Game

Make copies of the Shapes Page on cardstock, one per child plus extras.

Place a mark or taped line near one end of the room.

Tape one Shapes Page on the wall where it will be visible to the children as they play the game.

Give each child a Shapes Page and scissors. Have them carefully cut out the individual cards and write their names on the blank lines. Or, as an option, cut out the shapes before class and paperclip each set of four cards together. Give each child a set of cards and a pencil. Children will write their names on each card.

Have children gather in the center of the room. The game must have an even number of children and a minimum of four children to play. A leader may need to play to even the number.   

In Jesus’ parable, the master sent out invitations to many guests. But what happened when the feast was ready? The people who were invited made excuses not to come.

What did the master do? He told the servants to go out and bring others to the feast.

Point to the Shapes Page on the wall. The four different shapes represent four guests. Each of you is a servant sent out by the master to gather four different guests (shapes) to come to the feast.

Point to the mark on the floor. The mark represents the door to the feast. You must all work together as fast as you can to gather different people for the feast, to fill up the banquet in the quickest time!

Start the timer.

Each player begins with the same four shapes that they have cut apart: a square, diamond, circle, and triangle.

This is a race, with all children playing at the same time.

Every player must gather a new set of the four shapes with a different name on each card. The new set cannot have any cards with the player’s own name.

To do this, players must invite other players to exchange cards to assemble a new set.

If two players cannot exchange cards to help each other, they move on to other players.

Once a player has a new set of four different shapes with four different names, he/she will stand behind the mark until all players are behind the mark.

When all children are behind the mark, stop the timer.

Let’s play a second time and try to beat the score. Have children gather their original cards with their own name on them to begin the new game.

Now, let’s find out more about being invited into God’s Kingdom through Christ.