Looking for Jesus
Group Activities
Sermon Title: "Looking for Jesus"
Scripture Reading:Mark 1:35-39
HIDE AND GO SEEK:
Children can divide into teams and take turns hiding and seeking. Play for a few minutes and then have children form a circle and sit down to discuss today's Bible Story.
WHERE IS ???:
Let each child write their name on a piece of paper. One child can HIDE that piece of paper in a designated area while the rest of the class is in another room. Then all the children will attempt to FIND that child's name piece of paper. When someone finds it, everyone will say, "_______ everyone is looking for you!" Continue until all the children have had a chance to hide their own name paper and be found. Tell children today's Bible verse and ask questions about today's lesson or tell the story.
WHERE'S JESUS:
Before class time, the teacher can draw a picture of Jesus or cut out a picture of Jesus and HIDE in a very secretive spot. When the time in our lesson comes to where the people are looking for JESUS, let the children walk around the designated area and call for Jesus ("Jesus, JESUS, where are you"). When the first child finds "JESUS", that child will then take that picture of JESUS to the next part of the story as the teacher tells the story (which will be a picture of the countryside (fields, etc); then another child can take that picture of JESUS to a picture of a Home (of Simon Peter where Peter's mother-in-law was sick); then another child can take that same picture of JESUS to a picture of sick people, and other children can take turns taking the picture of JESUS to another "town/village" picture, and to a place where Jesus might be teaching. Each picture can be on various places on the classroom walls. All the children can get up and follow the child taking the picture to different places in our Bible lesson today.
EYES TO SEE ART:
Give children construction paper, markers, glitter and small colored pieces of cut out felt, to make BIG EYES to "see Jesus". Tell children the bigger the eyes, the better! Children can write JESUS on their EYE art, to remember that others are LOOKING for JESUS every day.
FINGERPRINT EYES:
Provide all the children with ink pads of various colored inks. Children will need construction paper to make pairs of EYES with their own finger prints. Tell children to make many "pairs" of eyes all around the paper. Children can add the eyebrows and eyelashes and write a title on their paper that MANY PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING FOR JESUS.
PAPER PLATE PRAYER:
Each child can be given a paper plate and markers. Children can color the paper plate and draw a big happy face with very BIG EYES on the middle of the plate. Children can write Deut. 4:29, or Mark 1:37 (Everyone is looking for you), around the edges of the paper plate.
PAPER BAG PUPPET:
Give children a lunch bag to color and the largest craft moving EYES that can be purchased. Children can glue those eyes on the flap of the lunch bag. Children can write words from today's lesson on their bag as they tell their class about today's lesson as they use the bag as their puppet to help others FIND and SEE Jesus!
FINDING JESUS SQUIGGLES:
Each child can be given a piece of paper and colors to draw squiggly lines. They can write the word JESUS within some of their squiggly lines and color the spaces made from the squiggly lines. Then pass their paper to another child for that person to FIND JESUS. When everyone has found JESUS on that paper, they can continue to pass their papers to the right and let other children find JESUS on each paper. Tell children to HIDE JESUS name in between their squiggly lines so it is hard to see.
SING A SONG:
EVERY DAY WITH JESUS; THERE IS A NAME I LOVE TO SING AND JESUS IS HIS NAME (SUNG to the tune of b-i-n-g-o)
SHARE A SNACK:
Hide the snacks around the room and ask children, WHERE ARE THE SNACKS? Tell children if they can FIND a snack, they may help themselves to a snack!
Song: "Every Day with Jesus"
Words and Music (pdf)
MP3 Accompaniment Track
