When choosing what company we will keep as Christians, we don’t want to visibly “reject” or hurt feelings. We want to build people up and not tear them down. So it’s important, if we’re deciding who’s best for us to keep company with, to have compassion. Compassion means we feel bad for people who act up, because we understand why they
do sometimes.

Some of the reasons kids act up are on these cards. Let’s take turns pulling cards and talking about them.

Have kids pull cards, which give some of the foremost reasons as to why kids can behave badly. Tell them to think of experiences they may have had that would go with the card they’re discussing. Try not to use names. The point is to discuss how they might view the person differently and how they might handle a situation that arises in the future.

Card #1: Kids often reflect how they have been made to feel.
Card #2: Kids will behave badly if they are not stopped.
Card #3: Kids will sometimes lie or cheat because they don’t feel good about themselves.
Card #4 Kids can watch people in movies, TV shows or cartoons without the guidance of Mom or Dad.

Think of one person from the scenarios discussed today. While not picking up his or her habits, make a vow to pray for that person every day this week.

Technorati Tags: Sunday school activities, Christians

With kids, it’s come to mean that one bad kid in a crowd can turn everyone into people who misbehave. (Teacher words in bold.)

Today we’re going to play Good Apple/Bad Apple.
Mark off an area with masking tape that is around six feet by six feet. Pick two children to be the “bad apples.” Have them shut their eyes and stand inside that area. Tell the rest of the kids to run through that area after you say, “One, two, three, go!” See how many kids the two bad apples can tag with their eyes shut. Everyone who gets tagged has to become a bad apple and while keeping their eyes shut, tag kids on the next time through. The last kid to be tagged wins a Good Apple point.

Did you notice how it was easier not to get tagged if you were quiet? What does that say about attracting attention to yourself in real life? Sometimes the best way to get through life is quietly and humbly.

Did you notice how the more bad apples there are, the harder it is not to get caught up in the bruising yourselves? What does that tell you about your need for will-power while in a crowd? You need to be prepared and make conscious choices.

Technorati Tags: youth Bible study lessons, Samson and Delilah

We have heard about how God uses the smallest, youngest and least noticed to do His will. This week, He uses a biggest, strongest guy in Israel named Samson. But Samson looses his strength because he picked the wrong friends.(Teacher words in bold.)

“New Kid” Role Playing
Now we’re going to pretend we’re making friends with a new kid. The new kid will do something and we’ll try to decide whether he would be a good friend or not.

Bring one child up to be the “new kid.” Whisper in her ear something to say in front of the class. Then move with her to the front of the class, and have this exchange:

Teacher, pretending to be a child: “Hi! Did you just move here?”
New Kid: Yes! (And then she should recite the line you whispered to her).

1. Yes, I’m new! And I already met one kid on this street. Wow, his house is really dumpy and I bet he doesn’t have any good toys. (gossip)
2. Yes, I’m new. And I heard that big kid say bad words at you when I was standing across the street. If you want to tell my mom, I’ll bring her over. (honest)
3. Yes, I’m new! And I know what. That neighbor left his car window open. Let’s go see if we can sit in the car and beep the horn. (trouble maker)
4. Yes, I’m new. I already met one kid. He told me a secret, so I can’t tell you want he said. (trustworthy)
5. Yes, I’m new. I saw your big sister pull your hair. I was watching from my house. I’ll stand up for you if she comes back. (loyalty)
6. Yes, I’m new! Let’s go to my house and play checkers. I can beat anybody. I never lose. (probably cheats)
7. Yes, I’m new. It’s kind of lonely so far. But Jesus keeps me company. (Loves Christ.)
8. Yes, I’m new. My house isn’t as nice as yours. You’re lucky. (Humble/humility)
9. Yes, I’m new. Watch this. Hi-yyyyah!!! (he makes karate chops at you and your fence) (violent)
10.Yes, I’m new. Wow, you’re kind of fat. Do you eat constantly or something? (hurts feelings)

The others will decide if this is someone they want to play with or not.  Help them along with these prompts:

Did he (she) show he was a trouble maker?
Did he(she) show he could hurt feelings?
Did he (she) act like he might cheat at games?
Did he (she) act violent?
Did he (she) gossip?
Was he (she) showing loyalty?
Was he/she showing honesty?
Was he/she showing trustworthiness?
Was he/she showing humility?
Is he/she happy to say he loves God?

