story the wise men small groups€¦ · if they get a “tree” card, they have to do whatever...
TRANSCRIPT
● As kids arrive, give each kid a different colored dot sticker. This will determine which team they’re on. Each small group needs a different color.
● Keep kids in small groups until their parents pick them up. You can use coloring pages, mazes and word searches as an extra time activity!
Part 1 (15 minutes)● Large Group (5-10 minutes after
service starts)Part 2 (10-15 minutes)
● Game Time Part 3 (10 minutes)
● Cool Down TimePart 4 (10-15 minutes)
● Large GroupPart 5 (10-15 minutes or until the end of service)
● Small Groups
Take a look at today’s verse:
Deuteronomy 31:8 The Lord himself will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will never leave you. He’ll never desert you. So don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope.
This week’s big idea: Following God isn’t always comfortable, but he’ll help us do it.
The goal of today’s lesson: To help kids explore and understand that God might ask us to do uncomfortable things–but with his help–we can do it.
Following God isn’t always comfortable, but he’ll help us do it.Book of Jonah, Deuteronomy 31:8
STORY The Wise Men
SCHEDULE
Free Time Connect with kids as they arrive and have free play (10 minutes)
Large Group Introduce today’s big idea and story (15 minutes)
Game Time Reinforce the big idea through an active game (10 minutes)
Cool Down Time Transition and cool down from game time (10 minutes)
Large Group Wrap up today’s big idea and respond through worship (10 minutes)
Small Groups Personally connect with kids and apply the story to their lives (15 minutes)
BIG IDEA God gave us the greatest gift ever!
NEXT STEP
Celebrate and worship Jesus.
NEED TO KNOW
Today’s lesson looks a little different. As we fine tune the new format, you may see new visuals to help you get the most out of the lesson plan.
MAIN VERSE
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
DATE December 8-9, 2018
LARGE GROUP
Time: 15 minutes
Big Idea: God gave us the greatest gift ever, Jesus!
Supplies: None
Video:
● Kidspring / Star Voyager (youtube.com/watch?v=bdUfvFL5jck)
● Share Faith Kids / The Wise Men (youtube.com/watch?v=VySzDA07N-c)
Notes:
SET UP EXPECTATIONS
● Say: Welcome to Kids’ Club, we’re so glad to have you here! We want this to be a safe and fun place for you. To do that, let’s all commit to doing a few things:
○ Show respect to each other○ Listen when someone else is speaking○ Have fun!
INTRODUCE THE BIG IDEA
● Say: It’s December, and this whole month we’re hearing about different parts of the Christmas story! Today we’ll hear about some really special people who traveled a long way to find Jesus. We call them the wise men, or magi, and they wanted to meet the long-awaited king that God had promised: Jesus!
● Say: Let’s take a look at today’s BIG IDEA: God gave us the greatest gift ever–Jesus!
● Say: For hundreds and hundreds of years, God told people about a king that would come and rescue the entire world. And that king came in a really unexpected way: born as a baby!
● Say: It’s kind of like when you open an unexpected gift. You have no idea what it could possibly be, and maybe you think it will be one thing….but it ends up being something totally different, and WAY better. Let’s check out this video about how God gave us the most incredible, unexpected gift of all.
● Video: Kidspring / Star Voyager (2 and a half minutes)
THE WISE MEN
● Say: When Jesus finally arrived, some men decided to to go find Jesus. They had heard who He was, and they wanted to worship and celebrate him, and bring him gifts of their own!
● Say: How do you think they traveled to find Jesus back then? Would they have had cars or planes? (Let kids respond.) Nope! They would have had to ride camels or donkeys, and they didn’t follow a map to get there. They followed a star in the sky!
● Say: Let’s check out a video and see what happened on this journey. As you watch, see how these men risk their lives just so they can worship Jesus, the greatest gift we’ve ever received.
● Video: Share Faith Kids / The Wise Men● Ask: So what did the wise men do when they finally found
Jesus? (Let kids respond.) Yep, they bowed down, worshipped him, and gave him gifts! They knew how special Jesus was, and they wanted to show it.
LARGE GROUP
Game time
Time: 10 minutes
Big Idea: God gave us the greatest gift ever, Jesus!
Supplies: ● Gift bag (1 or
2/room)● Hershey Kiss (1/kid)
Video:
● KC Christmas Song● Can’t Wait For
Christmas (https://bit.ly/2C63MT9)
● Noel (https://bit.ly/2PwICkQ)
Notes:
PREPARE
● There’s no countdown timer for this section because you’ll be using a music video during this time.
● Stay in one large group (if you have a very large group of kids, you might want to split them into two groups).
● Prepare Christmas music video mix from the keynote and get out the Christmas gift box. Put enough Hershey Kisses inside for each kid in the room.
