There are quite a few ideas for Mother’s Day on the website. Here is a quick list for those of you looking for ideas:

• Top 10 Sayings of Biblical Mothers
• Mother’s Day Games
• Sock Guess
• Famous Biblical Mothers
• Mother Says
• Mother Child Trivia
• Mother of Who?
• Guess the Mother? or Child?
• Are You My Mother?
• Baby Animals
• Sayings of Mothers

Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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Materials
Wrap up several empty boxes in bright, attractive wrappers. Try to use boxes that look like things that are easily recognizable and that the group would enjoy.

Activity
1. Hold up the items one by one and ask the participants to try to guess what is in each package. Don’t let them touch the gifts. Then tell them they could win the prizes and find out if their guesses are correct.
2. Have a question and answer quiz game and award individuals with play money.
3. After all the money has been distributed to those answering the questions, hold an auction for the wrapped gifts. You might suggest that they can pool their money to buy an item together.
4. After all gifts have been auctioned off, allow everyone to open their gifts. Of course they will all be dissapointed that the boxes are empty.
5. At the end of the session have a reward for everyone.

Applications / debrief 
1. We often spend a lot of time, money, and effort for things we think are going to be so wonderful and when we finally get them we still feel empty and disappointed like these empty boxes. Yet Jesus promises us a gift of eternal life. We don’t have enough money to pay for it, but he paid for it with his life on a Cross. That’s what Easter is about. Jesus paying the price so we could have eternal life. We can try to find meaning in life through all kinds of things, but we can only find meaning in God.
2. Ecclesiastes 2:1-24, Materialism, Our hearts desires
3. The disciples were disappointed when they discovered the empty tomb. But disappointment turned to joy when they discovered the Risen Savior. And everyone gets the same reward!
4. Blaise Pascal said that inside every man there is a god shaped vacuum that only God can fill. We can try to fill that void in our lives with many things, but only God will bring us contentment and happiness.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Use a traditional Jewish Passover Meal – Seder to introduce youth to Easter.

Preparation
Set a low table with a white cloth, beautiful dishes, and accessories to demonstrate this meal. Furnish low tables, pillows, or rugs, on which the youth and leaders can recline during the observance. Include A large platter—the ke’arah; three matzot—or matzah— the unleavened bread that is to be in three loaves placed in a special cloth of three parts or a napkin folded over twice; goblets for use with grape juice; and a symbolic cup for Elijah. Arrange platter with:

• Betzah: roasted egg (or hard boiled in salt water), symbolic of the festival offering, Haggigah
• Zeroa: roasted meat with a bone, symbolic of the paschal or Passover lamb offered on the night of Passover.
• Maror: bitter herb, usually horseradish, symbolic of bitter slavery in Egypt
• Karpas: green vegetable, usually parsley or celery, symbolic of springtime with its hope and renewal.
• Haroset: a mixture of apples (at least 1/2 an apple per person), peeled and chopped fine or grated; chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans; with chopped or mashed raisins, dates, prunes, or apricots. Cinnamon can also be used—symbolic of the mortar used by the children of Israel in Egypt.
• Salt water: for dipping the greens.

These items can be arranged in various ways, but tradition has the betzah, maror, and zeroa placed from left to right in one row, and the karpas, salt water, and haroset in the second row.

Give youth copies of the Seder (Order) to be aware of each step in the process and to read responsively the sections for the “group.” Previously decide on hymns to sing as a part of the closing. The meal is led by a person dressed in a white robe. This is known as a “kittel.” White is symbolic of joy and worn on festive occasions. Those partaking of the meal recline at the table as a sign of freedom. That is how free men in ancient times ate.

Begin the Seder with the Kaddesh (or Kadesh) a prayer with wine to sanctify the day of festival:

TRADITIONAL SEDER – (SIMPLE FORM)

LEADER: Now in the presence of loved ones and friends, before us the emblems of festive rejoicing, we gather for our sacred celebration. With the household of Israel, our elders and young ones, linking, and bonding the past with the future, we heed once again the divine call to service. Living our story that is told for all peoples, whose shining conclusion is yet to unfold, we gather to observe the Passover, as it is written:

GROUP: You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of Egypt. You shall observe this day throughout the generations as a practice for all times (Ex. 12:17).

LEADER: We assemble in fulfillment of the mitzvah.

GROUP: Remember the day on which you went forth from Egypt from the house of bondage, and how God freed you with a mighty hand (Ex. 13:3).

LEADER: The leader takes a cup of “wine” and chants the Kiddush:
We take up the Kiddush cup and proclaim the holiness of this Day of Deliverance! It was evening and morning, a sixth day, when the heaven and the earth were finished and all their array. And on the seventh day God finished all the work of creation. And God made cessation on the seventh day from all the work which God had done. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. for upon it. God made cessation from all the work of creating.

ALL: Next, all wash their hands by dipping their fingers in the bowls of salt water. Then they partake of the karpas by dipping the green vegetable in salt water, and the blessing for the vegetables is said. This part is used to interest the children. It can be explained as the vegetable representing the joyous festival of spring while the salt water reminds of the tears shed by the Israelites in slavery.

LEADER: The leader recites the “Karpas,” for rebirth and renewal.

Arise my beloved my fair one,
And come away;
For lo, the winter is past.
Flowers appear on the earth,
The time of singing is here.
The song of the dove
Is heard in our land. (Song of Songs 2: 10-12)
Let us go down to the vineyards
To see if the vines have budded.
There will I give you my love. (Song of Songs 7:13)

GROUP: Praised are You, Adonai, Sovereign of Existence, Who creates the fruit of the earth (eat the greens)

LEADER: After the dipping of the greens, the middle loaf of unleavended bread is divided into two parts. If you remember, there are three pieces of unleavened bread. The middle piece is the one broken into two parts. The larger part, the afikoman, is wrapped in a napkin, and hidden under the pillow where the leader reclines. This is to keep the interest of the children throughout the meal. At one point the children try to discover the hiding place, and prizes are awarded to all who participated, with a special prize for the child who finds the bread. That child actually keeps the bread until it is “redeemed” with a gift. At the end of the meal, everyone is given a piece of the afikoman. The smaller piece of bread is returned to its place. As the bread is being broken, the leader begins the “Yahaz,” as a symbol of the bond formed by sharing.

Now I break the middle rnatzah and conceal one half as the afikoman. Later we will share it, as in days of old the Passover offering itself was shared at this service in Jerusalem. Among people everywhere, sharing of bread forms a bond of fellowship. For the sake of our redemption? we say together the ancient words which join us with our own people and with all who are in need, with the wrongly imprisoned and the beggar in the street. For our redemption is bound up with the deliverance from bondage of people everywhere.

GROUP: This is the bread of affliction, the poor bread, which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in want share the hope of Passover. As we celebrate here, we join with our people everywhere. This year we celebrate here. Next year in the land of Israel. Now we are all still in bonds. Next year may all be free.

CHILD: The “Maggid” is the Passover story. It includes 4 questions asked by the youngest child.

1. Why is this night different from all the other nights?
2. On all other nights we eat either leavened bread or matzah; on this night—only matzah.
3. On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs; on this night, we especially eat bitter herbs.
4. On all other nights, we eat in an ordinary manner; tonight we dine with special ceremony.

ALL: This is followed by the washing of hands, “Rehatz,” and a blessing, “Motzi,” said by all over the bread.
We praise Thee, O God, Sovereign of Existence, Who brings forth bread from the earth.

ALL: The participants eat that portion of bread. Next, the “Matzah” is said as the next portion is broken, and a bit of horseradish placed on it before eating.
We praise Thee, O God, Sovereign of Existence, Who hallows our lives with commandments, Who has commanded us regarding the eating of matzah.

ALL: Following that, the bitter herb is dipped into “haroset” and “Maror” is recited.
We praise Thee, O God, Sovereign of Existence, Who hallows our lives through commandments, Who has commanded us regarding the eating of maror.

LEADER: Finally, horseradish is placed on a piece of the third piece of matzah, and made into a small sandwich to satisfy the Scripture “they shall . . . eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs” (Num. 9: 11). “Korek, or Koreh” is recited.
Preserving a bond with the observance of our ancestors, we follow a practice of Hillel, from the time when the Temple stood. He combined the matzah and maror and ate them together, so that he might observe the precept handed down to him, exactly as his father before him: “They shall eat the paschal lamb with matzah and maror together.” (Num. 9:11 )

GROUP: Together they shall be: the matzah of freedom, the maror of slavery. For in the time of freedom, there is knowledge of servitude. And in the time of bondage, the hope of redemption.

GROUP: The actual meal is started with hard-boiled eggs in salt water, again symbolic of tears and mourning. Other items for the meal are included in the list at the beginning of these instructions. At the conclusion of the meal the child shares the afikoman. “Barekh” or “grace after meals” is said.

May the One Who blessed Abraham. Isaac, and Jacob,
May the One Who blessed our Mothers,
bless this house, this table, and all assembled here;
and so may all our loved ones share our blessing.

LEADER: May the One Who brings harmony into the spheres on high bring peace to earth for all humanity.

GROUP: God will give strength unto our people. God will bless all people with peace.
The “wine” cup is used again. At that time, a child opens the door “for Elijah,” for Elijah is supposed to visit sometime during the meal and take the cup set aside for him. His coming is a symbol of eternal hope, freedom, and salvation. The opening of the door also symbolizes the coming of the Messiah with God’s deliverance. After that “Hallels” are read from Psalm 115—118 and “The Great Hallel,” Psalm 136. These Psalms are used to praise God for His mercy.

Prior to the “Nirtzah or conclusion of the service, the “wine” is drunk again. A closing poem is chanted with the hope expressed that “next year the children of Israel will be in Jerusalem.” Hymns are used to close the celebration.

(Readings from A Passover Haggadah. Herbert Bronstein, ed. New York: Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1974. )

Easter Collection
Games and Activities in celebration of Easter.

Get more than 80 creative ideas for planning a Youth Easter celebration or Easter Party. You can immediately download my best Easter Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Easter activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Materials
Static rope, two shorter ropes tied into loops (slings) – two rock climbing carabiners (not required).

Setup
1. A length of static rope should be set up between two fixed points such as trees, or columns.
2. The rope should be tautly suspended about 1 foot off the ground.
3. You need to have a couple people as spotters… though the rope is not high, it is better to be safe than sorry. We don’t want any injuries.

Objective
1. The group must make their way across the “swamp of sin” using only the rope.
2. If they touch the sin (ground) they die.
3. The team to get the greatest number of group members safely across in the quickest time wins. [No one may touch the ground between the two fixed points or they are disqualified and removed from game play–i.e. dead]
4. Rope slings and carabiners are available for those who need assistance and have the prerequisite imagination.

Application
1. With sin, one small step is all it takes to merit it’s wages- death.
2. How is living according to spiritual standards like walking the line? (e.g. it takes concentration, effort)
3. What did you do to stay walking the line?
4. What scriptural standards do you find most difficult to walk? Why? How can we walk these lines? (Awareness of where the lines are located, perseverance, patience, commitment to keep to standards

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Obtain a raw egg for each student and one for yourself. Bring crackers and egg salad or another snack in which eggs are the major ingredient.

Activity
As students enter the classroom, give each an egg and ask youth how an egg is similar to life.
2. “Eggs”identally drop your egg so that is breaks. (clean your mess up well as raw eggs can create quite a stench as they rot) Ask youth to name some of the things that shatter our lives?
3. Pass out your egg snack to the class as you explain the fact that we can change the consistency of an egg to make it more enjoyable. Sometimes when life seems to have shattered we can make an omelette, egg salad, french toast, cakes, etc. The egg is used for a great many tasty – good foods. But it is very fragile! Our faith must be stronger – unbreakable, resting in Gods ability to work all things, even tragedies, to our good. (Romans 828)

Variation
As you are discussing the Sunday School lesson, put the eggs in a pan of boiling water. The eggs will be hard boiled by the end of the session. Ask youth to take the eggs home and eat them as a reminder of how God can take those times when we are in hot water, in difficulties, and use them to bring substance and strength to our lives.

Variation
Prepare a breakfast of eggs etc for the group before discussing this illustration.

Variation
Test of strength – give youth the egg to hold in their hand. Using only fingers – not fingernails, rings, or finger tips, ask youth to slowly squeeze the egg and try to break it. 99% of people cannot break an egg in this manner. If someone does break an egg, no problem, you have your fragile illustration already performed for you as well as a few complaints about the mess. If no one can break it, you can still break one yourself. If no one can break his/her egg, you can use this as an illustration of how God protects us by keeping us in the palm of his hand. (John 10:28-29) And when he does allow a tragedy, it is for a purpose, just as a cook has to break an egg to use it.

Easter Collection
Games and Activities in celebration of Easter.

Get more than 80 creative ideas for planning a Youth Easter celebration or Easter Party. You can immediately download my best Easter Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Easter activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Materials
About 20 slips of paper, 2 pencils, sweets

Instructions
Divide the large groups into two smaller groups, and explain that an experiment is about to take place. Give the following instructions: Each group will have 9 chances to choose a color: either RED or BLACK.

Choices are rewarded according to the following guidelines:
* If both groups choose BLACK – both get 3 sweets
* If both groups choose RED – both lose 3 sweets
* If one group chooses RED and the other BLACK – the group that chose RED get 5 sweets; and the group that chose BLACK loses 5

Two Requirements: (these must be stated clearly at the start):
1. To get as many sweets as possible
2. To not hurt anybody

Activity
1. Send the groups to opposite sides of the room and have them decide on their first choice. To make a choice the group simply decides on a color and writes it on the piece of paper.
2. Then they present it to the facilitator. Rewards the groups according to the instructions.
3. After the 4th or 5th round, ask if the groups want to negotiate – if they do, have them choose a negotiator and give the two negotiators a minute to decide on their strategy for the future choices.
4. Then announce that the next round of choices will be worth three times as much.
5. Once again they make choices and award the participants based upon the results, but this round the reward or penalty is 3 times the norm.
6. Play several more normal rounds. Then have a round that is 10 times the norm. Once again give them an opportunity to negotiate. Will they betray each other out of selfishness and greed?

DEBRIEFING
* What was your group’s strategy? How did you decide what color to choose?
* How did you treat the “minority” voice in your group?
* Did your group fulfill the two requirements? How?
* Did you trust the other group?
* Why did/didn’t you want to negotiate with the other group?
* When did you decide to try and beat the other group?
* To beat the other group did you have to emphasis one requirement over the other?

