The Greatest Commandment
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "The Greatest Commandment"

Scripture Reading:Mark 12:28-34

LISTEN/FOLLOW AND OBEY GAME PLAY:

Let all the children stand in a circle or against a wall. This will be played similar to the SIMON SAYS game - but it will be the TEACHER SAYS (use teacher's name if desired). Tell the children they are to LISTEN and then follow and obey the teacher's commands, but no other commands that are given if the TEACHER didn't say it!

WORK QUIETLY QUICKLY:

Tell children to do whatever the teacher commands them to do, but to do it QUIETLY and QUICKLY -- such as pretend to mop the floor, hop QUIETLY, put away books (with no sound to be heard), put crayons away, etc. This is a great QUIET way to get the room picked up and organized!! :-)

HANDS TO YOURSELF RELAY:

Let children play a quick game such as soccer and can use NO hands for the game! Other games could be kick ball, potato bag racing; balloon bopping, etc.

FALL LEAVES HEART:

Let children find real fall leaves or cut out leaves and glue in the shape of a big heart! Write LOVING GOD - LOVING EACH OTHER in the middle of the heart shaped leaves.

MULTI COLORED HEART POSTER:

Provide a poster sized cut out heart and hang on the classroom wall (red or pink poster board) and give each child a bright colored marker to write words from our Bible verse on the classroom heart. Have children repeat and take turns saying today's Bible verse while they are writing words together on the heart!

NEWSPAPER COMMANDS:

Give each child or a group of children a newspaper page. Tell the children to find and circle words from today's lesson --- such as obey, listen, follow, work, kindness, commands, heart, love, etc. Children can be encouraged to circle other words that might have something to do with today's lesson and let children share their words and ideas!

PUMPKIN PATCH BIBLE VERSE:

Provide each child with a large cut out pumpkin or a tracing of a pumpkin with the stem. A pile of various shapes and sizes of orange construction paper can be in a pile for each child to begin gluing to the tracing of a pumpkin until all of their pumpkin has been filled in with little pieces of orange paper. Tell children, then, to write today's Bible verse on the little pieces of orange paper and display all the pumpkins on a wall in the classroom as a PUMPKIN PATCH.

CIRCLE SITTING:

Let children sit in a circle and ask MANY QUESTIONS of the teacher. Tell the children that the religious leaders of Jesus' day liked to sit around and ask questions of Jesus and let the children ask serious or silly questions as time allows. Then tell today's story to the children in the circle.

HEART HUNT:

Write words from today's Bible verse and put a few hearts in each child's Bible or provide a Bible for each one and the children will hunt for the little hearts in their Bible and then put the verse together as a class. Repeat and take turn saying the Bible verse alone and together as a class.

HEART HANGING:

Let children cut out several different sizes of heart and glue the hearts to a long piece of wide ribbon and hang on the wall with a wall hanger or yarn. Write words from our lesson on the hearts - such as love the Lord with my heart, my soul and strength, etc.

HEART SNACKS:

Glue 2 hearts together on 3 sides and leave the top open. Give one heart set to each child and fill with candy corn and M&M's and mini pretzels.

Song: "Oh, How I Love Jesus"

Words and Music (pdf)

Accompaniment Track MP3

Song: "Love One Another"

Words and Music (pdf)

Accompaniment Track MP3