Leader Guide
Game
- Two measuring sticks: yardsticks or meter sticks
- Small paper or plastic cups: one per child, plus extras; or, the game may be played with fewer cups—see note in game
- One medium-size box
- Optional: washable markers
- Optional: painters tape or masking tape
- Timer: clock/watch with second hand, stopwatch, timer app
- Bible or the Superbook Bible App
Place the box in the middle of the room.
Mark a starting point about 15 feet from the box at opposing ends—box in middle of the two marks.
Option for larger classes: create three or four teams. Add a measuring stick for each additional team. Make marks 15 feet from the box off the remaining sides.
Read Genesis 6:19–20:
“Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive.”
This is what our game is about today. We are going to help Noah bring the animal pairs to the ark. The box represents the ark.
Divide the class into two teams. Have each team line up by twos behind a mark. If there is an uneven number of children, have a sixth-grade helper or a volunteer play the game. Pick two children from one team to demonstrate. Have them hold a yardstick between them, and give them two cups to balance on the yardstick. The cups represent a pair of animals. The two children carefully walk to the ark, then together tip their yardstick so the cups fall into the box. The children continue to hold the yardstick between them and walk back to their team. Explain that if a cup or cups fall off on their journey to the ark, the children must stop and place them back on the yardstick before continuing. As the two cups are successfully placed in the ark, the team will shout out the score for their team: 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. The first team to get all of their animals into the ark wins.
Begin the game. A pair of children from each team goes at the same time. As soon as one pair returns to their team, the next pair takes a turn. Make sure everyone gets a turn. The first team to finish bringing their animals to the ark wins!
Optional: if you use only four cups, assign two sixth grade helpers or other volunteers to continually run the cups back to each team after they are placed in the ark.
Optional: if you have extra time, you may divide the children into teams and pairs before the game, then give each child a disposable cup and washable marker. Have the pairs decide what type of animal they would like to carry to the ark, then each pair should draw the same type of animal on their cups.
After the game say: Great job everyone! What do you think Noah’s family thought as they watched all of those animals coming toward the ark, just like God said they would?
Read Genesis 6:20:
“Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive.”
Did Noah have to go out and find all of those animals?
God told Noah that the animals would come to him! Yes, God did what He said He would do and brought the animals to Noah so he could take them into the ark.
Have the children sit with their teams for the next part of the lesson.