A Tree And Its Fruit Group
Group Activities

BIBLE VERSE RELAY: Divide the children into two teams. There will be a separate "Bible Verse Fruit Basket" for each team. The team members will take turns running to their team's basket and taking one strip of words from our memory verse (Divide the memory verse into five strips — A good tree | can't produce bad fruit | and a bad tree | can't produce good fruit. | Luke 6:43. When the team has all five strips, they will form a line of five team members holding the strips n the correct order. Then, each child will read his or her strip aloud to make sure they have the strips in the right order. Then all of the children will say the memory verse together.

FRUIT TREE RELAY: Draw fruit on construction paper and cut it out. Before class begins, hide the fruit around a designated area of the class room. There will need to be one fruit of each kind for each team. Divide the class into teams. When the teacher says -- FIND THE BANANA -- the entire team can hunt for ONE banana and run back to their starting area. Continue finding fruits such as FIND THE APPLE, FIND THE ORANGE, FIND THE GRAPES, etc. After each "fruit find", the team will return. Each fruit can have a word from our Bible lesson today and children can quickly tape their fruit to a poster board tree that has been made for each team. Children will enjoy watching their FRUIT TREE get bigger and bigger with all the fruits that they are finding.

PLANT A TREE: If possible, buy a very small tree and let the children dig a hole, plant, fertilize, and water the tree. Let the children write their names on a small piece of poster board, attach it to a wooden stake, and drive it into the ground beside the tree.

BIBLE VERSE FRUIT CAKE: Give each child a piece of brown construction paper and cut 2 inches at an angle on each corner. Fold up and tape the corners to form a box. The children will then write parts of today's memory verse on pieces of cut out and colored fruit pictures and place in the fruit "cake box". The children can carry this home and try to put Bible verse together or have a family member try to put the verse together from the FRUIT CAKE.

FRUIT BEARING CHRISTIANS: Divide the children into pairs. Give each child of the pair a piece of paper so that they can try to draw a person (looking at his or her partner as a model). When the picture is finished, the child will cut the outline of the picture they have drawn. The children will then write on their picture, A FRUIT BEARING CHRISTIAN will bear fruit such as LOVING, CARING, JOYFUL, KIND, PATIENT, GENTLE, FORGIVING, ETC.

SHARE A FRUITY SNACK: Have samples of fresh fruit for children to enjoy, or dried fruit or fruity candy snacks. Have the children take turns naming the fruit that Jesus might expect his children to show.

Song: "Our Best"

Words and Music (pdf)

Accompaniment Track MP3

Song: "Peace Like a River"

Words and Music (pdf)

Accompaniment Track MP3