Leader Guide
Race Game
- Optional: painters or masking tape
- Two playground balls, beach balls, or large balloons
- Two foam pool noodles, each cut in half; or old pillows, sheets or blankets
Place a mark or line near one end of the room.
Place another mark or line about 20 to 25 feet away, as a starting line.
Place the pool noodles, pillows, sheets, or blankets across the lane for each team as two obstacles encountered—see illustration.
Note: If using sheets or blankets, push them together into small hills to hop over; make it challenging but not too difficult.
In our lives, we may be hurt or let down by a friend or family member. We may react by not talking to them or staying away from them for a period of time. Perhaps someone has reacted like this because of something you did or said. If we make a bad choice and disobey God, would He ever stay away from us or refuse to talk to us?
After Peter denied Jesus, he probably thought that his actions separated him from Jesus’ love and acceptance. Would Jesus ever want to speak to him again?
We are going to play a game about separation with difficult obstacles and decisions we face in our lives. You are going to play in pairs. The blankets represent the obstacles that will test your relationship with each other. You must try not to separate from one another along your journey!
Divide the children into two equal teams and have them form two separate lines behind the mark or line. Two players from each team will play at the same time. Give a ball to the first pair on each team. The pairs will place the ball between their shoulders and apply enough pressure to the ball so it does not hit the ground during the entire race. Together, the pair must hop over each pool noodle, pillow or blanket without dropping the ball. If the ball drops, the players must place it between their shoulders again and resume play.
Start the race. Each pair will carefully, but quickly, race to the end and then return the same way to the starting point. When a pair reaches the starting line again, the second pair takes the ball and begins. The first team to have all their pairs complete the race wins.
Conclusion: Was it always easy to stay together?
No, especially when you faced an obstacle in your path. However, when you did fail, you fixed it and moved on again. We all face difficult decisions, pressures and temptations. Do you remember in the Superbook story when Peter told Chris to never let his guard down? The devil will try to separate us from God’s love by lying to us or placing things in our path to tempt us and trip us up.
Yes, others may walk away from us when we make mistakes; yet Jesus never will! Nothing can separate us from God’s love that is revealed in Jesus! Jesus came to Peter in love to restore him and send him out to do God’s work, again. We all will make mistakes; however, Jesus loves us despite our sins! Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “Jesus loves me no matter what I have done.”