Leader Guide
Optional Opening Game
- Drawing List Page
- Poster boards or large sheets of drawing paper (easel or butcher/kraft paper), one sheet per 2–4 children, depending on class size
- Crayons
- Painter's tape or masking tape
- Timer (stopwatch, timer app, clock, or watch with a second hand)
Make one copy of the Drawing List Page.
Make teams of 2–4 children.
Tape one sheet of paper on a wall for each team of 2–4 children.
Draw a simple stick figure in the top corner of each sheet as an example.
Drawing list: (modify as desired)
Body and head
Two eyes
Nose and mouth
Two arms (optional: hands)
Two legs (optional: feet)
Optional: Spear, shield, brick, or stone in a hand
In the Bible story, many workers were needed to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem—the more workers, the better! In this game, you will work together to draw workers to help Nehemiah.
One player might make a head and body, another will add two arms, and another the two eyes or two legs. Once a worker is completed, you will start another one! Are you ready to work together and do your job to succeed? Children respond.
We will work together as teams for three minutes to see how many we can all make together. Note: adjust the time to your children and the time available.
This game is similar to a relay. Line up the separate teams several feet from the sheets of paper.
Give the first players of each team Drawing Instruction #1: Body and head.
When the first players return, give the next player Instruction #2. Continue this way until a complete worker is drawn. Then immediately begin a new figure. Continue until time runs out.
Optional: Call out different ways to travel as the children carry the blocks: skip, walk backward, hop on one foot, on two feet, tiptoe, shuffle, walk sideways, etc.
If time permits, mix up teams, and play again to try and beat the number of figures drawn in the first round.
Conclusion: Let’s count the number of workers you made together.
Slowly point to each figure and count aloud with the children for a grand total. Wow, you worked together to make so many workers! Each of you did your part so we could succeed— good job!
In today’s video, Nehemiah gave each person a job to do. No job was more important than the other, and the wall was repaired in record time because everyone worked together!