In My Father's House - Group Activities

Interactive Group Activities
by Carol Williams

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:41-52

Option 1: The teacher tapes little pieces of paper all around the room -- under chairs, under pews, behind the pulpit (if children are permitted to do this in the auditorium)...or anyplace that the kids could go for a BIG hunt! Each little piece of paper could have a name on it, but after children have looked and looked and have been calling out -- "WHERE'S JESUS, WHERE'S JESUS.... JESUS WHERE ARE YOU?"... the teacher quietly tapes a piece of paper with JESUS written on it to a simple picture of a church and puts it in a CONSPICUOUS place so that all the children can FIND JESUS. This will be a good game to lead into the story!

Option 2: WHERE IS JESUS? "follow the leader" story - The teacher tells the story and when the part comes for Mary and Joseph and Jesus to go to Jerusalem, the children follow her ALL THE WAY TO JERUSALEM (in and out of chairs, around the room, under a table, etc.) When the part of the story comes when Mary and Joseph had to go BACK to Jerusalem to FIND Jesus, the kids can follow her back around the room and in and out, etc, until they FIND Jesus once again --- all the while, the kids and teacher can be calling out - WHERE IS JESUS? Discussion can follow about where Jesus was found and WHY?

Option 3: CHALK DRAWING: Have a child go to the chalkboard and draw a CHURCH. Then he labels the church HOUSE OF WORSHIP. Another child draws another church and labels it HOUSE OF JOY, another child draws his idea of a church and labels it HOUSE OF PRAISE, etc, FATHER'S HOUSE! If the class is large, the other class members could add trees, flowers, sun, etc!! This could also be in the form of posters!

Option 4: MAZE DRAWING. Have the children write JESUS in one corner of their paper and FATHER'S HOUSE in another corner. They can draw a squiggly and wiggly and loop d' loop line all around the paper. Hand the paper to the next child and have THAT child try to FIND JESUS by taking a marker or crayon and "follow the maze" that the other child drew. When they have completed the twisting/turning maze lines from JESUS to the FATHER'S HOUSE.... they'll say out loud -- JESUS IS IN THE FATHER'S HOUSE AND SO AM I!!!

Song: "I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me" by Richard Blauvelt
Music: Sheet music in PDF format. (One verse with repeat)
MP3: Piano Accompaniment (right click on link and save to your computer)
Note: This song, and permission to edit it for use with this lesson, is provided through the courtesy of Richard Blauvelt. Richard is a worship leader at Goodwill Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, NY. His web site, Grace Street Music, offers free music for worship.

Song: "We Have Come into His House" by Bruce Ballinger

Due to copyright restrictions, we cannot provide words and music, but this song should be readily available in many current Praise and Worship song collections as well as in Word/Integrity Music's Celebration Hymnal. (No. 224)

About Carol Williams

Carol and her husband have been in the ministry for 32 years. They have served churches in Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, Michigan, and for the last 13 years in Indiana. Carol loves to work with children so you will find her teaching in Junior Church and children's Sunday School. She also has clowning ministry in which she is known as Bubbles tc (the clown).