Stairway to Heaven
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "Stairway to Heaven"

Scripture Reading: Genesis 28:10-19

CLIMBING JACOB'S LADDER:

Children can divide into several groups and each group can be given a name from today's lesson, if desired, such as "STAIRS", "LADDERS", "STONES", etc. As the teacher calls a team's name, the players of that team will pretend to climb until the teacher calls another team's name and then the new team will begin to climb. Encourage children to take BIG steps with their legs and use arms to pretend to pull up on a ladder as well. Let children know to listen to the lesson today and see who was climbing a ladder and why!

HUMAN LADDER:

Children can go outside if that is available and see if several children can climb on top of each other and mark a tree or a wall with a piece of chalk. Each team can see how high they can climb on each other to see which team can get their chalk the highest. Make sure there are adult "spotters" for the ladder climbers.

STAIR CLIMBING:

If there are stairs available for children to climb, bring the children to those stairs and let them begin the "climb" at the bottom of the stairs, finding taped pieces of paper on each stair (that the teacher has placed there) as they climb, that will later be brought back to the classroom to place on a stairway picture on a poster board. The word slips of paper that the children will find on the stair climbing could be words from our Bible verse or the "prayer" at the end of the lesson today, or other key phrases for children's learning the lesson today.

PILLOW TOSSING:

Children will join hands in a circle and then sit down. A child can be placed in the middle of the circle with a pillow and will toss the pillow to classmates in the circle, trying to surprise someone with the pillow toss. If the child does not catch the pillow, then that child will change places with the child in the middle and will then become the tosser. Tell children that they will learn about how a pillow is part of our lesson today.

STONE PAINTING:

Let children find a stone of their choice and provide paints for the child to paint their stone with special words or ideas from today's lesson.

PILLOW PUFFS:

Each child could be given 2 pieces of felt that has holes punched around the edges, so children could use markers to write their names and special words from today's lesson. Use colorful yarn to "sew" around the edges of the felt. Leave one side open to stuff with fiberfill stuffing and then continue to "sew" the felt pillow closed.

CHAIN LADDER:

Give children small strips of paper that they can loop together to make a chain "ladder". Each team could be given a certain short amount of time and see how LONG their "ladder" can be in that allotted time.

STAIR WALL:

A large poster board can be hung on a classroom wall and children will line up and ONE line of a stair way will be drawn with a colorful marker by each child, so one line will be sideways (horizontal) and the next child will attach a line up and down (vertically), the next children will attach a horizontal line, the next in line will attach a vertical line with a colorful marker, and continue as a staircase will be drawn. Title the colorful staircase with special words from today's lesson about climbing Jacob's ladder and GOD providing all that we need.

COLORS AND LADDERS:

Provide children with a piece of paper and several various colors of crayons. Children will makes colorful areas of crayons and then color over all the top of the colors with a black crayon. Give children a toothpick or pencil to DRAW Jacob, the stone pillow and the ladder and all the colors will show through to make a picture of today's Bible story.

PLAY ACTING:

Let children pretend they are Jacob and will get a pillow and lay down and then as the story is told by their teacher and then jump up and pretend to CLIMB as well. Sing their song about today's lesson.

SING A SONG:

We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder

Song: "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder" - Traditional

Words and music (pdf)

MP3 Piano Accompaniment

This song is in the public domain and can be downloaded and reproduced for ministry purposes.