Family Ministry Activity: Fall Mystery Objects (Take Courage)

Fall can be a daunting time for children and families. As children continue to settle into school, many face fears of being away from home, facing bullies, or not seeing the same friends. And parents feel the anxiety that comes with all the new things, too. That’s why families need courage.

In this courage-inspiring activity, families will daringly touch, feel, and guess unknown objects hidden in bags, then celebrate their heroism with a courageous family photo.

“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

You’ll Need

• Bible
• paper bags
• chenille wire “spider”
• autumn leaves (can be real or fake)
• pony beads
• slime (purchase premade)
• hairbrush
• photo booth materials (could be recycled from a recent fall festival)

Getting Ready

Put one of these five items in each of the brown paper bags to create a set of hidden objects for the game.

1. chenille wire “spider”
2. pony beads
3. slime
4. autumn leaves
5. hairbrush

Make additional bag sets depending on how many families will be participating in the activity. Number the bags 1–5.

Create a photo booth area where families will victoriously pose for a picture after having courageously discovered what’s inside each bag.

Practicing Courage: Guess the Mystery Objects

Once the families are gathered together, read aloud Joshua 1:9.

Say: It’s normal to feel a little nervous when we don’t know what will happen next. When the future is unknown, we can trust God.

God is all knowing—that means he already knows what will happen. Since God is always with us, we can trust that he’ll give us courage when we’re nervous about what will happen.

Now we’re going to practice having courage. For this game, each person in your family will reach into a bag, then touch and feel what’s inside. No peeking!

After everyone in your family has felt what’s inside the bag, have each person guess what it could be. Then, together, look inside and see! Move along to the next bag to courageously discover what other hidden objects await. Give the families enough time to guess what’s in each bag.

Talk About It

Ask: How did you feel as you reached into each bag?

Allow time for both kids and parents to respond.

Say: No matter how we feel—nervous, excited, disappointed, or happy—we can talk with God about it. God is there and God always cares. And we can celebrate when we overcome our fears! That’s incredible!

Now pose with your family and snap a courageous photo to celebrate what you learned about courage. Show your most courageous pose!

Allow time for families to snap courageous photos of each other. Then close in prayer.

This idea comes from the Team Family™ Book 1. Team Family’s year-round guides give you a variety of seasonal activities and events that can easily be plugged into your family ministry plan. You get to pick and choose! 

Plus! The seasonal Team Family PowerPaks are filled with a variety of engaging, faith-building activities for families to do at home—they can do it all or select what works for them.