Christ the King
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "King Backward"

Scripture Reading: Luke 23:33-43

BACKWARD WALKING:

Divide children into teams and run a relay with children walking or hopping or running backward to the finish line and then running forward back to the team for the next player to take a turn.

BACKWARD HAT RUN:

Let children take turns running to a bag or table of hats and put each hat on backward and run back to the starting line. Make sure to take a picture of all the children with hats on backwards and then have children sit in a circle to share today's Bible story.

HATS RACE:

Two teams will run a relay to the hats, put a hat on and run back to their team member, who will then run down to the pile of hats for their team and put on another hat. This will continue until all the hats for each team have been put on and everyone is back on their team line. When their team is done, they will all say together JESUS CHRIST IS KING!! Teacher, make sure that there is a CROWN in your pile of "hats" to go along with today's story!

CROWNS TO WEAR:

Have children cut out and decorate a CROWN and write JESUS IS THE KINGS OF KINGS. Have gel glue, sequins, glitter, etc available to make a beautiful crown for the KING!

CROWN OF THORNS:

Give each child a piece of cut poster board with the letters written on it, KING OF KINGS... and let children glue toothpicks on the poster picture to look like a crown of thorns.

HAT HUNT:

Teacher can have a scavenger hunt with hats that could be used for the HAT RELAY RACE if desired. HATS can have a Bible verse or phrase from our lesson such as KING OF THE JEWS, KING OF KINGS, JESUS IS KING, KINGDOM, CROWN OF THORNS.

KING OF MY LIFE SASH:

Provide a thin piece of solid color cotton material for children to write KING OF MY LIFE with glitter glue or paints. Children can drape the sash over their shoulders or around their neck.

CROSS AND CROWN BULLETIN BOARD OR DOOR POSTER:

Give children supplies to make a bulletin board or a door poster for the classroom. Children can use various colors of construction paper to cut out shapes and forms and adding ribbons, stickers and even foil for the crown, etc. Makes crosses, crowns and words in bright colored markers for today's Bible verse on the poster. Let children write JESUS IS KING OF MY LIFE and sign their name in different areas of the poster.

CROWN CHALKBOARD DRAWING:

Teacher will have a large cross drawn on the chalkboard (with the SIDE of the chalk) and children can write THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS on the board and use colored chalk to draw or write words about the story around the chalk drawing while the story is discussed. Teacher could have some lines for the words with some of the letters missing for children to fill in for the words of our story, as listed above in the HAT HUNT.

CHRIST IS KING BIBLE VERSE SCRAMBLE

: Write today's Bible verse on a large poster board. Children can sit in a circle and first take turns reading the verse BACKWARDS, one word at a time per child!! Then let children know that it doesn't make sense to read it backwards, so each child can read the verse the correct way, one word or phrase at a time. Then have the children SCRAMBLE and sit in another place and begin to read or recite the Bible verse for memory once again. Continue to scramble as time allows.

MUSICAL HATS

Option 1:

This can be played like musical chairs but as the music plays, the children will pass hats around (1 hat less than there are children) until the music stops and the child without a hat is allowed to take one hat and take a seat (so there will still be one hat less than there are children).

Option 2:

Played like musical chairs but only ONE hat could be passed around and the child that is holding the hat can leave the game and go to the chalkboard to write one of the words from the story inside a hat that is drawn on the board, while the "musical hat" continues.

Song: "King of Kings" Hebrew Folksong

Lead Sheet (pdf)

Piano Accompaniment (mp3)

Song: "I've Found the One Who's All to Me" from Hymnal.net

Lead Sheet (pdf)

Piano Accompaniment (mp3)

These songs are in the public domain and may be reproduced for non-profit religious and educational use.