Games

1. Divide the class into two building teams.

2. Challenge the children to see which team’s house can be built the highest without falling over.

3. Instruct the builders to decide on which materials they will use as their foundation.  

4. After they have laid out their foundations, give the signal for house building to begin. 

Point out, or demonstrate the fact that a firm foundation is needed to keep the house standing.

 Explain that today they are going to learn about building. We will learn that the foundation we build upon is very important. A foundation built on the TRUTHS of God’s Word will always stand. The wise man (or boy or girl) will listen, believe in, and do what God’s Word tells us to do!

Use a sheet of your cardboard to fashion an ark for your animal puppets. Cut out a window for the animals to peek through while children listen to your clues and try to guess which animal you describe. Let the animal tell about his journey to the ark and his gratitude to be out of the rain. The last puppet to come up is Noah. Noah expresses gratitude for God's good plan.

Instructions:

• Start by picking one or two players to be “Joy-Takers”. The other players will be “Joy- Givers”. (A small group needs one Joy-Taker. Larger groups need two or more)

• Set a timer or choose a song to play the game's length. (Approximately 2 minutes.)

• Takers try to tag and freeze the Givers when the timer starts, or the song begins.

• Takers shout “No joy!” each time they tag a Giver.

• After being tagged, the Giver must freeze and stay in that position until another Giver taps them and says, “Joy!”

• After the timer has sounded or the song has ended, “measure” the amount of joy remaining in the group by counting the number of those who aren't frozen. Encourage a big celebration cheer if the game ends with every Giver keeping their joy.

• After a few rounds, bring the children back together and point them to the lessons we learn by playing this game.

Bring Home the Message

Explain:

You had joy until a tag from a Joy-Taker "froze" you. Your joy was gone. Without the help of someone else, you would stay frozen. You didn’t have the power to get your joy back on your own.

It wasn't easy to be a Joy-Giver. It meant forgetting about yourself for a while. Slowing down to help someone come out of their sad, cold, frozen state meant risking getting tagged by the Joy-Taker yourself. When Givers put themselves at risk to help you, you were grateful. Your joy returned.

God loves us. His Spirit brings us joy. He wants us to love others and take His joy to those who are suffering. Reaching out to those who have lost their joy isn't always easy. It might mean giving away money, material things, time, energy, popularity.

Deciding whether to help someone who is hurting requires an answer to the question:

 What would I want someone to do for me if I were in their situation?

 We do the right thing when we follow God’s instructions:

“Do to others what you would have them do to you!” Matthew 7:12