Leader Guide
Building Activity
- Bibles or the Superbook Bible App
- Large number of child-safe building items, such as dominoes, craft sticks, wooden blocks, plastic bricks, cardboard boxes, etc. You may want to ask your church’s nursery or preschool if they have any suitable items you could borrow
- Decorative items such as ribbons, bows, colorful yarn, small flags, feathers, etc., for children to put on the second set of their buildings
- Sturdy grocery bags or boxes to hold the building items: one per group, plus one extra
Gather a large number of child-safe building items listed above. Place an equal number of items into each group’s bag or box. Each group can have a different type of item or a mix of items; just be sure all groups have the same number.
Place any extra building items in the remaining bag or box, along with all of the decorative items, such as the ribbons, bows, colorful yarn, small flags, feathers, etc. Keep this bag or box out of sight.
Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4 children, adjusted to class size. Have each group find an area on the floor or table to build. Give a filled bag to each group, keeping the bag of extra items out of sight. Instruct each group to work together to create a building or structure using all of the items they were given. Give the groups a few minutes to finish building.
Walk around the room and admire each group’s building. You worked very hard and did a great job making your buildings! Unfortunately, I must knock all of them down as part of a test—but not because you did anything wrong!
Calmly knock down or take apart all the groups’ buildings, leaving all the pieces on the table or floor. Be sensitive to children with special needs; if you think they may get upset, simply remove their building or cover it with a cloth.
How did it feel to see all of your hard work ruined as part of a test?
Yes, that couldn’t have been a good feeling, even though this was just an activity. Imagine how Job felt, an upright and blameless man, losing all he had! We are going to talk about how God restored or replaced all that Job lost—in fact, Job received even more back than before! This included his animals, family, and friends; plus his name, honor and reputation. Now everyone knew that Job had done nothing wrong and was not being punished by God.
Read Job 42:10–12a:
When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the Lord had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring. So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning.
Retrieve the bag with the extra building items and decorative materials, and distribute equal amounts to each group. Tell them to build a replacement of their original structure.
Well done! Your new buildings are even better! You didn’t give up when your first buildings were destroyed. God blessed Job for his courage and faithfulness. When we remain faithful to God through trials and difficulties, He will bring us restoration and healing.
Let’s close this activity with a verse in the New Testament book of James, which was written many years after Job lived. It talks about how Job persevered and faithfully trusted God in spite of all that he faced.
Read James 5:11 (nkjv):
Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “God is always with us.”
We can persevere as Job did and hold fast to God in all trials and tests because He is right beside us!