Application
No mention was made of competition, beating or winning – this is our natural tendency! If both or one group became involved in competition even though no mention was made that the exercise was based on competition lines, suggest that this is our natural tendency to satisfy our ego through being superior to others, or for selfishness and greed. Ultimately this is the cause of poverty, war and oppression in the world. The Bible calls it sin! Actually the way to get as many sweets as possible is to not be selfish and allow everyone to win.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Plastic Easter Eggs with 1 item inside each.
* Gray fleece or a tiny donkey (Matthew 21:2-5)
* Palm branch or a doll’s coat (Matthew 21:8-11)
* A vial of perfume (Matthew 26:7-13)
* A lock of hair (Matthew 26:7-13)
* 30 silver coins or 3 10-cent coins (Matthew 26:14-15)
* A strip of terry cloth fabric or towel (John 13:4-11)
* A communion wafer or bread (Matthew 26:17-29)
* A communion cup or grape (Matthew 26:17-29)
* Miniature praying hands (Mark 14:32-42)
* A watch (Mark 13:37)
* Rooster figure or a feather (Luke 22:61)
* Piece of rope (John 18:12)
* A strip of leather (John 19:1)
* Small piece of soap (Matthew 27:20-24)
* A piece of scarlet cloth (Matthew 27:28)
* A thorn or thorns from roses (Matthew 27:29)
* A cross or two sticks (John 19:16-22)
* Three flathead nails or regular nails (John 19:16-22)
* Dice (John 19:23-24)
* Color the inside of 1 egg with black marker (Luke 23:44-45)
* sponge/cotton ball with vinegar (John 19:28-30)
* A toothpick-end dipped in red paint (John 19:32-37)
* A shattered or split rock (Matthew 27:51, 54)
* Purple cloth (Matthew 27:51)
* Clean linen cloth or gauze (Matthew 27:57-61)
* Cinnamon stick (Luke 23:55-56)
* A stone and wax or paraffin (Matthew 27:65-66)
* An empty egg or hollow chocolate egg (Matthew 28:5-8)

You do not need to use all items. Use those you consider most important or most appropriate to your lesson focus and the age of your group.

Activity
Give the traditional Easter egg hunt a spiritual significance by allowing participants to hunt the eggs containing the various items and meet at a designated place later for a debrief. During the debrief discuss the significance of the various items.

Variations
1: Participants place the items in order and explain the significance.
2: Add scripture related to the items and hide them in eggs as well. Participants match the scriptures with the items.
3: Instead of hiding the eggs, add them to an easter basket and have participants choose an egg.
4: For an additional application hide Easter Eggs of the following colors: black, red, white, green, yellow. Place jelly beans of these colors in a plastic egg if you cannot find all the colors. (See Jelly Bean Salvation). Prepare some Plastic Easter Eggs with one jelly bean of each color and have participants give them to friends to explain the true meaning of Easter. Tape an invitation to your Easter worship services and activities to each egg.
5.For a Children’s sermon, prepare eggs to represent significant events. Number them and then open them one at a time to tell the Easter story.
6: Provide an easter Basket with several items for each participant.

Scripture focus
Read Matthew 26:3-28:15 – Discuss each item and the role it played in Christ’s death and resurrection.

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

Creative Scavenger Hunts: Once Lost, Now Found

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

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Easter Collection
Games and Activities in celebration of Easter.

Get more than 80 creative ideas for planning a Youth Easter celebration or Easter Party. You can immediately download my best Easter Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Easter activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Materials
Obtain several finished products and the raw materials they are made of. Use your imagination. In place of some objects you may wish to use a photo of the object.

Examples
* an apple seed grows into a tree which produces an apple
* clay can be shaped and fired into a ceramic cup bowl or saucer
* cloth can be cut and sown into a dress or a shirt
* flour or wheat can be baked into bread
* sand can be fired and molded to form objects of glass
* wood can be processed into paper
* paint and canvas can be used to create a painting
* a worm can grown and go through a metamorphosis to become a butterfly
* milo powder / chocolate powder can be used to create a drink
* an egg can hatch and grow into a chicken
* an acorn can sprout and grow into a tree
* A Baby Picture can? (Intentionally do not match it with anything)

Learning Activity
Have participants match the items. First team to match all the resources with what they become correctly gets a prize.

Application
1. Discuss how each of the materials can be used to make something. Participants will notice the picture of a baby doesn’t match with anything… Ask… what God can make from a person? What can a baby become?Does God have a personal and specific will for each person’s life? Does he have a detailed blueprint for our life? How much leeway do we have in submitting our personal choices? Is everything predestined? Does it include every detail relating to my life? If so, how do we discover it?
2. Psalm 139:15. Before you were even a baby, God knew you and what you would become. God intimately knows us. He knows our thoughts, words, and deeds (v7-12).
3. Verse 16 says God planned all your days, all your life, before you were ever even born. He had a plan for you before you even existed.
4. End by discussing various things that Christians can do. Discuss the person each of us can become. Talk about the different roles in the church and how God might use some of them to accomplish these roles.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Soft ball that will not cause injury if thrown at someone.

Description
Use this game / object lesson / creative learning activity to teach youth that when we seem to have been hit and removed from the game of life, God is there to pick us up.

Learning Activity
1.Get the softest ball you can find – something that will not injure a person regardless of how hard participants throw it.
2. Take everyone to an open area.
3. Toss the Ball into the center.
4. If someone gets hit by the ball they must sit down where-ever they are. But they are not completely out. They can still grab a ball rolling by and throw it at someone still standing.
5. If someone catches a ball, the person who threw it must sit down.
6. When everyone is sitting down except one. Go and help everyone back up to their feet.

Application
1. When we seem to have been hit and removed from the game of life, God is there to pick us up.
2. God is there to pick us up after we fall or fail and He will set us up right again. Trust God as He will always pick us up.
3. Discuss about how life and people knock us down but God comes around and helps us back up!

Scripture
James 4:10, KJV

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
Learn More…

Materials
Paper and pencils for each group of youth

Activity
Have a competition between teams of children to name as many things as possible that are associated with love. Based upon these lists have kids form a definition of “true Love.” You could also make a list of things on your own (like those listed below) and play a game of charades.

Possible Items
Heart, Chocolate, Roses, Carnations, Dinner, Kisses, Cupid, Love, Valentine Card, Be Mine, I’m Yours, Beloved, I love you, True Love, Be My Valentine, Romance, 14th, courtship, Date, February, Arrows, Boyfriend, Girlfriend, Candlelight, Candy, Diamonds, Flowers, Forever, Gifts, Hugs, Infatuation, Love Letters, Lovebirds, Lovers, Only You, Passion, Pink, Red, Poetry, Relationship, Secret admirer, Sweetheart, Flirting, Serenade, Love Songs, Stuffed Animals, Cuddle, Honey, Casanova, Amore, Wink, Heartthrob, God, Sacrifice, Marriage, Wedding, honeymoon, ring, family, (sex).

Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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Materials
* Tennis ball (small ball)
* newsprint and a marker.
* A Bible.

Activity
1. Form kids into circles of 10-20 people.
2. Ask each group to sit in a circle.
3. Explain that you’re going to toss the ball to someone across the circle.
4. The receiver is to pick out another person across the circle that has not received the ball yet and toss the ball to him or her.
5. Continue tossing until everyone in the circle has had a chance to catch and toss the ball.
6. Repeat the pattern, catching and tossing to the same people as before. But this time, ask kids to each say one thing they really “love” (basketball, skateboarding, trench fries, movies, and so on) before they toss the ball to someone else.
7. On the third round, repeat the catch-and-toss pattern, this time asking kids to each say one thing they really love about the person they’re tossing the ball to (this will probably be much harder than the previous round).

Debrief
* How did you feel when someone told you something he or she loved about you?
* Why is it easier to talk about things we love than about what we love in others?
* What’s one thing we can do in our group to show we love each other?
* Write the answers to the last question on newsprint. Then vote on the best idea and do it at each class.

Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Materials
Develop a list of 15-20 items that teens carry in their wallets, purses, or on themselves.

Activity
1. Divide into groups of 4-5 students.
2. Tell the groups that you are going to ask for an object and the first group to run up to you with the object will receive the point.
3. The object of course is to receive the most points.

Application
After the game, tell the group that today’s lesson is like the game. Seemingly insignificant items became valuable as we tried to win. So it is with us. We may view ourselves as nothing too special, yet God says he can and will do amazing works through people who may seem insignificant by the world’s standards, yet who are faithful to him. God wants use you to demonstrate his love to others. Conclude by saying that just as they used small insignificant items, God wants to use the small things in our life to show others his love.

Some possible items for your list are:
black comb, facial tissue, a cross, five dollar bill, Bible, a book mark, phone, white shoe string, 1 cent coin, an identity card or driver’s license, brown belt, safety pin, a ring, watch with a second hand, toothbrush, a friend’s phone#, pen, fingernail file, a pencil, picture of dad, friendship bracelet, blank paper, student ID, a blonde hair, credit card, a cosmetic mirror, house key, glasses, foreign currency, lipstick, note from a friend

See Conducting Scavenger Hunts for help, Hints, Safety Considerations, Rules, and other useful information to make your scavenger hunt a wild success!

 

Creative Scavenger Hunts: Once Lost, Now Found

is a 160 page e-book that explains everything you need to know to easily plan your very own scavenger hunt: Item Lists, Rules, Riddles, Safety Tips, Guidelines, Scoring, Tips for Facilitators and MORE! There are more than 50 complete ideas (scavenger hunts, photo hunts, video hunts, amazing race, etc.) to use at home, around the neighborhood, at the mall, in the park, on the beach, at church, and around town!

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Materials
* a large sheet of poster board or newsprint (classified ads work best for newsprint)
* See variations for other needed materials.

Description
Use this creative teaching idea as an introduction to a lesson on love or for Valentine’s Day

Activity
As people walk in the door direct them to a large sheet of poster board or newsprint upon which you have written the words “Love is….” Ask the participants to finish the sentence and write their answers on the poster.

Variation
Have a competition between teams of people to name as many things as possible that are associated with love. Based upon these lists have particpants form a definition of “true Love.” You could also make a list of things on your own and play a game of charades.

Some ideas: Heart, Kiss, Roses, Flirt, God, Valentine, Red, cupid, Date, Sacrifice, Marriage, Wedding, honeymoon, ring, family

Variation
Break into small groups around the room. Provide old magazines, newspapers, and scissors. Instruct the groups to search for and cut out anything that relates to love. Examples might be pictures of loving parents, friends, hugs, children, etc. After about ten minutes, bring them back together and let each group share what they found. Discuss the different examples of love. Ask the participants how they would define love if all they had were the clippings to base their definition upon.

Discussion Ideas
* Ask how God would define love. Point out that God’s idea of unconditional love or sacrificial love is a rare trait today, but one that is essential to being a follower of Christ.

 

Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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Materials
3×5 cards

Preparation
On 3×5 cards place the names of different fish. Simply using the names of the fish, youth will be able to group them into humorous categories. There may be some overlap in categories.

MILITARY: swordfish, scabbardfish, archerfish, dartfish, seargentfish, spikefish, javelinfish, soldierfish, spearfish, fightingfish
TOOLS: spadefish, filefish, knifefish, wedgefish, sawfish, pipefish, hatchetfish, sicklefish, siphonfish, scissorfish, shovelfish, handsaw fish, paddlefish, oarfish, telescopefish, tripodfish
ANIMALS: cowfish, milkfish, lionfish, manefish, skunkfish, stinkfish, Elephant Fish, tuskfish, frogfish, toadfish, batfish, dragon fish, pigfish, boarfish, porkfish, porcupine fish, pony fish, horsefish, saddlefish, unicorn fish, beaverfish, squirrelfish, zebra fish, spiderfish, rabbitfish, lizardfish, snakefish, tigerfish, rhino-fish, pantherfish, monkeyfish, leopardfish
FLAGS: flagfish, bannerfish, pennant fish, ribbonfish
GEMS: Jewelfish, pearlfish, gemfish, rubyfish, opalfish
MUSICAL: Singingfish, trumpet fish, flutemouth, guitarfish, bandfish
VESSELS: barrelfish, sackfish, boxfish, tubfish
PEOPLE: surgeonfish, doctorfish, kingfish, queenfish, ladyfish, damselfish, Knightfish, grannyfish, pilotfish, clownfish, nurseryfish, tonguefish
BIRDS: parrotfish, turkeyfish, hen fish, roosterfish, hawkfish, goosefish, peacock fish, ravenfish, wing fish, flying fish
HYGENE: razorfish, beardfish, mirrorfish, combfish, hairyfish, soapfish, ragfish
SPIRITUAL: angelfish, devilfish, monkfish, priestfish, crossfish, shepherdfish, sheepshead, wolffish, sowfish, harvestfish, goatfish
LIGHT: headlight fish, lanternfish, flashlight fish, lampfish, penlightfish, lightfish
COOKING: puddingfish, jellyfish, skilletfish, platefish, ricefish, noodlefish
FELINE: catfish, ratfish, mousefish
CANINE: dogfish, pupfish, houndfish
SEWING: needlefish, threadfish, pinfish
ASTRONOMY: sunfish, moonfish, Starfish
TEMPERATURE: frostfish, icefish, firefish
OFFICE: pencilfish, paperfish, pinfish
CRAWLIES: scorpionfish, stingfish, butterflyfish
FRUITS: pineapple fish, mangofish, lemonfish
NATIVE AMERICAN: redskinfish, squawfish, indianfish

Activity 1
Tape the name of a fish on each person’s back and ask them to ask “yes” or “no”questions to discover their identity

Activity 2
Play a game of charades using the fish cards

Activity 3
Use fish names from the cards that have some relationship to each other. Have each youth find a partner that somehow relates to the name of his/her fish.

Activity 4
Bring in items such as a leaf, a needle, etc. Have youth use the object to draw a funny picture of what the fish might look like. Compare with photos of the real fish for lots of fun!

Activity 5
Play a game of pictionary using the fish names– You draw pictures instead of act out the words.

Note
You can get various pictures of fish from a fish book or aquarium guide. Ask kids to try to name the different types of fish from the pictures. You can find out more about these fish and many more on the internet at: http://www.fishbase.org/search.cfm – There are also many photos at this site.

Applications
Use these as an icebreaker for a lesson on evangelism from Matthew 4:17-22 relating it to how we are to be “fishers of men”

Discussion Ideas
1. How is telling others about Jesus similar to fishing?
2. Lures are attractive to fish. How can you make the good news of Jesus attractive to your friends?

Related Ideas
Humor: Dynamite Fishing
Devotional: Tank test
Game: Fishing for Men
Illustration: Aquarium Sharks
Object Lesson: Bait!
For other related ideas search for “fish” or “evangelism”.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
1. A container that can be sealed and stored away.
2. Items for the time capsule (see below)

Summary
Celebrate the previous year and create a fun activity for the next by creating a time capsule. Can be the beginning f a fun youth group tradition.

Preparation
Beforehand, brainstorm with the youth the kinds of things to include in the time capsule – Stuff that means a lot to you now, and stuff you might think is funny or cool when you open this thing up again in a year!

Ideas
* pictures of themselves
* a letter to themselves in a sealed envelope to be opened one year from today
* a letter from a friend to the future you
* a videotape of the youth group to themselves in the future
* a paragraph about what you want to be
* favorite scripture verse or Bible Story
* a list of favorite things
* what is cool
* slang words
* things that are in/ popular
* popular activities, movies, books, clothes
* prices of favorite things
* a timeline of key events from the past year (Ask everyone to bring newspapers, magazines to cut things from)
* photographs of family, themselves, pets, and special occasions
* allow each youth one small item each to seal away (Size will depend on what you use for your time capsule.)
* ticket stubs from your favorite movies
* a recording of your favorite songs
* a list of best friends
* pictures of your room

Variation
Have a design a time capsule contest. Ask youth to create and fill their own time capsules and bring them to the meeting. Include all these in your main time capsule. Ask youth to share with each other what they have included and why?

Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection

Place a line across the middle of the room. Designate one side as “wrong” and the other side as “Acceptable.” As youth are told of the following situations, they must stand on the side of the room that represents their stand on the issue. After each situation, ask some of the youth on either side of the issue to give their reasons for the stand. If everyone is on one side, you might ask someone to switch and debate what someone on the other side my say?

Sample Situations
1. Listening to a “November Rain” By Guns and Roses? (The song isn’t bad, but the bands reputation is bad)
2. Having a glass of wine while on a flight to the USA? (Drinking wine isn’t sin, only drunkeness, but does it destroy your Christian witness to drink?)
3. Going to an RA rated movie? (What if, like Schindler’s list it is a documentary? Does that make the nudity and language acceptable?)
4. Listening to a song with a catchy tune but contains profanity in its lyrics? (Can you really just enjoy the beat and honestly say the lyrics have no effect?)
5. Using a supposed copy of an exam from which to study? (Is it cheating or just using what is available?)
6. Playing a role-playing game that contains cultic themes and references. (Is it just a game with no real effect on you?)
7. Playing a computer game that contains demons. (Is it just a game or could it lead to more?)
8. Attending a Charismatic Service (Because they worship differently, does that make them wrong?)
9. Attending a Catholic Church Service (Is Catholicism just going through the motions or could there be Catholics who are saved?)
10. Participating a Buddhist blessing Ceremony (Is out out of respect for parents or should we avoid idols and false religions completely?)
11. Participating in a Hungry Ghost Festival. (Is it ok for a Christian?)
ADD YOUR OWN SITUATIONS

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
strips of cloth, prepare two bags full of old clothing items, such as hats, large pants, shirts, scarves, socks, glasses, gloves, jackets, and large pairs of shoes. Make sure that both bags contain the same items. The wackier and more out of style the items, the better. Place each bag on a chair.

Setup
Form pairs. Give each pair a strip of cloth to tie their ankles together, as if running a three legged race.

Rules
The activity has one rule: anything you wish to do and anyplace you go, must be with your partner. You are each 1/2 of a person and cannot be separated. If you wish to eat food, go ahead, but your partner must feed you.

Activities
1. Divide the youth into two groups, keeping pairs together. Run a relay race in which each pair has to run to its team’s chair, pick two items of clothing out of the bag, and dress each other in that clothing. Have each pair do the “HokeyPokey” acting as one person (one person does all the right side actions while the other does the left side actions).
2. Sing songs that require clapping and hand motions, again having each person act as one side of the body.
3. Take a snack break and remind teens that they must feed each other.
4. Add other competitions that require 2 hands to complete such as pealing a banana or orange, cutting a design out of a peice of paper, tying shoe laces, origami, putting a puzzle together, pealing a hard boiled egg, tossing a beach ball, threading a needle, etc.

Application
1. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Building blocks, decks of cards or other materials used to build a tower. Options are dominoes, fruits, popsicle sticks, stones, people, sheets of paper, sugar cubes, soda straws, lego’s, empty soda cans, etc.

Activity
1. Have individuals or groups build towers from the materials provided. You may choose to give all the groups the same materials or give different groups different materials.
2. Award prizes for the tallest, sturdiest, lightest, most creative, best architectural style, strangest, etc. You might then decide to have a best distaster – catastrophe – see which tower has the best death scene when demolished. For fun you may wish to video tape the construction and destruction of towers for a record of the event.

Application
1. When it seems like life is knocking us down, God is there to pick us up.
2. I wonder how many of us were tempted to destroy our competition instead of building our own tower? Satan is like that too. We work hard to try to be like Jesus. We do nice things like hold our tempers (place a block) or tell the truth (stack another block on top) or obey our teacher (place another block on top), and when Satan sees us trying to grow more like Christ guess what Satan tries to do? (Satan tries to knock us down. ) Yes, Satan tries to knock us down. And sometimes he succeeds. But we have to pick ourselves up and try again, because God promises to lift us up and help us.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
None

Activity
Have the group form a circle holding hands. Say, I am going to name some situations. I want you to pray silently for the persons on your left and right as if the situation were true. What/ how would you pray?

Situations
NOTE: Create your own and use discretion as not all options may be appropriate for all groups of youth.
1. Imagine you are holding the hand of someone who is sick.
2. Imagine you are praying with someone who is homeless.
3. Imagine you are praying with the President / Prime Minister.
4. Imagine that you are holding the hand of someone who is dying.
5. Imagine that you are holding the hand of a female friend who has gotten pregnant or of a guy who has just gotten a girl pregnant.
6. Imagine you are holding the hand of a convicted murderer.
7. Imagine you are holding the hand of a person with AIDS.
8. Imagine you are holding the hand of Jesus.

Debrief
Debrief this prayer time by asking:
1. What did you learn about yourself during our adventure prayer?
2. What made you uncomfortable?
3. What did you learn about prayer?
4. How can you use these ideas to make you personal prayer time more meaningful?

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
1. Scissors, markers, small stickers or white address labels
2. “Bible Passport” (patterned after a real passport) If you have a polaroid camera, you can even take pictures of the youth for their passports. Another option is to ask them to bring a picture of themselves for the next week. Neoprint pictures also work well.

Activity
As you discuss different Bible stories and characters you can discuss destinations and have them write brief notes in their passports. You might have youth create a special symbol or stamp for the passport based on each Bible destination. If you are really feeling creative, have someone dress up as a Bible character (like Paul) and tell them about the various places he visited. Have youth write down the names of places visited and what happened at each.

Application
“Traveling, through the Bible takes us to many wonderful places. We can travel through the promised land with Joshua, or wander in the desert with Moses. We can travel with Paul to Asia Minor and with Philip to see the Ethiopian. The Bible is like a passport to many places.”

Bible Passport Inscription
The King of Kings
hereby requests all who it may concern to permit this citizen of Heaven (statute Phil: 3:20) named herein to go into all the world and in case of need to be provided with all necessary aid and protection from enemies of God’s Kingdom. (statute John 17:17-18)

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Divide groups into teams and provide each team with 4 sheets of paper, scissors, several straws, some string, a couple rubber bands, 4 ice-cream sticks, 2 paper plates, a pencil, 4 styrofoam or paper cups, an egg and some tape.

Activity
Give each group an egg… allow them 5 minutes to build a capsule for their egg to protect it from being dropped… then drop the egg capsules from different heights. Award the group whose egg survives the fall intact. In case of a tie, the group using theleast materials wins.

Application
1. Today we are going to learn what preparations you can make to prevent you from cracking under pressure in your spiritual walk.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Blindfolds for 3 or four youth/ children

Activity
Choose 3 or 4 volunteers and blindfold them. Then divide the group into two teams for each volunteer. The objective of one team is to direct the blindfolded person through an obstacle course you have created while the objective of the other opponent’s team is to lead the blind-folded person astray. The Blindfolded person will not know which team to trust… If the blindfolded person completes course, the team leading him wins; if he is led astray the distraction team wins.

Application
1. Sometimes in life, the right path is difficult to see and even more difficult to follow
2. We need to learn to differentiate the voices around us so we can make wise decisions

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Index Cards

Setup
Known as “battle” or “slap.” Write key words, phrases and other facts that match up on a set of index cards. Place the names listed below as well as descriptions on separate note cards. Include as many copies of the names as there are descriptions.

Activity
Divide the cards into two stacks, one for each team. Players turn over cards simultaneously. If two cards match the first player to slap the discard pile gets all the cards in it. The object is to collect all the cards. After a couple minutes change players on each team.

Example of cards: The Rebuilding of the temple
Babylonians – Destroyed Jerusalem
Darius – King of Persia
Cyrus – King of Persia
Cyrus – allowed Jews to return
Cyrus – granted money for rebuilding the temple
Cyrus – ordered temple vessels returned
Zechariah – Prophet
Haggai – Prophet
Haggai – said “Jews too busy with own houses and God’s house is in ruins.”
Daniel – exile
Temple – Place of sacrifice
Temple – dedication
Temple – rebuilt
Exile – noble family
Exile – wealthy, educated, or skilled
Exile – The “children of the captivity”
Tatnai – Persian Governor over Judah
Shadrach – exile
Meshach – exile
Abednego – exile
Belshazzar – Babylonian King
Nebuchadnezzer – Babylonian King
Nebuchadnezzer – statue of self
Zerubbabel – Governor of Judean community
Worship – Temple
Ezra – Post-exilic book
Nehemiah – Post-exilic book
Malachi – Post-exilic book

Application
1. This can be used for any lessons that have facts for review that can be matched.
2. Rebuilding the temple: 2Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1-6; Isaiah 44-45

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Preparation
The group will be divided into teams of 8 persons, each arranged in a circle. Each circle will have a disciple (adult) to watch them.

Activity
1. The group has one minute to form a circle around the disciple with not more than four points of contact with the ground. (Members may not lie across the ground)
2. After 1 minute time will be called, and disciples will take note of the group. If the group has not reached the correct arrangement, the disciple falls asleep and that team is out.
3. This continues with remaining teams forming new arrangements every minute. i.e. they must arrange themselves differently.
4. The team which keeps their disciple awake the longest will be rewarded.

Application
1. Sometimes the desire to accomplish a task is not enough. There must also be confidence in God and commitment to him. The disciples falling asleep in the garden of Gethsemane was one event in which you see a lack of commitment. Jesus in the Garden is an example of real commitment.
2. Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:39-46, John 18:1, Matthew 26:36-46 – Garden of Gethsemane

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
None

Activity
Call out the name of an object in the room. Youth / Children must rush to touch it. After they understand the mechanics of the game, eliminate the last person to touch the object.

Applications
The world often pursues after objects and material things. As soon we get the latest fad, the world calls out something new as the object of our pursuits.
1. What are some of the things the world considers important pursuits today?
2. What are the top pursuits in your life?
3. Matthew 6:33 – The things of God must be our primary pursuits in life.
4. Deuteronomy 4:29 – Seek God himself
5. Psalm 27:4 – Seek to be in the presence of God
6. Psalm 34:10 – We will not lack anything when we seek God.
7. Matthew 6:19-21 – Store up your treasures in heaven
8. Luke 12:15-21 – Parable of Jesus regarding earthly pursuits.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Collection of Bricks, blocks, dominoes, Jenga blocks, cards, straws, paper rolls/tubes, and various other objects. Provide an identical set of objects for each group.

Activity
1. Ask youth / children to build a tall tower using the object provided. The key will to be to put the heavier objects on bottom. Have a competition to see which group can build the tallest tower.
2. Repeat the competition using a pillow or other unstable object as a foundation.

Debrief
1. Compare the two activities. Which foundation was more effective?
2. Why is a strong foundation important?
3. Is your life built on the solid or or shifting sand? Explain.

Application
1. The tower build on solid ground is like building our lives upon Christ.
2. Matthew 7:24 – Christ as foundation
3. Matthew 16:18 – Peter’s confession of faith is a rock

A little bit more…
While some may object to using Children’s Fairy tales in church, the story of the Big bad wolf and the three little pigs which built houses of straw, hay, and brick are a perfect illustration of this spiritual truth. The pig who built his house of brick is like the person who puts his faith in Christ. Satan is like the big bad wolf!

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
plastic Spoons, Ping Pong Balls

Setup
Create an obstacle course for a relay race around chairs, under a rope, etc

Activity
Relay 1: Youth must travel the relay course balancing a ping- pong ball on a spoon. If they drop the ball they must return to the start line. First group to all go through the course wins.
Relay 2: Blind Pyramids: Members, blindfolded, must go to a designated area and stack six Styrofoam cups pyramid fashion then return and pass the blindfold to the next team mate. Leaders should knock the cups down between people.
Relay 3: Coin, Book, Ball relay: Each team is given a 50 cent piece, a tennis ball, and paperback book. The idea is to balance the book on your head, hold coin in your eye, and keep the ball between your knees while going to the end of the room and back. First team to have all members complete the relay wins.
Relay 4: Each person on team pairs with a partner. Each pair races to a goal with an apple or a balloon balanced between their foreheads. If it is dropped they must start over.
Relay 5: Handsfull relay: collect a variety of interesting identical pairs of objects. 2 brooms, 2 balls, 2 skillets, 2 rolls of bathroom tissue, 2 chairs, 2 table tennis paddles, 2 ping pong balls, etc. Be crazy! Get at least 12 items. Place the items at the opposite end of the room in 2 piles. The first player runs to the end of the room picks up an item of choice and brings it back to his team. His team member then carries the object back to the other end and adds a second item. Each succeeding player carries the items collected by his teammates, picks up one new item, and carries them all back to the next player. This game will begin rapidly but will become slower as each successive player decides which item to add and then must pass all the items to the next player. Once picked up an item cannot touch the floor or be set down. Any item dropped in transit is returned to the table by the youth workers. No one may assist the players in the exchange of items except through verbal coaching. First team to empty their pile wins…

Applications
1. Daniel 5:27 “He was weighed in the balance and found wanting”
2. Opening for a lesson of priorities, balance, time management, etc.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
1. 2 sets – 8 types of prayer (prepared by you)
2. 2 sets – 8 cards with examples from Daniel 9 or other passages ( 1 set prepared by each group)
3. 2 sets – 8 cards with real life examples of each aspect of prayer (1 set prepared by each group)
4. +4 – add 4 wild cards (prepared by you) and you will have a set of 52 cards…

This means there are 6 cards for each aspect of prayer..
Another option is to have youth collect and arrange cards in the correct order from various famous prayers. You can also Get 52 or more index cards. For larger groups create additional sets. On the cards, write portions of prayers. On other cards write the authors of each portion. You can then play various card games using the notecards you have prepared. Suits can be identified by four key authors such as David, Paul, Jesus, Jeremiah, etc . Phrases can be matched by similar sentiments or components. Throw in cards with each aspect of the prayer wheel for additional matches (Praise, Meditation, The Word, Listening, Singing, Confession, Intercession, Petition.)

You may have youth prepare the cards: add cards with real items to be lifted up in prayer. Add prayers for missionaries. Add other prayers for church activities. The possibilities are endless.

Activities
1. Relay: Divide the class into two groups. Give a set of cards to each group. Each group member gets a card and lines up against the opposite wall opposite you. Call out examples of each type of prayer. First group to get the corresponding prayer card to you gets a point. Members return to the wall. Go fish – try to complete as many sets as possible
2. Spoons – be the 1st to get a set of 1 type of prayer
3. Battle – divide the cards into two stacks, one for each team. Players turn over cards simultaneously. If two cards match the first player to slap the discard pile gets all the cards in it. A match in this case would be any two cards of the same type of prayer. The object is to collect all the cards. After a couple minutes change players on each team.

Application
As a closing activity, have youth each take a real life prayer from the stack and keep that in prayer for this week… using fresh cards, have youth put their name and a prayer request on a card. Shuffle all the cards. Distribute cards and encourage them to pray for the person they get this week.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Two or three types of bubble making wands and bubble soap. Many different kitchen utensils like wire wisks make great bubble wands. You could also provide wire and wire cutters and allow older kids to design their own bubble wands.