HOW TO PLAY
● Say: We’ve talked about how the wise men brought gifts for Jesus, and now we’ll play a gift-giving game!
● Have kids sit in a circle on the floor (or two circles, if you’re dividing them up). When you start the music video mix, start passing the gift bag around the circle.
● Whenever you pause the music, whoever’s left holding the gift bag is out! (Make sure to pause, not move on to the next slide.)
● They have to go sit outside the circle, but first, they get to grab a piece of candy from inside the gift bag. Whoever is the last person in the circle, wins!
● Tips:○ If you have two circles, give a bag to each circle and
have them play at the same time.○ If you have a very small group of kids, don’t have a kid
get “out” every time the music stops. Instead, come up with a funny command they have to do, like crab walking around the circle, singing a Christmas carol, etc.
PREPARE
● Start the 10-Minute Countdown Timer.● Break into small groups.
RESPOND TO THE GAME
● Shuffle up the 16 game cards, then lay them on the floor (gift side side up).
● Let each kid take a turn picking up a card. ○ If they get a “gift” card, they have to answer the
question on the card.○ If they get a “tree” card, they have to do whatever
command the card says.● When a kid picks up their card, they should keep it until the end
of cool down time.● If you have a very small group, kids can take multiple turns. If
you have more than 16 kids, reuse some of the existing cards.● *When you’re done, collect all the cards to be reused for
the next service.
COOL DOWN TIME
Time: 10 minutes
Big Idea: God gave us the greatest gift ever, Jesus!
Supplies: ● Game cards
(16/small group)
Video: 10-Minute Countdown
GAME TIME AND COOL DOWN
LARGE GROUP
Time: 10 minutes
Big Idea: God gave us the greatest gift ever, Jesus!
Supplies: None
Video:
● 10-Second Countdown Timer
● Awaited / Star of Wonder (https://bit.ly/2IJPSHA; start and stop time is 25:04-29:57)
● Noel (Motions) (https://bit.ly/2CxDNF9)
● Oh Come All Ye Faithful (No Motions) (youtu.be/Mj7Pr42rliI?list=RDqJ_MGWio-vc)
TRANSITION STRETCH
● Say: Let’s do a quick stretch as we head into Large Group! We’re going to do a pose called the “Star”: stand with your legs as wide apart as you can, feet planted on the ground. Now stretch your arms out in a big V shape, and point your fingers. (Let kids keep stretching and pulling their muscles for about 10 seconds.) Okay, have a seat!
● Play the 10-Second Countdown Timer
THE GREATEST GIFT EVER
● Say: Can you imagine wanting to see Jesus and to worship him SO much that you traveled and walked over mountains and across deserts for months? Well that’s what the wise men did. They actually risked their lives, and even disobeyed King Herod because they wanted to protect the greatest gift God has ever given us–Jesus.
● Say: Let’s watch a video that some of you might have seen before. It’s a really creative way of showing how the wise men followed the star to find Jesus. It’s a worship song, which means it’s glorifying and celebrating Jesus through music and dance.
● Video: Awaited / Star of Wonder● Say: Let’s check out a verse that we’re hearing all month long.
It was written by a guy named Isaiah, hundreds of years before Jesus was even born! Pay attention to all the reasons that Jesus deserves our praise and celebration.
● Slide: Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.● Say: What phrases pop out at you the most from that? (Let kids
respond.) My favorite part is ______ (Talk about your favorite term used for Jesus in the verse, and why.)
WORSHIP AND PRAYER
● Say: Let’s worship Jesus with another video! Remember, when we worship, God is here with us, listening to our words! So give all your focus and attention to him.
○ *Special note: You can choose one of the following videos to watch, depending on what the dynamic of your room is. The first video has active motions, and the second is more of a “story” video.
● Music Video: Noel (Motions)● Music Video: Oh Come All Ye Faithful (No Motions)● Pray: Jesus, you are the greatest gift we could ever receive.
You are our rescuer, and we give you all our praise and celebration, just like the wise men did. Amen!
LARGE GROUP
SMALL GROUPS
SMALL GROUPS
Time: 15 minutes (or until parent pick up)
Big Idea: God gave us the greatest gift ever, Jesus!
Next Step: Celebrate and worship Jesus.
Supplies: ● Star Template(1/kid)● Yarn (5-foot long piece
per kid))● Markers (1 set/group)● Scissors (1 set/group)● Scotch Tape (1 roll for
every 6 kids)
Craft Example:
ICEBREAKER QUESTION
● Break into small groups. Go around the circle and let each kid answer this question: What’s your favorite gift that you’ve GIVEN to someone?
