March 3-4, 2018 Obsessed Journey: No worries! Matthew 6:25-34 We can choose to trust Jesus instead of worrying! Connect Time (15 minutes): Five minutes after the service begins, split kids into groups and begin their activity. Large Group (30 minutes): Begin 20 minutes after the service starts. Model what it looks like to be engaged in large group. Small Group (15 minutes): Keep kids in small groups until parents arrive. If you all have extra time at the end, you can review the video and songs together. Expect kids to have different learning styles, and playing styles! Some kids might need downtime to adjust to their surroundings, or just a little quiet time. Some kids will want to tell you everything about their week, or play an active game. Be flexible, and do whatever helps a kid feel most comfortable! As kids leave, remind them to get their flowers and birds! Today s story is from Matthew 6:25-35, and it s about a time when Jesus told his disciples that there s no need to worry about who will take care of us or how we ll get by, because he has taken care of everything, and everything belongs to him!
GOAL: Connect Time is all about engaging kids in an activity that allows them to connect with each other right away, while simultaneously piquing their curiosity for Large Group and preparing their minds for what they re going to hear. SPOON PICK-UP Split kids into pairs and blindfold one player in each pair. Scatter plastic spoons across the floor (space them out, so it s not too easy to find them). The blindfolded players have to crawl around the floor and gather up spoons, while their non-blindfolded partner helps them by saying directions, like crawl forward, "warmer, colder", or left/right etc. Let the first round of blindfolded partners collect spoons for 1 minute. Then let kids take their blindfolds off and see how many spoons everyone has collected. Now let partners switch roles. Collect and scatter the spoons across the floor again, and let the second round of blindfolded kids collect spoons with their partner s help for 1 minute. Make sure to collect the spoons and save them for the next service. Before you go to Large Group, you can ask kids how their week went. You can also remind kids of the expectations for Large Group behavior: (1) be kind, (2) listen when somebody speaks, and (3) follow the leader s instructions.
Here s a link to one of today s videos: Bible Theatre / Do Not Worry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xga VWKqcyMU CONNECT TIME REVIEW Main Goal: Review Connect Time and actively worship. Welcome: Hi everybody! Welcome to Kids Club. We re in the middle of something called the Journey. Does anyone know what that is? (Let a kid respond.) Say: It s a really cool experience that the whole entire church, kids and adults, are all doing together! And on this particular journey, we re learning that Jesus wants to take on us an amazing adventure. He wants us to have a life full of joy and freedom, and he wants us to change the world, and make a difference. Ask: Do you guys think it s possible to make a difference, even when you re just kids? (Let kids respond.) Yep, because EVERYTHING is possible with God! Say: The thing is, sometimes we get distracted. Sometimes we worry that God won t take care of us, or we won t get everything we need. We might get sad, scared, lonely or mad. Has anyone ever been worried before? Say: It s like in the Connect Time game. When you were blindfolded, did you worry you might bump into someone or get hurt? (Let kids respond.) Yep, even something as simple as being blindfolded can be scary, because you don t know what s coming toward you, or where you re going! Ask: What helped you get through it, and be able to pick up spoons? (Let kids respond.) Yep, having a partner to tell you where to go!
WE ALL HAVE WORRIES Main Goal: Watch a movie clip and define what it means to worry, and why we do it! WHAT DO YOU WORRY ABOUT? Main Goal: Play a game to identify real-life examples of how we worry. JESUS TELLS US NOT TO WORRY Main Goal: Watch a video about Matthew 6:25-34, and hear what Jesus says about not worrying. Say: Life is the exact same way. Sometimes we worry about things because we re not sure what s going to happen next, or how things are going to turn out. There will always be something that you could worry about. That s just part of living in an imperfect world! Say: Let s watch a movie clip about a character who s really worried and nervous about something, even though she doesn t need to worry at all! Video: Sing / Don t You Worry Bout a Thing Ask: So what was the elephant nervous about in the beginning? (Let kids respond.) She was clearly nervous to be on stage, and probably worried that people wouldn t like her, or that her singing wasn t good. But by the end, she was really confident! Say: Let s do a little game to help us brainstorm real life things that we might worry about. See all these papers hanging on the walls? They all have a different real life situation that might cause you to worry. Leaders will pass out 4 stickers to everyone, and you have to put a sticker under the situations that cause you to worry the most (or put multiple stickers on one thing, if you worry about it a lot!) We ll do this for 5 minutes, then everybody can have a seat. Say: We ALL stress and worry about things, whether we re young or old. And we all have different worries about different things. Something I worry about is (talk about a kid-friendly example of something that you worry or stress about). Ask: Do you think Jesus wants us to worry about things? Why not? (Let kids respond with their own answers.) Great answers! Jesus actually talks about this very thing in the Bible. He had a group of friends who we call the disciples, and they followed him and listened to him all the time. But even they worried about things! Say: Let s watch a video and see what Jesus said to do instead of worrying and being afraid.
