Main Idea: OUR ACTIONS ARE IMPORTANT
Suggested Schedule: (90 mins)
- Welcome (5 mins)
- Toilet Roll Roll Game (5mins)
- Review Big Verse (5 mins)
- Set the Scene: Bible story/skit and review questions (10-15 mins)
- Object Lesson 1 talk (5mins)
- Game (5 mins)
- Object Lesson 2 talk (5 mins)
- Game (5 mins)
- Object Lesson 3 game and talk (10 mins)
- Game (5 mins)
- Sense How You Feel activity (10 – 25 mins)
- Seek God Prayer (5 mins)
Supplies:
- Sand
- Paper cups
- Empty bottles
- Tarp or small paddling pools
- Buckets and spades
- Tubs
- All included printables
- Toy people, twigs or leaves
- Burning bush jar printable, red, orange and yellow tissue paper, jars, glue, LED candles.
- Playdough or clay.
- Lego or construction toys
SONG and BIBLE STORY VIDEO IDEAS available via our dedicated Pinterest Board.
GAME IDEAS:
SAND PICTURES – 5 mins
Description: Team game
Supplies: sand and tub
Details: (regular/widescreen) Children play a game of pictionary, only using their finger in the sand to draw. You will need to come up with a selection of words for the children to draw. You can play in teams where teams must compete to get through the list of words first, each player taking turns to have a go at drawing.
SAND CASTLES – 5 MINS
Description: one-on-one or Team Game
Supplies: tarp or small paddling pool per child/team and lots of sand, bucket and spade per child or team.
Details: (regular/widescreen) Children/teams compete to build their own/team sandcastles. The leader will decide whose sandcastle is the best.
SPEED SAND – 10 MINS
Description: Team Relay
Supplies: sand, large empty bottles, bowl or tubs, paper cups (optional holes in them)
Details: (regular/widescreen) Children must run to transport the sand from one tub/bowl into the large empty bottle using a paper cup. Can be played as a relay in a team or as a one-on-one game. Optionally you can put holes in the paper cups to make it more difficult and have the sand go everywhere! [Might be best to play outside with this option!] The winner/winning team is the one/s with the most sand in their bottle at the end of the game.
BIG VERSE: Our God is a God who saves: from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death. Psalm 48:20.
(regular/widescreen/social media) Download the Bible cards here.
SET THE SCENE: 10-15 MINS
Description: Story time
Supplies: Bible or try one of the Bible videos listed on our Pinterest Board.
Details: Read Exodus 2:11-3:22 – or act out then ask a few of the review questions below:
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
- Why did Moses run away?
- What did the Hebrew slaves say?
- Who did Moses meet in Midian?
- What was Moses doing when he saw the burning bush?
- What did God command Moses to do?
SPOT THE SIMPLE MEANING:
1) OUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 1
Supplies: What happens if…? Activity.
Details: Have lots of cards that say different consequences. Ask the children which of the consequences/results they would get if they did some of the things below.
Say: Moses killed an Egyptian when he saw the Egyptian beat a Hebrew slave. Murder is never okay. Yet God had not yet given Moses the Ten Commandments. However, there were still consequences that took place. A consequence is something that happens as a result of doing something first.
[Use the cards to talk to the children about what results they would get if they did these things]
For example,
- what happens if you don’t brush your teeth for a year?
- What happens if you go to church every week?
- What happens if nobody washes the dishes for a month?
- What happens if you play sport three times a week?
- What happens if you don’t have a bath for six months?
- What happens if you read a new book every week?
Some of these things will give you good results in life and some of them will give you bad results. Moses chose to do something that had a bad result; a bad consequence. The other Hebrew slaves learned about what he had done. They no longer listened to him or thought he was good enough to tell them what to do. Pharoah also heard about what he had done and tried to kill Moses. Yet Moses managed to escape.
2) GOD HAS A PLAN WHEN WE MESS UP – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 2
Supplies: Use the Oops! Pictures and show how they have been transformed.
Details:
Say: Everything looked like a big mess for Moses! Moses had to run away to escape the Pharoah. Yet God had a plan. He always has a plan for us when our actions get us into a mess. When Moses reached a place called Midian he ended up helping some girls by a well. Their father appreciated this so much that he offered one of the girls to be Moses’ wife. In Bible times, this is what would happen – parents would help their sons and daughters to be matched up for marriage!
