"I'm Proud of You"
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "I'm Proud of You"

Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:13-17

PHOTO ALBUM:

Give the children several pieces of paper to form a little "album". Let them use their imagination if they are older to make a booklet about today's lesson, such as the Bible verse on the front cover and the following pages can have brightly colored words on each of the following pages. For example: GREW IN STATURE; GREW IN WISDOM, WELL-LIKED, RESPECTED BY OTHER PEOPLE, MADE HIS FATHER PROUD, OBEYED. The little album can be stapled together or hole punched and tied together with ribbon or yarn.

BAPTISM BANNER:

Title the banner as BAPTISM: OFFICIAL ADOPTION CEREMONY. Decorate with water and a picture depicting someone being baptized. Add the prayer at the bottom of the banner that is our closing prayer today.

BIBLE ART:

Have the children cut a Bible shape out of construction paper and then cut a smaller shape of a Bible out of white paper. Write Matthew 3:17 on the Bible art and put gold glitter around the edges of the Bible.

BIBLE MOBILE:

Make a large blue cloud for the children to glue a little cotton around the edges and hand out colored markers for children to trace or draw Matthew 3:17. Hang the cloud from a pretty hanger or let children wrap yarn around a hanger to make a Mobile! Other smaller puffs of cottony clouds could be hung from the hanger as well.

PROUD OF ME PICTURE:

Give each child a piece of construction paper. Have various cut outs of circles, rectangles, triangles and squares for children to have fun forming a picture of themselves on the construction paper. Suggest to children that they write IS JESUS PROUD OF ME? The children will draw a face, hair, and other features on the "child" to make it look like themselves. Have a discussion about things that make Jesus proud of us as HIS children!

CLOUDS TREAT:

Give each child some colored or white marshmallows as a treat and talk about the voice that came out of the heavens in our story! If teacher desires more of a "mess" at the table, the children can be given a toothpick to poke into their marshmallows and dip it in chocolate or some other topping.

DO WHAT I DO GAME:

Let children take turns being a LEADER and the children will copy cat whatever the leader does. The children can be in a line and as soon as one leader has done an activity (hop, skip, jump, arm or foot movements) that child will go to the end of the line and the next child will become the leader. Continue to play until all the children have had a turn. The faster this goes, the more fun it will be for the children. Tell children to always DO whatever Jesus says to do.

PROUD OF YOU RELAY:

Divide the children into teams. Children will run to a basket containing slips of paper or pictures representing some type of behavior. The child will take one, read it, and tape it to a poster board under the heading of GOOD or BAD depending on whether they think the activity would make Jesus PROUD of them.

PROUD MOMENTS:

The teacher will watch the class while teaching and, when some positive activity is observed, the teacher will say, "I'M PROUD OF YOU." The teacher will also encourage children to do the same with the teacher or with each other children when they notice positive behavior during class time. Tell children to ask themselves during the coming week, "IS JESUS PROUD OF WHAT I'M DOING?"

PROUD CLOUD:

Have the children trace and cut out a cloud from construction paper and glue some thin wisps of a cotton ball around the edges. Give children markers to write today's Bible verse in the "PROUD CLOUD" and hang from the ceiling around the classroom with ribbon or thin wire.

PROUD OF YOU Game:

Have the children line up against a wall. Each child will say something that he has done, one at a time... and the Teacher or another leader, will say I'M PROUD OF YOU and child can return to their table to help put the Bible verse "clouds" together that the teacher has laid on the table. When the BIBLE VERSE has all been put together (Matt. 3:17), the teacher will say I'M PROUD OF YOU, and discuss what makes JESUS proud of us.

Song: "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" - Hindustani Folk Song

Song Sheet (PDF)

- Music and lyrics

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Song: "To Be Like Jesus" - Traditional

Song Sheet (PDF) - Music and lyrics

These songs are in the public domain and may be downloaded andreproduced for religious or educational use by churches, schools, homeschoolers, and other non-profit organizations.