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back-to-school activities
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3 Back-to-School Activities for Kids in Your Children’s Ministry

Here are three fun, introspective activities to anchor kids in their friendship with Jesus as they begin their next school year.

Back-to-School Activity 1: Music Message

You’ll need:

  • Bible
  • tape
  • paper
  • markers

Tape three sheets of paper to the wall. Write each of the following titles on a sheet of paper: “a music group you like,” “a music group you don’t like,” and “your favorite song.”

Have kids form three groups, and hand each group a marker. Give the groups two minutes at each paper to write their answers under the title. Then have kids sit near the papers.

Ask:

  • What makes you like a music group?
  • What kinds of messages does your favorite group sing?
  • How can the words we hear in music affect how we feel?

Ask a volunteer to read aloud Philippians 4:8. Have kids get back into their groups and evaluate their favorite and least favorite music groups against each of the tests in this verse. Be sure to ask groups to report back to the entire class what they discovered.

Back-to-School Activity 2: Partner Up

You’ll need:

  • men’s large T-shirt
  • recycling bin
  • newspaper or coupon prints from a grocer or in “junk” mail

This activity makes a wonderful icebreaker for kids in your class.

Place newspaper at one end of the room and a recycling bin in the center of the room. Form pairs and have them line up on the side of the room opposite the newspaper. Hand the T-shirt to the first pair in line and have both partners put on the T-shirt.

Say: Let’s play a game and see what it’s like to help each other accomplish something. When I say “go,” the first pair will rush to the newspaper. One partner will pick up a sheet of newspaper and crumple it. Then the other partner will take the newspaper and toss it in the recycling bin as the pair hurries back to the line. Then the next pair will go.

As each pair makes a “basket,” encourage everyone to cheer.

When each pair has had a turn, ask:

  • What was easy about this race? difficult?
  • How did you and your partner work together?

Say: It’s important to help each other—even when we don’t know the other person well. Jesus wants us to help everyone. And helping others is a good way to get to know them!

Back-to-School Activity 3: Peer Choice

You’ll need:

  • Bible
  • pencils
  • index cards

Beforehand, prepare two index cards, each with one of the following situations:

  • You’re at school and you want to play football, but the kid who has a football is absent. Your friends tell you to take the ball from his locker. Decide which is the best choice:
    • Take it because your friend would never know.
    • Tell someone else to take it.
    • Suggest that the group play something else.
  • While riding bikes, you and your friends begin to talk about doing something you know your parents don’t want you to do. But your friends pressure you to do it. Decide which is the best choice:
    • Say, “Why ask me? Ask someone else to do it instead.”
    • Say, “I don’t want to” and then leave.
    • Do something you feel is wrong and then tell others to do it too.

What Did Jesus Do?

Gather kids and say: Many times our closest friends have the strongest influence over us. Let’s see how Jesus dealt with peer pressure from a close friend.

Read aloud Matthew 16:21-23.

Ask:

  • How do you see Jesus choosing to do what he knows is best?
  • What might have happened if Jesus gave in to Peter’s peer pressure?
  • What could the world be like today if Jesus had given in to peer pressure?

Say: Peter was trying to protect Jesus. However, people who keep us from doing what God wants us to do aren’t being helpful friends in those situations. We have choices to make in our friends and in how we act around our friends. Let’s look at some choices.

Have kids form two groups, and give each group an index card. If you have more than 15 kids, have kids form four groups and take turns reading the cards. Encourage each group to role play its situation with its chosen response. Then have the kids in each group explain why they made their choice.

When each group has finished, say: Pressure from friends can seem really strong. But Jesus is stronger. If we keep our eyes on Jesus and ask him to help us make good choices, we can stand up to peer pressure.

Want more great lessons on peer pressure? Use Stand Strong: 4-Week Lesson Pack to teach meaningful Bible lessons to kids, help them discover deeper faith, and learn about how God wants us to live.

Looking for more elementary activities? Check out these ideas!

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