Parable Mustard Seed Group
Group Activities

MUSTARD SEED RELAY: Children can divide into two teams and take turns running to a wall to add sections of a tree (that can have pieces of branches attached) to keep getting taller and taller until all the children have had a chance to tape a section of the tree on the wall for each team. If the teacher chooses to have a small 2-step ladder available, the children can make their mustard seed trees much taller. Let children write words about today's lesson later while the lesson is being told.

GROWING KINGDOM: Before class time, the teacher can hide many cut out outlines of children around a designated area. Divide the class into teams if desired and children will run with the time allowed (3 minutes or as teacher desires), to find a cut out and run to a team poster board and tape the cut out to the board and then the next player will run to do the same until the buzzer or whistle blows to stop the growing kingdom. Children can see how fast the KINGDOM grew as they gathered the people.

APPLE TREE PRINTS: Give children supplies to draw and cut out a tree trunk and branches and glue to a piece of construction paper. Children may then use red ink to make finger prints in the tree to represent apples and tell the children today's story. Children can write, GREAT THINGS GROW FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS... and could add words on each apple, from Mark 4:30-32, if desired.

RUBBER BAND BALL: MANY colorful rubber bands are needed for this object lesson. Each child will have a pile of rubber bands to begin making a rubber band BALL! As the children wrap the bands around each other, the ball will grow. Let the children continue to wrap the bands as time allows and soon a bouncing ball will be enjoyed by the children as they learn from today's lesson that "great things grow from small beginnings."

MUSTARD SEED NECKLACE: Give each child a mustard seed to laminate and to glue to a piece of card stock and punch holes to hang around the child's neck for a mustard seed necklace. (A piece of contact paper could also be put around the seed to use instead of laminator.) If a laminator and mustard seed are not available, the children can draw a mustard seed and make a necklace, with words around the seed from today's lesson, as child desires.

APPLE SEED ART: Children can use apple seeds that the teacher has gathered after cutting open several apples, to form a cross or a word from today's lesson. Write our theme words on the art work.

KINGDOM OF GOD SKIT: Let children take parts from today's lesson about the "picture of the kingdom of God". The teacher or a leader can narrate that section of our story and children can act out "Jesus walking on the shore of the sea of Galilee and seeing two fishermen, following Jesus, seeing two other brothers who were mending their nets, and others continuing to follow Jesus." Provide children with 'props' for their skit with fishing nets, etc.

CIRCLE PRAYER: All the children can form a circle and take turns reciting just ONE word from the Lord's Prayer as they continue around the circle to complete all of the prayer. Then children can recite the Lord's Prayer together, after the girls recite the prayer and then the boys recite the prayer. Make sure the Lord's Prayer is neatly written on a large poster board for the children to follow along.

SING A SONG: LITTLE IS MUCH WHEN GOD IS IN IT

SHARE A SNACK: APPLE CIDER, APPLE SAUCE OR CUT UP APPLES with various types of dips or peanut butter could be enjoyed for a snack.

Song:  "Little Is Much when God Is in It"