Bible Story: Baby on Board (Hannah Prays for a Baby) 1 Samuel 1:6 2:1

Small Group Leader CurriculumK-5th

April 3rd/4th

Bible Story: Baby on Board (Hannah Prays for a Baby) •1 Samuel 1:6–2:1

Bottom Line: When you think you can’t wait, talk to God about it.

Memory Verse: "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord!" Psalm 27:14, NIV

Life App: Patience—Waiting until later for what you want now

Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Social: Small Groups (5:30, 8:45)

Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up.

Get ready to experience today’s story.

Early Arriver Idea

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

What You Need: An offering container, large index cards, markers or crayons

What You Do:

Then pass out the index cards and coloring materials.
Discuss some places that would be fun to road trip to: famous landmarks, amusement parks, regional points of interest, etc.
Guide kids to draw a simple and recognizable image representing one of those places on
their card.

Intro Activity

Dots and Lines

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

What You Need: “Dots and Lines” Activity Page, pencils

What You Do:

Pair up the kids and give each pair two pencils and an Activity Page.

Each kid will take a turn connecting two adjacent dots with a line, either horizontally or vertically.

Whenever kids make a line that completes a square, they should write their initials inside and then they get an extra turn to draw another line.

The lines don’t have to be continuous; players can connect any two adjacent dots on the page on their turn.

After all the dots are connected, the kid with the most squares wins.

What You Say:

“That game took some strategy and patience! You had to really look ahead and sometimes you didn’t even get the square you wanted. [Transition] Let’s go to Large Group and hear about someone who had been thinking about something she wanted for years and years, and we’ll find out what she did when it seemed like it was never going to happen.”

Lead your group to the Large Group area.

Large Group (5:55, 9:10)

Line your kids up at the door and quietly head to the Large Group room. You’ll sit with your small group near the front of the stage. Stay with your kids the entire time you’re in large group. Engage kids’ hearts through a dynamic and interactive Bible story, worship, and prayer experience in a Large Group setting.

LARGE GROUP TIMES:

Saturday:

5:55-6:15

Sunday:

9:10-9:30

Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect

(6:15, 9:30)

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

Welcome visitors
Go over memory verse—give candy to kids who can say it
Offer snacks 5:30pm service only

Activity #1

In Hope and Egg-spectation

[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: Plastic Easter eggs with treats inside them,music player

What You Do:

Gather your group in a circle and send one egg around the circle to your right.

While you play the music, instruct the kids pass it around.

When you stop the music, whichever kid is holding the egg has to name a time when it might be hard to wait for something.

After sharing, he gets to keep the treat inside the egg.

Resume the game, this time sending an egg to the right and another to the left. Stop the music again and let both kids share.

Build up the number of eggs you use, sending one more to the right and left with each round, until kids are almost continuously passing eggs and everyone has had a chance to share.

Set the treats aside, putting them back in the eggs if kids have too many to consume in the moment, and talk about what was shared during the game.

What You Say:

“Whether it’s waiting for your birthday or a big trip, or waiting to hear if your new baby cousin has been born, waiting can be really tough! What can make waiting easier? (Allow for discussion.) Yes, sometimes having a countdown to an event can help, as could making fun lists about whom you’ll play that new video game with when it finally comes out. But have you ever had to wait for something that you had no idea when it would happen? (Allow for answers. Suggest things like: being ready to walk alone to a friend’s house or ride a bike to the park; being invited to join a travel sports team; finding a new best friend after one has moved away; waiting for news about faraway loved ones; enduring a family member’s deployment or absence.) I think that’s the hardest kind of waiting. You don’t know if you’ll ever get what you’re expecting and hoping for.

“Those times are when we need to remember: [Bottom Line] When you think you can’t wait, talk to God about it.God knows all about what you’re going through and waiting for. God knows if and when it will happen. God can give you patience to keep waiting and not lose hope.”

[Make It Personal] (Share about a time when you prayed about something you were waiting for, preferably something without a definite timeline. Whether you received what you prayed for or not, tell the kids how you felt before, during, and after you talked to God about your problems. Share what kind of language you used with God. How did you tell Him about your sadness and frustration? How did you talk about what you wanted? Reassure kids that God will hear them even if they are too upset to pray “formally” or by using special words. Emphasize not what changed on the outside—the result of your requests—but what changed in your attitude and patience quotient after you had spent time with God.)

Prayer—All Services

[Pray to God | Prayer Activity]

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

What You Need: A music player with soft music (optional)

What You Do:

Tell the group that you’re going to give them time to pray like Hannah did.

Everyone should take off their shoes and put them in a spot out of the way.

Then they can find a quiet space—at least an arm’s length away from anyone else—and kneel down. They can fold their hands or raise them as they feel comfortable.

Play the quiet music for a minute or 90 seconds, encouraging kids to pray silently, from their hearts, using this time to practice for times when they will talk to God about waiting.

Fade the music down and call the kids into a circle to close in prayer together.

What You Say:

“Dear God, thank You for hearing us when we pray. Thank You for caring so much about us that You listen when we talk to You about our problems. Please give us the strength and patience we need as we trust You with our lives. Amen.”

Questions for Discussions:

Have you ever prayed for something that feels more like a want than a need?

Have you ever been afraid that God would give you exactly the opposite of what you asked for?

Has there ever been a time you prayed for something—maybe a big something—and didn’t get it at all? How did that feel?

Read Jeremiah 29:11-13. What is the point of praying? To get what we want or need? How does finding God when we pray help us to trust His plans instead of our own? How does that give us patience?

Dismiss at the door

Pass out any fliers that are on your table by the door.

Please take all parent tags as parents enter for pick-up. If a tag is not available, do not release their kid to them and please send them to the lobby to fill out a Parent Release Form or to have their parent tag reprinted.

Return your name tag to the check-in counter when you’re finished for the day.

Thank you for serving today!