A&M Youth
Kids Small Group
April 7, 2024
7:00pm start time
Middle School Room
Last Week's Focus: LOVE OTHERS THE WAY GOD DOES
This Week's Focus: HAVE A PURE HEART
(you can do anything you want to get everyone engaged before we begin with the Scratch Art)
FIRST: Scratch Art
To Do
1. Give each kid a scratch art heart and a scratching stick.
Say: Without Jesus, our hearts aren’t pure—they’re dirty with sin. But, when we choose to follow Jesus, God gives
us a new, clean heart! Scratch off the darkness on these hearts to show the new, clean heart God can give us.
2. Kids scratch the hearts with the scratching sticks, drawing designs if they’d like or simply removing all the
black film to reveal the colorful heart -
Any of the normal games
AND/OR
GET TO KNOW YOU QUESTIONS
You can ask questions based on the 50 questions below....or I will try to remember to give you a new book with fun questions in it.
Have them pick a number and then ask them this question. This is meant to be a fun time. Have some fun with what they say - ask some follow-up questions if you want. And if you want to ask a question to everyone, that's fine. Yall feel free to answer some questions too.
SECOND: Sunday Morning Class:
What did you learn in Bible class this morning (for those who were able to come to Bible class)
THIRD: BIBLE VERSE:
If students have a Bible, have them look it the verse. If they don't you can get one from the window sills in the MS room. This week's verse is
Psalm 51:10 NIRV
God, create a pure heart in me. Give me a new spirit that is faithful to you. Psalm 51:10 NIRV
What do you think this verse means?
FOURTH: PLAY VIDEO: (in the MS Room)
I will probably have the laptop for you to play the video from tonight. Or maybe a phone. Phone passcode is 111111.
Computer password is worship
Regardless of what I, I'll have something.
FIFTH: AFTER THE VIDEO:
Use as many of these as you want...you do not have to use all of them.
Discussion Questions:
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What do you think the word “pure” means?
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What do you think changes about your heart when you choose to follow Jesus?
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If a kid follows Jesus, but they’re upset because they keep making bad choices, how would you help them?
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What ideas do you have for kids who want to make more choices that honor God?
SIXTH: PRAY TOGETHER:
Ask kids what they’d like to talk with God about.
Lead prayer or help kids pray for each other...You could even go around and let each student pray.
Maybe even think about giving them each something to pray about, if they are having trouble knowing what to pray for.
1) Thank God for our church
2) thank God for the Sun night kids' group
3) thank God for the schools they all get to go to
4) thank God for their parents
5) thank God for His love for us
6) thank God for Jesus saving us from our sins
7) help us to all live our lives for God.
SEVENTH: SNACKS
SNACKS - eat them in the MS Room and throw all trash away. Then as a group, you can go to the gym or playground.
Huge thanks for your help tonight
1. What kind of music do you like?
2. What’s your favorite sport to play?
3. Where were you born?
4. Do you have any pets?
5. What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
6. Can you play an instrument?
7. What’s your favorite YouTube channel?
8. Which cartoon character do you wish was real?
9. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
10. What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re alone?
11. Do you have any hidden talents?
12. How would you spend a rainy day?
13. Who is your favorite superhero?
14. What’s your favorite line from a movie?
15. What’s the most unusual thing in your school bag right now?
16. Do you look more like your mom or your dad?
17. What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten?
18. What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
19. How many books did you read this summer? Which one was your favorite?
20. What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
Icebreaker questions to start conversations
21. What’s one thing that made you laugh recently?
22. If you could ask your favorite celebrity one thing, what would you ask?
23. If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?
24. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
25. If you could invite four famous people to dinner, who would you invite and why?
26. If you could visit any planet, where would you go and why?
27. If you won a million dollars, what would you do with it?
28. If you could trade places with a character from your favorite movie or TV show, who would you choose and why?
29. If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?
30. What do you think makes a good friend?
31. What’s something you have in common with the person next to you?
32. If you were a famous person, what would you be famous for?
Would you rather questions
33. Would you rather play sports or watch them?
34. Would you rather be part of the Incredibles family or the Blueyy family?
35. Would you rather live in a world of legos or a world of cartoons?
36. Would you rather have a pet dinosaur or a pet dragon?
37. Would you rather live in a house made of cheese or a house made of cookie dough?
38. Would you rather be a mouse or an elephant?
39. Would you rather be invisible or be able to fly?
40. Would you rather live at Disney World or Sea World?
Questions to spark the imagination
41. Imagine you discover a beautiful island where you decide to build a new society. What is the first rule you put in place?
42. If it was raining meatballs, would you eat them?
43. If you could pick 3 animals to put together and create a new animal, which animals would you pick? What would it be called?
