Yes Or No Group
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "Yes or No? - A Parable of Two Sons"

scripture Reading: Matthew 21:28-32

"I WILL" GAME: Divide the children into teams and have them line up one behind the other. The teacher or another leader will give each team an action to perform and the player at the front of the line will shout out, "I WILL" and then they will run to the finish line and perform the action and then run back to their team. A new command will be given to the next player and the game will continue until all children have had a turn. No one wins except to learn and to have fun saying, I WILL!

JUST SAY YES!: The teacher will first ask children questions that will require a YES answer. The children will shout "YES" after each question. Let children take turns then to ask each other YES questions. After the children have answered several questions, they will be given a sheet of paper and markers to write YES as many times as they can before a buzzer rings or until the teacher says NO! Tell children to now write JESUS anywhere on the sheet where they can fit the words!

FOLLOW ME: At the chalkboard, the teacher will tell the children to "follow" what he/she does on the board. The children will have a piece of paper and markers, or they can write in the AIR as the teacher writes and they can see who can figure out what the teacher is writing. The teacher will begin by just doing one section at a time of each letter of YES, I WILL OBEY JESUS! (Ex... there would be 3 sections of the "Y", 4 sections of the E, 3-5 for the S, etc). When a child knows what the teacher is writing or children can see the letters forming on their paper after copying what the teacher is doing, they will shout out, YES I WILL OBEY JESUS!

BACK WRITING: Let the children divide into pairs. The children will write with their fingers a secret message on the back of their partner. Write choices for messages on the chalk board, such as, JUST SAY YES TO JESUS, I WILL OBEY, FOLLOW JESUS, LOVE ONE ANOTHER, I WILL, etc. After one child has guessed the secret message, the children will reverse roles.

"LEAVES" MESSAGES: Let the children cut out and glue several leaves to a brown piece of construction paper. Write messages on the leaves from today's story, such as SAY YES TO JESUS, FOLLOW JESUS, LOVE ONE ANOTHER, OBEY, FAITHFUL, etc.

BEE FAITHFUL CRAFT: Give the children supplies to draw bees on their construction paper. Give them felt for the bodies and little chenille wires for the antennae. Glitter could be used for the bee's bodies as well. Give the children words from our lesson today to write on their Bee, and write "BEE" faithful, "BEE" loving, "BEE" following, "BEE" obeying, "BEE" loving, "BEE" willing! Write Matt 21: 28-32 at the bottom!

FAITHFUL BANNER: Give the children a very LONG and narrow piece of paper across the classroom table. Children will each take a word to write on the long banner for FAITHFUL TO DO WHAT JESUS CALLS US TO DO! Others can add a border of happy faces and small words around the edges that could say, I WILL, OBEY, LOVE, FOLLOW, WILLING, etc!

"I WILL" SNACKS: Have the children ask each other questions about today's lesson and then go to the SNACK BASKET and say, I WILL take a snack and I WILL follow Jesus!

Song:  "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" 

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track

Song:  "Where He Leads Me"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track