Leader Guide
Game
- Bible or the Superbook Bible App
- Tent Pattern
- Cardstock: 12 pieces. OR, you may use paper to make the tents, but they won’t stand up as well
- Optional: painters or masking tape
- Scissors or paper cutter
- Four socks
Use cardstock or paper to make 12 copies of the Tent Pattern.
Cut the 24 tents apart and fold them so they stand up.
Create two enemy camps by placing the tents in two groupings on the floor at one end of the room. See illustration. Place the tents at different angles, and leave space between them. Separate the two camps as much as possible.
Mark or tape a line about 12 to 15 feet from the camps.
Fold each sock individually inside itself to create four balls, representing barley loaves.
Note: If you have a larger class, you may create more teams and add camps to allow more participation.
In the Bible story, one Midianite soldier told another about a dream that he had. What was his dream? A loaf of barley bread rolled into the camp and knocked over a tent.
God allowed Gideon to hear a soldier saying what the dream meant. Do you remember what that was? God had given Gideon the victory over the Midianites and all of the other armies.
Today we are going to roll barley loaves—well, not barley loaves, but socks—to try to knock over all of the enemy’s tents!
Divide the children into two teams, which do not need to be exactly equal. Have the teams line up behind the line. Teams play at the same time. Hand the first player on each team two sock balls, representing loaves of barley bread. Each player gets two chances to ROLL—not throw!—the barley loaves into the enemy camp to try to knock over as many tents as possible. After each player rolls, they must retrieve the socks for the next player. The first team to knock over all of the tents in the enemy camp wins! Play another round if time allows.
Note: For faster play, station two sixth grade helpers or other volunteers near the camp to quickly roll the socks back to the next player. The assistants can also fix any flattened tents and stand them upright for additional rounds, until every child has had a turn.
Conclusion: God was merciful and patient with Gideon. He gave Gideon many signs to build his trust and faith in God. Finally, Gideon was convinced! After Gideon heard the interpretation of the dream, he understood that with God’s help, he could indeed be a mighty warrior! Gideon worshiped God and gathered his troops for the battle. Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “God gives me His strength.”
Now let’s learn more about Gideon and how we can do mighty things for God, too!