252 GroupsDecember 2017, Week 2

Small Group, K-1

The Money Pit

Bible Story:The Money Pit(Parable of the rich man)•Luke 12:13-21

Bottom Line:Don’t miss your chance to give.

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 kindergarten–1stgrade 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

Should I?

Made to Imagine: an activity that promotes empathy and facilitates biblical application through role-play and reenactment

  • Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems

Note: If no one in your church has a copy available, look for the book at your local library and check it out before your session.

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 #2.

1. Give!

[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

  • Note: This activity can be environment-wide.
  • Gift-wrap bows (you can reuse the bows from Week 1 Groups Activity #2: Big Hearts and Bows.); about 3 for each kid
  • Masking tape or painter’s tape
  • Upbeat Christmas music (silly music is fine)

* 2. Don’t Miss Your Chance

[Live for God | Application Activity]

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

  • Upbeat Christmas music
  • Hard candies or small toys appropriate for your environment; 2 for each kid
  • Box
  • Sturdy Christmas gift wrap
  • Gift bow
  • Place the candies or toys in the box and wrap it securely.

NOTE: You’ll also need the gift for Prayertime.

3. Your Chance to Give

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

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

  • Sharable craft or fine motor supplies such as stamps, stickers, dot markers, washable markers, and paper; Play-Doh®, LEGOs®; K’NEX®; or blocks

Note: The supplies can be anything you choose as long as they will encourage kids to share and you have enough to go around.

Prayer

[Pray to God | Prayer Activity]

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

  • The gift from “Don’t Miss Your Chance” above

Additional Resources:

  • Make copies on cardstock of this week’s GodTime and Parent Cue cards.
  • Tell parents about our additional family resources:Studio252.tv, CUE Box, and the Parent Cue app.

The Money Pit

Bible Story: The Money Pit (Parable of the rich man)•Luke 12:13-21

Bottom Line:Don’t miss your chance to give.

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. Ask God to show kids where they have opportunities to be generous. Pray that kids would recognize these opportunities and act on them before they miss their chance.

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 place their offerings in the container.
  • Ask the following questions, encouraging (but not forcing!) each child to participate:
  • Is it easy or hard for you to share with others?
  • What’s something that’s easy for you to share?
  • What’s something that’s hard for you to share?
  • [Make It Personal] (Tell kids about things that are either easy or hard for you to share, too.)

2. Should I?

Made to Imagine: an activity that promotes empathy and facilitates biblical application through role-play and reenactment

What You Need:Should I Share My Ice Cream?book

What You Do:

  • Read the book to the kids, or invite volunteers to read.
  • As you go, ask comprehension questions such as:
  • What will Elephant decide?
  • What is happening to the ice cream?
  • What do you think is going to happen?
  • What was your favorite part of the book?Why?

What You Say:

“Poor Elephant. He missed his chance to give some of his ice cream to Piggy.[Transition] In our Bible story today, we’ll hear about someone else who lost his chance to give. Let’s go to Large Group to learn more.”

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 howthe Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions.

1. Give!

[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: Gift-wrap bows; painter’s or masking tape; upbeat Christmas music

What You Do:

  • NOTE: This activity can be environment-wide.
  • Use masking tape or painter’s tape to divide your area in half.
  • Divide the group into two teams.
  • Lead teams to sit on opposite sides of the playing area, with each team equidistant from the dividing line.
  • Scatter the bows near the line.
  • When you start the music, give the teams 30-45 seconds to move the bows across the dividing line and onto the other team’s side.
  • The catch: They may only move the bows by flicking them with their fingers!
  • The winning team is the one with the fewestbows on its side when time expires.
  • Play multiple rounds as time remains. End the game when interest is still high.
  • OPTION: If you have a larger group, consider creating a four-square playing field. Divide the group into teams accordingly.

What You Say:

“Our verse this month says: 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). You guys did a great job giving freely by trying to give away more bowsthan you kept.

“In our game, giving was fun and easy. Butis it always easy to give and share with others? When is it easy to give and share? When is it hard?[Make It Personal] (Tell kids abouttimes when it’s easy and hard for you to share, too.)

“God wants you to give freely and be willing to share because when youdo,you show others that you love them and that they’re more important than your stuff. So this week, look for ways you can be generous. [Bottom Line]Don’t miss your chance to give.”

* 2. Don’t Miss Your Chance

[Live for God | Application Activity]

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

What You Need: Wrapped gift box, Christmas music

What You Do:

  • Lead kids in a madcap “Hot Potato”/“Duck, Duck, Goose” mashup game.
  • Guide the kids to sit in a circle. (If you have a small group, make the circle as large as possible by leading kids to hold hands, step back until they’re about an arm’s length apart, and then sit down.)
  • Give a child the present and lead him to start passing it around the circle while you say the Bottom Line in “Duck, Duck, Goose” fashion, leaving out the word “give”: “Don’t miss your chance to; Don’t Miss your chance to . . .”
  • When you say, “GIVE,” the child holding the gift jumps up, runs across the center of the circle, gives the present to another child, and then runs back to her seat.
  • Immediately resume play.
  • Be sure to vary your pace, timing, and voice to keep interest high.
  • You can also keep interest high by guiding the kids to move in different ways. They might walk like snowmen, waddle like penguins, march like toy soldiers, or glide like ice skaters.

What You Say:

“You guys are so generous! You made someone’s day by giving something away. Was the man in today’s Bible story generous? (No!) Why not? (He kept all of his stuff for himself; He didn’t give to others.)Was God happy that the man kept everything for himself? (No!) Why not? (God wants us to share; God wants us to show others that we love them by sharing with them.)

“God wants you to give and be willing to share because when you’re generous, you show others that you love them and that they’re more important than your stuff. You also show them that God loves them and cares for them. So this week, look for ways you can be generous. [Bottom Line] Don’t miss your chance to give.”

3. Your Chance to Give

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

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

What You Need: Craft or fine motor supplies

What You Do:

  • Set out the craft or fine motor supplies.
  • Give kids 7-8 minutes to create anything they want, using the supplies provided.
  • Encourage the kids to practice giving and sharing the supplies as they create. Affirm kids for being generous when they don’t miss their chance to give!
  • As kids work, ask prompting questions to review the Bible story.

What You Say:

“It’s easy for us to want to keep what we have and not share with others.But that’s not what God wants. God wants us to share. Why do you think He wants us to share? (When we share, we show others that we love them and that they’re more important than our stuff; when we share, we show people that God loves them.) So remember: [Bottom Line] Don’t miss your chance to give.”

Pray and Dismiss

[Pray to God | Prayer Activity]

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

What You Need: The gift from the “Don’t Miss Your Chance” Activity

What You Do:

  • Encourage kids to guess what is inside the box, and then invite a volunteer to open it.
  • Give each child two candies or toys and tell them that one is for them to keep and one is for them to give.
  • Use the conversation below to lead kids into prayer.

What You Say:

“Why do you think God wants us to give freely and be willing to share?(When we give, we show others that we love them; when we share, we show people that they’re more important than our stuff.) So this week, look for ways you can be generous. Don’t be like the man in Jesus’ story. [Bottom Line] Don’t miss your chance to give.”

Pray, thanking God for His love and generosity toward us. Ask Him to help both you and the kids be generous. Ask Him to help you not miss your chance to give.

Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent Cue cards as adults arrive to pick up.Guide kids to show their parent(s) the two candies or toys and encourage them to tell what they’re for. You can also guide kids to say today’s Bottom Line: [Bottom Line] Don’t miss your chance to give.

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