Leader Guide
Game
- Table
- Optional: masking tape
- Nine paper bags—lunch sacks
- Stapler and staples or masking tape
- Sand or small stones—anything to add weight to the bag
- Marker
- Four socks, or more socks, if desired
- Timer: clock/watch with second hand, stopwatch, timer app
- Assistant, such as a sixth grade helper, to return sock balls back to the players
Write one of the following words on each bag: anger, pride, fear, impatience, unkindness, wickedness, unfaithfulness, rudeness, carelessness.
Open each bag, spread out the bottom, and place some sand/stones in the bottom.
Fold over the top of each bag and staple or tape it shut.
Ball up each sock individually to make four or more sock balls.
Place table toward one end of the room.
Mark or tape a line about 15 feet from the table.
Stand the bags on the edge of the table—words toward the line, leaving room between each one. Stagger the bags, if necessary.
Optional: You may make additional bags with the names of the fruit of the Spirit, and put them in between the other bags to make the game more difficult.
Who can tell me our SuperTruth for today? I want more of Jesus and less of me.”
Great! Now what does that mean, less of me?
We want to become more like Jesus and less like the sinful nature that we are born with.
Read Galatians 5:16–17a:
Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.
Jesus was full of God’s Spirit, and He lived a perfect life on Earth. Jesus chose spiritual things, or the ways of God, over sinful ways of the human nature or flesh. The more we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, the more we will choose God’s ways over our own sinful desires. We become spiritually stronger as we overcome our sinful nature.
Today, we are going to play a fun game about getting rid of our sinful and evil ways. Read aloud the word on each bag and make sure all children understand its meaning.
The sock ball represents each time that we choose the Spirit over our sinful self. Let’s work together to knock down and get rid of all the sinful things on this table! We will play more than one round to try for the fastest time.
This is a group game. Have all children stand single-file behind the starting line or mark. One child at a time gets two throws to try and knock bags off the table. Each bag cannot just be knocked over; they must be knocked completely off the table. You or an assistant can quickly roll the extra sock balls back to the next player so the game keeps moving. Stop the time when all the bags are knocked off the table. Record the time. Play additional rounds to try for a faster time. If a round ends before a child has thrown, start the next round with that child.
Conclusion: Good job knocking out those evil ways! Now, let’s list the Fruit of the Spirit that we want produced in our lives to replace those sinful things. What are they? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Give hints as necessary to list all of the Fruit of the Spirit.
God has given each of us His Holy Spirit to produce fruit and help us make wise choices. When we choose to listen to Him and obey His Word, we make more room for Jesus and His good fruit in our lives!