252 Groups July 2018, Week 3 Small Group, K-3

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1 On Top of the Sea Bible Story: On Top of the Sea (Peter Walks on Water) Matthew 14:22-33 Bottom Line: Stay focused on Jesus. Memory Verse: Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6, NIV Life App: Confidence Living like you believe what God says is true Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Before kids arrive, take a few moments to pray for them. Ask God to help kids know what distracts them and to recognize, in the moment, when they re being distracted. Pray that God would guide your conversations today and help the group come up with tangible ways to stay focused on Jesus. Arrival Activities (Playground & Popsicles weather permitting) If there is rain, we ll have board games set up on the different carpets for kids to play. We ll start Small Group Connect fifteen minutes after the service starts. Small Group Connect (5 minutes) This is a brief time for you to welcome and connect with the children in your group and to introduce visitors to the rest of the group. Feel free to ask a fun question or share something interesting about yourself. Below are some Ice-Breaker questions to get conversation going. This time helps our children know you are glad they came and that you want to get to know them better. During this time, write down the number of children on the yellow Head Count sheet. Icebreaker Questions: Ask kids to pair up. Tell kids to stare at each other for 10 seconds and then turn back-to-back. See if they can tell you (without looking back) what color their partner s eyes are. Switch partners and play again, asking different questions each time. o What color is your partner s hair? o What kind of shoes is your partner wearing? o Is your partner wearing socks? o How many buttons did you see on your partner s clothes? o Is your partner s hair long or short? o Is your partner wearing a belt? o Is your partner shorter or taller than you? o What color are your partner s eyes? o What colors is your partner wearing? o Is your partner wearing open or closed-toed shoes? (You may need to explain this concept.) 1

2 Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Small Groups, 25 minutes) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. Pink Carpet -- Boats in the Water [Talk about God Review Activity] Made to Move: an activity that increases the oxygen in the brain and taps into the energy in the body What You Need: Numbered bowls, pennies, tub of water, towels, large paperclips (optional) Set out the tub containing the numbered bowls. Place a line of tape about two feet away from the edge of the tub. (If you have an older group, consider adjusting the line further away to make the game more challenging.) Choose someone to begin, but let kids know they will each get a turn. Hand the child a penny and tell him to toss it into one of the boats. Note the number of the boat the penny lands in, and ask the child to answer the corresponding question from the list below. Remove the boat with the penny after each question is answered. Extra Challenge: For older kids or to make the game more challenging, designate a specific boat for them to land their penny in. If they miss, another person takes a turn until a penny goes in the correct boat. Review Questions: 1. What did Jesus disciples use to travel across the lake? (a boat) 2. Why was Jesus not in the boat with the disciples? (he had stayed back to pray alone) 3. What happened with the weather that made the disciples afraid? (wind started to blow) 4. Did the disciples know, at first, that Jesus was the one walking on water towards them? (no, they thought it was a ghost) 5. What was Jesus doing in the water when they saw him? (walking on the water) 6. What was the name of the disciple who got out of the boat to go see Jesus? (Peter) 7. What did Peter do when he knew it was Jesus walking on the water? (he stepped out of the boat and onto the water to go to Jesus) 8. What happened to Peter when he got scared while walking out to meet Jesus? (he started to sink) 9. What happened with the storm when Jesus got into the boat with the disciples? (the storm immediately stopped) 10. What is today s Bottom Line? ([Bottom Line] Stay focused on Jesus.) [Make It Personal] (Share a favorite Bible verse that helps you stay focused on Jesus. Make sure it s simple enough for this age to understand.) Jesus fed thousands of people with just a little bread and a few fish. He walked on the water. He calmed a storm. Those are just a few of the amazing things Jesus did. Aren t you glad God gave us these stories in the Bible to help us know about Him? When you feel afraid, sad, alone, or sick, stop 2

3 and remember the things you know about God. You know that He is always with you and will NEVER leave you. He loves you and He is bigger than any bad thing you will ever face. Always remember God s great power and all the things He can do. That s how you [Bottom Line] stay focused on Jesus. 3

