Give It to God!
Item Needed: Bible
Talk to your child about a situation where you were hurt by someone. Ask your child if they have been hurt or mistreated by someone. Then ask how they think we should treat those who hurt us.
Read Romans 12:17–21 together.
We don’t have to hold on to bad feelings toward those who mistreat or hurt us. We can give those hurt feelings to God. So, let’s put all those bad feelings in our hand and close it tight. Now open your hand and throw them up to the sky. (Do the motions with your child as a symbol of giving the bad feelings to God.)
This is a way of showing we will let God take care of those hurts and take care of us too. We don’t need to hurt those who hurt us, and we don’t need to get even. We can forgive them! That is one way to live like Christ and follow His example.
Do Your Part!
Items Needed: Balloons, Bible
Stage a competition to see how long family members can keep a balloon in the air without letting it touch the ground. Give each family member a balloon–blown up and tied. Time them to see who can keep their balloon in the air the longest. Then pair up family members, give each pair one balloon, and time them to see which pair can keep their balloon in the air the longest.
Which was harder: keeping the balloon in the air by yourself or with a partner? (Probably with a partner) Why? (Sometimes my partner was supposed to hit the balloon and didn’t; I couldn’t control what my partner did; etc.)
This reminds me of getting along with others. It is not always easy to get along with others. Sometimes people are not kind or helpful even though you are doing your best to be.
Read Romans 12:18. What does this verse tell us to do? We must try to get along with others. We can’t control what others do, but we can control our own actions. Let’s live in peace with others!
One Body, Many Parts
Items Needed: Paper, scissors, writing utensil, bag or basket, Bible
Write different parts of the body on slips of paper (foot, leg, arm, head, eye, nose, ear, mouth, etc). Make several of each so each person will have at least five to make a person.
Put all the slips in a bag or basket and let each person choose five slips. Instruct each family member to draw a person using only the parts on their slips of paper from the bag or basket. (For example, if they have drawn two slips that say “head,” their person will have two heads.) They must use all of their slips of paper. Let each person share his or her drawing.
Have fun with the humorous drawings and discuss how a person would be able to run with only one leg, see with no eyes, or eat without a mouth. Then read Romans 12:5.
Tell your child that the body of Christ includes all Christians. We must work together and help each other follow the example of Jesus. We must encourage each other to allow the Bible to transform (change) us, and we must help each other fight against following the ways of the world. Let’s be different from the world and follow Jesus’ ways.