Open Mind Open Heart Group
Group Activities

BEAN BAG TOSS: Let the children take turns tossing a bean bag into a container as the teacher calls out a word or thought from today's lesson, such as words from the Gospel story or how to have an open mind! If the bean bag goes INTO the basket or container, that teams gets a point. A variation of this activity is to have the children sit in a circle and toss a bean bag to another child as a word is called out words from today's lesson.

GOSPEL TRACT: Provide the children with construction paper, markers, stickers and glitter to create several pages of a Gospel tract to share with each other and then take home to share with someone else.

GOSPEL IN CHALK: This activity can use a large chalk board or can be done with sidewalk chalk in an area of the parking lot. Provide the children with colored chalk and let them draw pictures to depict the Gospel story from today's lesson. After the children have drawn their pictures, let them take turns in telling the Gospel story to each other.

HEART PUZZLE: Let the children decorate a very large heart drawn on a piece of poster board. After they have finished, the teacher will cut the heart into pieces to create a jigsaw puzzle. Let the children try to put the heart puzzle together again.

LACED HEART: Provide the children with construction paper to cut out two identical hearts and use a hole punch to punch holes around the sides and bottom of the heart. Using string or yarn. lace the two hearts together leaving the top open to form an envelope. Place slips of paper with pictures and words depicting today's Gospel lesson into the top of the heart as be a reminder of opening their hearts to the Gospel.

JESUS PUZZLE: The teacher will write the word JESUS in very large balloon letters and cut them out. Decorate each letter differently from the other letters. Cut each letter into three pieces and spread them around a designated area of the class room. The children will hunt for the letters and put them in the right order to spell JESUS.

ENVELOPE PUZZLE: The teacher will write words from today's Bible verse on a sheet of paper and decorate it around the edges. Cut the sheet of paper into a few pieces, depending on the age of the children, and place into an envelope for each child to try to piece the puzzle together.

SING A SONG: INTO MY HEART; JESUS LOVES ME

SHARE A SNACK: M & M's or Skittles candy can help us tell the Gospel story.

1 - Brown: Once my heart was dark with sin.

2 - Red: My heart is washed clean by the blood of Jesus.

3 - Blue: Baptism shows that I have followed Jesus.

4 - Green: Bible study and prayer help me grow as a Christian.

5 - Yellow or Orange: I am going to heaven where I will walk on streets of gold.

Song:  "Into My Heart"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track

Song:  "Jesus Loves Me"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track