Leader Guide
Action Game
- Baptized! Fish Page
- Cardstock—one sheet per two children, plus extras
- Scissors
- Optional: blue blanket, blue sheet, or blue material to create
a “lake”
- Optional: painter's tape or masking tape
- Optional: board to keep score
- Optional: To play the game with “fishing poles,” you’ll need one paper clip for each fish, two short sticks to be “fishing poles,” two strings about 24-inches long to be
“fishing lines,” and two round, washer-style magnets to be “fish hooks.” For
more than two teams, add extra fishing poles.
Make copies of the Baptized! Fish Page in color or black and white—one page per two children, plus extras.
Cut out the individual fish. To save time, stack and align two to three pages and cut them all at one time.
Create space for a “lake” about 4–5 feet wide in the middle of the game area. Optional: Use a blue blanket, sheet, or material to create the lake.
Place a line or mark about 10 feet away from one side of the lake, and place another line or mark about 10 feet away from the opposite side of the lake.
You may have the children simply reach into the lake to get the fish with their hands, OR play the game with “fishing poles.” To do this, attach one paper clip to each fish’s head.
Attach a string to a short stick, then tie a round washer-style magnet to the other end of the string.
Hold back one “people fish” and place all the other fish facedown in a random fashion in the “lake.”
Catch REEL—ay: Play a game to "fish" for people.
What job did several of the men have before Jesus chose them to be His disciples? Fishermen.
What did Jesus tell these fishermen He would teach them to do? To fish for people.
How do you fish for people? Tell others about Christ; bring others to Jesus; share the Gospel.
Point to the fish in the lake. This lake is stocked with lots of fish, so it looks like it will be “smooth sailing” to snag a couple, doesn’t it? Ohhh, but this game has a “catch”; we aren’t just fishing for any type of fish. Like Jesus’ disciples—we are going to fish for people!
Many of the fish in the lake are ordinary fish. Show the fish you held back. But, when you flip some fish over, you'll find people. On your turn, you must find two fish with people on them before you can come back to shore. Then the next player on the team takes a turn. The first team to have all players catch two people each wins the game. If you catch an ordinary fish, you must throw it back by placing it face down into the lake again. When you find a fish with a person on it, you keep it for your team.
Divide the class into two equal teams; one child may need to play twice. Try to mix older and younger children on each team. The teams will form separate lines on opposite sides of the “lake.” Explain how to get the fish (either with their hands or with the optional “fishing poles”). Encourage players to cheer each other on as they fish. Why? Because we all share one common goal to bring people to Christ as we follow Him.
Conclusion: Great job, everyone, finding people that we can bring to Jesus! Just like we cheered each other on, we must help and encourage one another as we follow and serve Christ. Let’s find out more about what it means to follow Jesus in today’s teaching.