Leader Guide
Game
- Bible or the Superbook Bible App
- 100 small items, which may be all the same or a combination of craft sticks, coins, dried beans, pebbles, marbles, etc.
- Table
- Two sheets of cardstock or paper
- Two small or medium boxes
- One large basket
- Give and Take Cards
- Scissors
- Marker
Make two copies of the Give and Take Cards, using cardstock if possible.
Cut apart the individual cards: one set for Team 1 and one set for Team 2.
Keeping the sets separate, scramble each set of cards.
Place the table near one end of the room.
Use the marker to label one box Team 1 and the other Team 2.
Place 15 of the small items in Team 1’s box, and 20 small items in Team 2’s box. Important: do not tell children the number of items is unequal.
Put the remaining small items into the large basket, then place it between the two teams’ boxes on the table.
Make a starting line for the teams about 15 to 20 feet from the table.
In the Superbook adventure, Chris was really having a bad week, wasn’t he? Then he saw how Job — pronounced “Jobe” chose to trust God even though he lost everything. Listen to what Job said:
Read Job 1:21b:
“The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”
Job was determined to praise God, no matter what! Today, we will play a game called “Give and Take.” Each team has a box, representing things you have now. There is also a basket of items, representing things your team may—or may not—get in the future.
Divide the children into two teams. They do not need to be exactly equal. Place a pile of cards face-down on the floor beside each team. Teams play at the same time. The first player for each team draws a card from the pile, shouts what it says, quickly walks to the table, and follows the card’s instructions. “Give” means to count that number of items from the basket and place it in the team’s box. “Take” means to take that number of items from the team’s box and put it in the basket. Sixth grade helpers should stand at the table to help younger children or those with special needs. The player then returns to the team and places the card at the bottom of the pile. Play until each child has at least two turns, or until the basket or a box is empty.
You didn’t know this, but one team started out with more possessions in their container than the other team. That was on purpose. In life there will be people who start out with a lot and people who start out with less. Let’s count the possessions in the team boxes. Have sixth grade helpers count the items. So who won? All of us! Why? Because God’s goodness is not based on the amount of possessions or blessings we have. Here is what Jesus said:
Read Luke 12:15:
Then He said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
We can always trust God, no matter what we have or don’t have! Let’s shout our SuperTruth: “When trouble comes, I can trust God.”