Giving

 At a recent meeting, the discussion leader asked us each to share the most memorable gift we'd given or received in the past 6-12 months. The responses ranged from touching to humorous. What made each memorable was not the cost of the gift but the personal relationship connected to the gift. 

Our friend Zoltan recently led a children's Bible lesson about a very special gift. He used CEF material + the 4 Word approach. The 4 concrete words from the story help remember the story. They also offer a chance to do an (educational) activity connected to the story. In fact, the 4 Words can be used in a "little preschool" for older children who still need to learn and practice pre-reading, pre-writing, pre-math skills. Interested in learning more or seeing more examples? Contact us!

Acts 3:1-16 Peter & John meet a lame man by the Temple

Four words

1. Gate
2. Carried
3. Look at us
4. Walking/leaping

Gate: 

 Make up a game where two children face each other & make a closed gate by holding hands or wrists. The other children stand in a line and come, one-by-one, up to the gate. The "gate" raises their hands to become a doorway.

 

Carried:

1.  Math Game 17 Caterpillar multiplication.
2. Needed:  strong cloth or blanket. 4 children take hold of each corner and carry a 5th child from here to there. Then the 5^th child jumps and walks back.
3. Piggy-back relay race (might be dangerous).

 

Look at us

1. Start Game B4 See the difference.
2. Discussion:  what is polite (in your culture)? Is it polite to look at someone when they talk to you?

• Is it hard to look at someone when they talk to you?
  (people on the autism spectrum find this difficult)
• What might you do if someone wants you to look at them?
  (look at their forehead or their neck instead of their eyes)

 Walking & Leaping

1. Simon says. Simon says "walk", "leap/jump", "sit on the ground", "stand"; all the things the lame man did.
2. Red light/green light, but just with walking and leaping (jumping) instead of stop and go.
3.  Discussion:  pretend you are really happy. Act like you are really happy. What does that look like? What do you do? Do you ever "jump for joy"?

Prayer time:

Have the children act out the story as you (or one of them) retells it.

Actors:  Peter & John; man & friends who carry him; 2 people as "gate" or "door"; everyone else as amazed people who come running once Peter, John, & the other man walk through the gate. Point out that now the man can walk through the gate into the temple, like everyone else. Jesus heals us. He wants us close to Him.

Teach the children a song about the lame man walking and leaping and praising God.