O Be Careful Group
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "O Be Careful"

Scripture Reading:  Ephesians 5:15-20

FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS: The teacher can have cut outs of footprints cut from construction laid out in a path around the class room. The children will line up and follow the path around the room being very careful to step on the footprints. As they follow the path, they will sing, "O be careful little feet where you go. O be careful little feet where you go. For the Father up above is looking down in love. O be careful little feet where you go."

SHOE FIND: All the children can sit in a circle and take off their shoes. They will place their shoes in a big pile in the middle of a circle. The teacher will then call on one child to go to the shoe pile and find a shoe with "red on it", and another child will be next to find a shoe with a certain "word" on it, etc. Make sure all the children have an opportunity to find a shoe by following instructions.

HOPSCOTCH INSTRUCTIONS: Let children divide into two teams and play hopscotch -- jumping on each square and doing whatever the instructions are that the teacher has written in each square, OR there could just be numbers in each square and when the child jumps on one square, the teacher will read off what instruction corresponds to that number.. such as #1 (Jump 3 times); #2 (Hop on one foot); #3 (Say a Bible verse), etc.

ALPHABET LETTERS: The teacher can cut out large alphabet letters to place on the classroom door or wall. Children can each take a letter to write something about today's lesson on each letter (similar to an acrostic). Make sure letters are bright colored and children have markers so that the word they write on the letter, will be clearly seen.

INSTRUCTION COLLAGE: Children can write all of the "instructions" from our lesson that Paul gave to Ephesus. Cut the strips of colorful paper with each instruction and let children glue or paste onto a piece of construction paper. Decorate between the pieces of paper and add a border with another color paper, to form a colorful collage of God's Instructions.

PLEASING JESUS CHAIN: Children can be given at least 12-15 thin slips of construction paper (about 1 inch wide and 3 inches long). Encourage children to write one of God's instructions on each slip of paper. After all their slips of paper have been written on, the children can loop them together to form a chain and hang "God's Instructions" around their necks.

DOOR INSTRUCTIONS: Provide each child with a very long strip of paper (about 2 inches wide and about 3 feet long). Each child can decorate and color their strip of paper and write just ONE of God's instructions on the strip of paper. When all the strips of paper are completed, the teacher can tape them to the classroom door for the children to see and recite and to memorize as many of them as they are able.

SHARE A SNACK: Children follow INSTRUCTIONS for this snack today. INSTRUCT each child to take one little bag, and then allow children to file around a table of snacks to place into their bags. Tell children simple instructions like ONE cupcake, TWO gums, THREE chocolate bites, FOUR mini cookies, etc, as teacher desires.

Song:  "O Be Careful Little Eyes"