Whilst all this was taking place God’s people were still crying out to Him. God heard their cry. He had a plan. Even though Moses had made a big mess, God would still use him to help His people.
If you take a look at some of these pictures you will see that when we make a mess, things can be turned around for good. Especially when God is in it!
[Show paper images]
This ripped paper may look bad… but [turn the paper around] it has been turned into a crocodile’s mouth!
This coffee stain looks terrible… but look at how it has been turned into something great!
God is able to turn our messes into something beautiful, if we will let Him.
3) GOD HAS IMPORTANT ACTIONS FOR US TO DO – 5 MINS
Description: Action Game and Application.
Supplies: No supplies.
Details: Action Game.
Say: Have you ever felt like what you’re doing isn’t important? God has lots of important things for us to do. Yet often we aren’t really listening. Moses may have missed out if He didn’t listen to God and do what He said.
[Play the Actions Game: One person is chosen to leave the room. Everyone else must copy one person’s actions. They can make a rhythm with their hands and feet or do some other continuous motion. They must change the movement every 30-60 seconds. The person that left the room can re-enter. They must try to work out who is leading the actions.]
That game was fun! It shows how important our actions are when others are watching and even copying us. Moses’ actions were important because the Hebrew slaves had been watching him.
Yet even though Moses had messed up, God still chose to use him for an important job. He would help rescue God’s people. They would all be watching and copying Moses’ actions. They would be looking to him for direction and leadership.
When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush Moses was ready to listen and do what God asked him to do. Just like in our game there was a leader, Moses was ready to make God his leader. He would follow God’s actions.
No matter if you feel like you have messed up or not, God can use you to help others. He still has important actions for you to do. All you need to do is be willing to listen and do what God calls you to do.
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES:
SANDY SEARCH – 10 MINS
Description: PowerPoint game.
Supplies: tub, sand, printables
Details: You will need to print and cut out the printables [you may also want to laminate them if you are able] and hide them in the sand. Children must try and find the matching triplets of bible characters and their good/bad actions.
Have a large tub of sand with the printables all inside. Children can take turns to find the triplets and match them up.
Moses: killed a slave / rescued the Israelites
David: stole another man’s wife/killed Goliath
Elijah: ran away scared by Jezebel to a cave / Defeated the Prophets of Baal
Joseph: bragged to his brothers about his dreams / interpreted Pharoah’s dreams
Jonah: sailed to Tarshish / told Ninevah about God
Paul: arrested Christians / started many churches
Peter: denied Jesus / Was called ‘The Rock’ on which the Church would be built
This activity is for children that are fairly familiar with their Bibles. If your children aren’t sure, perhaps you could help them by sharing some of the stories as they find the printables.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- What does this show us about people?
- What does this show us about God?
- Is anyone perfect?
- What kind of actions do you want to be known for?
SENSE HOW YOU FEEL – 10 MINS EACH OR IN TANDEM/ROTATION
Encourage the children to think about the questions above as they do one of the activities:
Description: Craft.
Supplies: Burning bush jar printable, red, orange and yellow tissue paper, jars, glue, LED candles.
Details: Cut out the burning bush jar printable and stick it to the inside of the jar. Then stick the red, orange and yellow tissue paper to the outside of the jar where the bush shows through. Put an LED candle inside and turn it on.
Description: Moulding activity.
Supplies: Playdough or clay.
Details: Mould Moses in the desert and the burning bush.
Description: Building activity.
Supplies: Lego or construction toys.
Details: Build the scene of Moses and the Egyptian or of Moses and the burning bush.
Description: Sensory activity.
Supplies: Toy people, Sand, twigs or leaves
Details: Encourage the children to play with the toy people in the sand as they think about what Moses saw.
Description: Activity Booklets.
Supplies: 5-7s and 8-11s booklets (included in download), markers.
Details: Fill in or color the 5-7s and 8-11s booklets.
SEEK GOD: 5 MINS
Description: Prayer activity
Supplies: sand and tubs
Details:
Children can hold the sand in their hands as they pray and pour the sand into the tub.
Say: Thank You God that You love each one of us and that You have a plan for us, even when we mess up. Thank You that our actions matter. Help us to do good and do actions that please You and help people. Amen.
Prayer for forgiveness: God as I hold this sand and let it go, I thank You that You love me and forgive me for all the bad actions I have done. Amen.
Click here for the lesson widescreen image
