Leader Guide
Optional Opening Game
- Two bean bags (from a bean toss/cornhole game) or four socks
- The Self-Control Song, "The Salvation Poem" or any lively praise song.
Note: If time is short, skip this game, or save it until the end of class.
If substituting socks for the bean bag, roll two socks together to form each of two sock balls.
Raise your hand you have played a game called “Hot Potato.” Children respond.
The game we are about to play is like “Hot Potato” and is called “Hot Toss.”
Have you ever picked up something that was hot and you couldn’t wait to let go of it?
Can you name something that would be too hot to touch? A coal in a fire, a hot oven or stove, hot BBQ grill, hot water, hot chocolate, etc..
Have children form a large circle standing at arm’s length from each other on both sides.
Hold up a bean bag and pass it around the circle so everyone has a chance to hold and pass it.
This bean bag is not really “hot”—but in this game, you will pretend that it is, like a hot coal! Remember, we are only pretending!
I am going to play the Self-Control song as you pass the bag to the person beside you. I will start the music and you will play until the music stops. You want to pass the bag as quickly as you can so you don’t get caught holding it when the music stops! Oh, one more thing, to make this even more fun, you will pass two bags around the circle at the same time.
Optional: The child holding the bag when the music stops sits out for the next quick round.
Start the music and give a player the first bean bag to pass (clockwise) to the next player. Start the second bag around the circle after a short delay when the first bag is passed a few times.
Stop the music after about 10–15 seconds. Continue starting and stopping the music at longer and shorter intervals. Play as long as time allows.
Conclusion: Wow, you did a great job passing the pretend hot coal so quickly! (Smile) No one burned their hands, right? You will find out why we pretended the bean bags were hot a little later.