Leader Guide
Rolling Game
- Whiteboard and marker or chalkboard and chalk
- Twelve large, non-transparent, plastic, foam, or paper cups—large disposable cups are ideal.
- Coins—enough to fill two cups or substitute other items such as gravel, marbles, metal washers, or small screws—any item that adds weight to the cup so it cannot be knocked over.
- Clear tape
- Two poster boards
- Permanent marker
- Four small bouncy balls
- Sixth-grade helpers or other volunteers to retrieve and return balls
- See The Promise of a Child Rolling Game Illustration
Inside two cups, write “God’s Promises” with the marker. Fill the cups to the top with coins. Place tape across the top of the cups to keep the coins inside when the cup is turned upside down.
Using the marker, write “EARTH” in large letters on one side of both poster boards.
Place the poster boards, “EARTH” side down, near one end of the room. Leave several feet of space between them.
Place one “Promise Cup” and five empty cups upside down on each poster board, nearer to the middle than the edges. Leave several inches of space between the cups.
Firm and True: Play a game about God’s sure promises.
God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ. They are immovable, firm, sure, and true. We can rest knowing Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (See Hebrews 13:8.) We can put our complete trust in God’s promise of salvation—plus every other promise God makes in the Bible!
You are going to play a game about these promises. You will roll the balls to knock the cups off of the poster board. The first team to do this wins! Then we’ll discuss the game and how it relates to God’s promises when you finish!
Divide the children into two teams. Each team will form a line at opposite ends of the room, about 10–12 feet from the cups. The first player for each team will roll two balls, one at a time, toward the cups. The goal is to knock the cups completely off the poster board. Once the player has rolled the balls, they will quickly walk to the back of the line.
Sixth-grade helpers or other volunteers should gather the two balls and give them to the next player to take a turn. Play will continue until all the cups are knocked off the poster boards except the “Promise Cups,” which will not move.
Children will quickly realize that it is impossible to knock the Promise Cups over. At that point, turn the two cups over, remove the tape, and pour the coins out. Have a child read the writing in the cup.
Hold the two “Promise Cups.” Oh, now we know why you could not move these cups—they contain God’s promises!
Read Psalm 119:89:
Just as these Promise Cups could not be moved, God’s promise of salvation through Jesus stands firm and is immovable.
Every promise made thousands of years ago still stands firm today, and those promises will still be standing tomorrow and forever! Eternal means that there is no end!
Now, Psalm 119:89 says that God’s word stands firm where? In heaven.
Turn over the poster board and hold it up so children can read “EARTH.” That means that even though the promises are given to us on earth, their source is God. They remain in heaven! There is not an event on earth that can affect His promises to us! They stand firm forever, unstoppable and immovable!
Play a second round of this game with the poster's EARTH side turned up for all to see. Set up the game again, except for the “Promise Cups,” and play to see which team can knock over all of the cups first! For more fun, add more cups in a variety of sizes to each side.