4 Orange Carpet -- In the Boat, Out of the Boat [Live for God Application Activity] Made to Play: an activity that encourages learning through following guidelines and working as a group What You Need: Painter s tape Place a line of tape on the floor long enough for all of the kids to stand together on one side. Invite everyone to gather on the same side of the tape and then explain that when they stand in this area, they are IN THE BOAT. Ask kids to jump to the other side of the tape then tell them that area is OUT OF THE BOAT. Explain that when you tell them to go IN THE BOAT, they should move to one side of the line and if you tell them to go OUT OF THE BOAT, they should jump quickly to the other side. Warn them that you might try to fool them so they must listen well and focus carefully. (Some of the tricks you can use are pointing to one side as you call out the opposite side, repeat the same side several times, increase the pace, or say the first part of the phrase and then stop abruptly.) After the game, praise the kids for being good listeners and keeping their focus on what they were doing. Ask them to name some things Jesus wants kids their age to do. What does He NOT want them to do? See if they can tell you a few ways kids their age can learn about Jesus and how to follow Him. Explain that doing those things helps keep our focus on Jesus. When we do what the Bible tells us to do, we [Bottom Line] stay focused on Jesus. One of the best ways to find out what God wants you to do is to listen well to the Bible stories we tell at church. The people in your life who love God will help you know how to obey Him. Listen to them the way you did in our game. We can also [Bottom Line] stay focused on Jesus by asking any questions we have about Him and by doing our GodTime devotionals. 4

5 Blue Carpet -- Focus Chart [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: Focus Chart Activity Pages, markers, die Encourage your group to sit in a circle. Provide every kid with an Activity Page and a marker. Encourage kids to leave the circle in the middle blank for now. Ask them to think of the different things in their life that take up their time. Prompt them with ideas such as: homework, sports, music lessons, school, video games, time on their tablet or game device, hanging out with friends, etc. Encourage them to choose six of those things and write each one in a piece of their pie chart. Instruct kids to number each pie piece as well. Demonstrate how to roll the die and land on a number. Explain that whichever number they roll, they will point to that number on their pie chart and talk about whichever activity is written down. Let kids take turns rolling the die and sharing which activity is written in that particular pie piece. For each kid who shares, ask them how they could focus on Jesus during that activity. To help get them started, provide them an example from your own life, such as: If I rolled a three and my number three was cleaning my house, I could get distracted because I could end up spending too much time cleaning and not leave any time to read my Bible and pray. BUT I could also put my headphones in and listen to the Bible while I m cleaning and stay focused on Jesus. Make sure kids understand that not every single activity they do throughout their day has to be focused on Jesus. But help them walk away with some good ideas for how they can focus on Jesus during everyday things. You each came up with some incredible examples of how to stay focused on Jesus during the things that take up time in your life! I m also proud that you recognize how even the good things can sometimes distract us from being close to Him. [Make It Personal] (Share a personal story about how something good in your life distracted you from Jesus and how you had to learn to put Him first.) No matter what is filling our time, we always have a chance to [Bottom Line] stay focused on Jesus. This week, I want you to use this pie chart to remind yourself of all of the times when you can put Him first! 5

6 Purple Carpet Memory Verse Race [Hear from God Memory Verse Activity] Made to Play: an activity that encourages learning through following guidelines and working as a group What You Need: timer Help your group to look up Philippians 1:16 together. Teach the memory verse motions to the kids in your group and have hem practice them a few times. Next have them sit in a circle and have them each say ONE word of the memory verse as they go around the circle. They can use the paper inside your binder with the verse on it for assistance. After a couple rounds, tell them you re going to time them. See how long it takes for them to go all the way around the circle each saying one word of the memory verse. Try a few rounds and see if they can beat their time each round or get under a certain number of minutes. Encourage them in their hard work remembering the words and learning a great verse to always have in their memory. Our memory verse this month says that God will complete the good work He started in us. This means that He has plans for you and me that He wants to accomplish. What are the dreams you have for yourself? Like what do you want to be when you grow up or what things are you excited about doing next year at school? (Encourage each kid to share.) Those are wonderful ideas! You are big dreamers. I can t wait to see the plans God has for you unfold. Whatever we are trying to accomplish, it s always a good idea to [Bottom Line] stay focused on Jesus. 6

7 End of Service (Small Groups, 15 minutes) At the last 3-4 minutes of the service, students will be prompted to return to their small group carpet for pickup. Spend the last couple minutes doing the Prayer activity below and visiting with the kids in your group: Pray and Dismiss [Pray to God Prayer Activity] Made to Move: an activity that increases the oxygen in the brain and taps into the energy in the body What You Need: No supplies needed Tell the kids that we can pray anytime, anywhere, and in any position. Remind them Peter prayed for help when he started to sink while walking on the water. Invite them to show you how Peter might have looked as he called out to Jesus for help. Prayer is one of the best ways to [Bottom Line] stay focused on Jesus. Choose one of the prayer positions we mirrored earlier and then let s pray together. (Pause as everyone positions themselves for prayer.) Dear God, we are so glad that we can talk to You anytime, anywhere, and no matter what we re doing. When we pray, we can stand, sit, kneel, lie down, or walk, and You hear all of our prayers. Help us to stay focused on You by talking to You often every day. In Jesus name, amen. Parent Connect: As adults arrive to pick up challenge kids to tell them what they remember about the Bible story without blinking. *** Give each child a GodTime page and remind parents that this is a great way for them to help their child learn how to spend time with God. 7