the questions below. Encourage them to place it on the door of their room as a reminder that every day they step outside that door they need to also take a step in the right direction for their life!)

Spiritual Themes

• Sure footed - Many of the proverbs talk about making our paths straight, about stumbling, about watching our step. Proverbs 4:26 – “Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established.”
• God’s Protection - ". . . unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24, KJV).Hab 3:19; 2 Sam 22:34; Ps 18:33 – “"The Lord God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places."
• Evangelism - Romans 10:15 - "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Ephesians 6:15 - "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace"
• Servanthood - John 13 - Jesus washing the disciples' feet.
• God Holiness - Joshua 5:15 - "And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon you are standing is holy. And Joshua did so." (Exodus 3:5)

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