Shrinking Blankets
When kids leave your VBS, are they really any different
than when they walked in the door? How will they live out what
they've learned? That's why life application is such an important
part of Group's Fiesta VBS program. Every activity challenges kids
to think about practical ways to live out their faith in everyday
situations. Check out this game from Fiesta: Where kids are fired
up about Jesus! Children will learn the importance of keeping Jesus
first in their lives as they try to keep their crews on a blanket
that is slowly getting smaller.
You will need
- one 4x6-foot blanket per crew
- maraca or other attention-getter
- Before kids arrive, open up and lay out one blanket for each
crew.
- Have each crew stand on a blanket. Ask crews if they're having
trouble standing on their blankets and if they have enough room.
When they answer, explain that this is like having Jesus as the top
priority in our lives. We've given him the maximum room.
- Have each crew get off its blanket and fold the blanket in
half, then have crews stand on their blankets again. Ask them how
they feel standing on their blanket now. (It's hard; I'm doing OK,
but I wouldn't want to stay here very long.) Repeat this series of
folding, standing, and asking the question. After kids answer each
time, explain that this is what it's like to slowly push Jesus out
of our lives. Things start to fall apart.
- When crews can't stand on their blankets anymore, have them
form circles for discussion.
- Why did it get harder and harder to stay on the
blanket? (We ran out of space; we kept cutting the size in
half.)
- What are some things we do that push Jesus out of our
lives? (Spend time with friends who pull us away from
Jesus; fill our time with things that don't have anything to do
with Jesus.)
- How can you include Jesus in every part of your
life? (I can ask him to help me focus on him every day; I
can ask him for strength in everything; I can thank him for
everything, even small things.)
Say: Your standing area kept getting smaller
and smaller. Pretty soon, it became impossible to stand on the
blanket as a crew. When we start filling our hearts with other
priorities that don't include Jesus, we're slowly pushing him out
of our hearts so he doesn't have any room. Jesus is our life, and
we need to love him with all our heart.