Activity
Hold a bubble blowing contest. Have awards for verious categories:
* Biggest bubble
* longest lasting bubble
* Most unique bubble
* Greatest number of connected bubbles
* Most unique bubble wand

Discussion
1. What do all bubbles have in common?
Answer: Eventually they all burst!
2. What are some things that last forever?
3. What are some things that we strive for in life that are only temporary?

Application
Bubbles are Temporary
Bubbles come in all sizes and shapes, depending on the wand used to create them. Bubbles can be tiny or large, can be kept or set free, can be alone or connected. Regardless, all bubbles will eventually burst. The do not last forever.

Bubbles grab our attention / fascination
The world waves a wandful of fascinating temptations at us. Fun, romance, happiness, wealth, material possessions all hold our attention for a time, but they too are only temporary. When you think you have risen above the dangers, when yuo have been lifted above the frailties and difficulties of life, when you finally think you have something that will last a while, then suddenly the bubble bursts. What once seemed substantial is now only a memory. You reach out to grab what you always wanted and “POP!” its gone. You are left with nothing.

Scriptures
1 John 2:15-17; Mark 8:34-38 (especially v 35) See also Matthew 6:31-33; James 4:13-14 (especially in the version The Message)

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials

1. Rubber bands, paper clips, paper, masking tape, a measuring tape, Bibles
2. A large open area, preferable indoors to avoid issues with wind.

Preparation

1. Divide the youth into groups of 2 to 3 persons and place the materials in a central location accessible to all
2. Using the masking tape, mark off a starting position for youth to stand behind when launching their planes. Create a small cross (or X) some distance from the starting line as a target.
3. The objective is the create a paper airplane for the Flying Challenge
4. Announce that there will be several award categories:

• Plane that flies the farthest
• Longest time in the air
• Most accurate Flyer
• Most Creative

Activity

1. Give youth 10-15 minutes to create the planes.
2. Farthest: Have youth line up behind the line to launch their planes, on group at a time. You may wish to allow two throws or best of three, depending on time constraints
3. Longest time in the air: use the stopwatch to measure the time each plane is aloft
4. Accuracy: Have youth take turns trying to launch their planes so that they land inside the target area.
5. Creative: Most creative design

Discussion

1. Were you focused on trying to achieve a specific award or did you just create a general purpose plane? Why?
2. What were the key characteristics of your design? Why?
3. What were the keys to success for each award category?
4. In what ways are the paper airplanes similar to people? Similar to Christians? Different? Which one is most like you?
5. What are your goals in life? As a Christian?
6. Do you have just one goal or many goals? Why? Which goal is most important to you? Why?
7. What purpose do goals serve in life?
8. What goals did Paul have in life? What were Christ’s goals?
9. How are you similar / different in your goals as compared to Paul / Christ?
10. What factors / keys to success make you a winner in the Christian life?
11. What things can we people to be more successful? What do you need to change to be more successful as a Christian?
12. What things have you spiritually grounded / prevent you from soaring as high as you can as a Christian? What things are weighing you down spiritually? How can you lighten your load?

Applications

• Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 2:3-10
• Soaring as eagles
• Laying down our burdens

This Creative Teaching Idea for children or youth combines an object lesson with a learning activity to stimulate discussion of our goals in the Christian life

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
Learn More…

Detective
The object of this game is to solve a criminal case created by the class. Two people who have not played detective before are appointed to be detectives. Ask them to leave the room while the class creates a case for them to solve. While the detectives are out of the room tell the class that no case needs to be prepared. Instead they are to listen carefully to the questions asked by the detectives. If the last word of a question ends with a vowel, a “y” or an “s” then the group answers, “yes” If it ends with anything else, the group answers “no”. The detectives then return to the room and are allowed to ask “yes or no” questions. The story is completed when you ask “are we done” in which case everyone else will reply “yes.”

Application
Inevitably the detectives will pursue an amazing story which they are creating. Many people are going through life asking questions and pursuing a false story while we know the truth. It is our job as Christians to proclaim the truth.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials 
None

Activity
Ask youth to:
1) tell about their most embarrassing moment while participating in a sport
2) tell about the greatest triumph while participating in a sport.

Application
There are a lot of people who are vary proud of the things they have done. They spend their lives collecting accomplishments trying to get more than everyone else. But Paul was not this way. He was willing to give up everything in order to pursue Jesus. He did not focus on past failures or accomplishments, but pressed on toward his calling in Jesus. (Phil 3:12 – 16)

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Gather department store catalogs and advertisements and cut out pictures of items your group members want most. These could be televisions, clothing, jewelry, games, and so on. On a separate piece of paper, note the cost of each item you’ve selected. Post the pictures around the walls of the room. Collect paper and pencils for everyone and a Bible. You’ll also need a bag of small candies as rewards.

Activity
Give each person a sheet of paper and a pencil. Have kids / youth walk around the room and write down what they think each item costs. When everyone has priced the items, reveal the actual prices. After revealing each price, award the person who guessed closest to the actual price (without going over) a piece of candy.

Discussion
• Did these items sell for what you expected?
• What might be hidden costs involved in purchasing these items?
• In Luke 9:57-62, why do you think Jesus responded in the way he did?
• What was this man unwilling to “pay” to follow Jesus?
• What kinds of costs are associated with following Jesus? Are you willing to live with these costs?
• In some countries, being a Christian can mean punishment or being cut off from one’s family. Would you be willing to pay this cost? Explain.

In this LEARNING GAME, youth compare the cost of material things to the cost of following Jesus.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Gather as many first-, second-, and third-place ribbons as you can. You’ll need a Bible, too. Draw some ribbons if you don’t have manufactored ones. You can also buy blue, red, and white ribbon to make your own prize ribbons.

Activity
Your plan will be to give away as many prizes and awards as possible during the class period. This is not a contest because everyone will win a prize by the end of the class. Tell your kids that the class time will center around winning and that everyone is a winner in God’s eyes.

1. Start as soon as the first person arrives, give that person a blue ribbon for being first. Give the next person a red ribbon for being second and the third person a white ribbon for being third.
2. Next, hand out ribbons:
* to the first three to be seated
* those who help with various activities
* those who sing songs nicely
* those who are willing to pray
* someone who does a kind action for someone else,
* those who answer questions
* those who do well in your activities
* those who bring their Bibles
* those who take notes
* those who ask questions during the study.
* Any any other excuse you can find to give youth awards.

Application
Close the time with worship in which young people lay down their ribbons or prizes before Christ, placing them at the foot of a cross silent celebration. Paul was willing to lay everything down for Christ. For him the greatest prize was serving Christ. Everything he did in life was for the sake of Christ. (Phil 3:12 – 16)

Destined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?

Our “Destined to Win” series is a great follow up for youth who are new Christians or to emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum / Small Group Study has a sports theme and is great for athletes and works well as a tie in to the Olympics.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”

Icebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

This 170 page resource not only provides 52 of the world’s most popular group icebreaker activities and games, but also includes lesson ideas and discussion questions to smoothly transition into conversations about the issues common to most groups.

Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!

Materials
A list of possible machines

Activity
1. Divide the youth into groups of a minimum of 5 to 10 participants (Larger groups are better).
2. Randomly assign each group a machine from your list.
3. Give each group time to prepare. Each group must act out the machine they are given. Sound effects are encouraged! Everyone in a group must be involved in the charade.
4. Have groups take turns presenting their machine while other groups guess the identity of the machines.

Some machines that are very effective are: 
washing machine
vacuum cleaner
car engine
elevator
escalator
typewriter
pinball machine
jack-hammer
bus
blender
toilet
jacuzzi
lawnmower
building crane
pipe organ
MAKE UP YOUR OWN

Application
After each group has demonstrated their machines,discuss how each machine had specific parts. And while some of the youth may not understand how all the parts work, the person who originally invented / created each machine thought of every part and understood every piece. In the same way God created us and knows how we all fit together. He knows how everything works. And we can only discover our part by going to him as our Creator.

Alternate Application
After each group has demonstrated their machines, tell them that we discovered the machines by their actions. Tell them that the most important way that other people discover love / Christianity is through our actions!

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
A couple of spare belts in case there are too few belts in a group.

Activity
1. Divide the group into 2 or more groups
2. Ask all members in each group to remove their belts.
2. Within each group, the group must then fasten all the belts together so they form a single belt around the group. This may be a tight squeeze!
3. Have relay race or a series of tasks for the group to accomplish while bound together. Some possibilities are:

* Race across the room, pick up a coin from the floor and return it to you.
* Soccer style, kick a ball across the room and then back to you.
* Leave the room through a doorway (tight fit) and then return to the room
* Hop across the room as a group
* Everyone in the group remove their shoes
* Spin around in a circle three times
* Get on their knees
* Sing a song with hand motions. Everyone must sing and do the motions.
* Keep a balloon in the air for 2 minutes, by tapping it up as it starts to fall.
* THINK OF YOUR OWN TASKS

4. Have an observer to tick off the tasks as they are conpleted. Award the group that completes the most tasks in a specific time frame or that is the first to complete all the tasks.

Discussion
* How did you manage to get the belt to fit around the whole group?
* How is this belt like or unlike unity?
* What are some things we must do to create unity?
* In this case the belt serves as a restriction. Is unity restrictive or freeing?
* What are some of the benefits of unity? Some of the restrictions?
* How does unity affect our movement toward a goal and in accomplishing an objective.
* In what ways do the benefits of unity outweigh the restrictions?

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Make a list of impossible tasks.

Potential tasks
* Youth must form pairs and toss a tennis ball back and forth (from a distance of at least 10 feet) 10 times in a row without dropping it.
* Every youth must balance three books on his or her head and walk across the room without dropping the books.
* Youth must stand on one leg for two minutes without any support from other object in the room or other people.
* Youth must form a line lying on their backs and use only their feet to pass the ball down the line without dropping it once. (Avoid this one if girls are wearing shorts or skirts)
* Youth must chew 3 crackers then chew a piece of gum and blow a bubble.
* Youth must cross the room by inflating a balloon and then releasing it and letting it go until it touches the opposite wall. The may only inflate the balloon by standing where it lands.
* Youth must spin in a circle 10 times then walk a straight line without stepping of the line.
* Everyone must do 66 jumping jacks while saying the books of the Bible in reverse backward.
* Walk across a room with a ping-pong ball in a spoon without dropping it
* Put a rubber dishwashing glove over your head and blow it up using air from your nose
ADD ANY OTHER GREAT IDEAS FOR VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TASKS

Activity
When youth arrive tell them that if they can complete the task you will give them, they will win a wonderful prize. (Your prize could be an ice-cream Sunday, a pizza dinner, a trip to the movies, a chance to cream your face with a pie, almost anything. Choose something you would like to do with the youth.) Explain that the way to win the prize is to complete ALL the tasks you give them, and they must be done perfectly and within 10 minutes (or another short time frame).

Application
When time is up gather the youth into a circle:
1. Youth will realize there is no way they can complete all the tasks in the designated time and didn’t measure up to your challenge.
2. Read 1 Timothy 1:12-17.
3. Then reward the youth with the party/ event / reward you promised.

This experience is like the mercy God showed Paul and that God shows us each day.

Materials
On small slips of paper write down the names of numerous athletes.

Activity
1. Tape these to the back of students as they arrive. The task of the students is to discover what name is pinned on their backs by asking only “yes” or “no” questions. This continues until everyone arrives and has learned the name of the famous athlete on his/her back.
2. Then go around the group and ask each youth his/her name, favorite sport, and other information you might like to know.
3. How is a goal / points scored in each of the sports the youth mentioned?

Philippians 3:12-14
* What does this tell us about Paul’s Goal in life?
* How does this apply to our goals in life?

Go for the Gold
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?

What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle.
-> Tell me about “Go for the Gold”

Destined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?

The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”

Materials
1. Choose a variety of items representing the obstacles Elisha faced. You might use an empty box of cereal, a tombstone, a glass of water, an empty coin purse, a crown (you can make one from yellow paper, etc.
2. Place two tables side by side with a gap between the two tables big enough for a person’s head.
3. Cover the tables with a sheet or cloth, including the gap. Line up the items along the top two side by side tables.
4. Arrange a youth in advance to hide beneath the table with his head sticking up between the two tables. Be sure to choose someone who is a good sport and won’t get upset with what will happen later.
5. Cover each item with a cardboard box, including the youth’s head between the two tables.

Activity
1. Choose three volunteers to compete to see who can identify all the items that Elisha faced in the quickest time possible.
2. Get someone to time each participant with a stop watch. One by one lift up the boxes and have the youth identify the item under it.
3. Save the person hiding for last. Then when you reveal the person hiding that person shouts “boo!” and tries to scare the person.
4. Repeat with the second volunteer.
5. The third volunteer does the same but have a pie tin with whip creme or shaving creme to push into the person’s face who is hiding after they scare the third volunteer. Be careful of eyes. hah hah… last laugh is on you!

Scripture
2 Kings 1:1-4:44

Application
Elisha faced many obstacles in his role as a prophet. But God always took care to provide for his needs and get him through the difficulties. One of the greatest obstacles we have to serving God and standing up when there difficulties is fear. But God can always conquer our fear in the end if we will simply trust him. Sometimes we might receive a little persecution or even a pie in the face, but when we must stand up for God because that is what we have been called to do.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Cardboard or newsprint, or paper large enough to block the door of the room.

What to do

1. Using cardboard boxes block off the entrances to the classroom. You can even tape paper over the door if nothing else. You might paint it or draw bricks on it so it looks like a wall.
2. Have youth bust through the paper to enter the classroom.
3. Discuss the obstacles we have to living our faith in a world that does not know God. How can we bust through these obstacles like we did the wall blocking the classroom door?
4. Give each youth a peice of paper or cardboard used to block the door. Have them write obstacles on one side and ways we can break through the obstacles with God’s provision on the other side.

Variation
As an alternative object lesson bring in a small brick or piece of wood painted to look like a brick for each student. Have the youth write a symbol of at least one obstacle they face in their spiritual lives onto this brick and keep it in a prominent place at home to remind them that there is no obstacle God cannot overcome in your walk with Him.

Scripture
2 Kings 1:1-4:44

Summary
God wants to help us move beyond the obstacles in life.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
Learn More…

Materials
Variety of obstacles

Activity
1. Set up chairs and tables and other things as obstacles for when youth / children enter the room. You can also design an obstacle course for them.
2. Ask two volunteers to go through the course blindfolded.
3. While they are outside the room being blindfolded, remove all of the obstacles. Choose a guide for each blindfolded volunteer to carefully guided through the non-existent obstacles. Make sure to include instructions about avoiding the obstacles, even though they have been removed.
4. Surprise the youth / Children when you remove the blindfolds.

Application
Sometimes God gives us the strength and a guide such as he did Elisha, but at other times God removes the obstacles as when he parted the Jordan River for Elisha and Elijah.

Scripture
2 Kings 1:1-4:44

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Prepare a list of actions of Elijah and Elisha.

