Leader Guide
Giving Game
- God Sign Pattern
- Toothpicks
- Toothpick holder
- Cotton balls: 3 per child plus extras
- Two paper plates
- Table
- Two small containers, such as bowls or boxes
- Painters tape or masking tape
Make a copy of the God Sign Pattern in color or black and white.
Put the table near one end of the room.
Tape the God Sign to one container and place it on the center of the table.
Place the toothpick holder with toothpicks next to the God container on the table.
Tape or mark a line on the floor 15–20 feet from the table.
Put the cotton balls in the other container and place it at the center of the line on the floor.
Saul was filled with many harmful emotions including anger, fear and jealousy. What should Saul have done instead of carrying these things by himself? He should have asked for God’s help.
Read 1 Peter 5:7:
Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.
God doesn’t want us to live with these negative emotions and hurtful feelings. He loves and cares for us. He wants to help us. That is what our game is about—taking our cares to God and giving them to Him!
Hold up the cotton balls. Three things that Saul struggled with were anger, fear and jealousy. The three cotton balls represent those emotions.
Demonstrate the game as you explain it. On your turn, pick three cotton balls from the container on the floor, put them on the plate, then shuffle your feet as you walk to the table. Why shuffle? Because of the cares and worries you are carrying by yourself! When you get to the table, place the plate on the table and then give your cares and worries to God. Seems easy, right? Not in this game! You must use a toothpick to pick the cotton balls up from the plate and put them in the container representing God. You cannot touch the cotton balls with your hands at any time. You must shake the cotton ball to remove it from the toothpick. However, you don’t want to shake it so hard that it goes flying across the room! You want your cares to go right into the “God” container. When you get all three cotton balls into the container, put the toothpick back in the holder. Then, pick up the plate, skip quickly back to the line, and hand the plate to the next player on your team. Why skip back? Because you just gave all your cares and worries to God. The burdens you were carrying alone are now in God’s hands! The first team to finish wins.
Divide the children into two equal teams. If teams are unequal, one player may play twice. If you have a very large class, you may add another team. The teams will form separate lines behind the line or mark with the container between them. Give a plate to the first player on each team. Teams play at the same time. Start the game!
Conclusion: To make our game challenging and fun, we made it tricky to give our cares to God. However, in real life, it isn’t difficult. We give our cares to God in prayer; telling Him what we are struggling with and asking for help to overcome them. When we do this, we are freed from the burden of carrying them ourselves, and He will fill us with His peace and strength. Why?
Because He cares for us!