A Few Men and a King

252 GroupsDecember 2017, Week 5

Small Group, 2-3

A Few Men and a King

Bible Story: A Few Men and a King (Wise men visit Jesus)•Matthew 2:1-12

Bottom Line:Give like you’re giving to God.

Memory Verse:“Command the rich to do what is good. Tell them to be rich in doing good things. They must give freely. They must be willing to share.”1 Timothy 6:18, NIrV

Life App:Generosity—Making someone’s day by giving something away

Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

GET READY

Prepare ahead of time for 2nd–3rdgrade Small Groups this week:

Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction(Choose one or both of these activities.)

Early Arriver

Made to Connect: an activity that invites kids to share with others and build on their understanding

An offering container

Party Time

Made to Create: an activity that explores spiritual ideas through the process of drawing, building, and designing

Print the “Party Hat”Activity Page on cardstock; 1 for each kid
Scissors
Markers
Tape
Elastic string
Stickers (optional)

Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect(Choose as many of these activities as you like.)

* If you don’t have time to do all these activities, be sure to do activity #1.

* 1. Scene by Scene

[Talk about God | Bible Story Review| Application Activity]

Made to Play: an activity that encourages learning through following guidelines and working as a group

Print the “Scene by Scene” Activity Page and cut apart; 1 set for each group
6 envelopes
Place one scene from the Activity Page in each envelope. Leave unsealed, but tuck the flaps in.
Dice

2. I’ll Help You

[Live for God | Application Activity]

Made to Connect: an activity that invites kids to share with others and build on their understanding

Large pieces of black paper; 1 for every 3-4 kids
White chalk

3. Pass Me a Nickel

[Hear from God | Memory Verse Activity]

Made to Move:an activity that increases the oxygen in the brain and taps into the energy in the body

Paper bowls; 1 for each kid
Plastic spoons; 1 for each kid

3 gold plastic coins ( (Note: Reuse coins from Week 2 if you have any left over.)

Upbeat worship music and a way to play it

Prayer

[Pray to God | Prayer Activity]

Made to Reflect: an activity that creates space for personal understanding and application

Upbeat worship music and a way to play it
Party blowers/noisemakers(optional)

A Few Men and a King

Bible Story: A Few Men and a King (Wise men visit Jesus)•Matthew 2:1-12

Bottom Line:Give like you’re giving to God.

Memory Verse:“Command the rich to do what is good. Tell them to be rich in doing good things. They must give freely. They must be willing to share.”1 Timothy 6:18, NIrV

Life App:Generosity—Making someone’s day by giving something away

Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction(Small Groups, 15 minutes)

Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today’s story.

Before kids arrive, take a few moments to pray for them. You will probably have a lighter crowd than usual today, so thank God for the opportunity to build deeper relationships with the few who are there today. Thank God for another wonderful season spent celebrating the gift of His Son. Ask God to help you bring the abstract concept of “giving like you’re giving to God” into a concrete kids’ world.

1. Early Arriver Idea

Made to Connect: an activity that invites kids to share with others and build on their understanding

What You Need: Offering container

What You Do:

Invite kids to put their offerings in the container as they arrive.
Talk to kids about their plans for New Year’s Eve. Ask:
Are you doing anything fun?
Will you get to stay up late?
Do you have any traditions on New Year’s Day?
Do you have any goals for the new year?

2. Party Time

Made to Create: an activity that explores spiritual ideas through the process of drawing, building, and designing

What You Need: “Party Hat”Activity Pages, scissors, markers, tape, elastic string, stickers (optional)

What You Do:

Tell kids that sometimes people wear party hats on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the new year, so they will be making party hats for celebrating 2018.
Hand out the “Party Time” Activity Pages and scissors.
Instruct kids to cut out the party hat shape.
Let kids decorate their hats with markers and stickers.
When kids are finished decorating, help them roll hats into cones and tape along the edge.
Thenmeasure out a chinstrap for each kid with the elastic string and tape it onto the hat.

What You Say:

“Tonight we will celebrate the end of a year and the coming of a new year.[Transition]Today in Large Group, we are going to hearabout some men who had something else very special to celebrate.”

Lead your group to the Large Group area.

Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Small Groups, 25 minutes)

Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions.

* 1. Scene by Scene

[Talk about God | Bible Story Review| Application Activity]

Made to Play: an activity that encourages learning through following guidelines and working as a group

What You Need: “Scene by Scene”Activity Pages placed in envelopes, Dice

What You Do:

Ask kids to sit in a circle on the floor.
Tell kids you’re going to play a game of “Pass the Envelope,” but there will be a very specific way to pass it based on what number they roll on the dice.
Hand out envelopes to the kids at random. It’s okay if everyone doesn’t get one.
Give each kid a turn to roll the dice while sitting in the circle and follow the instructions below associated with that number:
1: Switch envelopes with someone else, or take one from someone if you don’t have one.
2: Everyone pass envelopes to the right.
3: Everyone pass envelopes to the left.
4: Everyone put their envelope in the middle of the circle. Mix them up and pass them back out.
5: Give your envelope to someone who doesn’t have one. If everyone has one, switch with someone.
6: Stand up and flap your arms and squawk like a chicken.
After everyone has had a turn to roll, open the envelopes one by one.
As each kid takes his picture out of the envelope, have the kids say what that picture has to do with the Bible story.
Work as a group to arrange the pictures in the order of the story.

