Keep Your Eyes On Me
The best way for children to learn how to face their fears and gain courage is by watching their parents face fears and be courageous. We can help our children learn strategies and Bible verses, which are very important, but they will more likely DO what we DO. When they see you trust God during a hard time, it will make an impression. When they see you admit your fears but do what needs to be done, they will imitate that. When they witness you keeping your eyes on God, they will do the same.
Share a time when God helped you have courage. Allow your child to share as well. Close your time together in prayer, asking God to help you trust Him to give each of you the courage you need.
Real or Fake?
Items Needed: Construction paper, markers, scissors
Idolatry is the worship of false (fake) gods instead of the one, true God.
To illustrate the idea of “fake” and “real” give your child some “fake” money. (Cut a rectangle out of paper and write “One Dollar” on it.) When they say, “This isn’t real money,” agree that it’s not real.
Ask:
What’s the difference between fake and real? (Fake is an imitation of the real—some counterfeiters try to make fake ones that look very real, but they are not.)
What is an idol? (It is an imitation of the true God. An idol can be made from gold, silver, wood, or just about anything.)
What’s the difference between an idol and the one, true God? (The one, true God made the heavens and the earth; an idol is something made that people use to represent a god they worship.)
There are people in many countries (many even in the US) who worship idols. They do not know the one, true God and worship a false god.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew the one, true God and chose to obey Him alone. When King Nebuchadnezzar set up an idol for the people to worship, they refused to bow down. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had great courage, and they trusted God to take care of them. We can trust God to give us courage too!
Who Gets 1st Place?
Items Needed: First Place ribbons (optional), see idea list below for additional items
Run a variety of races to see who wins first place. (Optional idea is to buy 1st place ribbons, which can be found at a dollar store in the party section.)
Some ideas:
Who can toss the most pennies (or marshmallows) into a bowl in a minute?
Who can throw a paper plate the longest distance?
Who can stand on one foot the longest?
Who can blow the biggest bubble?
Who can draw the best beach scene?
Who can sing the ABC’s the fastest?
Who can run to a designated spot first carrying a full bucket of water?
Cheer for the winners. To get first place means that you were the best! God deserves first place, and He is the only one to be worshipped.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that King Nebuchadnezzar’s statue was not a god to be worshiped. A false god could never help anyone! Only the one true God deserves to be worshiped. Only the one true God is real and could care for them. (And He did!)