Leader Guide
Action Game
- Sermon on the Mount Beatitudes Exchange—one per team of four to eight children
- Bibles—two per team, preferably NKJV—or Matthew 5:3–10 Page
- 9 oz. or larger disposable cups—sixteen per team of four to eight children
- Paper Plates—two per team
- Glue or tape
- Scissors
- One bag for each set of sixteen cups
- Optional: masking tape or painter’s tape
- Whiteboard and marker or chalkboard and chalk
If you do not have enough Bibles, make copies of the Matthew 5:3–10 Page—one per team—and cut apart the two passages.
Make one copy of the Sermon on the Mount Beatitudes Exchange for each team.
Cut apart the sixteen rectangles on each sheet, keeping each set separate.
For each set of sixteen rectangles, glue or tape a rectangle on the inside of each cup.
Place each set of cups in a bag to keep them separated.
Place a set of eight cups (with shaded labels) on the floor by each chair.
Directly across from each set of cups and Bible, place the other eight cups (with unshaded labels) about 15–20 feet away for each team.
Tape or mark a line midway (about 7–10 feet) between the sets of cups.
Place a paper plate by each set of cups—two per team.
Beatitudes Exchange: Play a game to learn about Jesus’ teaching.
The first part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is often called the Beatitudes. The word beatitude comes from the Latin word meaning “blessedness.” To be blessed means to be divinely happy or fortunate as a result of God’s hand or favor on us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us the attitudes we should have and the actions we should take to receive God’s blessings.
I will read the eight Beatitudes from Matthew 5:3–10 (NKJV) to prepare us for this game. Please listen carefully:
Divide children into teams of four to eight. If one side is uneven, a child may play twice.
Divide each team in half again. Have each half stand directly across from their teammates at the opposite ends of the room, beside their set of cups.
For each half, select a 5th or 6th-grade helper, or a child who reads well, to be a leader. Give each of those leaders a Bible open to Matthew 5:3–10 or a printed copy of the verses. The leader will be responsible for referencing Matthew 5:3–10 to exchange the cups in the proper order.
To begin, the verse 3 “unshaded” cup (Poor in spirit) will be exchanged at the middle line or mark for the verse 3 “shaded” cup (Kingdom of heaven). Continue this way for all verses in order.
The players must carry the cups on a plate with one hand only; the other hand cannot be used to steady the cup. If a cup falls, the player must stop and put it back on the plate before moving again.
At the middle line, the two players will exchange the cups from one plate to another without using their “free” hands. The cups must be rolled or slid by tilting the plates.
The players will return to their side, remove the cups, and set them aside.
The next players will take the cups for verse 4. Play this way until all sixteen cups have been exchanged.
The team that does this first is the winner. Play another round if time permits.
Optional: Play as above, but this time, the cups will be exchanged again, so each “half” receives and gives the reward.
The first team to exchange sixteen cups is the winner.