Main Idea: JESUS IS THE TRUE VINE
Suggested Schedule: (90 mins)
Supplies:
- Welcome (5 mins)
- Grape Construction Game (5mins)
- Review Big Verse (5 mins)
- Set the Scene: Bible story/skit and review questions (10-15 mins)
- Object Lesson 1 talk (5mins)
- Grape Shot Game (5 mins)
- Object Lesson 2 talk (5 mins)
- True Vine Game (5 mins)
- Object Lesson 3 game and talk (10 mins)
- Three Legged Relay Game (5 mins)
- Sense How You Feel activity (10 – 25 mins)
- Seek God Prayer (5 mins)
SONG and BIBLE STORY VIDEO IDEAS available via our dedicated Pinterest Board.
GAME IDEAS:
GRAPE CONSTRUCTION – 10 mins
Description: Upfront Game
Supplies: Punnet of grapes per team, 2 or 3 packs of cocktail sticks
Details: (regular) Teams are given grapes and cocktail sticks -the aim is to build the tallest free-standing structure, in any shape or design.
GRAPE SHOT – 5 mins
Description: Team Game
Supplies: Punnet of grapes per team, 15 plastic cups per team.
Details: (regular) Arrange the cups in a triangle (row of 5 cups, then a row of 4, then 3, then 2 then 1), and mark a line a few steps away. Teams stand behind the line and toss a grape into the cups – each child has one go, then moves to the back of their team line. Once everyone has had a couple of goes, take a look and see which team got the most in the cups.
TRUE VINE – 5 mins
Description: Power Point Game
Supplies: Slide showing 6 vines starting on the left, jetting jumbled up, with one leading to some grapes on the right.
Details: (Keynote/PowerPoint) The children try and follow the vines through and identify which one is leading to the grapes.
BIG VERSE: Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
(regular/widescreen/social media image) Download the Bible cards here.
SET THE SCENE: 10-15 MINS
Description:
Supplies:
Details: Read or act out John 15: 1-17. Then ask a few of the review questions below:
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
1. Who is the vine, and who is the gardener? (v1)
2. Who are the branches of the vine? (v5)
3. If we remain with Jesus, what will happen? (v8)
4. How do we remain with Jesus? (v10)
5. How will we feel if we bear much fruit, as part of the vine? (v11)
6. What was Jesus’s command to us? (v12 and v17)
SPOT THE SIMPLE MEANING:
1) WE NEED TO STICK CLOSE TO JESUS – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 1
Supplies: Velcro
Details:
Say: Have you seen this velcro I have here? [Hold up velcro] Just as the velcro has two sides that stick together, God wants us to stick with Him. That’s what it means when Jesus tells us to remain or abide in Him. He says that He is the vine and we are the branches. We are to remain in Him – stick with Him – or we can do nothing.
If I was to hold one piece of velcro up on its own, it can’t do anything without the other side. God is able to do absolutely anything. He doesn’t need us at all. Yet we are the ones that need His power and His hope and His love to do all He wants us to do in this world. When we stick with Him He can do amazing things in and through us, if we let Him.
2) IF WE DON’T THEN GOD WILL HELP US – MINS
Description: Object Lesson 2
Supplies: Picture of vine. You could also hold up some grapes as you talk.
Details:
Say: God says that unless we remain in Jesus and are producing good fruit He will have to prune us. Do you know what that means? [show vine picture] To grow good grapes sometimes a gardener will have to cut bits away so that the grapes are able to grow freely and not get choked up. It’s also so that they won’t get diseased easily or eaten by bugs when parts of the branches touch the ground.
That’s the same with us, as you saw in the skit, sometimes God needs to help us to stop doing certain things that we know are wrong, or we need to start doing the right things. Some things need to be taken out of our lives so that we can live even better lives for Him! Although it might be difficult, God knows that it will be for our best in the end!
3) IF WE DO THEN WE WILL PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT – MINS
Description: Object Lesson 3
Supplies: Bad and good banana.
Details:
Say: Show the children the bad banana first and get their reaction. Then you will display the good banana and get a different reaction. This Object Talk will help the children know the difference between producing good fruit and bad fruit in their daily walk with Christ.
[Show everyone the bad rotten banana.] Who would like to eat this banana? Why would you choose not to eat them? How can you tell this banana will not taste very good? [Allow for answers.]
[Now show everyone the good banana.] Now who would like to eat this banana? Why would you choose to eat them? How can you tell this banana will taste good?[Allow for answers.]
Our lives are like one of these two pieces of fruit. People will know who we are by the type of fruit we produce. What kind of fruit do you want to produce? Will the fruit of your life be good, like this good banana, or not so good, like this rotten banana?
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES:
THREE LEGGED RELAY- 10 MINS
Description:
Supplies: John 15: 5 “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. Broken down onto pieces of paper, scarfs.
Details: In pairs have each put their arm around their partners waist. Tie the partners inside leg together so each pair of children has three legs rather than four.
Ask the children to form a line and then each pair need to walk to the other end of the room, grab a word and walk back. The team that has formed the verse first is the winner.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- What fruit would they like to see in their life?
- What fruit am I showing? Is it healthy?
- What sort of fruit does Jesus want to grow in my life?
- Are there area’s of my life that need to change?
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: Purple balloon, flour, black pens, funnel, green paper and pens
Details: Create a stress ball grape by filling a purple balloon with flour! Cut out a leaf as a label and write “I am the true vine” and tie it round the top of the balloon.
Description: Moulding activity.
Supplies: Playdough or clay.
Details: Mould some grapes.
Description: Building activity.
Supplies: Lego or construction toys.
Details: Build your favorite fruit.
Description: Sensory activity.
Supplies: Fruit juices, lemonade, cups or fruit kebabs.
Details: Let the children make their own fruit smoothie.
Description: Activity Booklets.
Supplies: 5-7s and 8-11s booklets (included in download), markers.
Details: Fill in or color the 5-7s (PDF) and 8-11s (PDF) booklets.
SEEK GOD: 10 MINS
Description: Prayer activity
Supplies: Grape sheet, Cross, Sign “I am the True Vine”.
Details:
Spend some time praying and asking God if there is anything in your life that is producing bad fruit. They could write any thing that God tells them on to the grape sheet of paper.
After 10 minutes spend some time praying for each other.
Place the sign “I am the True Vine” onto the cross or at the front..
Thank you God that you care enough for us that you want to help us change. Please help us to be fruitful for you. Amen.
ZOOM FRIENDLY LESSON:
FIND THE GRAPES (regular)
HIDE THE GRAPES (regular)
Click here for the ‘I am the True Vine’ Childrens Lesson PowerPoint image
