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Get Their Attention! (5-10 min) Materials: Option 1 – If You Take a Mouse to the Movies book; Option 2 – Small wrapped box

Option 1 – If… Gather the kids around you and read the book If You Take a Mouse to the Movies to them, asking comprehension questions along the way.

While reading the book, you might ask: • What do you think the mouse is going to want next? • How do you think the boy feels?

After reading the book, you might ask: • What’s your favorite part of the book? • What did the boy give to the mouse? • Why do you think the boy kept giving to the mouse?

What does it mean to be generous? (To give to others; to give a lot) Was the boy generous to the mouse? What were some things the boy gave the mouse? Who are some people who give to you? What do they give you? In our Bible story today, we’ll hear about someone who is SO generous toward us that He gave us the best gift ever! Here we go!

Option 2 – Give a Gift Sit in a large circle or establish the order in which the gift box will be passed around the group. Tell the children that they will each have a turn holding the box and answering a few questions. Encourage each child to share, but don’t force any child who’s reluctant.

Ask each child: • If you could give a gift to ANYONE in the world, who would you give a

gift to? • What would you give them? Why?

Once the box has been passed around to each child and each has answered the questions, say I loved hearing all of your generous gift-giving ideas. In our Bible story today, we’ll hear about someone who is SO generous toward us that He gave us the best gift ever! Here we go!

Bible Lesson (10-15 min) Materials: Bibles, I Can Give activity page (1 page per 2 kids), scissors (1 pair per 2 kids)

Pass out Bibles and assist the children in finding and reading 1 John 4:9-11 using the following instructions:

Guide them to open their Bibles to the front and find the table of contents. (Hold up a Bible opened to the table of contents to show the kids what the page looks like.) When the kids find the table of contents, lead them to find 1 John in the list under “New Testament.” You can help by telling them that 1 John starts with the number 1

Younger Elementary Small Group

December

2/3 Bottom Line

Because God gave, I can give. Bible Lesson God Gave Us Jesus 1 John 4:9-11 Materials

! Option 1 only – If You Take a Mouse to the Movies book

! Small wrapped box for passing

! Bibles

! I Can Give activity page (1 page per 2 kids)

! Scissors (1 pair per 2 kids or enough to share)

! Memory Verse ornaments

! December Bible reading bookmarks

! Pass it This Way activity page

! Prize

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followed by the letters J-O-. When the kids find 1 John, lead them to look at the page number beside the word. Explain that the number tells them on what page they can find 1 John. Help the kids find the page. When they find 1 John, explain that the big numbers on the page are the chapter numbers. Help them find chapter 4. Explain that the small numbers are verse numbers. Help them find verse 9 in chapter 4. Read the verses aloud, and then lead everyone to say the verses together.

I Can Give Concentration Game 1. Help kids to get into groups of two (or three if there is an odd number). 2. Give each group an “I Can Give” sheet and scissors to cut the cards

apart. 3. Lead kids to set the cards face down in a grid. Don’t worry if the grid

isn’t straight. 4. Guide kids to take turns flipping over two cards at a time,

Concentration™-style, to find a match. 5. Allow kids to take only one turn at a time, regardless of whether or not

they make a match. 6. When all the teams are finished, discuss the scenarios pictured and

invite the kids to name ways they can be generous with others.

Who did God give us? (Pause.) Yes! God gave us Jesus. Why did God give us Jesus? (Pause.) Yes! God gave us Jesus because He loves us SO much and He knew that we needed a Savior! God was SO generous when He gave us Jesus. And [Bottom Line] because God gave, I can give, too.

What are some ways you can be generous and give to others? If kids are stuck, guide them to the scenarios on the “I Can Give” cards: “Can you share your toys? Can you share your cookie? Can you give a hug to someone who is sad? Can you give a coat to someone who is cold?”

[Make It Personal] Tell kids a way you will choose to be generous this week. So this week, remember: [Bottom Line] because God gave, I can give.

Memory Verse Practice (5-10 min) Materials: December Bible reading bookmarks, Memory Verse ornaments

Before group begins, cut out the memory verse ornaments.

Give each child a bookmark and go over the December verse together.

Pass out the memory verse ornaments to eight children. Ask those children to stand up, in order, in front of the group. Ask the children to read the ornaments in order. Repeat with additional children until all have participated.

Elementary Small Group

January 17/18

A Sinner is

Saved Need To Know My Words Can Help or Hurt! Bible Lesson

Zacchaeus is Saved Luke 19:1-10

Younger Elementary

December

2/3 Bottom Line

Because God gave, I can give. Bible Lesson God Gave Us Jesus 1 John 4:9-11

Memory Verse “Command them to do good, to be

rich in good deeds, and to be

generous and willing to share."

1 Timothy 6:18 NIV

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What do you think it means to be “rich in good deeds”? Kids may be stuck for answers. That’s okay. Give them a few seconds to ponder and get their brains going, and then continue. Do you think being “rich in good deeds” means that God wants you to always be ready to do good things for others? What are some good things that you can do for others this week? Encourage suggestions. You guys are so generous! So this week, remember: [Bottom Line] because God gave, I can give. Show the kids how to use the bookmark to read a passage from the Bible each day and use the ROAD guide to apply what they’ve read.

Application Activity (10 min) Materials: Pass it This Way activity page, small wrapped package for passing, prize Direct the kids to sit in a circle on the floor, and give the small wrapped packate to one of the kids. Read the Activity Page, and ask kids to follow the instructions by passing the gift to the right when the story says “right” or left when the story says “left.”

The child who is holding the package at the end of the story is the winner. Give him/her a prize!

The most important thing about the Christmas season is to remember that God gave the gift of His Son to everyone. He came so that everyone who would ever live on earth could know Him. God gave us the biggest gift of all, and [Bottom Line] because God gave, I can give. We don’t have to give presents to everyone we know, but we can tell everyone about the best gift anyone ever got: Jesus. Let’s thank God for Jesus now.

Dear God, thank You for giving us the most amazing gift anyone could give—Your Son. Thank you that He came to show us how to live and then died for us on the cross. Please help us to remember this week when we see Christmas presents all around us that because you gave, we can give. We ask that You would help us to think more about what we are giving than about what we are getting this year. Amen.

©2017 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com Adapted by Christ Fellowship November 2017

Younger Elementary

December

2/3 Bottom Line

Because God gave, I can give. Bible Lesson God Gave Us Jesus 1 John 4:9-11