What You Say:

“Today we heard an important story from the Bible about three men who traveled on smelly camels for MONTHS just to see Jesus. They knew how important and special it was that God had come to earth. When they came, they brought Jesus wonderful gifts that were very precious to them. They didn’t give Jesus whatever they happened to pick up along the way; they thought about the most special things they could find to give Him. Just like these wise men, we should always remember to[Bottom Line]give like you’re giving to God.When we come to God, we should give Him our best. And we should respect others by giving them thoughtful gifts, whether it’s real gifts or gifts of our time.”[Make It Personal] (Tell kids about a thoughtful gift someone has given you.)

2. I’ll Help You

[Live for God | Application Activity]

Made to Connect: an activity that invites kids to share with others and build on their understanding

What You Need:Large pieces of black paper, white chalk

What You Do:

Gather kids around a table (if possible) or on the floor.
Talk with kids about how sometimes at the end of the year people come up with New Year’s Resolutions about things they do or don’t want to do that year.
Explain that your group is going to make a poster of some of your generosity resolutions.
Place the black paper around the middle of your space, and instruct kids to gather around the paper withthree or four kids around each piece.
Ask groups to choose one kid from their group to write “I will” in the middle of their paper.
Thenlet kids use the chalk to write ideas of ways they plan to be generous to others this year.
Suggestions:
Don’t try to get back at someone who made you angry.
Do a chore for another family member without them knowing.
Smile at someone who looks sad.
Hold the door open for someone or help them with their packages/groceries.
Leave a 'thank you' note for the mail carrier or person who delivers your newspaper.
Give out candy canes to people while running errands.
Give someone an unexpected hug.
Take the dog for an extra walk or play with your pet/give them some love.
Rake leaves or shovel snow for a neighbor.
Give someone a compliment.

What You Say:

“You guys came up with some great ideas of how to be generous this year! Being generous isn’t always about giving money; it can be about giving someone your time or attention too. We should always remember to[Bottom Line]give like you’re giving to God. Whether you are giving someone a listening hear or a helping hand, treat them with respect and pay attention to what they are saying and what they need.This year, try to keep an eye out for ways you be generous with the people around you.”

3. Pass Me a Nickel

[Hear from God | Memory Verse Activity]

Made to Move:an activity that increases the oxygen in the brain and taps into the energy in the body

What You Need: Paper bowls, plastic spoons, 3 gold coins, music and player

What You Do:

Gather kids, sitting in a circle.
Hand out a bowl and a plastic spoon to every kid.
In three random bowls, place a gold coin.
Explain that the group is going to play a game where they’ll pass the coin around the circle until the music stops.
The trick is that kids can only use their spoon to pass the coin into the bowl of the kid next to them.
Decide on a direction to pass the coins.
Start the music and let kids begin passing in the direction you chose.
The kids who were given a coin should scoop the coin out of their bowl and pass it to the next person’s bowl using their spoon.
Everyone should keep passing the coins in the same direction while the music is playing.
Stop the music randomly.
When the music stops, instruct everyone to freeze.
Everyone who has a coin in their bowl when the music stops should take a turn reciting the verse.
Start the music again and keep playing as time and interest allow, or until everyone has had a chance to say the verse.

What You Say:

“I think you have this verse down! As our verse tells us, we should be rich in doing good. Being generous is a great way to do good for others. When we are generous with our friends or family or even people we don’t know, we should give them thoughtful time and full attention. We want to give other people love and respect because we should always [Bottom Line]give like you’re giving to God.Giving love and respect can mean looking at someone when they are talking to you or doing something for them without being asked. There are lots of ways to be rich in doing good. Keep an eye out for opportunities to be rich in doing good this week as you keep working on living out this verse.”

Pray and Dismiss

[Pray to God | Prayer Activity]

Made to Reflect: an activity that creates space for personal understanding and application

What You Need: Music and player, noisemakers (optional)

What You Do:

Have a conversation with kids about how this season is a time to celebrate the end of a great year and the start of a new one.
Ask kids to lift their arms up in the air in celebration as you pray.
Wrap up your time together with the prayer below.
Then hand out party blowers to kids and let them celebrate!
Allow kids to blow their blowers and dance around to music as long as time and interest allow.

What You Say:

“God, thank You SO much for the new year ahead of us! Thank You for all the wonderful memories we have made this year in our small group, and thank You for all of our friendships. Please remind us this year that we should[Bottom Line]give like you’re giving to God. We celebrate You today and all You have given us. Praise to You, God!Amen.”

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