Technorati Tags: Sunday school curriculum, Samson & Delilah

If you ask someone about sad news you heard of a third friend and he says, “Sorry, I do know about that but I promised not to tell,” that friend can keep his word. Then, when you tell him a secret, you know he won’t tell. Pass out another index card that says GOOD FRIENDS ARE TRUSTWORTHY. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

If kids in school ever tease you and one child stands up for you or pulls you away, that child is showing that he’s loyal to you. Pass out another index card that says GOOD FRIENDS ARE LOYAL. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Let’s say kids in school start gawking over clothes, noticing who wears designer labels, who has the best sneakers, jackets, etc. If one kid blurts out honestly, “My family just can’t afford that stuff,” that person is honest and humble. Pass out another index card that says GOOD FRIENDS ARE HUMBLE. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Here’s the last one, and this is hard to find. If you go to someone’s house and she has something important to her about Jesus hanging in her bedroom—something she made in Sunday School or a poster of a Bible story…ask her why it’s there. Did she put it there herself ? Without being forced by parents?

It is often hard for even the best kids to say to another kid that they love Jesus. Jesus is invisible. He’s not the loud voice when we’re involved in games. He doesn’t show up visibly in school to solve all the problems. To many kids, he isn’t real at all. If you can find a friend who is old enough in his heart to know already he loves Jesus, that is the best quality you can find in a friend. Pass out the last index card that says GOOD FRIENDS LOVE JESUS. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Let’s make ourselves a promise, right here and now. We are going to think about these qualities this week. Good friends are hard to find. It takes time and work. But we don’t want to be like Samson and pick people who sap all our own strength. So we will be mindful when we are looking for friends this week, and today’s Activities will help us remember them well.

Technorati Tags: childrens Bible studies, Samson and Delilah, Sunday School

Samson, a Judge of Israel, was given the gift of great strength. More than once he single-handedly protected Israel with his bare hands. However, one woman was able to get the better of him. It’s a great story of how God makes us strong, but picking the wrong friends can make us weak.

Have your parents ever said to you, “Gee, we really don’t want you going over to so-and-so’s house to play?” So-and-so can be anyone who gets into trouble, or who could get you into trouble.

Samson was lured in because she was fun, because she was beautiful, and because she was tricky enough to make him believe she would never betray him.

How do we pick friends?

Here are some important qualities:

Are they the types who keep getting into trouble? If so, they will get you in trouble too. Hand one child an index card that says on it, NO TROUBLE MAKERS. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Can they make people laugh, but their jokes often hurt other people? Someday a person like that could hurt your feelings, too. Hand another child an index card that says NO HURTERS OF FEELINGS. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Do they often say bad things about other kids when those kids are not around? Someday they will gossip about you, too. Hand another child an index card that says NO GOSSIPERS. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

When you play games, do they often cheat? Cheating means a person cares more about winning than he does about his friend—you. Is that really a good friend? Hand out an index card that says NO CHEATERS. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Do they often hit and punch? Sometimes children hit and punched because they’ve been hit and punched a lot by older, stronger siblings or even parents. Hence you have to show kindness. But if you hang around with a violent person, you could get hurt…or be inspired to hit and punch yourself ! Hand out an index card that says NO HITTERS OR PUNCHERS. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Wow, that kind of eliminates a lot of people, doesn’t it? Doesn’t almost everybody you know do a couple of these things once in a while?

Notice I’m using the word “often” in most of my questions. Anybody can mess up “once in a while,” but if people mess up often, you want to keep your strength, not give it up like Samson did. You don’t want to make them your best friends.

Technorati Tags: Samson & Delilah, Sunday school lessons for children

That left only three hundred men to fight an army of thousands!

Game:  Follow my Voice, Gideon!

You will need a large playing area for this game. You will need a blanket and enough aluminum foil “balls” (aluminum foil scrunched into the size of a baseball) to give one to each child. Have all students line up against one wall.

When we give our lives into God’s hands, we get protection from God. It’s like when Gideon agreed to attack the bad army, God protected Gideon. It was still kind of scary, because he couldn’t see what he was supposed to do from one minute to the next. But God told him.

Walking in God’s will is sort of like being under a blanket of His protection.

Bring one child to the other wall, close to the corner, and put a blanket over her.

That means you won’t get hurt by anything. But you have to go slowly and listen for the voice of the lord so you don’t fall.

The child should follow closely that one wall to the voice of the teacher, which will be down at the other end of the room. Say to the student,

Follow my voice, Gideon, and you won’t get hurt!

As she proceeds forward, the other children should throw their foil balls at her one at a time and try to hit her on the blanket. If they hit the blanket, they get a point.
Let each child have a turn being under the blanket and following God’s voice without getting hurt by the “firepower.”

Technorati Tags: games for Sunday school, Gideon

Bring out a pencil and sit it on the edge of the table. Have it situated so that almost half is hanging over the table. Have the children gather close to watch you.

Some people think this is magic. Tell me what you think. I’m going to stare at this pencil until it moves on its own.

