Optional Opening Game

Pull one card of each type out of the pile: Happy, excited, sad, angry.

Hold up the Angry Card and Sad Card. It is not a good feeling to be angry, sad is it?

Hold up the Happy Card and the Excited Card. Raise both hands and jump up and down if you like to feel happy and excited. Children respond.

Yes, I think everyone would choose to be happy and excited, not angry or disappointed.

Shuffle the four cards back into the pile and then lay all of the cards face down (literally) on the table or floor in rows of four to six cards.

In this game, let’s find and take away all of the angry, sad and disappointed cards so all we see are happy and excited cards!

A player chooses one card and shows it to the other players.

The player repeats this with a second card.

When a Happy/Excited Card is shown to the class, everyone rejoices together (cheer, jump up and down and clap).

Then the card is turned face up on the table or board.

All Angry/Sad Cards chosen are shown to the class and then removed from the game.

Play until all cards have been turned over and only the Happy Cards remain.

Optional: When the Angry/Sad cards are removed, shout together “God loves a cheerful giver!”

Conclusion: That feels better to remove all the angry and sad faces doesn’t it!

What faces do you see now? Happy, excited, cheerful faces!

This is how God wants us to feel inside when we give!