JESUS TELLS US NOT TO WORRY Main Goal: Watch a video about Matthew 6:25-34, and hear what Jesus says about not worrying, and trusting him instead. RESPONSE TIME Main Goal: Let kids relax and focus on Jesus by listening to what he would say about worrying. Video: Bible Theatre / Don t Worry Say: That story is a short one, but it s packed with so much truth! Let s break it down into a few parts. First, he talked about birds. Kind of a funny thing to bring up, right? Let s check out what he said: Slide: Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air. They don t plant or gather crops. They don t put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren t you worth much more than they are? Say: Does anyone want to talk about what this means in your own words? (Let a kid respond.) Yep, Jesus is saying that if the birds can survive without worrying about food, so can we. Because we are waaaay more important to God than birds are! Let s read what he says next Slide: Matthew 6: 28-30 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the wild flowers grow. They don t work or make clothing. But here is what I tell you. Not even Solomon in all his royal robes was dressed like one of these flowers. If that is how God dresses the wild grass, won t he dress you even better? Say: This is kind of a funny thing to say too! That we re better dressed than the flowers are? But it s true! We don t need to worry about clothes, or toys, or all the stuff we own, or if we ll have enough of it. If the flowers can be happy just as they are, than so can we. Because we are worth more to him than all the beautiful flowers in the world. Say: Right now, everyone close your eyes. If you want, lay down, or move to a more comfortable position. As you listen to me, imagine that Jesus is saying these words to you. Imagine that he s sitting here with us right now, and he wants to tell you the following things. Read: Worry makes you afraid and anxious. But you have a choice, and it s a choice that you will have to make a thousand times every day. You must choose whether to trust me...or to worry. If you choose to trust me, I will trade your fear for my peace. Every time you choose me over worry, I will give you even more of my peace. So instead of worrying, keep your thoughts on me. Think about how much I love you, and how I bless and protect you. When your mind is all filled up with me, there s no room for worrying!
WORSHIP AND PRAYER Say: Okay, you can open your eyes and sit back up! If you remember anything from today, it s this: instead of worrying, Jesus wants us to trust him instead. Whenever we re worried about what we ll eat, what we ll wear, if we have enough stuff, if people like us or not...replace those worries with trusting Jesus instead. Pray: Jesus, we know you love us more than anything in the world. But sometimes, it s hard to trust you. So please remind us everyday that instead of worrying, we can trust in you instead. Say: Let s show some trust right now. We re going to worship Jesus, which means we re focusing ONLY on him. To do that, let s all stand up, and if you want, spread out or find a new spot. We re going to sing a song called, Good Good Father. It s about how we can trust Jesus because he is our father, and how he s got us covered no matter what bad things happen, or what makes you worry! Music Video: Good Good Father
Goal: Kids will (1) understand what Jesus tells us about worrying, (2) recognize how to replace worrying with trust and (3) identify how we can trust Jesus instead of worrying within our own lives. Why? Worrying and anxiety isn t just for adults kids experience it too, and we need to equip them with how to place their trust in Jesus instead of being afraid that Jesus won t give us what we need. Tip: There s two crafts in today s activity. Kids can one, or both! REVIEW THE STORY 1. Jesus told today s story to his followers, the disciples. What things do you think the disciples worried about? What would you worry about if you were one of the disciples back in Jesus day? 2. What are some things that you worry about? What situations did you put your stickers on (in Large Group)? 3. How can we get rid of worrying? What do you think it means to have peace? What does it really look like to trust God? MAKE IT PERSONAL Ask: Why did Jesus talk about birds and flowers? What do they have to do with worrying and trusting God? Say: Let s create some paper birds and flowers as a reminder that if God will take care of them, he ll take care of us too! Each kid can make 1 bird and 1 flower (if they want). There s flexibility here, so if kids want to make one or the other, that s fine. Give each kid the following materials: Paper birds: 1 double-sided bird template Paper flowers: 2 coffee filters, 1 straw, 1 green leaf template Set out markers, scissors and tape. See the following page for instructions and pictures. Lay out the provided instruction sheets around the table for kids to look at (this will help them work independently, so you can better connect with them and give extra help where needed). (Continued on next page.)