Stoop down so you are eye level with the pencil. Stare at it for five to ten seconds while breathing out your nose. Without saying anything, allow your breathing to switch from your nose to your mouth.  Your breathing should go right onto the pencil and cause it to move.

Ta da! How do you think I did that? See if anyone can guess. If they do, it’s okay, but don’t confess to anything yet.

Okay, now I’m going to do the same thing, only instead of using a pencil I’m going to use something much bigger and heavier: a screw driver.

Put the screw driver where the pencil was and allow the metal part to hang over the table.

Watch me carefully to tell me how I’m doing it. This time, make the breaths out of your nose a little louder so they can hear it. Suck in a deep breath before blowing from your mouth onto the screwdriver. Let there be a big enough breath so that the students know what you are doing.

So. Was that magic? No, you were moving it with your breath.

Why didn’t you know with the pencil? Why did you know with the screw driver?

The screw driver is bigger, and so it was more obvious what you were doing.

Sometimes, the miracles God chooses to perform are to show people that He is real. This was the case with Gideon’s army. It was a little tiny army. God did that so people would have to doubt that He was really the one at work.

Technorati Tags: Sunday school lessons, Gideon

We have to work hard to know the will of God, when to ask for signs and when to ask for wisdom, extra love, extra courage, extra faith. Sometimes it feels like we’re in a whirlwind. But if we practice long enough, we grow spiritually discerning. It’s like this game:
Bring one child to the center of a circle. Have him shut his eyes. The children in the circle will take turns, going around clockwise, shouting out the word “Sign!” or “No sign!” They can choose which ever word they wish.

If the child in the center hears “Sign!” He spins clockwise. If he hears “No sign!” He spins counter clockwise.
The teacher’s job is to point to the next child in the circle to let him or her know when it’s time for the next person to shout out. There should be about a three-second pause between each shout.

After every child has shouted, and the child in the center has spun hither and yon, he should try to stand on one foot. He can hop, but he can’t put his other foot down. Have the children count slowly and see how long he can stay on one foot.

The winner is the one who stands the longest without putting his foot down.

Sometimes we can feel dizzy, trying to figure out God’s will, and when to look for signs and when to look for other things. But the more we practice, the less dizzy we’ll feel. We can thank Gideon whose story helps us know when to ask for signs and when to ask for other guidance instead.

Technorati Tags: Bible games for kids, Gideon, Sunday school

Four Legged Races
Gideon was very nervous to lead the army into battle. But then, God filled him with the Holy Spirit. It’s sort of like this.

Have one student, small like Gideon, lie flat on the floor.

This is about how much Gideon wanted to go into battle. He’d have rather lied down, gone to sleep, and forgotten about the whole thing. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is about getting extra power from “spiritual friends,”
sort of like getting an extra set of muscles—or two extra sets!

Have two children volunteer. They should stand on either side of the child lying down. At the count of three, they should pull him up by the arms. Have them lace their arms under his so that he can stand but can also pick up his legs, all his weight on the two outer children.

Bring six children forward. Divide them into two teams of three.

Have two children on each team serve as the “spiritual strength,” holding up the other student who stands between them. He should have his arms around their shoulders with his feet off the ground.

Have both teams relay across the room and back without the middle student touching down. The team that wins must race against the next group of three. The group that wins is the group that challenges each round, until all children have had a turn being the spiritual strength and being the middle man.

It’s easier to do things, once you are empowered by God, isn’t it? And it doesn’t matter how big or how strong you are—it matters how big and how strong the power is that’s helping you! And we all know that God is very, very strong!

Technorati Tags: Bible activity lessons, story of Gideon, Sunday school, Holy Spirit

Gideon was not very sure of himself. Nobody had ever paid him special attention before God asked him to lead the army to set Israel free again. He was really nervous. He kept asking God to give him signs that He was really there and talking to him. Gideon asked God to make the fleece be wet in the morning, while all the ground around it was dry. Then, he asked God to make the fleece be dry, when all the round was wet.

Some people in the Bible asked God for “signs,” such as Gideon asking God to make the fleece turn out wet, and then asking for it to turn out dry. God was very quick to respond to Gideon’s requests for signs.

However, in the New Testament, the Scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for “signs” to show that he was the Messiah and was capable of miracles. The Scribes and Pharisees were two groups of devout Jewish men who didn’t like Jesus. They were always trying to trick him. Jesus said, “ A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign,
but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”

Why do you think some people like Gideon got lots of signs from God and the people who were not nice to Jesus didn’t get any?

A sign is for helping people to find God’s will. If you’re not looking to do God’s will, then you can’t expect to see any signs.

Ask your students for ideas on what would be reasonable requests that will allow a sign from God and others that may not.

Technorati Tags: Sunday school lessons, Gideon, New Testament