Possibilities for statements
* Fed by ravens
* Increased a widow’s supplies
* rebuked kings
* Challenged the prophets of Baal
* Didn’t die.
* Wore a mantle as a symbol of his office as a prophet
* Raised a woman’s dead son
* Parted the Jordan River
* Slain captains and men by calling down fire
* Removed poison from a stew
* Fed 100 men with 20 barley loaves
etc.

Activities
1. Have youth correctly identify which actions belong to Elijah . Elisha. As a competition you might divide the class into two teams and the first team to correctly match the prophets with the actions wins. Some actions will apply to both Elijah and Elisha.
2. Call out the statements and have youth perform an action associated with each prophet. For Elijah have them spin around in place representing the whirlwind in which he was taken to heaven. For Elisha, have them rub the top of their head with the palm of their hand, representing his baldness. (Elisha was mocked by youth for his baldness and those mocking him were slain by bears.) In instances where the statement applies to both, they must do both simultaneously.

Scripture
2 Kings 1:1-4:44

Summary
Elijah mentored Elisha. God used both Elisha and Elijah to teach the Israelites.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
None

Preparation
Make a list of professions. Some possibilities might include:
a lawyer
a dentist
an astronaut
a baker
a policeman
a mechanic
an engineer
a pilot
a doctor
a fireman
an architect
a counselor

Activity
You can play charades with your list, pin the names on the back and ask kids to discover their occupation, or make a list of equipment and tools that each occupation uses and have children match the tools with the occupation.

Application
Discuss how we trust each of these people to do their jobs. While we cannot be experts in all areas, we trust those who ARE the experts. We may not understand why the doctor chooses a specific medicine or a mechanic uses a specific tool, but we trust their expertise. In the same way we do not know everything about God or understand everything God understands, but he is our Creator and as such we can trust him with our life. (Ecclesiastes 3:16-22)

Use this creative teaching activity as a reminder to youth or children that we cannot know everything so we place our trust in various experts. We need to place the sme kind of trust in our Creator.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
None

Activity
Divide the group into two or more teams. As a series of characteristics are called out, you must carry the team member with those characteristics to the front. First team to do so gets a point. If the person being carried touches the ground he / she must return to the start. In the event that more that one person has the same characteristic the team must choose one that has not been carried yet. If all with the same characteristic have already been carried then the team may choose one.

Possible Characteristics:
(use care to not embarass anyone unduly)
1. Person on the team with the largest shoe.
2. Shortest person on your team.
3. Person on your team with the longest hair
4. Person with the birthday closest to today
5. Person on your team with the darkest skin
6. Tallest person on your team
7. Person on your team with the longest fingernails
8. Person on your team with the most siblings
9. Person with the greatest number of letters in his / her name
10.Person on your team that travels the farthest distance to come to church
11.Person on your team who hasn’t been carried yet
12.Person on your team with the longest pinky finger
13.Person on your team with the most worn socks
14.Person on your team with the most pointed nose
15.Person on your team with the greatest number of pets
16.Person on your team with the ugliest big toe
17.Add your own here……………………

Application
We need to carry others to God in prayer, and lift them up with our words and actions. That is what brings us all together in unity.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Find a balance scale or make one using paper plates, string, and ruler with a hole the middle. You can hold it with a string attached to the middle hole. Sheets of scratch paper for each participant. Wooden Cross.

Activity
1. On each sheet of paper kids / youth should write one positive thing they have done this week.
2. On other sheets they should write the other things they have done – unspiritual. No one else needs to see what is written.
3. Have everyone wad up the pieces of paper and place them on the appropriate sides of the scale. Which side is heavier?
4. Discuss things that someone might have put on each side of the scale. Make list on a whiteboard or poster of the things that are possibilities as kids / youth mention them.
5. Discuss things that could be removed from the unspiritual side and the things that could be added to the spiritual side. Have participants choose one thing they wish to change to get their life into better balance this week.
6. Now bring out the wooded cross and place it on the good side. Explain that when Jesus died on the cross, he tipped the scales in our favor. God no longer compares the good with the bad. With Jesus on your side you will not be found wanting. With Jesus on your side, your sins are forgiven and instead of having everything taken away, you will be rewarded with heaven.

Application
God evaluates our lives today in light of what Christ did on the cross.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Various items that would be useful on a journey or simply the names of items written on index cards, or pictures of the items.

Beach: beach towel, sunscreen, swimsuit, sunglasses
Fishing Trip: boat, fishing rod, bait or lure, net
School: books, paper, pencil or pen, backpack
Snow Skiing: snowskis, coat, gloves, snow boots
Scuba Diving: snorkel, air tank, boat, wetsuit

You can also include other locations such as: Desert, Space station, etc. Of course if you can bring in items needed for the various trips you can ask the children to sort them according to the trip that will need them.

Activity
Have children sort items according to the trip they are going to make.

Application
In John 20:19-23, Jesus sent the disciples to tell others about him. He told them they would need two things for this trip: The Holy Spirit and a message of forgiveness.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Soap bubbles and various types of wands to use to blow bubbles. You may wish to have a bowl that all the kids can use instead of individual bottles of bubbles. Some thin wire can be used to make bubble wands. You can also use many things found around the house such as egg beaters, strainers, cheese graters, etc. You could provide wire and wire cutters and allow older kids to design their own bubble wands.

Activity
Tell the youth / children you will give prizes for the most interesting looking bubble, the most bubbles, the largest bubble, the longest lasting bubble, biggest group of bubbles, etc.

Application
Explain that each bubble is filled with air. While you cannot see the air you know its there because it gives the bubble its shape. Jesus sent his comforter, his Spirit to be with us (John 14:16) While we cannot see him, we know he is here because he affects us and the things around us. We can see him by what he does.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Balloons

Have a balloon carnival by having various games involving balloons:
1. BANG: Have a competition to see who can be the first to blow up a balloon until it pops.
2. AIR RACE: The objective is to have the balloon reach the other side of the room. Kids can only reach it by blowing up a balloon and letting it go. Where ever the balloon lands, they pick it up and fill it and release it again until someone reaches the goal.
3. BALLOON POP RELAY: Kids must grab an inflated balloon, race to a chair at the opposite end of the room and pop it by sitting on it. This can be very funny as some balloon refuse to pop easily and the kids are hopping up and down on them to pop them. First team to complete the relay wins.
4. BALLOON BUMP: Divide into two teams and give each team a different colored balloon. The team must hit the balloon in the air and not allow it to touch the ground. If a balloon touches the ground the other team gets a point. To add to the excitement, add more balloons.
5. BALLOON BUMP 2: See how many taps or how long a team can keep a balloon in the air without it touching the ground.
6. BALLOON VAOLLEYBALL: Set up a divider across the room and play a game of volleyball with balloons.
7. BALLOON STOMP: Using a small peice of string or a rubber band, tie a balloon to the shoe of each child so that it drags on the floor a few inches behind their feet. Then they must run around the room and try to pop each other’s balloons by stepping on them while also trying to prevent their own balloon from being popped. Last person to have their balloon unopopped wins.

Application
In the book of John, as Jesus prepared to leave the disciples they were afraid to be alone. Like an empty balloon they were a little sad and their spirits were deflated. Life seemed flat, joyless, empty. It had lost its bounce. But Jesus promised he would send a helper. (John 14:16-17) It wasn’t someone they would be able to see, just like you can’t see the air in a balloon, but they would be able to know the helper by what he does. This is the Holy Spirit.

You can’t see the air in a balloon, but it makes the balloon larger. It allows it to bounce and float. God’s Spirit, the Helper, the Comforter, can make us joyful instead of sad. And while we can’t see the Holy Spirit, we know he is there by the way he affects other things in our lives.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
None

Activity
Form pairs and have partners sit facing each other. Tell one person in each pair to mirror the other’s actions. After a minute, reverse roles. Instruct pairs to each make up a short skit in which they do mirror-image movements. For example, partners could wave with one hand, wave with the other hand, shrug their shoulders, then fall backward.

Debrief
Have volunteers share their skits.
* How did you feel being a mirror?
* How did you feel being a model?
* In what ways does a Christian disciple mirror Jesus?
* How would you define a Christian disciple?

Application
* What does Jesus say about discipleship in Matthew 28:18-20?
Being Jesus’ disciple is kind of like the activity we just did. Just as we mirrored others’ actions by watching them, we become a disciple of Jesus by watching and following what we see him doing.

Varaition
For younger kids you might ask kids to mirror you in all your actions.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Provide Bibles, paper, and pencils.
Optional: Provide Bible costumes.

Preparation
On a sheet of paper write one of the scripture references below these questions:
* Who are you?
* Why did you pray?
* How did God answer you?
* How did you feel?

Scripture references
Possible answers are in parenthesis. Do not include these on the student sheets
1. Genesis 24:42-46, 52
(Abraham’s servant; to find a wife for Isaac; provided Rebecca; bowed down before God).
2. 1 Samuel 1:2,10,11,27; 2:1
(Hannah; no children; son; praised God).
3. 2 Kings 20:1-5
(Hezekiah; sick; health).
4. Jonah 1:17; 2:1,10; 3:3
(Jonah; swallowed by fish; fish spit me out; obeyed God).
5. Luke 18:13,14
(tax collector; I was a sinner; forgiveness; God forgave me).
6. Acts 9:39-41
(Peter; Dorcas’ life; raised Dorcas).
7. Daniel 9:1-20
(Daniel’s prayer follows the pattern of II Chron 7:14)

Details of Daniel’s prayer
1. KNEES – Humble yourself
….v7,8 – Acknowledge shame is your fault, a result of your sin
….v16 – Our sin affects others
….v18b – Admit we have no righteousness
2. HANDS- (hands with palms together in a praying hands position) Pray
….v2-3 Daniel was reading the scriptures… and discovered that something there pertained to him, so he asked God to do what he had already promised.
….v16-18 Asked for God’s mercy
3. EYES – Seek God’s face.
….a. v2-3 Daniel was seeking God through reading the scriptures…
….b. Meditated on God’s attributes
…….NOTICE all the characteristics and attributes of God mentioned in verses 4-18.
….c. Sought God’s favor (v13)
4. BODY – Turn from your wicked ways
….a. points out the wickedness they have committed… and includes himself – “we” (v5, 6, 10, 11)
….b. was a time of personal confession v20

Application
God answered prayers in Bible times, and He answers prayers today. These stories are about people who prayed and about the answers God gave. Guide them as they answer the questions regarding each Scripture. Assign one youth the part of the reporter. He or she will ask the questions. Assign the parts of the Bible people to the other pupils. They will answer the questions. Practice the interviews. Have the groups share one or more interviews.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Materials
Slips of paper with the following words written on them, one word/phrase per piece of paper.
Lamb
Bread
Shelter
Fortress
Crown
Water
Rock
Banner
Shield
Vine
Light
Hiding Place
Alpha
Omega
Life
Cornerstone
Way
Foundation
Gate
Truth
Door
Stone
Word

Activities
Choose one of the following activities

1. Play a game of “What Am I?”
Give each child a word. They must describe characteristics of the word without saying the word. The rest of the students must guess the word.

2. Play a game of charades or pictionary
In charades they must act out the word without speaking until someone guesses it. In pictionary they must draw a representation of the word without talking. Award points to the participants or teams who correctly guess the word first.

3. Name the Objects
Some of these are easily illustrated with objects. Place the objects on a tray and show them to the children. Then quickly cover the objects. have children name as many of the objects as possible from memory. Reward their answers.

4. “What am I?”
Tape one to the back of each student so that they cannot see what is written. They must wonder about the room and ask questions of each other to discover the identity of the word on their back. All questions must be answered by a simple “yes” or “no”.

Application
Explain that all these objects were used as descriptions of Jesus. Ask or explain how each object reveals some aspect of Jesus and ultimately of God. Just as the objects reveal aspects of Jesus, the Bible tells us that Jesus was an exact representation of God.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Materials
Large sheets of Mah Jong Paper or butcher paper or white wrapping paper, dictionary, thesaurus, Bible Dictionary

Activity
We should all have special qualities as Christians. Some of the qualities are found in Colossians 3:12 Read it aloud. Discuss with the group what it means to “put on” or “clothe yourselves with” these qualities. How could a person do that? Stress that to “clothe yourself” with these things means that you practice them and do activities that promote the qualities of compassion, kindness, humility, etc.

1. Ask the students to make a list of the qualities from the Scripture. Then have pupils look up synonyms or definitions for these qualities. What are other words that mean the same thing?

2. Each student must pick a quality, such as “the coat of compassion” or “the shirt of patience” to illustrate. Pupils should write other words on the clothing, such as synonyms or definitions of the qualities they have chosen.

3. Make sure each quality listed in the Scripture is illustrated by someone. There will probably be some silliness involved, especially if someone wants to do “the socks of kindness”!

4. Ask, “Why did you choose that particular article of clothing to illustrate that charaecteristic?”

Application
The Purpose of this activity is to get the participants thinking about what these qualities really mean, and about how important these qualities are in their own lives.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Materials
Supply of crumpled up newspaper sheets for each team

Activity
Have kids form two teams, and have teams move to opposite sides of the room. Designate one team as the Cartoon Team and the other team as the Giants Team. Give each team a supply of papers.

The goal is for the teams to get their opponents “out” by hitting them with paper wads. Each team must stay on their side of the room. When someone is out, they must lie still on the floor.

Further explain that kids on the Cartoons Team are out when they’re each hit once by a marshmallow, but kids on the Giants Team aren’t out until they’re each hit five times.

Let kids play until one team is out. Ask:
· Was this a fair fight? Why or why not?
· Is there really a winner when fighting or violence occurs? Why or why not?

Have everyone stand on one side of the room. Then stand by yourself on the other side of the room. Say: We’re going to play the game again, but this time you’ll be one team, and I’ll be the other team by myself. It’ll take ten paper wads to get me out, but only one to get any of you out.

On “go,” simply stand in place without throwing any paper wads. When you’ve been hit ten times, fall to the ground, and pause for a minute.
· How did you feel when I didn’t fight back?
· What does this passage say about returning violence for violence?

Application
Lead kids into a brainstorming session and discussion on practical responses to violence and retaliation. In John 8:1-11 Jesus refused to use violence as punishment for her sin, even though she derserved to die for her sin. Instead he chose to forgive her.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Materials
Divide groups into teams and provide each team with 4 sheets of paper, scissors, several straws, some string, a couple rubber bands, 4 ice-cream sticks, 2 paper plates, a pencil, 4 styrofoam or paper cups, and some tape.

Activity
The group is given the task of creating a platform to hold a stack of books. The platform must use ALL materials and be at least 10cm tall. The group which builds the platform which can take the pressure of the greatest number of books wins. In case of a tie, the platform that is tallest will win.

Debrief
These platforms are like our lives. We all start with the same things, but the spiritual foundations we build will determine how much pressure our Christianity can take before we fall into temptation or spiritually collapse.

Added Illustration
No one saw it coming. Nobody could have ever predicted it. But during construction of the Quebec Bridge in 1907, something horrible happened. At five-thirty in the afternoon on August 29, a steelworker perched high above the water on the bridge heard a loud noise that sounded like the blast of a cannon exploding. At that very moment the largest section of the massive structure suddenly collapsed, sending 19,000 tons of steel crashing into the St. Lawrence River. Of the 86 men who were working on the bridge at the time, 75 were killed instantly.

