CRAZY LOVE Week 4

Here's an outline of week 4 of Crazy Love. We spent four weeks delving into God's definition of Love. While designing this plan, I was truly inspired by Francis Chan's book Crazy Love. It's definitely a book for adults, not necessarily kids, but you'll find helpful information to help you describe God's love.

Our Services last at least two hours. You should be able to stretch or shrink this to whatever length you need. We also use a couple of life sized puppets during worship and offering time.

Measure Once, Cut Twice

Crazy Love Week Four

Order of Service

I. Registration 

As parents drop off the kids, each child is given a name tag and a ticket to use during offering.

II. Welcome & Rules

III. Praise & Worship (2 Songs)

IV. Offering/Tickets

We love using this video for offering. It's just goofy enough to play while the kids are bringing their pennies. After offering we draw tickets for prizes (Candy, small toys, glow sticks).

V. Game 

I planned on letting the kids do relay races with cotton balls and spoons, but service ended early this week. Luckily, I had skipped over this step and had planned on using it at the end. If you use it, make sure you emphasize team work and love. 

VI. Video 

Hoops & YoYo. I Love You (Yes...this one again.) Recap the first three weeks' memory verses (1 Cor. 13:4-6)

VII. Lesson Part 1

Supplies: A large man's shoe. A baby's shoe.
Compare the two shoes to God's love. Our love is like this baby shoe. It's good and can protect feet. But compared to God's love, it's nothing.

VIII.. Memory Verse

It always protects. Always trusts. Always hopes. Always perseveres (No kids, not preserves. Perseveres.). - 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NIV)

IX. Video - The Goat Herder and his Lots and Lots and Lots of Goats

My husband didn't think the kids were going to be able to sit through this video, and he really couldn't figure out how I was going to relate it to this week's verse. Oh husband of little faith...I've never heard my group of kids as quiet as they were when we watched this video.

The Goat Herder and his Lots and Lots and Lots of Goats from Will Rose on Vimeo.

X. Lesson Part 2

Protection: From the bear monster in the video. From bullies. From danger. From fears.
Trust: The goats knew the herder would lead them to the correct places. Psalm 23
Hope: Define hope for the kids. Or let them define it.
Perseverence: Keep Trying. The goat herder kept going. So did the goats. So should we.

 XI. Altar Service

We had a great altar service. I did a special call for all kids who had been bullied at school (or for kids who were bullies). We prayed for each kid individually.

CRAZY LOVE Week 3

Here's an outline of week 3 of Crazy Love. We spent four weeks delving into God's definition of Love. While designing this plan, I was truly inspired by Francis Chan's book Crazy Love. It's definitely a book for adults, not necessarily kids, but you'll find helpful information to help you describe God's love.

Our Services last at least two hours. You should be able to stretch or shrink this to whatever length you need. We also use a couple of life sized puppets during worship and offering time. I had the hardest time stretching this week - I guess because the verse is shorter. We played a couple of get to know you games to start off.

Measure Once, Cut Twice

Crazy Love Week Three

Order of Service

I. Registration 

As parents drop off the kids, each child is given a name tag and a ticket to use during offering.

II. Welcome & Rules

III. Praise & Worship (2 Songs)

IV. Offering/Tickets

We love using this video for offering. It's just goofy enough to play while the kids are bringing their pennies. After offering we draw tickets for prizes (Candy, small toys, glow sticks).

V. Game : Getting to Know You

This is a game I learned through Power Up (a bullying prevention program from the Girl Scouts of Colorado). Have the kids stand in a large circle with their left hands palm up and their right hands palm down. "Put your right hand on top of the left and of the kid next to you."
Ask a yes or no (Do you like roller coasters?) or a this or that question (Summer or Winter? Hamburgers or Hotdogs?) and then pass your answer to the next person by touching the person's hand to your left.  Once the game ends, ask them if they had anything in common with kids they didn't really know or like.

VI. Video 

Hoops & YoYo. I Love You (The kids requested this one again.) Recap the first two weeks' memory verses (1 Cor. 13:4-5)

VII. Lesson Part 1

Spend a little time going over how to show love to your friends, family, neighbors, enemies. 

VIII. Video

 

IX. Memory Verse

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. - 1 Corinthians 13:6 (NIV)

X. Lesson Part 2

Talk about the difference between Good and Evil. Have the kids name some Good people (parents, superhero, pastor). Evil People (villains, satan).  

Supplies needed: Containers of water. Pepper. Liquid Soap.
Have the kids gather around the containers. Have an adult/teen helper at each station. We used small buckets. The water is the where we live. The pepper is our evil villain. The soap is truth. Cover your finger with soap and dip it into the peppered water.  The pepper/evil, will flee. 

Discuss how we are supposed to be the light of the world. We repell evil instead of taking part in it. 

