Leader Guide
Game
- Bible or the Superbook Bible App
- Beanbag toss game with boards and eight beanbags
- OR See directions to make your own target and beanbags using a medium-size cardboard box with lid, tape, knife or heavy-duty scissors, 6" plate, marker, eight sealable sandwich bags, and 8 cups of sand, rice, dried beans, or unpopped popcorn
- Optional: masking tape
- Children’s dartboard set with magnetic, suction cup, or Velcro “dart”—or image of dartboard and dart
Seal the top of the box with packing/shipping tape.
Using the plate as a template, draw a circle in the middle of the box lid, then carefully cut out the hole with knife or scissors.
Write GOD’S WORD in large letters above the hole. To make beanbags: Using eight sealable sandwich bags, fill each with about 1 cup of sand, rice, dried beans, or unpopped corn; don’t overfill and make too tight. Seal each bag and tape shut so it cannot open. Use marker to write “1” on four bags and “2” on four bags.
Tape or mark a starting line on the floor about 10 feet from the box.
What does sin mean? Disobeying God’s Word; purposely doing something you shouldn’t do, or not doing something you should do.
One meaning of sin is literally to miss the mark—like shooting an arrow and missing the target. Why did God want Adam and Eve to obey Him by not eating the fruit on the tree?
God had a perfect plan: He created Adam and Eve to have a warm and loving relationship with them. He wanted them to live forever in the beautiful garden with everything they could ever need. He knew that when they disobeyed, they could not undo what they had done, and sin would damage His perfect plan. The same is true for us. God wants us to obey Him because He knows what is best for us. He understands the problems that our disobedience and sin will cause. What can happen when we are disobedient? We can feel guilty, fear punishment, hurt someone, cause others to lose trust in us.
When you buy a new camera, it probably comes with instructions telling you not to get it wet. What would happen if you ignored the instructions and took your new camera swimming?
God loves us so much that He created this big, beautiful world for us to enjoy! Since He is the Creator, He understands how everything will work the best—so He gave us a book of instructions. Hold up a Bible. What is it called? The Bible.
Our SuperTruth today is: “I will honor God as my Creator and obey His Word.” When we obey His Word, we can live much happier lives.
Read Psalm 119:9,11:
How can a young person stay pure? By obeying Your word. I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.
Discuss what it means to hide God’s Word in our hearts, and how that helps us not sin. When we disobey His Word, we miss the mark! Hold up child’s dartboard and “dart,” or show the image of a dartboard and dart. When we miss the mark, we let God down, and our actions may have consequences that we cannot even imagine. When Adam and Eve sinned, what was their punishment? They had to leave the Garden of Eden. Instead of living forever, they would eventually die.
Because they sinned, they brought death into the world. But God had a plan to send His Son, Jesus, into the world to forgive our sins and to conquer death! Today, we are going to play a fun game to show what it means to hit the mark. The mark is the same as a bull’s-eye. When you play darts, you score the most points by hitting the bull’s-eye right in the middle of the dart board. Instead of using darts, we will use beanbags. The goal is to try to throw them into the target hole. As Christians, the bull’s-eye or mark that we aim for is to honor God in all we say and do. The best way to do this is to be obedient to His Word. When we disobey God’s Word, we don’t honor Him; and we miss the mark.
Divide the class into two teams—they do not have to be equal. Teams stand next to each other, in single file, behind the line. Place a pile of four beanbags—same color/number in each pile—on the line beside each team.
Start the game with the first player on each team simultaneously trying to hit the mark by tossing a beanbag toward the box hole. Each player gets one toss. If a player hits the mark—bag goes totally in the hole, he or she runs to the back of the line, and the next player takes a turn. If the player misses the mark—bag doesn’t go in the hole, he or she must retrieve the bag, put it on the team’s pile, then run to the back of the line.
The team that hits the mark first—places all bags in the hole—with all of their bags, wins the game. Play again as time permits; all children should get at least one turn.
Note: This should be continuous, fast-paced action. Teams do not wait for the other team to retrieve missed beanbags.
That was fun, wasn’t it? Our goal is to honor God in all we do and say each day. When we follow God’s Word, we show Him and others that we honor Him. Now sometimes, just like in this game, we miss the mark and sin. In fact, the only one in history who never, ever missed the mark was Jesus! But God loves us so much that He provided a way for our sins to be forgiven through His perfect Son, Jesus!