PAPER BIRDS Let kids color and decorate both sides of the bird shape (this way, the colors/designs will come together after it s folded). Cut the bird out, then fold the bird in half down the middle. Bend the wings down, and then outward, like a paper airplane.
PAPER FLOWERS Color the coffee filters. This will be the flower part, with petals, etc (If possible, demonstrate this for kids before they begin, or while they re coloring). Make a single cut down the middle of the coffee filter. Start rolling the paper where it was cut, keeping your finger pinched at the middle. Tape the flower into the top of a straw. Cut out leaf shapes from their green paper, and tape the leaves to the straw.
3rd-5th March 3-4, 2018 What does Jesus say about worrying? What does it mean to trust God? Connect Time Item Usage Details Provided by Blindfold 1 per pair of kids Amazon: Meta-U 50 Pcs Wholesale Eye Mask KC National Plastic spoons 300 plastic spoons per room, reused Sam s Club, Member s Mark White Plastic Spoons, Item #988514 KC National Item Usage Details Provided by Adventure Bible 1 per large group, reused Biblesbythe Case.com Masking tape 1 roll per room, reused Worry Scenarios 1 set of 8 images per room (reused) Blank 11x17 paper 8 new sheets per service Dot stickers 4 per kid Staples, Dot Stickers, Item #538066, Cut into strips of 4 dots. All same color in each room. KC National to provide stickers, s to cut into strips Item Usage Details Provided by Markers & Scissors 1 set per small group, reused Scotch Tape 3 rolls per group, reused Staples, Item #483534 Coffee filters 2 per kid Sam s Club, Item # Item #849189 KC National Green Straw 1 per kid Amazon KC National Green leaf template One ¼ sheet per kid Print template on green paper, Staples, Item #507430, cut into quarter sheets, Page 11 KC National to provide green paper, s to print/cut Bird template side 1 1 per kid 8.5x11 cardstock, black&white, Page 12/13, double sided Paper Flower instructions 3 per group, reused 8.5x11 paper, black&white, Page 14 Paper Bird instructions 3 per group, reused 8.5x11 paper, black&white, Page 15 Large Group 11x17 paper, black&white, LINK HERE Small Group
PAPER BIRDS Let kids color and decorate both sides of the bird shape (this way, the colors/designs will come together after it s folded). Cut the bird out, then fold the bird in half down the middle. Bend the wings down, and then outward, like a paper airplane.
Paper Flowers PAPER FLOWERS Color the coffee filters. This will be the flower part, with petals, etc (If possible, demonstrate this for kids before they begin, or while they re coloring). Make a single cut down the middle of the coffee filter. Start rolling the paper where it was cut, keeping your finger pinched at the middle. Tape the flower into the top of a straw. Cut out leaf shapes from their green paper, and tape the leaves to the straw.
3rd-5th 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Song slide: for when kids enter the room (All that You Need instrumental; mp3 only; can be downloaded on web) Video: Sing / Don t You Worry Bout a Thing (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skq4iqmt58o) Video: Bible Theatre / Don t Worry (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgavwkqcymu) Slide: Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air. They don t plant or gather crops. They don t put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren t you worth much more than they are? Slide: Matthew 6: 28-30 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the wild flowers grow. They don t work or make clothing. But here is what I tell you. Not even Solomon in all his royal robes was dressed like one of these flowers. If that is how God dresses the wild grass, won t he dress you even better? Music Video: Good Good Father (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee_l-klp2uk)