Esther - The Brave Queen
Group Activities
Sermon Title: "Esther the Brave Queen"
Scripture Reading: Esther 4:14
HERO RELAY:
Divide the children into two teams to take turns in pretending to do something to be a HERO. Their teams can guess what the HERO was doing, or the team can imitate each child as a HERO.
ESTHER and HAMAN CIRCLE:
An "Esther" and a "Haman" will be chosen. They will then try to tag other children in a designated area to be on THEIR "good or evil" team. If time allows, let other children be Esther or Haman. Sit in a circle and tell today's story.
ESTHER CROWN:
Children can cut out a traced crown on card stock. Provide supplies to decorate their crown with glitter, sequins and stickers before placing the crowns on each child's head.
HERO MOBILE:
Give each child or a group of children the supplies to make a "mobile" from a colorful hanger, with words on clouds or mini crowns, etc, of BRAVE, PROTECTION, PRAYER; HERO, and other words from today's lesson and let these mobiles hang in the classroom.
HERO MASKS:
The children can cut out an eye mask and write JESUS IS MY HERO around the edge of the mask. Attach the masked eyes cut out with elastic to hold on the mask to the child's head.
DECORATED CROWN:
Each child can be given a cut out picture of a crown. Older children can cut the crown out for themselves. Different colors of tissue paper can be given to children to glue tiny cut out shapes to the crown to decorate in a special way. Use colorful paints or markers to write special words to remember from today's lesson.
ESTHER BOOKMARK:
Children can cut out their bookmark and draw a crown and glue sequins onto the bookmark. Write the last part of today's Bible verse on the bookmark to remind children of God's plan! Cover the bookmark with clear contact paper when completely done decorating.
HERO or QUEEN ESTHER BRACELETS:
Small bands of construction paper can be given to each child to color and decorate with words/ideas from today's lesson. Place the band around the child's wrist and tape ends together.
STORY STICK PUPPETS:
Each child or a group of children can be given supplies to draw faces of today's story and color. Then tape to the ends of craft sticks and take turns telling today's story to the other team!
HERO OR QUEEN ESTHER BAG PUPPET:
Decorate a white or brown paper lunch bag as a HERO who serves Jesus or as QUEEN ESTHER. Curly ribbon can be used for the hair as well as a crown drawn and colored and taped to the top of the bag puppet. This is another way the class could tell parts of today's story.
SCEPTER SPOON (or DOWEL):
Provide the children with a long handled wooden spoon or dowel to decorate as a scepter, such as coloring it with a bright colored marker and adding glitter, sequins, ribbons, etc to the top!
SING A SONG:
MY GOD IS SO BIG
SHARE A SNACK:
Small candies could be "jewels" in a bag and a sucker could be the scepter. Children could make up their own "JEWELS" bag for a special memory of today's lesson.
Song: "My God Is So Great"
Words and Music (pdf)