Later, after an extensive investigation, it was learned that the fateful bridge was destined to collapse from the start. Investigators found serious flaws in the original design. As a result, it was built improperly, causing a terrible tragedy.

As awful as something like that is, even worse is the way some people’s lives collapse under the stress and strain of everyday life. Lives are destroyed today because they are built from faulty designs. There are fatal flaws in their lives which lead to devastating consequences.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Activity
Designate one child as the shepherd. Blindfold him/her. The rest of the children are assigned the roll of lost sheep. They go hide somewhere in the room. Once they have selected a spot they cannot move. The blindfolded shepherd calls, “Lost sheep”. All the lost sheep have to answer, “baa”. When a shepherd finds one of the lost sheep the shepherd responds with “Jesus loves you and wants to find you.” The sheep stays with him as he goes looking for the rest of the sheep. He cannot help the shepherd find the other sheep. When the shepherd has collected all the missing sheep he removes his blindfold and leads them all back to “the fold” which can be their chairs.

Application
Make sure and discuss how people can be like lost sheep. They can say or do or feel things that separate them from God. God always plans ways to keep us close to Him. Even by placing himself in our place.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Materials
A large crayon and plain white sheet of paper for each person. (thick crayons work best)

Activity
Give each youth a sheet of paper and a crayon. They have 10 minutes to collect 10 “impressions” of the meeting area. Impressions are made by placing the paper over an object such as the carpet, a dor hinge, a keyhole, or even the sole of a shoe and rubbing the crayon over the object to pick up its patterns. Youth should list each item on the other side of the paper. At the end of the 10 minutes, take turns guessing the IDENTITY of the impressions and where everyone got the “Impressions” on their paper.

Application
Sometimes we are like this paper allowing people and things to leave an impression on us. Pressure was used to leave an impression. Even though the crayon left an impression on the paper, the paper left no impression on the objects. The objects were solid and firm, but the crayon was yielding. If we are secure and solid in the knowledge of who we are we will also be unyielding under pressure. We will be able to influence others rather than have them influence us.

Which are you more like?
What pressures leave an impression on you?
What happened to the crayon as a result?
How is that like us?
How can we make a positive impression on others while avoiding letting them make a negative impression on us?

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Materials
Clothespins – These are the spring loaded clips used to attach clothes to a pole so that they do not fall. As a substitute you can use colored stickers or the paper clips that are spring loaded.

Activity
Give every person two clothespins as they enter. When everyone has their clothespins, tell them you’re giving them two minutes to get rid of their clothespins. The only way to get rid of them is to pin them to someone else. Chaos results as everyone tries to get rid of their clothespins!!

Application
While we don’t carry clothespins with us through life, we do carry our sins. Sometimes they pinch us in uncomfortable places. Sometimes we don’t even realize they are there. But the sins carries with them pain and suffering.

Jesus suffered the ultimate pain and suffering on the cross as he bore the penalty for our sin. Ultimately that penalty is death. He chose to bear the consequences for us. He did not run away from sin, but said place all your sins on me and I will carry them for you. (Let everyone take their clothespins off and stick them to a cardboard cross.) While pain and suffering still accompany sin in our lives, the penalty of death has been removed for those who will trust in Christ.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Materials
paper and pencil for each person

Activity
Asked each child/ youth to draw a picture of ‘The tree outside my window’.

Debrief
Though the same instruction is given to everyone, the pictures they drew will be different – some will draw a view from a window, others will draw mountains or birds or animals along with the tree, etc.

Application
This activity demonstrates how each one of us has a different point of view about any given thing. We have different backgrounds. We all have different levels of comprehension and different ways of looking at the same thing. We must be sensitive to the fact that God made each of us unique and we are different from the others in our own way. But in the body of Christ, we all come together in unity. As we work together out differences become strengths. As we combine our various perspectives we can see all of life and God’s work in our lives more clearly (1 Corinthians 12)

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

A 200-page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Materials
Bring in kaliedescopes, magic viewers where you look through a keyhole to see a picture, a keyhole viewer from a door, water globes that have a scene inside the water and glitter which you shake up and view, sunglasses, and anything else you look at or through.

Activity
Pass around the various objects and then ask kids to determine what all the objects have in common… of course the common characteristic is that they are all things that we “look through”

Variation
Add a microscope and various things to place under the lense. Let children try to identify the various things you put under the microscope by looking through it.

Variation
Get some holograms, or stereographic pictures. Have children identify the various objects.

Variation
Create a word find or look for a “where’s waldo” type children’s book where you have to find hidden objects or people in pictures. Ask children to find the various objects. Reward the first child to find each object.

Variation
Play a game of “I spy.” or other visually oriented game.

Variation
There are books that have pictures of a small segment of a larger object. By looking at the small segment, you must identify the object. Use these with the children.

Application
After doing one or more of the above, talk about how important our eyes are. But also say that what we focus our eyes on is also very important. The best thing for a Christian to keep his eyes on is Jesus. If we look at Jesus and follow him, we will never get lost.
Ephesians 4:11-16

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Objective
Draw a grid representing floor tiles on a piece of paper. You may choose to have a 15 by 15 square grid or larger. Mark a path through the grid of squares with each successive step touching the one before it either adjacent or diagonally. Count the number of squares for the correct path and make a piece of paper with a Bible scripture written on it for each square. For the rest, rewrite some of the scriptures so that they are not correct. Use scriptures that are well known and provide wisdom in making decisions. Proverbs has a lot of good choices.

Activity
When in the classroom, lay out the peices of paper on floor tiles according to your grid. Divide the class into teams. The object is for each team to get its members through the mind-field without losing people. The group to get the largest number of students through the mind-field wins. Kids decide whether a square is a mine by reading the scripture verses and deciding if it is correct or not. If it is correct it is a safe square to step on. If it is not correct it is a mine. If they step on a mine, they lose one member and another kid can try. The first team to get across with least casualties wins.

Application
Scripture is our guide through life’s minefield. Wrong choices injure us. Correct choices lead us closer to God!

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Materials
Obtain a cheap dinner plate. Bring a tube of quick-setting glue: a hammer; a tray; a newspaper

Activity
1. Gather in a circle and pass around the plate. Ask each person to explain why the plate is beautiful or unique. Have the youth imagine the history of the plate. What kinds of suppers were served on it? What might families have discussed during the meal hour? Keep the plate circulating as the discussion continues.

2. Pass the plate around again and ask each person to look into the reflections in the plate and tell you what they see. What reflections are there? (Of course they will see themselves.) Why are they beautiful or unique? What dreams and future do their lives reflect?

3. Place newspaper in the center of the circle and place the plate on top. Tell the children that the plate represent people. Place another newspaper on top of the plate. Carefully break the dish with a hammer. (Try not to shatter it. YOU want to end up with several pieces, not a thousand fragments.)

4. Carefully pass around the pieces. Ask each person to describe the feelings that are evoked because this symbol of a person’s life has been broken. How is this situation a bit like their own lives? How is like Daniel’s life?

5. Reread todays text. Explain that often people are shattered by broken dreams, fears or anxieties.

6. Glue the pieces back together. Place the reconstructed plate on the tray and pass it around the circle. Ask the students to compare God’s act of healing to the glue. How does God heal the broken parts of our lives?

Application
Daniel was captured and carried away to an unknown land. he was a slave even though he lived in the king’s palace. Daniel’s first test dealt with the food placed on his plate. He could eat the king’s food which was sacrificed to idols or he could simply eat vegetables. Then the king had a bad dream and he was going to kill all his advisors unless they could tell him what he saw. It may have seemed like there was no hope. But God revealed what the king saw and what it meant. As a result Daniel was raised from a slave to a ruler. God took a bad situation and made it something good. We need to trust God with bad situations because we know he can peice them back together and make something good out of them.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Materials
An overhead projector; a large-piece jigsaw with very few pieces. (The picture on this puzzle does not matter.) The size should be similar to the top of the overhead projector.

Arrange the pieces of the large-piece jigsaw at random on top of the overhead projector.

Activity
Ask for a volunteer to come up and assemble the puzzle.

Application
The pieces will show up in silhouette as it is assembled, as will the hands. As this is happening, use the jigsaw to illustrate how God takes all the confusing pieces of life and fits them together. We may not see the picture he is putting together, but we can have faith that he is in charge.

Variation
If you have multiple OHP projectors make a game out of it. Provide teams with the same puzzle pieces but on different projectors. Allow the teams to shout to their leader instructions for putting the puzzle together. (How often do we tell God what we think is best in life when we also do not see the picture as clearly as he does?)

Icebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

This 170 page resource not only provides 52 of the world’s most popular group icebreaker activities and games, but also includes lesson ideas and discussion questions to smoothly transition into conversations about the issues common to most groups.

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Materials
None.

Preparation
Form youth/children into teams of equal number.

Activity
Each group must construct a continuous line of objects they have in their possession. The group that builds the longest line in the specified time is the winner. They may only use objects in their personal possession. (Do not inform them, but this includes pens, belts, shoelaces, shoes, socks, coins, a watch, necklace, etc.) The only specification is it must be personal objects. This can be quite fun and quite interesting once the obvious items are out of the way – don’t be surprised if they even take the laces out of their shoes to extend the line.

Debrief
After the time ends, award the group with the longest line. Then ask children, as a group, to choose the one item from the line that is “most precious.” Older children should be prepared to explain their choice. Then ask them what is most precious about the church?

Application
This line you have built, in many way represents the church. In it you bring various gifts, talents, items that help to advance the cause or goals of the church. Other people have come before you and also added their gifts and talents to the church. As a church we are also reaching toward a goal. That goal is to tell others about Jesus, to build the kingdom of God, and to have fellowship with each other.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Materials
Obtain a children’s puzzle of 10-20 large pieces. Alternatively, get a poster of a church or group of people and cut it into pieces for a puzzle. You can also draw pictures on a large piece of paper, then cut them up. If you are using a precut puzzle of a set number of pieces you may need to use an additional puzzle if the group is larger than the number of pieces. On the back of the pieces you can write questions about the church as icebreakers. Some possible questions are:

* What are some things we do at church?
* Why did Jesus set up the church?
* What is the most important thing that happens at church?
* Name the things you would find in a church?
* What is the difference between a church and a society or organization?
* Why do people go to church?
* Why is the church important?

Put one of the questions on the back of each piece of the puzzle. Repeat questions for larger groups. Remove the corners of the puzzle and write Jesus on the back of them. Mix up the pieces except for the corners. Use puzzle shaped nametags for participants for more fun!

Activity
As each person comes arrives give them a piece. Have them mingle among the group and find ONE person who has a piece of the puzzle that connects to theirs. When they find someone, they then ask each other the questions on the back of their pieces. After discussing the questions, they should move and find another person. Every piece of the puzzle will have at least 3 possible connections. (Corners have only 2 but are not used yet. Edge pieces have 3 connections and pieces from the center of the puzzle have 4)

After the group has mingled, give them the corners you have set aside, and have them construct the puzzle. Make the following rule: No one may touch any one else’s piece of the puzzle (i.e. you have to put your own pieces into the puzzle) If you have more than one puzzle you can have the groups compete to see who completes it the quickest. Do not show them the box with the picture of the completed puzzle.

Application
Ask the following question: How is the puzzle representative of the church – the Body of Christ? You can refer them to 1 Corinthians 12 if they are stuck. Write their responses on the white board. Some possible responses are:

1. made up of many parts.
2. Christ is the cornerstone
3. The parts fit together to make a whole
4. if one part is missing, the whole suffers – to be complete they need each other
5. no piece, is more important that the others.
6. some relationships are closer than others
7. together they form a picture
8. they didn’t have the box so it was sometimes difficult to know what they were forming
9. different people acted as leaders to help them form the picture
10. The pieces support each other
11. there are different connections – shapes – that connect each
12. each piece is different / unique
13. Each piece is identified by where it fits into the whole
14. Some pieces are easily identified but not more important

Closing
After this activity, ask each person to take back their piece of the puzzle as a reminder of the lessons of the puzzle.

Variation
Hide the pieces of the puzzle throughout classroom while children/ youth are out of the room. Have a card table or work area where the puzzle can be reassembled. Let youth / children have a scavenger hunt for the puzzle pieces. When a player finds a piece they are to bring it to the table to fit it together with the other pieces. When a person finds a piece, she/she must ask the question or answer the question on the back of the piece then place it into the puzzle. Once they have found where that piece goes they are off searching for another piece of the puzzle. At the end, have the participants think about all those pieces, each one a different shape, size and color but they all come together to become one big picture.

Find out how you can get 52 of my best icebreakers of all time! (That’s a full year of icebreakers – one a week!) They even lead into lessons on youth related issues!

Icebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

This 170 page resource not only provides 52 of the world’s most popular group icebreaker activities and games, but also includes lesson ideas and discussion questions to smoothly transition into conversations about the issues common to most groups.

Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!

Materials
Blindfold

Activity
There are many variations of tag. The key ingredient of a game of tag is the ability to touch someone. Even if you are blindfolded, you can feel a person. Blindfold one person. The blindfolded person must then roam about the room trying to touch someone else. Others in the room scatter and try to avoid being touched. If they are touched, then they must become the person with the blindfold. To assure safety, have a teachers stationed in front of any dangerous objects in the room to protect the blindfolded person. To vary the difficulty of the game, you can add variations.

Variations
1. Marco Polo – the person who is blindfolded yells out “Marco” and everyone else must respond with “Polo” The blindfolded person can then use the sound to find the others.
2. Label the four walls of the room, with colors, or another identifyer. Then call out the label. Everyone in the room must then move to make contact with that wall. The blindfolded person tries to touch someone as they go to the colored wall.
3. Blindfold all participants

Application
When you were able to touch (tag) another person, you were aware of their presence. You might have found them by the the things they did, or the sounds they made. Sometimes we may not be able to see God, but we know he is there my the things he does and the sound of his voice. Often times, it is not Jesus himself who does things and speaks to us, but others who are doing it on His behalf. We feel the touch of God through the touch of others.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Paper, pencil and blindfold for every two students.

Activity
Break into pairs for a sheep drawing contest. Give one person in the pair some paper and a pencil. This person is the artist. The other person is the shepherd. Blindfold the artists. The “shepherd” can give verbal instructions to the artist but he may not touch his body or his paper. Give the pairs several minutes to work. Provide them with additional paper if needed. After a while, switch roles.

Let everyone share their drawings. Give various prizes to the artists.
1. Best Sheep
2. Most Unusual
3. Best imitation of an animal besides a sheep
4. Best Abstract Art

Discussion
In John 10:7-13: 27-30, Jesus described His relationship to us as one of a shepherd to his sheep.

In what ways are we like sheep?
*Sheep don’t consider the implications of what they do and are always getting into trouble
*Sheep are dependent on the shepherd
*Sheep live a carefree existence
*Shepherd provides for thier needs
*Shepherd rescues them when they get into trouble
*Shepherd protects them
*Sheep need to rely on shepherd for defense
*There is a relationship between sheep and the shepherd

What is difficult about being a sheep?