RESPOND TO THE STORY
● How did God speak to the magi/wise men? ● How did they worship Jesus? ● Imagine you’re one of the wise men: If you were giving a gift to
Jesus, what would you give him?● What does it mean to worship Jesus? What are some ways we
can worship Jesus? (Here are some hints to help kids think of things: spend time with just him, pray, sing, dance, give gifts, bow, tell Jesus why we love him, read the Bible, obey/follow him, help others, thank him, etc.)
MAKE IT PERSONAL
● Here’s this week’s next step: Celebrate and worship Jesus.○ Just like the wise men did something special to worship
Jesus, decide one special way you’ll worship Jesus this week.
○ Give each kid a star template, and have them write their next step on one side of it.
● Next, turn the star into an ornament! ○ Give each kid a 5-foot long piece of yarn and set out
scissors, markers and tape.○ Cut the star out. ○ Tape the end of the yarn into a loop on one “point” of the
star. Then, cover the star by wrapping the rest of the yarn around it in different directions, then taping it in place.
○ Tip: If the yarn isn’t staying in place, try cutting several small snips around the edges of your star template to give the yarn a place to catch.
PRAY
● Ask kids if there’s anything they want you to pray for, and then pray as a group.
EXTRA TIME?
● Give kids maze and word-search activity sheets to work on until their parents pick them up.
Tell me about the wise men.Today we’re having Hershey Kisses. Let a volunteer know about any allergies.
3rd-5thDecember 8/9, 2018
Small GroupItem Usage Details Provided by
Colored dot stickers 1 per kidProvide enough colors for each group at a
service to use a separate color.Staples: Avery 5472 or Avery 5795 or Avery
5473
site
Maze sheet - Wise Men Quantity determined by site.
8.5x11 paper, black&white, Page 7 site
Word search sheet - Wise Men Quantity determined by site.
8.5x11 paper, black&white, Page 8 site
Game cards Set of 16 per small group, reused
8.5x11 cardstock, color, cut into quarter sheets, double sided, Pages
9-16site
Markers 1 set per group, reused site
Star template 1 per kid 8.5x11 cardstock, black&white, cut into quarter sheets, Page 17 site
Scissors 1 per kid, reused site
Scotch Tape 1 roll for every 6 kids site
Yarn One 5 ft piece of yarn per kid Amazon, Rainbow Yarn
KC Nationa to provide yarn, sites to cut
Large GroupItem Usage Details Provided by
Adventure Bible1 per large group,
reusedBiblesbythe Case.com site
Gift bag
1 per room (if more than 30 kids at a
service, 2 per room), reused
Oriental Trading KC National
Hershey Kiss 1 piece per kid Red kisses and Green kisses KC National
How did the wise men find Jesus?
Why did the wise men give gifts to Jesus?
What’s one of the best gifts you’ve ever
received?Why didn’t the wise men
return to king Herod?
? ?
? ?
What gift would you give to Jesus, if you were one
of the wise men?
What’s one way you can worship Jesus this
Christmas?
How did God speak to the wise men?
What’s your favorite part of Christmas?
? ?
? ?
Act it out: Turn yourself into a candy cane!
Act it out: Turn yourself into star!
Pick one person in the group to sing “Rudolph
the Red Nosed Reindeer” with you (or just sing as
much as you can remember!)
Pick two people to be “wise men” with you. Act
out their story (or just one part of the story).
? ?
? ?
Act out your favorite Christmas movie, and let the group guess what it
is.
Do 10 “snow angels” on the floor!
Go to another small group (or another
person, if there’s no other groups) and tell
them Merry Christmas in your silliest voice!
Pretend to be a reindeer and ride around the
room!
? ?
? ?
1. KC Logo Slide: for when kids enter the room (All that You Need instrumental; mp3 only; can be downloaded on website)
2. Video: Kidspring / Star Voyager (youtube.com/watch?v=bdUfvFL5jck) 3. Video: Share Faith Kids / The Wise Men (youtube.com/watch?v=VySzDA07N-c) 4. Video: Play this visual loop over KC Christmas Song (song still in process, just use loop
for now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUQeISAu1Dw) 5. Music Video: Can’t Wait For Christmas (https://bit.ly/2C63MT9) 6. Music Video: Noel (https://bit.ly/2PwICkQ) 7. Video: 10-Minute Timer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn31KFenBIo) 8. Video: 10-second countdown timer_1209189. Video: Awaited / Star of Wonder (https://bit.ly/2IJPSHA; start and stop time is
25:04-29:57)10. Slide: Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will
be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
11. Music Video: Noel (Motions) (https://bit.ly/2CxDNF9) 12. Music Video: Oh Come All Ye Faithful (No Motions)
(youtu.be/Mj7Pr42rliI?list=RDqJ_MGWio-vc)
3rd-5th