Leader Guide
Relay Game
- Nicodemus Old & New Heart Relay
- Ezekiel 36:26 Sign
- Pencils—one per child
- Painter’s tape or masking tape
- Three boxes
- Forty sheets of scrap or recycled paper to crumple into balls
- Scissors
- Bible or Superbook Bible app
Make a copy of the Old and New Heart Page—one for every two children, plus extras.
Make two copies of the Ezekiel 36:26 Sign.
Cut out the four hearts on each page. To do it faster, stack two to four pages and cut through the pages at one time. Or, give the children scissors and have them each cut out an old heart and a new heart.
Tape an Ezekiel 36:26 Sign to two of the boxes.
Make each sheet of scrap or recycled paper into a ball (or have the children in the class make the balls) and place twenty balls in each box labeled with Ezekiel 36:26.
The unlabeled box is empty.
Place a starting mark or line on the floor near one end of the room.
Place the two labeled boxes on the floor about 20 feet from the starting line.
The labels should face the starting line. Leave several feet between the two boxes.
Place the unlabeled box midway between the starting line and the labeled boxes.
Old for New: Play a game to exchange your heart.
Let’s read a sign on a box together: “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you.”
In this game, you will exchange your old heart for a new one! Let’s play!
Divide the children into two equal teams. One child may need to play twice. Give each child an “Old Heart” and a “New Heart,” plus a crayon. Have them write their names in large letters on the back of each heart with the crayon. If a child is playing twice, he/she must make a second set of hearts. Have each team member place their “New Hearts” in their labeled team box with the paper balls.
Do not crumple these hearts. Mix up the “New Hearts” and paper balls. Team members should keep their “Old Hearts” for their turn. Have each team line up behind the starting line, opposite their team box. Explain that the “Old Heart” represents a hard heart before following Christ. Start the game.
The first player for each team will crumple their “Old Heart” into a ball and then try to throw the ball into the unlabeled box. If it misses, the player will retrieve it and toss it again from the point where it lands until it goes into the box. Once players successfully throw their ball in the box, they will move to their team’s labeled box and find the new hearts with their names on them. Then the players will quickly return to their teams, and the next player will take a turn. The first team to find their “New Hearts” wins. Continue playing until all children have their “New Hearts.”