PRESCHOOL-KINDERGARTEN
1. Welcome-As children enter the room, tape an "I am special"
construction paper ribbon to each of them. [point] Say: You are
special to God!
2. Jesus Loves You-Play the familiar game of Duck, Duck, Goose,
but instead of saying "duck, duck, goose," have the child who is
"It" say, "Jesus loves, loves, loves YOU!"
In this game, children sit in a circle. The child who is It
walks around the circle and pats each child's head while saying
only one word in the phrase. When the child says "you," the child
whose head is tapped jumps up and chases It back to the tagged
child's space. If the tagged child catches It, the child who's It
must sit in the middle of the circle until someone replaces him or
her. The new child is It and continues the game. Remind children to
make sure everyone gets a turn because Jesus loves everyone in the
circle.
Afterward, read aloud 1 John 4:9-10 in an easy-to-understand
translation.
3. Celebration Circle-Play this game to celebrate each child's
unique abilities. Have children join hands and walk in a circle as
they sing this song to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell": God made
you special, God made me special, amazing and wonderful, just look
what you can do!
Each time the song is sung, have a different child tell one of
his or her talents and then move to the center of the circle for
the remainder of the game. Continue singing until you're the only
one left in the circle.
4. Amazing Spinners-For each child, cut a three-inch circle from
posterboard. Punch a hole in each side of the circles. Help
children thread a rubber band through each hole. Pull each rubber
band through itself and tighten the rubber band until firmly
fastened to the circle.
Form pairs. Help children each write "I'm" near the top of their
circles. Have partners exchange circles and draw their partner's
picture on the lower half of his or her circle on the "I'm" side.
Turn circles over with "I'm" at the bottom. Help children each
write "special" on the top half of their circle, just above the
rubber band holes.
Have partners return their circles to each other. Show children
how to put their forefinger and middle finger of each hand through
the rubber bands and wind the circles tight, using the thumb and
middle finger of each hand. When children let go, circles will
spin. "I'm special" will appear.
5. Snack-See the "Food for Thought" box.
GRADES 1-3
1. Special Chairs-Before children arrive, tape "special" signs
to each chair. Greet children at the door and [point] say: You are
special! And we have a special place for you to sit. Have children
sit in the special chairs.
2. In God's Image-Form pairs. Have partners decide who'll be the
"model" and who'll be the "mirror." Standing face to face, have the
models move about and have the mirrors imitate their actions. After
several minutes, switch positions so the model is now the
mirror.
[point] Ask: How was this activity similar to or different from
looking in a real mirror? What do you see when you look into a real
mirror? How do you feel about what you see when you look into a
real mirror? Explain.
Read aloud Genesis 1:27 and Psalm 139:13-16.
[point] Ask: What does it mean to be created in the image of
God? How does being created in the image of God make each of us
special? What is one special quality God created in you that can't
be seen in a mirror? (Have each child answer.)
3. Friendly Frames-Take a picture of each child with an
instant-print camera. Have the kids each glue their picture onto a
slightly larger piece of posterboard. Have kids decorate the edges
of the posterboard with items such as beads, yarn or glitter. Lay
the pictures on the table and give each child a fine-tip marker. In
the space between the edges and the picture, have kids write
positive descriptive words on one another's picture, such as
"friendly" or "nice smile." Have children each write one good thing
about themselves on their picture frame.
4. Prayer of Esteem-Have kids hold hands in a circle. Walk
around the outside of the circle and place your hand over each
child one at a time. When you place your hand over a child's head,
have children pray and thank God for that person. Encourage
children to be specific in their prayers, such as "God, thank you
for Tim's sense of humor" or "Thank you for Alyssa's brains." As
the prayers wind down, move to a new child.
5. Snack-See the "Food for Thought" box.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
You'll need: Graham crackers, icing, knives, M&M's candies,
licorice laces and red hot candies.
Directions: Form pairs. Have partners each create their
partner's portrait, using the food supplies. Kids can ice their
graham crackers and then use the candies to create faces. Encourage
kids to be positive and kind. Then have partners trade portraits
and chow down.
GRADES 4-6
1. You Are Special-Give kids each five "special" tickets. You
can make these by writing "special" on ticket-like pieces of
construction paper. On "go," have kids race to get rid of all their
"special" tickets. To get rid of one of their "special" tickets,
kids must each find one other person, tell one thing that's special
about themselves and one thing that's special about that person.
Once they do, they can give one "special" ticket to that person.
Continue playing until kids' original five tickets are given
away.
Afterward, [point] say: You've given away all your "special"
tickets, but you got even more. We've got some pretty special
people in our group.
2. Specialty Item-Give each person a small paper bag. Tell kids
to each find an object in the room that's most like them and
secretly put it in the bag. For example, someone may choose a book
because they love to read or someone may choose a Kleenex tissue
because they like to help hurting friends. Gather all the bags.
Read aloud 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15.
[point] Say: The Bible teaches us to encourage each other. As we
remind each other of all the wonderful qualities we have, that
helps build positive self-esteem in each of us. The objects in
these bags represent wonderful people who God loves. I'll open one
bag at a time. Guess who chose that item. You'll get three
guesses.
Have kids explain why they chose their items. Make positive
affirming comments and help kids do the same.
3. Me Oh My-Have each person take the object they chose and draw
around it with a pencil on a sheet of paper. Provide craft supplies
such as crayons, glue, scraps of yarn, fabric and sequins. Have
kids use the craft supplies to make the outline of the object look
as much like themselves as possible. When kids are finished, have
them each display and explain their creation.
4. Prayer Line-Have kids line up behind one another in a circle.
Have children each lay their hands on the child in front of them.
All together, have kids pray aloud and thank God for the person in
front of them. After two minutes, have kids each turn around, place
their hands on the child in front of them and pray aloud for that
person. Close with a big amen and a one-minute back rub.
5. Snack...
Contributors: Sheila Halasz, Jennifer Wilger, Amy Nappa and
Terry Vermillion.
