Love In Any Language
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "Love In Any Language"

Scripture Reading: John 21:15-19

LOVE GAME:

Tell the children that throughout the class today, whenever the teacher says PETER, they all say I LOVE YOU. This will help to insure that the children are paying attention. Explain why Jesus kept asking PETER if he loved him - because it isn't enough to SAY we love Him, but we need to SHOW our love for Jesus by showing our love for one another and caring for one another!

LOVE TREASURE HUNT:

Give each child a white lunch bag on which they will draw colorful hearts and print the various languages for I LOVE YOU. Send the children on a LOVE (hearts) treasure hunt to gather all the hidden hearts they can find to put in their bags. (To make it more fair, you might send children two at a time to gather a specified number of hearts.) Heart candy or cookies could be placed in this bag at the end of class as a LOVE TREAT!

HEART FLOWERS:

Teacher will have hearts cut out in various colors. Children will place the hearts on a piece of construction paper with the tip of the hearts all facing inward to create the shape of a flower with the hearts being the petals. They can also draw the stem and place a heart on each side of the stem to look like a leaf. The middle of the "heart flower" can have a round circle with I LOVE YOU in one of the languages that the children learned. Children can color or decorate their "heart flower" while answering questions about our Bible Story today.

FEED MY LAMBS CAN:

Using an empty vegetable can or orange juice can covered with construction paper, the children will glue little cotton balls all over the can. Teacher will have little ears cut out (that say FEED MY LAMBS on one ear and I LOVE YOU LORD on the other ear) for the child to glue on the top and little black split hooves to tape or glue on the bottom of the can and eyes to glue for the face. Children could use this decorated can to hold pencils or markers at SS or at home. (While putting the cotton balls on the Lamb-can, discuss the story and answer questions)

HEART LACING:

Have the children cut out 2 matching hearts from heavy card stock paper. Hole punch a few holes around the outside edges of the heart (about 1/4-1/2" apart) and lace with yarn or thick shoe strings. Stuff the top of the heart with a little tissue paper and lace shut. A thin dowel rod can be placed inside the bottom point of the heart for children to hold the heart up as a sign.

STICKER HEARTS:

Give each child a piece of construction paper, markers and small stickers such as hearts, stars or happy faces. Let children lightly draw a large heart with a pencil and then begin placing all their small stickers along the traced heart line. If time allows, the children could put a 2nd or 3rd row of stickers in that shape of a heart. Write words from today's Bible lesson inside the heart and then cut around the outside edge of the heart, hold punch the top and hang by a RED ribbon (to represent the blood of Jesus that was shed because of his great LOVE for us).

HEARTS to "Love You"

- Draw 2 hearts on poster board or heavy construction paper for each child to cut out (for younger children, the teacher should cut them out ahead of time for the children.) Cut a slit in one heart about 3/4 way up the middle from the bottom of that heart and a small cut from the top of the other heart so the one heart can be slipped over the other in the middle and will look like 3D. Use glitter glue to decorate the hearts and write I LOVE YOU in a different language.

LOVE HEART CHAIN

: Have the children cut out hearts and print the I LOVE YOU on each heart from other languages and then tape the hearts together to form a long heart chain on the classroom wall! You might choose to decorate some hearts with happy faces or the Bible verses.

LOVE HEART WREATH

: Cut the middle out of paper plates. Give each child many hearts to glue around the side of the paper plate to form a LOVE wreath to hang up in class, on the church bulletin board, or on their wall at home to remind them of LOVE IN ANY LANGUAGE as they print love in other languages on the heart wreath.

Song: "Oh, How I Love Jesus" Arr. by Charles Kirkpatrick

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Piano Accompaniment - Right click and save to your computer. (Two measures introduction and sing twice.)

This song may be freely downloaded and reproduced for religious or educational use by churches, schools, home schoolers, and other non-profit organizations.