Leader Guide
Obstacle Course
- Heart Pattern
- Items to make an obstacle course, such as a pool noodle, broom or long stick, large bucket, hula hoop, masking tape, old blanket or sheet, large exercise ball or beach ball, laundry basket, long plastic baseball bat, jump rope or twine, a 2" x 4" wooden plank
- Large manger or large box marked “Manger”
- Optional: stop watch, clock with a second hand, or timer app
- Scissors
- Pencils or markers
- Optional: masking or painter’s tape
Make copies of the Heart Pattern.
Cut out the individual hearts.
Set up the manger or large box marked “Manger” at one end of the room.
At the other end of the room, mark or tape the starting line on the floor.
Create a fun obstacle course using the items you brought or borrowed.
To make the game more competitive, you may wish to time each child.
Suggestions to make the obstacle course:
- Suspend a pool noodle between two easels, or have two helpers hold it up. Each child must do a “limbo” move to go underneath it.
- Place a hula hoop on the floor. Each child will jump into it, lift it up to the waist, and try to twirl it three times.
- Hang the jump rope on a hook. Each child must take it down, jump rope three times, then hang it back up.
- Place a broom over two low chairs. Each child must jump over it. Do not have anything with sharp edges nearby in case a child trips.
- Place a chair in the middle of the course. Each child must walk around it three times, backward.
- Drape the blanket or sheet over a table. Each child will crawl under it. Do not have children crawl if girls are wearing short skirts.
- Place the exercise ball or beach ball a short distance from the laundry basket. Each child must try to throw the ball into the basket.
- Put the plastic baseball bat on the floor. Each child must stand it on its end, put his or her forehead on the end and spin around the baseball bat without lifting it from the floor.
- Place an empty bucket on the floor. Each child must put one foot inside, walk backward three steps, then forward three steps, returning the bucket to its place.
- Place a 2" x 4" board on the floor—like a balance beam, children must walk the length of it without stepping off.
- At the end of the obstacle course, each child walks to the manger with feet touching heel-to-toe, kneels down, gently places the heart on top, then races back to the starting line.
How many Wise Men were there? Many stories and songs say there were three, but the Bible doesn’t really tell us.
Why did they follow the star? To worship the newborn King of the Jews and give Him their gifts.
The Wise Men were not Jewish, but they came from the East to worship the King of the Jews. This helps show us that God wants people from all over the world to worship Him! Read Revelation 15:4:
“All nations will come and worship before You.”
In Bible times, there were no cars, buses or trains, so it must have been hard for the Wise Men to travel all that way to bring their gifts to Bethlehem! What kind of obstacles do you think they may have faced? Mountains, rivers, deserts, lack of food or water, robbers, hot sun, freezing nights, tired camels.
We are going to play a game where each of us will bring our gifts to Bethlehem. What do you think is the best gift we could ever give to Jesus? Make Him Lord of our lives, our hearts, worship, our lives.
Yes, we can ask Jesus into our hearts and make Him Lord of our lives! So, we are going to carry our hearts to the manger today! The Wise Men encountered obstacles along their journey, and so will we—but we are not going to quit!
Distribute the hearts and pencils or markers to the children. Have them write their names on the line provided. Carry a heart as you walk through the obstacle course to demonstrate how it works to the children. Place the heart on the top of the manger to complete the course. Start the game. Allow each child to complete the course. Be prepared to assist any children with special needs.
Option: For more of a challenge, time each child for the fastest completion of the course. If time permits, the children must return to the start line, going through the course in reverse order.