44. If you could be any emoji, which one would you be?
45. If you were a superhero, what would be your superpower?
46. If you had a time machine that could only work once, what point in the past or future would you visit?
47. If you were running for president, what would your campaign slogan be?
48. If you had a TV show about your life, what would it be called and who would play you?
49. If you had to create a nickname for yourself, what would it be?
50. If you had a robot to help you with school, but it could only do one task, what would it do?
OLD INFO:
Here are three game options. Choose at least one.
1) Snap, Crackle, Pop (kind of like duck-duck-goose) - Here is a link to a short video which explains it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jw6OvcMiE8&list=PLo5gJmnUbu7aRmSsXFQQs7Orfh3AoAglh&index=20
2) Race to 100 - Here is a link to a short video explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6mVN9rJOB8&list=PLo5gJmnUbu7aRmSsXFQQs7Orfh3AoAglh&index=27
3) Choose Your Option - short video explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5oRuNkHCyA&list=PLo5gJmnUbu7aRmSsXFQQs7Orfh3AoAglh&index=20
There are two possible games at the bottom of this webpage.
OUTSIDE - I will try to remember to give you some chalk to let students draw on the concrete.
Students can also just play, as usual outside.
Two possible games: Steal the Bacon; Colored Eggs (rules on other page)
Feel free to play anything else – but maybe have this as a structured time so
OUTSIDE – free play
game 1 - Steal the Bacon
The object of Steal the Bacon is take the "bacon" back to your own side without being caught.
In this game, two teams are chosen, and one umpire is selected. One object is required to the bacon. (a glove is a common choice)
The members of each team are numbered. They form two opposing lines and place the bacon in the exact center between them.
The umpire then calls out a number. The players on each side who are assigned that number are the players for that round. No other team members leave their side of the field.
Neither player may touch the other until someone touches the bacon. Once a player touches the bacon however, the other player may tag him/her.
If a player is able to grab the bacon and carry it back over to his/her own side, that team scores a point. (VARIATION: in some games, points are scored by carrying it to the other teams side or either team's side)
If a player is tagged after touching the bacon and before he/she returns their own side, the team that tagged him/her scores a point.
Note that the sequence of play usually involves the two kids running out and hovering over the bacon, waiting for a slight advantage to grab it and run back before the other player can react.
The game is over when a predetermined number of points are scored, or when all numbers have been called.
game 2 - Colored Eggs- The dialogue is the BEST part of this game. If you’ve never had the pleasure, here’s how we played:
Someone (student) is the wolf, someone (leader/teacher) is the hen, and everyone else is a colored egg (each egg thinks of a color in his/her head but doesn’t tell the wolf). The wolf comes knocking on the door and mother hen answers asking what he wants. He responds “Colored eggs”. She says “I don’t have any colored eggs”- then the eggs make peeping sounds. The wolf asks “What’s that then?” Hen: “Just pots and pans rolling down the steps” (or any other answer she wants).
The wolf says “Let me see” then (gently) pushes mother hen aside and starts guessing colors.
When he guesses your egg color, you have to run around a designated area and back to mother hen without being tagged. The last person who isn’t tagged is now the wolf.
Students can be on one side of the gym and have to make it to the other side. Play half court or smaller than whole gym. (If the wolf has trouble guessing colors, just have them say “All Colors”
When students arrive - play a game or two to help them get connected and talk to others:
1) Play Uno. As more students arrive, you can let them join at the next game or deal them in when they arrive.
2) Big Cookie - it's the same as "big booty" but we play it and say big cookie instead of booty.
Old stuff:
Play cards and spoons - you can play as more students arrive. We will have the cards and spoons for you. Students draw until they get 3 of a kind and then they grab a spoon. Once one spoon is grabbed, everyone tries to grab the rest. One person will not get one, and they get a point. (The goal is to not get a point.)
Emote - see instructions below.
I'm So Hungry or Cooking Class - Use the instructions below. (you can play cooking class if you didn't play it last week or if you want to play it again.)
Balloon Volley
Category: Team building, physical activity
Materials: Balloon
Preparation: Blow up the balloon before you begin the game.
Instructions: Tell your campers to gather in a circle. Give them the inflated balloon. Tell them they must toss the balloon amongst themselves, and they cannot let it touch the ground. There are three levels to this game.
Level One: They can pass the balloon using only their heads or shoulders.
Level Two: They can pass the balloon using only their hands or arms.
Level Three: They can pass the balloon using only their ankles or feet.
Give the teams about three to five minutes to pass the balloon at each level, and then give them instructions to move up to the next level of volleying.
Discussion: Was it difficult to keep the balloon off the ground? Which was the hardest level? Did you learn to anticipate the actions of the other people in your group?
Tips: Talk about working together as a team and sharing a task. The task shared in this activity is the responsibility of keeping the balloon off the ground – everyone must help. Relate it to a task that your group actually shares, such as setting up for a meal or cleaning up the cabin.