Put a Bow On It

[]

December 4th, 2016 .:. .:. Room 301

Pathways Kids Weekend Small Groups

This curriculum is for the 6, 7 and 8 year olds.

This Weeks Scope

Foretweeting
Bible Story: Foretweeting (God promises a Savior) Isaiah 9:6-7
Bottom Line: I can have joy because God keeps His promises.
Memory Verse: Always be joyful because you belong to the Lord. I will say it again. Be joyful!
Philippians 4:4 (NIrV)
Life App: Joyfinding a way to be happy even when things dont go your way.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

Welcome Time
Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience
todays story.
Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group
for the first time. Pray that kids would experience the authentic joy that is offered to them and desire it
above any joys the world can give. Ask the Holy Spirit to ignite their hearts with understanding and that
you all, as a group, would grow more intimate with our awesome God in your time together today!
What You Do:
Collect kids offerings as they arrive.
Most kids this age know what promises are. But just in case, ask if someone can tell the group,
in his own words, what a promise is or if someone can give an example.
Ask the kids in your group if someone has ever made a promise to them before. Did that person
keep the promise? If so, how did that make them feel?
What if the person didnt keep the promise? How did that make them feel?

Lead your kids to large group.

Activity #1
What You Need: Sad Scenarios and Gods Promises cards Activity Pages, Bible
What You Do:
Show the Sad Scenarios cards to your group, asking if they can tell whats happening just by
looking at the picture. Then read the captions after they guess/share.
Tell your group that there are some of Gods Promises hidden around the room. Count to three
and send them off to go find the promises.
After kids have found all of the promises, guide them to sit down in a circle.
If your group is a little older and can read, let them match up the promises with the sad
scenarios.
If they are pre-readers, read each promise and ask for a volunteer to find the matching
scenario card.
Open your Bible to each passage as you talk about each promise. (You dont have to read each
passage. Just model for the kids how we can open Gods Word and look for His promises in
every situation we face.)
1. My dog is really sick, BUT 1 Chronicles 29:11 says [God is in control].
1. My friend didnt want to play with me after school, BUT Joshua 1:9 says [God will always
be with me].
2. I didnt know the words on my spelling test, BUT Isaiah 41:10 says [God will comfort
me].
3. My parents said I couldnt get the toy I wanted, BUT Philippians 4:19 says [God will give
me everything I need].
4. Its really, scary, dark when I go to sleep at night BUT John 14:27 says [God will give me
peace].
What You Say:
Do we ACTUALLY go looking around the room for Gods promises when we are facing a tough
situation? No! Thats silly! Where can we look for Gods promises? (Pause for responses.) Thats right
the Bible! Sometimes we face some really sad and hard things, but with Gods Word, I am reminded
that [Bottom Line] I can have joy because God keeps His promises.

Activity #2
What You Need: Bible
What You Do:
Using the navigation tips below, help the kids look up Philippians 4:4 and read it together.
Finding verses with 6 and 7 year olds: Guide kids to open the Bibles to the marked page. Point to the word
Philippians at the top of the page as you say Philippians aloud. Then guide children to find the big number 4 on the
page. Explain that this is the chapter number. Finally, guide them to look under the big 4 for the little 4; this is the
verse number. Tell them to leave their finger on the verse as you read the verse aloud. Then lead everyone to say the
verse together.
Finding verses with 8 year olds: Guide kids to open their Bibles to the front and find the table of contents. (Hold up
a Bible opened to the table of contents to show the kids what the page looks like.) When the kids find the table of
contents, lead them to find Philippians in the list under New Testament. You can help by telling them that Philippians
starts with the letters P-H. When the kids find Philippians, lead them to look at the page number beside the word.
Explain that the number tells them on what page they can find Philippians. Help the kids find the page. When they
find Philippians, explain that the big numbers on the page are the chapter numbers. Help them find chapter 4. Explain
that the small numbers are verse numbers. Help them find verse 4 in chapter 4.

After reading through the verse a few times, stand up in a circle.

Depending on the version you use (NIrV or NIV), instruct your group to jump up in the air on
rejoice or be joyful the two times they appear in the verse. (If you use a version other than
NIV or NIrV, instruct kids to jump in the air on whichever words are synonyms for rejoice or be
joyful.)

What You Say:

This month is all about joy. This verse tells us that we can always be joyful because we belong to God.
No matter what I face or what kind of day Im having, this verse tells me that I am a child of God! I
belong to the Lord and [Bottom Line] I can have joy because God keeps His promises.

Prayer
Opposites

Time

What You Need: No supplies needed

What You Do:
As a group, brainstorm some things that people ask other people to pray aboutthings like sick
family members, doing things that are challenging or hard (like learning to tie shoes or learning
to read), a parent losing a job, a grandparent dying, etc.
Then ask kids to think of something they need prayer for. Encourage them to think silently in
their heads.
Tell the group you are going to count to three, and then everyone will say their prayer requests
out loud together!
What You Say:
That was fun! Lets pray that this week that we will remember to have joy because God keeps His
promises! No matter what we need prayer for, God will hear us. We can remember that you and
[Bottom Line] I can have joy because God keeps His promises. Dear God, I pray that each of us
remember that we can have joy in whatever we face this week because of Your Promises. Remind us
to talk to You and look in Your Word whenever we need help! We are so thankful for You, Your love, and
Your Promises. In Jesus name, amen!
As adults arrive, encourage parents to look up some of Gods promises with their kids this week.