Peace! Be Still!
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "Peace! Be Still!"or "Who's in Your Boat?"

Scripture Reading: Mark 4:35-41

ROCKING BOAT RELAY:

Divide the children into groups of three. Two of the children will pick up the third child in the group carry him to the finish line on the other side of the room. In this activity, the two children represent a boat which is carrying the third child to the other side of the lake.

"QUIET BE STILL" RUN:

Let the children run around, shout, and sing until the teacher blows a whistle and says, "QUIET! BE STILL!" Everyone must "freeze" until the whistle blows again and then the children can resume their singing or shouting until another whistle blows when children will once again "freeze" and the teacher will call out "QUIET! BE STILL!". Continue to play the game several times as time permits.

BUILD A BOAT:

Let the children build and decorate a boat made out of Styrofoam. (Available at craft stores, or you could use Styrofoam take-out containers from a restaurant, etc.) Use toothpicks and a piece of cloth for the sail. If a large tub (such as a plastic under-the-bed storage unit) is available, the children could float their boats as they listen to the Bible story today!

STORM CLOUDS:

Give the children supplies to draw storm clouds on a piece of construction paper. Give the children markers to write various "storms" that can happen in our lives today. Write a "storm" on each cloud. Children could then draw a sun and write JESUS GIVES PEACE IN THE MIDDLE OF A STORM.

BOAT VERSE PUZZLE:

Give the children an outline of a boat that has been cut out of heavy paper or card stock. The teacher will write today's Bible verse on the boat with some words left out for the children to fill in! Have the children decorate the boat and fill in the blanks of the Bible verse. When thy have finished decorating their boat, they will cut their boats into 6 or 8 pieces and pass their cut up Bible boat puzzle to another child to try to put the puzzle together!

BUILD A BIBLE STORY:

Give the children various sizes of cut out pieces of construction paper such as squares, ovals, circles, triangles, etc. Tell the children to glue the pieces onto a sheet of construction paper to show today's story. Let the children take turns telling the story and explaining their picture and what they learned from today's story and what STORMS that they may face in their lives.

"PEACE, BE STILL" SKIT:

Let the children get into a pretend boat and rock with the waves. One child can be Jesus and pretend to sleep at the other end and as the teacher or another classmate reads today story, the children can play act as the WINDS BLOW HARD and the waves are high and the water is coming into the boat! At the end of the story, have the child who is portraying Jesus stand up and say, "PEACE, BE STILL!" Let all the children then get into the pretend BOAT and throw a small ball back and forth as each one who catches the ball tells about a "storm" that they might go through as a child.

FIVE BOATS OF PEACE:

The teacher can have five outlines of boats on a poster board. Title the poster board "Five Boats of PEACE." Let the children discuss ways that we can find PEACE and CALM in our life. The teacher can write key words for finding peace on the boats. (Suggestions: Prayer, Bible, Promises, Faith, Trust, Thanksgiving, Praise, Ask, Seek.)

BOAT SNACKS:

Have gold fish crackers, gummy worms, and juice for the children to enjoy inside the pretend boat!!!

Song: "I've Got Peace Like a River

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Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track (right click to save to your computer