What is the best thing about being a sheep?

In what ways does the passage compare our relationship with Christ to that of a sheep and Shepherd?
*He wants the very best for us (9-10)
*He laid down His life for us (11, 16-17))
*He will never abandon us (12-13)
*He knows us well; He wants us to know Him well (14-15)

Application
In the same way the artist had to follow the verbal instructions of the shepherd in the drawing competition, according to John 10:27-30, we follow Jesus by hearing His voice.

In what ways do we hear the voice of the shepherd today?

In order of authority:
#1 The Bible
#2 Christians
#3 Spiritual Authorities
#4 Circumstances

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Materials
Bring in a variety of items that may be unfamiliar to children. These items should have a special purpose and be useless apart from that purpose. Examples might be:

* the little wrench that is used to tighten a drill bit in a power drill – useless without the drill
* a jumper from a computer board – useless without the computer card
* a zipper from an old backpack – useless without the backpack
* Corkscrew – useless without a cork
* watch battery – useless without a watch
* can opener – useless without a can
* staples – useless apart from a stapler
* power cord – useless without an appliance
* monopoly or other game peices – useless without the game board
* eyeglass / sunglasses lense – useless without the frames
* telephone handset – useless without the telephone / phone line
* roll of film – useless without a camera
* cap from an ink pen – useless without the pen
* lid from a teacup – useless without the cup
* lock – useless without a key
* doorknob – useless without a door
* Pull ring from a soft drink
* etc.

You can also use car parts, adapters, components of power tools, parts of kitchen appliances, and various parts and peices of items found around your home.

Activity
Ask children to identify the purpose of each item. Award prizes to individuals for each item correctly guessed or to teams who correctly identify the most items. You may wish to number items for identification purposes.

Application
Explain that each item has a very special purpose. It was created to fulfill a very specific task or need. While it might be used for other things, it has a very specific purpose. Apart from that purpose it is basically a piece of junk. According to Acts 28:30-31, the church was also created with a purpose. Apart from that purpose it is useless. The purpose of the church is to
1) Focus on Jesus;
2) Focus on the Kingdom of God;
3) Focus on Koinonia (fellowship).

Variation
Use this to discuss the idea that God created each of us with a purpose (1 Corinthians 12)

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Materials
A toy bow and arrow set, a toy gun with darts that use suction to stick, or a darts set and target. You can get nerf targets and even velcro targets with velcro coated balls from Toys R Us or another toy store.

Activity
Demonstrate your skill at throwing the dart/ shooting the arrow without aiming at anything. Brag about how good of a shot you are. Then explain that no one really knows how good of a shot you are without a target. Bring out the target and have a competition between you and the kids.

Then place the target an impossible distance away so that it is impossible to hit the target and challenge anyone to hit it. Give them only one chance.

Application
Explain that reaching the target is a bit like us trying to reach heaven. It is impossible for us because we are not perfect enough to hit the target. If we miss once, we are disqualified. If we tell one lie, say one hurtful word, do one thing wrong, then we miss. In the Bible the word for “sin” is the same word used in archery to describe the missing of the bullseye. It means “to miss the mark.”

Variation
Add a variety of carnival games for children and display gifts (candy?) for those that are successful. Some options:
* Toss a ring over a softdrink or water bottle (very small ring)
* Toss a coin on a saucer sitting on top of a cup (impossible distance)
* Throw a dart at a balloon (impossible distance)
* bounce a ping pong ball into a small glass (slightly bigger than the hole)
* toss a tennis ball to knock over all three cans (use heavy cans)
* toss a ball through a hole in the side of a box. (Hole is almost same size as ball)
* Use a straw and cotton swab as a dart to hit a peice of adhesive (sticky) paper or fly paper. (impossible distance)

Application
After everyone has failed, reward all participants with the prizes. The Bible says it is impossible for us to reach heaven by our own efforts, but God gives us the free gift. All we have to do is trust in him. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

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Materials
A large opaque cloth sack for each group of objects (a dark colored pillow case works fine), and a variety of objects that can be identified by touch. Alternatively you can get dark colored socks or even paper bags for smaller items.

Look through your house and collect a variety of objects. Some possible items you can use:

fruits– apple, orange, banana, grape, plum, nuts, rambutan, star fruit, lemon
office supplies– pencil, stapler, eraser, paperclip, pen, hole punch (avoid sharp items such as thumbtacks and scissors)
stuffed animals / beanie babies– Various stuffed animals you have around the house.
kitchen utensils– butter knife, spoon, fork, egg beater, spatula, ladle (Avoid sharp utensils)
tools– screwdriver, hammer, wrench, file, punch, plyers, level
small hardware– nails, bolts, nuts, washers, hooks, screw
money– various coins, various bank notes, credit cards
jewelry– ring, necklaec, brooch, tie-pin, earring
game pieces– monopoly tokens, poker chips, dominos, chess peice, dice, carrom seeds, marbles, jacks
toys– car, doll, marbles, miniatures
toiletries– soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo
nature– various leaves, stone, twig, flower, sand
sports– golf ball, ping pong ball, tennis ball, golf tee, soccer ball
computer– mouse, diskette, memory chip, keyboard
multimedia– vcr, audio, CD, MD disk, players, earphones
Dinner table items– cup, saucer, bowl, plate, pot, pan
Personal items– wallet, keys, ID card, belt, watch, glasses (use unbreakable ones)
OTHERS?

For added significance, place physical items mentioned in a Biblical story you are going to discuss inside a bag on its own. (For Example you could place gardner’s tools and a vine and branches in a bag when you wish to discuss John 15.)

Activity
1. Place the categories of items in separate bags. Place one item that doesn’t match with the others. (i.e. place an apple in with office supplies) Have youth/children use touch to identify the item that doesn’t belong. Award bonus points for also getting the category correct.

Variation
Place all the items in a single bag. You should have 5-20 items depending on the age of your group and the appropriate difficulty. If you wish to expedite this activity you might prepare several bags of identical items. Without looking inside the bag, have kids touch the items in the bag and then go back and write down all the items. Award kids who get them all correct or the most correct. This can be done as a subsequent activity to the first.

Application
Just as you identified by touch the presence of items that you could not see, we can identify the presence of God in the ways he touches our lives. Many times he uses other people to touch our lives. Even today, you may not see Jesus, but you know he is there and has other people to take care of you.

---

This document is a guide only. It contains general information and is not intended to represent a comprehensive checklist
.

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Materials
List of single word questions or scripture verses missing a single word. Ensure that the words are not longer than the number of people on a team.

Activity
The next time you have a Bible quiz or scripture memory, make kids answer the question or supply the missing word in the scripture by spelling it out using their hands, arms, legs and body. Each person becomes ones letter. The first team to line up and correctly spell out the answer as a team gets the points for that question. Continue until all questions are completed.

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Materials
A coin to be flipped by an impartial participant.

Activity
Divide the group into 2 even teams. Have teams sit on the floor facing. Members from each team must hold the hands of the team-mates next to them, preferably behind their backs so that the other team cannot see them. At the end of the line, place a spoon on the floor between the last two people. On the other end, you need an impartial person (you or a volunteer) to flip a coin. Everyone except the two people at the beginning of each line must close their eyes, or sit facing out and all must be silent.

When the coin is flipped, if it is heads, the people at the beginning of each row squeeze the hand of the person next to them, who then squeezes the hand of the person next to them, and so on. When the squeeze gets to the end, the last person can open their eyes and grab the spoon. The team that grabs the spoon first sends the person from the end of their line to the beginning and everyone shifts down one. The object is to be the first team to rotate all the way back to the starting position. If the coin is tails, nothing happens and you flip again. If the people at the beginning of the line squeeze on tails, they go to the end of the line (rotating backwards). They also go backwards if anyone on their team opens their eyes prematurely or makes any noise. It is helpful to have judges standing behind each team to watch for erroneous squeezes and to listen for noises.

Application
While the line cannot see what the teacher is doing at the front, they can feel the touch of the person in front of them. One person squeezes the hand of the next until it reaches the end. Each person will in time be at the front of the line and the leader. In the same way God leads our lives. He must not touch us directly but through someone else. In time he may choose us as leaders to touch the life of another person.

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1. Place the items below on index cards. You can then play matching games with them. Place the cards writing side down down in a grid. children turn over two cards. If the question matches with the occupation they get to keep those cards and try again. Otherwise they turn the cards back over and the next person tries to match two cards.

2. Make two sets of cards listing only the occupations. Divide the class into two teams and give each team one set. Call out the description and then the first team to bring you the card with the correct occupation gets a point. Award the team that gets the most points.

Who would you talk to if the teacher made a mistake marking your paper?
Teacher

Who would you go to if you had a water pipe leaking?
Plumber

Who would you go to if your electricity was not working?
Electrician

Who would you go to if someone robbed you?
Police

Who would you contact if you saw your house on fire?
Fireman

Who would you talk to if you were feeling very sad?
Counselor

Who would you talk to if you wanted something to eat?
Cook

Who would you go to if you needed a haircut?
Barber

Who would you go to if your wristwatch quit working?
Watchmaker

Who would you go to if your dog was sick?
Veterinarian

Who would you go to if your computer quit working?
Computer repairman

Who would you go to if your car engine wouldn’t start?
Mechanic

Who would you go to if you needed spiritual advice?
Pastor

Who would you go to if your vision was getting blurred?
Optometrist

Who would you talk to if you need a reference book on animals?
Librarian

Who would you talk to if your hearing was going bad?
Audiologist

Who would you talk to if you had a heart problem?
Cardiologist

Who would you talk to for legal advice?
Lawyer

Who would you talk to if you needed medicine?
Doctor

Who would you talk to if you had a toothache?
Dentist

Who would you go to in order to have your sin cleansed?
Jesus

Application
A teacher may give us bad marks, but we can learn from our mistakes. A mechanic may take the car completely apart, but when he puts it back together it works. A dentist may pull a tooth, but he makes room for a new tooth. Sometimes the solutions to problems are very difficult or even painful. Also discuss the idea that we had a sin problem and as such need Jesus.

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Materials
Cleaning supplies such as a broom, soap, cloth, detergent, scrub brush and scrub pad, window cleaner, brass polish, furniture polish, etc. Take a look under your sink or among your cleaning supplies and see what you can find. Warning: Do not open any chemicals or other cleansing agents as they can be irritants to skin and eyes. Some are even poisonous.

Activity
Bring all the cleaning supplies before the children and ask then to identify what they all have in common. Of course they are all cleaning supplies. Then have children name what each item is used for. You may wish to bring some dirty dishes, tarnished metal, etc. to demonstrate cleaning for the children. Have children look about the room for things that need to be cleaned. Some children, depending on their age may wish to help clean the room.

Application
Talk about the fact that sometimes when you are cleaning you have to use a lot of pressure. It is good that these things aren’t alive and don’t have feelings because it could be very painful. Let them rub a scrub brush or scrub pad along their skin to see that it can be painful, especially if you have to scrub very hard. Explain that sometimes pressure and discomfort or even pain is needed in order to clean something. Jesus was placed under immense pressure and incredible pain on the cross that we might be cleansed from our sin.

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Materials
Soft Dodge Ball

Activity
Have the entire group make a circle. Pick four to five people for each team. The first team goes into the center of the circle and forms a line by attaching their hands to the waist of the person in front of them. The people who make up the circle throw the ball at the “dragon”, trying to hit the last person below the waist. Once hit, the last person returns to the outside circle and players continue to hit the new person at the end of the dragon until there in only one person left and they too are hit. A new team then goes into the middle. Time each team to see which one can last the longest.

Application
In your team you were eliminated until only one person was left. Paul was looking at his life and eliminated everything until one person was left. It wasn’t people he eliminated but accomplishments. Paul only wanted one person left– Jesus. (Philippians 3:4-9)

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Materials
String and a piece of candy for each two persons. (Polo mints with the hole in the center works well.)

Activity
Have two contestants face each other. Have a long piece of string with a candy of some sort tied to the exact middle. Put each end in a contestants mouth. Say go and the contestants will pull the string into their mouth and move their way toward the center of the string to get the candy. The person who gets the candy in their mouth the first is the winner.

Application
Paul wanted the Philippians to know that being first, or getting possessions and things, was no longer important to him. Winning was also not important. He was willing to lose everything if he could have Jesus. His only concern was Jesus. In the game, the candy was in the center of the string. But it wasn’t titles or accomplishments that Paul focused on for the center of his life. He wanted Jesus to became the center of his life. (Philippians 3:4-9)

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Any game that involves elimination of members can be used to teach about persecution. Check out the “games” book at my website www.vanishingcookies.com/kensapp for more ideas.

As a simple elimination activity, you might also place several peices of paper in a bag or box containing characteristics. Some possibilities are:

* Wearing red
* Wearing sneakers
* Wearing spectacles
* Wearing a belt
* Wearing sandals
* Wearing a watch
* Has Long Hair
* Brushed their teeth today
* Ate rice today
* Has a $2 note
* Has a pet
* etc.

Continue drawing slips from the bag until everyone is eliminated. Last person left gets a prize.

Debrief
How did you feel when you were eliminated? Do you feel that at times the world eliminates you because you are a Christian?

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Materials
You’ll need a Bible and five large bags of candy.

Activity
Take five students away from the rest of the group, and explain to them how the game works. For smaller classes you might have only two or three assistants. Be sure that the other kids cannot hear your instructions to the five. Tell each of them you are going to give them bags of candy to share with the other students. There’s only one catch: They can give candy only to the boys, or only to the girls, or only to kids with black tennis shoes. (The idea is to pick something that will eliminate at least half of the kids.) Remind kids not to tell the others why some kids are getting candy and others aren’t. Warn kids to only give candy to those in the designated group, even if the other kids beg.

After giving the first five their instructions, tell the rest of the group: In a moment, I’m going to let the five kids back into the room. When they come in, they’ll have some candy to share. You can ask, bribe, and beg them for it, but do not take it from them. You may or may not get some candy. If you figure out what the requirement is for getting candy, you’ll be entitled to a double portion.

Call the first five kids back into the room. Allow them time to circulate through the group handing out candy to the chosen few. When they have completed their task, you can play the game again if you wish, picking five new kids to pass out cancly. During this round, pick a ciifferent category of kids to give candy to. For example, you may choose those who have buttons on their shirts, those who are wearing white T-shirts, or those with long sleeves, etc.

Debrief
* What was it like to be one who received candy?
* What was it like to be left out or passed over?
* Did anyone figure out why he or she did not get candy?
* Are you nicer to some people because of the way they look, or do you ignore others because they appear to be different?
* What makes you treat some people differently than others?
* Do others treat you different because you are a Christian?
* Do others treat you badly, or make fun of you as a Christian?
* How can today’s passage help you dela with times of persecution?

Application
Finish by passing out candy to everyone! Explain that while the world may persecute us and leave us out because of our Christianity, Christ promises a reward to all Christians. We can take Heart, because Christ has overcome the world.