XI. Altar Service/Prayer Requests

CRAZY LOVE Week 2

Here's an outline of our second week of Crazy Love. We spent four weeks delving into God's definition of Love. While designing this plan, I was truly inspired by Francis Chan's book Crazy Love. It's a book for adults, not necessarily kids, but you'll find helpful information to help you describe God's love.

Our Services last at least two hours. You should be able to stretch or shrink this to whatever length you need. We also use a couple of life sized puppets during worship and offering time.

Measure Once, Cut Twice

Crazy Love Week Two

Order of Service

I. Registration 

As parents drop off the kids, each child is given a name tag and a ticket to use during offering.

II. Welcome & Rules

III. Praise & Worship (2 Songs)

IV. Offering/Tickets

We love using this video for offering. It's just goofy enough to play while the kids are bringing their dollars. After offering we draw tickets for prizes (Candy, small toys, glow sticks).

V. The Alphabet Game

This is a game I learned through Power Up (a bullying prevention program from the Girl Scouts of Colorado). Each child thinks of an adjective that describes him/her, and a motion/action to go with it. The first kid says his name and does the action (Tall Trent, Sporty Sarah). Then the whole group copies. The game continues with each child telling their adjective, name and action. After each child is added, start back at the beginning and repeat everyone's. This activity was SO needed for me, because I couldn't remember anyone's name.

VI. Video 

Hoops & Yoyo. I Love You. (The kids loved this one.) Go over last week's memory verse (1 Cor. 13:4)

VII. Lesson Part 1

Supplies needed: Two mirrors. Before service cover one with soap or dirt. Make sure the other one is sparkling clean.

Tell the kids they got a little messy during worship, and you want them to come make sure they are still looking pretty/handsome. Have each kid look into the mirror. (Some will look confused. Others will check out their blurry reflection and smile.) Then pull out the clean mirror, and let them all take a second look. Compare the world's love to the blurry mirror. Compare God's love to the clean mirror. We have to look at people through God's love filter in order to really see them. 

VIII. Memory Verse

It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no records of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)

IX. Lesson Part 2

Go over each sentence of verse. Give definitions of words. Use examples of each that can relate to the kids. 

Dishonor Others: Making fun of people
Self-seeking: Being selfish. GAME: We added a little game of tug-of-war between the girls and guys, and then made them think. What would happen if we thought of the other team? It doesn't make much sense, but that's what Jesus wanted us to do.
Easily Angered: Clip Time...

Control Your Temper
Beauty and the Beast — MOVIECLIPS.com

Record of Wrongs: We need to forgive. (We had a great little moment with this one. One of our life-sized puppets "cheated" during offering and gave the girls more points than the boys. A cutie-patootie 6-year-old kept bringing it up all during service, we were able to discuss forgiveness as a group.)

X. Altar Service/Prayer Requests

CRAZY LOVE Week 1

For my first week as a Children's Minister, I decided that I wanted to have a monthly or quarterly lesson plan. After searching online for days, all I could find were preschool lessons, craft/game ideas, outdated puppet skits and 4-week materials listed at $200 a piece. Nope. Not okay with that.

So I wrote my own, and then decided, why not share it with you. Here's an outline of our first service. We spent four weeks delving into God's definition of Love. While designing this plan, I was truly inspired by Francis Chan's book Crazy Love. It's definitely a book for adults, not necessarily kids, but you'll find helpful information to help you describe God's love.

Our Services last at least two hours. You should be able to stretch or shrink this to whatever length you need. We also use a couple of life sized puppets during worship and offering time.

Measure Once, Cut Twice

Crazy Love Week One

Order of Service

I. Registration 

As parents drop off the kids, each child is given a name tag and a ticket to use during offering.

II. Welcome & Rules

III. Praise & Worship (2 Songs)

IV. Offering/Tickets

We love using this video for offering. It's just goofy enough to play while the kids are bringing their pennies. After offering we draw tickets for prizes (Candy, small toys, glow sticks).

V. Video 

"I Love my Lips" - Silly Songs with Larry - Veggie Tales (After video ends, ask what do you think we're going to talk about today? Lips? No...Love.)

VI. Lesson Part 1

Supplies needed: 2 Dry Erase Boards, Markers
Ask kids...What does love mean? (Write answers on board. Try not to repeat answers. Encourage them to give definitions and not examples.) How can we show love? (Write answers on second board.)

VII. Memory Verse

Love is Patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. - 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)

VIII. Lesson Part 2

Go over each sentence of verse. Give definitions of words. Use examples of each that can relate to the kids. 

Patient: Ability to wait
Kindness: Being nice to others
Envy: Resentful emotion
Boasting: All about me. Not God
Pride: Always right.

 IX. Game

Charades. Allow kids to act out examples of Patience, kindness, boastfulness, rudeness, envy.

X. Altar Service/Prayer Requests