Deal Or No Deal Group
Group Activities

Interactive Group Activities

by Carol Williams

Sermon Title: "Deal or No Deal"

Scripture Reading: Luke 12:13-21

MONEY RACE: Children can all stand on one side of the room, divided into teams, with each team getting a money box or bag. Teacher will tell children to turn around or close their eyes while the teacher throws monopoly money or play money into the area to scatter around the classroom. When the teacher says GO, the children will try to get as much money as possible in the time allotted and place in their box or bag. When the time is up, children will then get back into their team group. The surprise will come when the teacher has the children switch bags to UNSELFISHLY give their bag of collected money to the other team. Let the teams count the money and see who has the most from the RACE!! Then tell children that they all are winners because of sharing their money!

BEAN RELAY: Before telling the story of the man whose land had produced so much grain that he had no place to store it, let children play a bean or rice relay. The children can divide into two teams and have a timed relay or race to see which team can fill a bag with the rice or beans first with each team taking turns with a measuring cup to dip from a container to the bag.

BALLOON POPPING: Fill balloons with air and a slip of paper that has selfish or unselfish ideas written on the paper. Children will take turns breaking a balloon and reading their slip of paper. The children can then tape their slip of paper to a poster board that has a HAPPY FACE (for being UNselfish) at the top of one side of the board, and an UNHAPPY FACE (for selfishness) on the other side of the top of the board. Let children discuss why it is UNselfish or selfish. (Ideas for slips of paper - stealing, bringing cookies to a neighbor, taking 3 pieces of candy and giving friend just one piece of candy, standing in front of the tv when someone is watching it, leaving dirty clothes on the floor, reading Bible verses to an older person, giving a friend first choice of which cookie to take, taking a toy away from someone, etc).

BUBBLE BLESSINGS: Let children blow bubbles outside and tell children that every bubble stands for a blessing that GOD gives to us. Let children begin naming all the blessings as they're blowing the bubbles. Children can sit in a circle after blowing bubbles and name ways that they may have been selfish and forgot about all of GOD's blessings that He generously gives to us.

BLESSING MASK: Cut a big circle in a large piece of poster board. Make sure the circle is big enough for a child's head to be seen through the circle. Decorate around the edges of the circle to look like a sun or a flower, etc. Let children take turns putting their face through the hole and share a BLESSING with they put on a HAPPY face look for the class to see, but if they choose to put on a GRUMPY face, they will share a way to be selfish! make sure that all children end up with a HAPPY FACE in the BLESSING MASK before they take their face out of the hole. Taking a picture of each child in the MASK will be fun for the children to see later and perhaps make a picture and frame another week to remind children to be thankful for the BLESSINGS and to be on guard against selfishness and greed.

TIN FOIL ID'S: Provide each child with a round circle cut out of foil. Children can place the foil circle on a piece of cardboard and using a bulletin board thumbtack, let children poke holes in the foil circle for their own initials or to make a happy face. Then glue the foil circle to a small piece of poster board or heavy stock paper. Use bright markers to write words on the white paper, such as I THANK GOD FOR HIS BLESSINGS, or CONTENT WITH BLESSINGS, or BEING UNSELFISH MAKES ME HAPPY, etc. Their own initials poked into the foil will remind them that THEY want to be unselfish and to count their blessings. Place a magnet on the back of each card for children to hang up at home.

FINGERPRINT BLESSINGS: Let children put all ten (10) fingers pressed into an ink pad and place their fingers on a piece of paper. Tell children to use those finger prints to draw a picture/s of BLESSINGS that they have! Each print can be made into a picture with a pen or thin marker!

SING A SONG: COUNT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS

SHARE A SNACK: Give children supplies to make EACH OTHER a Sunday Sundae!! :-) They will make a sundae or ice cream treat - THINKING that it's for themselves but when it is made the teacher can say -- NOW PASS YOUR SUNDAY SUNDAE TO THE CHILD TO YOUR RIGHT!! :-)

Song:  "Treasures in Heaven"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track

This song is in Copyright © Larry Holder and is used by permission.  You may reproduce it for ministry purposes.

Song:  "Share His Love"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track

This song is in the public domain and may be copied and reproduced for ministry purposes.

About Carol Williams
Carol and her husband have been in the ministry for 36 years.  They have served churches in Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, Michigan, and for the last 15 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).
 
Copyright © 2001- Sermons4Kids, Inc. All Rights Reserved Sermons4Kids.com