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Materials
Several sheets of paper or newsprint for each student. Tape

Activity
Ask students to write one thing they are troubled about on each sheet of paper. They can also write something that concerns them, worries them, or gives them difficulty. They might write “grades,” “family,” or “friends.” Anything that upsets or discourages them is acceptable. Tell them to NOT put their name on the paper or share it with anyone else. This is strictly between them and God.

While kids are writing, tape a line down the middle of the floor.

When each person has at least three to five things written, each on a separate page, have kids wad their pages up into a ball. Form two equal teams of participants. Have the teams face each other standing on opposite sides and approximately three feet (1 meter) from the tape line. If you have more than twenty kids, you might want to consider forming additional teams.

On your signal, they must throw all of their troubles onto the other team’s side while trying to keep that teams concerns off your side. The object is to get as many concerns as possible on the other team’s side before the time is up. Give them about 1 minute.

Part 2
When the time is up, put a large trash can in the middle of the room. This time, give them thirty seconds to work together to get all of the concerns into the trash can.

Debrief
1. How was the way you treated your troubles in this game like or unlike the way kids really treat their troubles?
2. What happened when you dumped your troubles on each other?
3. What thoughts go through your mind when your friends dump troubles and problems on you?
4. What do you think about dumping your troubles on Christ?
5. How can you help your friends bring their troubles to Christ?
6. What are your thoughts about how Christ can help you with your troubles?
7. How does it make you feel to know that Jesus has overcome the world?

Application
Gather around the trash can and ask for several people to pray that group members will be able to let go of their troubles. If you have a dumpster, you may hold a ceremonial trash dumping after the prayer.

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Materials
Various Fishing Lures/bait for different types of fish, fishing pole or net (no hooks for safety’s sake.)

Activity
A fishing line by itself won’t catch fish. Even a hook by itself isn’t going to ctach fish. Have youth try to identify the hook/bait to catch different types of fish. The youth that correctly matches the most lures with the fish they would attract is awarded a prize.

Debrief
Have a fishing expert select some of the common fishing lures and explain how each is used. Some lures sink to the bottom where catfish and bottom dwelling fish can be found. Others such as a fly float on the surface. Some move through the water and have spinning parts and reflectors to attract the fish. Some look like worms while others look like shrimp or other live creatures the fish like to eat. Some people may not use lures but instead use live bait. Ask the fisherman to display and describe important equipment used in fishing such as fishing rods, waders, floats, weights, and hooks. After the fishing tour and demonstration have youth read Matthew 4:17-22 and then ask:
1) How is telling others about Jesus similar to fishing?
2) Fishing lures are created to be attractive to fish. How can you make the good news about Jesus attractive to your friends?

Application
Jesus said in Matthew 4:19, “Come along with me and I will show you how to fish for the souls of men.” He was sending His disciples out to fish for men, rather than fish. Jesus wants each of us to go fishing with Him every day of our lives. We are to fish for people to bring to the Lord. We are to tell them how Jesus loved them so much that He died on the cross to forgive their sins. We must tell people how they can invite Jesus into their hearts to become their Savior. That way, we become fishers of men and helpers of Christ.

Closing
As a possible closing gesture, give each youth a fishing lure (in which the hooks have been removed for safety) and tape them to a card with a key phrase from the passage.

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Materials
Obtain the leaves from various trees and plants. Have some green leaves, some dried ones, big ones, small ones, different shapes, wilted ones, etc.

Activity
Have kids identify the plants from which the leaves come. You could number the leaves and then have kids identify each leaf by number. Reward the youth that gets the most correct.

Debrief
Explain that the leaves dry up and die when disconnected from the tree. Our spiritual lives will also dry up if we are disconnected from Jesus. Without Jesus we cannot even grow. John 15 describes this relationship between Christ and Christians as similar to that between a vine and branches.

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Materials
Make a list of actions that describes things that are ways to serve, ways that we please God (saints), things that give us peace, or things that are grace (undeserved gifts) from God

Activity 
In Philippians 1:1-11, Christians are described as servants and saints as recipients of grace and peace. A servant looks after the needs of other people. A saint lives a life that is pleasing to God. Call out the items on your list. Kids will respond in one of the ways below.

* If the item read is an act of service, they get on their knees.
* If it is an action a saint would do, they put their hands together as in prayer
* If it is something that gives us peace they rest their heads on hands together as if going to sleep
* If it is an act of God’s grace (i.e. a gift from God) they open their arms wide to receive it.

You can go through items and let kids even decide items of their own.

Game variation As a game eliminate anyone who performs the incorrect action for an item.

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Materials
1. Several objects of different colors, one color for each team.
2. A large area that allows youth to travel around the building or an outdoor area without getting in each other’s way too much.

Activity
Position the objects that youth must retrieve as a group. Color code several teams and have them locate and retrieve the object corresponding to the color of their team.

Instructions
Each group is to form a circle by linking arms but facing outside. Each team will select a group member to stand in the middle of the circle. The objective is for the person in the middle to guide the group to the object that you have positioned. Reveal the object to the person in the center of the circle only. Nobody else in the team should know about it. As the team moves, they must listen to the instructions given by the person in the middle without unlinking their arms. The person in the center may only give directions to guide the team to the object but may not reveal anything about what the object is. If the object is revealed or hints are given to indicate the identity of the object then that team will be disqualified. The team that retrieves its object first, wins.

Debrief
At the end of the game ask the youth to discuss the difficulties they faced in finding and retrieving the object.

1. What things were essential for the team to win?
– Unity
– Listening to the one in the center though you cannot physically see him because everyone is facing outward.
-If each person wanted to move at his own personal pace the whole team suffers.

Application
God wants us to serve Him, and He gives us Jesus to be our life’s navigator. If my sights are always on Jesus, if my every decision is made in the light of his abiding presence, then I know my service to God will be accomplished. Let us keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus, who inspires us and perfects our faith (Heb 12:2) Though physically we could not see the center of the circle we were relying on his direction. Even if the task of completing the job might be daunting His words inspire us. We need to give up our individuality and be one with the father just as Christ was one with Him. (Philippians 2:5-11)

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Materials
Gather strips of soft cloth to tie the hands and ankles as well as to make blindfolds. (Strips torn from an old sheet work nicely) You’ll need enough strips for each person to have one.

Activity
Distrubute the cloth strips to kids and have them form three groups. Instruct one group to tie each other’s hands behind their backs. (You will have to help the last person.) Have another group use the strips to loosely tie each person’s ankles together. Have the remaining group use its strips as blindfolds. Provide instructions to the youth letting them know that as you call out various actions, they are to do each one in the best way that they can.

* Shake hands
* Touch your toes
* Walk across the room
* Wave to a friend
* Take one giant step
* Sit cross-legged on the floor
* Hop on one foot
* Point to the west
* Wink at someone.

Debrief
Have youth remain handicapped as they are and ask:
1. What kinds of problems are you having? Explain.
2. What can be done to solve these problems?
3. This game has taken away some of your freedom. What kinds of things bind us or take away our freedom in real life?
4. How can we be freed from these things?

Read John 8:31-36 and then walk around the room freeing kids from their bonds.
1. What kind of freedom does Jesus give?
2. What does it mean to be free?

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Activity
Two pairs participate in this activity. Each pair stands hand in hand with their adjoining hands tied together. With their free hands (one with the right hand and other with the left one) they must wrap up the package, bind the rope round it and tie it a bow. The pair which finishes the task the first is the winner.

Other options are:
* Threading a needle
* Putting on shoes and tying the shoe laces
* Making a sandwich
* Putting a puzzle together
* Folding a paper airplane
* Buttoning up a shirt

Application
In this activity we are free to accomplish the task, but even though free, that freedom is restricted. Because of this we are not as effective as we could be. This is similar to the sins and habits that bind us in life. Because of their influence we are not able to be as effective as we could be. Only when Jesus frees us are we able to be truly free and be most effective in our Christian life. John 8:31-36

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Materials
A variety of objects of various sizes. Try to include objects that represent things in life people pursue such as a basketball or bowling ball – sports, a wallet or coins – money, a power tool might represent power, etc. Make sure the items you choose cannot be damaged if dropped and that thay will not cause damage to a person if dropped. Other ideas are a fireman’s helmet, a police badge, a judge’s gavel, a steering wheel, a bicycle tire, car kets, house keys, a door knob, a poer cord, loaf of french bread, pillow, name brand jeans, wedding ring, lipstick, hair color dye, diet coke, name brand shoes, Bible, trophy, cross, jewelry, crown, computer, a family picture, baby doll, photo of Christ, mechanics wrench, rose, light bulb, a watch (time), a TV set, a game boy, an encyclopedia. The objective is to use things that represent pursuits and goals people set for themselves in life. (If this were used with youth you might also use a condom to represent sex.)

Activity
The entire group forms a circle. Everyone is given an object which can be large, small or any shape (i.e.: bowling ball, trash can, shoe, etc.). On a signal, every one passes his object on the right, keeping the objects moving at all times. When a person drops any object, he must leave the game, but his object stays in. As the game progresses, more people leave the game making it harder and harder to avoid dropping an object since there are more objects than people. The winner is the last person remaining.

Application
At the end of the game, have children or youth explain what objectives in life the various objects might represent. Which objective is most worthwhile? Which are most important?

Christ and the Bible of course are the only two things that will last forever.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Activity
Have youth make a list of famous mothers. Award the team or individual youth with the most.

Activity 2
Using the lists, play a game of charades. Add bonus points for naming the children of each listed mother.

Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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Materials
You’ll need a Bible, colored construction paper, white paper, scissors, markers, tape, and a picture of Jesus or a sheet of poster board. Before this activity, tape the picture of Jesus to a wall, door, or bulletin board. If you don’t have a picture of Jesus, write his name on a sheet of poster board and hang it on the wall.

Activity
Have children form pairs, and hand each pair two sheets of colored construction paper, two sheets of white paper, a marker, and scissors. Have each child help his or her partner trace and cut out a white footprint and a colored footprint. After all the footprints have been cut out, say: It’s not always easy to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. Sometimes we’re tempted to do or say the wrong things-then we’re off on the “wrong foot.”

Discussion
What are some things that keep people from following Jesus?
Have youth think of various ways people stray from Jesus; then write those ways on your colored footprints. After everyone has prepared a colored footprint, invite everyone to tape their footprints near the picture of Jesus. Position the paper footprints so they appear to be “walking” away from Christ.

Debrief
What are some of thethings that rbings us and others closer to Jesus? Some possible answers are love, honesty, forgiveness, kindness, trust, faith, and hope. Have participants write one of these words on his or her white footprint and then tape that footprint “walking” toward the picture of Jesus.

Closing
Have a time of silence during which the partcipants can think about ways they’d like to follow Jesus more closely.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Activity
Have children / youth list things that their mothers say to them. As a fun variation, ask them to list three of the most common things said by their mothers to them on a piece of paper. Place them in a bowl and randomly distribute them. Youth must then try to guess whose mother the sayings come from.

Debrief
Discuss how these things are a mother’s way of taking care of them. See the list below for some ideas. You could also ask children / youth how many of their mothers have said things like these. What is the rationale behind these sayings? Are they all true?

Sayings of Mothers
• A little “birdy” told me!
• A little soap & water never killed anybody.
• Always wear clean underwear in case you get in an accident.
• Am I talking to a brick wall?
• Answer me when I ask you a question!
• Are you deaf or something?
• Are you going out dressed like that?
• Are you lying to me?
• Are your hands broken? Pick it up yourself! I’m not your maid!
• As long as you live under my roof, you’ll do as I say.
• Call me when you get there, just so I know you’re okay.
• Clean up after yourself!
• Close the door behind you — were you born in a barn?
• Cupcakes are NOT a breakfast food!
• Did you brush your teeth?
• Did you flush?
• Did you clean your room?
• Did you comb your hair?
• Do as I say, not as I do
• Do I look like a maid?
• Do you think I’m made of money?
• Do you think this is a hotel?
• Do you think your socks are going to pick themselves up?
• Don’t ask me WHY. The answer is NO
• Don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back
• Don’t cross your eyes or they’ll freeze that way.
• Don’t eat the seeds or you’ll have watermelons growing out your ears
• Don’t EVER let me catch you doing that again!
• Don’t go out with wet hair, you’ll catch cold.
• Don’t make me come in there!
• Don’t make me get up!
• Don’t pick it, it’ll get infected.
• Don’t put that in your mouth, you don’t know where it’s been.
• Don’t run in the house
• Don’t sit too close to the television
• Don’t talk with your mouth full!
• Don’t use that tone with me!
• Don’t walk away when I’m talking to you!
• Don’t you have anything better to do?
• Eat those carrots, they’re good for your eyes. Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?
• Eat your vegetables, they’re good for you.
• Enough is enough!
• Go ask your father
• Go to your room and wait until your daddy gets home!
• How can you have nothing to wear? your closet is FULL of clothes!
• How do you know you don’t like it if you haven’t tasted it?
• How many times do I have to tell you…don’t throw things in the house!
• I can always tell when you’re lying.
• I can’t believe you can sleep in this filth!
• I didn’t ask who put it there, I said “Pick it up!”
• I don’t care what “everyone” is doing, I care what you are doing!
• I don’t care who started it, I said stop!
• If it were a snake, it would have bitten you.
• If you’re too sick to go to school, you’re too sick to play outside.
• If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.
• If you don’t stop crying, I am going to give you something to cry about!
• I’m doing this for your own good.
• I’m not going to ask you again.
• I’m not just talking to hear myself.
• I’m going to give you until the count of three.
• I’m going to skin you alive!
• Isn’t it past your bedtime?
• I’ve had it up to here with you.
• Life isn’t fair.
• Look at me when I’m talking to you.
• Men perspire, ladies glisten.
• Money does NOT grow on trees.
• No child of MINE would do something like that.
• Over my dead body!
• Pick that up before somebody trips on it and breaks their neck!
• Say that again and I’ll wash your mouth out with soap.
• Shut the door! I’m not heating (air conditioning) the entire neighborhood!
• Sit like a lady!
• So it’s raining? You’re not sugar — you won’t melt.
• Someday your face will freeze like that!
• There’s enough dirt in those ears to grow potatoes!
• This hurts me more than it hurts you.
• What if everyone jumped off a cliff? Would you do it, too?
• What part of NO don’t you understand?
• When you have your own house then you can make the rules!
• Who died and left you boss?
• Why? Because I said so, that’s why?
• You can be anything you want to, if you just set your mind to it.
• You had better wipe that smile off your face before I do it for you.
• You must think rules are made to be broken.
• You will ALWAYS be my baby.
• You won’t be happy until you break that, will you?
• You’d forget your head if it wasn’t attached to your shoulders!
• Your father is going to hear about this when HE gets home!
• You’re going to put your eye out with that thing!
• I LOVE YOU!

Application

God gives us instructions and takes care of us, just like our mothers do. Everything he says can be trusted and is for our benefit. We should be thankful to God for mothers to take care of us. They might not always be perfect as God is, but they do love us and are a little bit of heaven on earth.

This Mother’s Day teaching activity can be a Children’s Sermon or a reminder for any day that mothers look after us just as the Heavenly Father does.

Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

=> Tell me more about the Holiday Collection