Clover Sites



252® Groups

Group Experiences for K-5th Grades

Scripture marked “NIrV” is taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL READER'S VERSION®.

Copyright © 1996, 1998 Biblica. All rights reserved throughout the world.

Used by permission of Biblica.

Scripture marked “NIV” is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®,

NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission.

All rights reserved worldwide.

Statement of Faith

ABOUT GOD

God is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the

Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so

everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is

righteous, majestic, and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He’s

at work to bring about His will. No person, thing, or idea compares to God.

ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES

God reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 100% accurate, reliable,

and authoritative.

ABOUT PEOPLE

People are made in God’s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls

short of God’s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has

sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants

an intimate relationship with each of us.

ABOUT SALVATION

That’s why Jesus—God’s Son—came and lived on this earth, died, and

rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus

and accept Him as Savior—the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to

God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into

God’s family and will live with Him forever in heaven.

User Agreement

Have Yourself a Myrrhy Little Christmas

Bible Story: Have Yourself a Myrrhy Little Christmas (wise men visit Jesus) • Matthew 2:1-12

Bottom Line: Get wrapped up in giving.

Memory Verse: “Be rich in good deeds … be generous and willing to share.” 1 Timothy 6:18, NIV

Life App: Generosity—making someone’s day by giving something away.

Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

GET READY

Prepare ahead of time for kindergarten–1st grade Small Groups this week:

Plug In: Focus the Energy (Choose one or both of these activities.)

Early Arriver

• An interesting offering container, such as a gift box or Christmas stocking

Star Bingo

• “Star Bingo Sheets” Activity Page; 1 for each kid

• Print “Star Bingo Image Cards” on cardstock; cut apart

• “Star-themed” bingo markers of your choice; ideas include:

o Small star stickers (to be placed in the bingo box next to the bingo picture)

o Different colored markers (kids draw a small star in bingo box while playing; use a different color for different bingo rounds)

• Opaque bag, such as a brown paper sack

• Small prizes for the winners (optional)

Catch On: Make the Connection (Choose as many of these activities as you like.)

* If you don’t have time to do all these activities, be sure to do activity #1. Activity #2 is particularly good for children who need to move in order to stay engaged.

Generosity Map (application activity / review the Bible story)

• Roll of brown craft paper

• Star stamps OR sponges cut into star shapes

• Yellow or gold paint, poured out onto paper plates

• Markers

Giving Race (application activity / great for active learners / large-group activity)

• “Calendar Pages” Activity Pages; 1 for each Small Group room; hang along the walls in the room

• Sticky notes; several different packs with different colors and/or shapes

• Markers

Seasons of Giving (memory verse activity)

• No supplies needed

Prayer

• “Calendar Pages” from the Giving Race activity

Additional Resources:

• Make copies on cardstock of this week’s GodTime and Parent CUE cards.

• Tell parents about our additional family resources: , CUE Box, and the Parent CUE app. To find out more about these great resources, go to .

FOR LEADERS ONLY

GOD VIEW: the connection between GENEROSITY and God’s character,

as shown through God’s big story

Throughout Scripture we can read all about God’s about God’s generosity towards us. One of those moments, found in James 1:17, talks about it like this: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” (NIV) Every good thing we have is a gift from Him. But we also know that God’s generosity has a purpose.

God gives to us and expects us to do the same for others in return. In his second letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul reminds us, “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11, NIV)

God is generous with us, so we can be generous to others. Often we think of generosity in terms of finances, but generosity goes beyond our money. Generosity should impact everything—our time, talents, energy, and resources.

Being generous is a mark of following God, but around this time of year, it’s easy to get more focused on all that we will receive rather than what we can give away. That’s why we’re taking this month to talk about generosity: making someone’s day by giving something away. We want kids to understand that when we choose to give generously to others, we become truly rich with everything that really matters in life.

This month, let’s think about how:

(1) Generosity is a reflection of God’s character. He is a generous God.

(2) Generosity is about what we do with all that we have been given.

(3) Generosity not only applies to our stuff but also to our time and talents.

This week, we’re discovering:

The wise men knew how to be generous. In Matthew 2:1-12, we read about the men who came to visit Jesus. Through the time they spend traveling and the gifts they brought, they went above and beyond to worship Jesus and show generosity.

Our Bottom Line is: Get wrapped up in giving. Generosity isn’t something we only show at Christmas time. Rather, generosity should become part of who we are. We can give of our money, time, talents, and resources to help others all throughout the year.

Our memory verse is 1 Timothy 6:18, “Be rich in good deeds … be generous and willing to share.” (NIV) Our verse this month challenges us that there are many ways to be generous besides giving gifts that cost money.

Have Yourself a Myrrhy Little Christmas

Bible Story: Have Yourself a Myrrhy Little Christmas (wise men visit Jesus) • Matthew 2:1-12

Bottom Line: Get wrapped up in giving.

Memory Verse: “Be rich in good deeds … be generous and willing to share.” 1 Timothy 6:18, NIV

Life App: Generosity—making someone’s day by giving something away.

Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

Plug In: Focus the Energy (Small Groups, 10-15 minutes)

Focus the energy on today’s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question and an interactive opening activity.

Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Ask Him to help kids understand that it’s important to get wrapped up in GIVING, not receiving, and that it doesn’t have to be the Christmas season for them to be generous. Ask God to give the kids ideas about and opportunities to be generous all year long.

1. Early Arriver Idea

What You Need: An offering container

What You Do:

Encourage kids to place their offerings into the container. Talk about their Christmas celebration and try to direct the conversation toward what they gave or how they shared with friends and family over the holiday versus what was given to them.

2. Star Bingo

What You Need: “Star Bingo Sheets” (Activity Pages), “Star Bingo Image Cards” (Activity Pages), bingo markers of your choice, opaque bag, prizes (optional)

What You Do:

Gather the kids and give each a bingo sheet and star stickers. Place the Star Bingo Image Cards in the bag and mix them up. Draw one card and call out the picture on it, placing it facedown in front of you. Allow kids a moment to mark that picture on their sheets. The first player to get five pictures in a row is the winner. If time allows, play a few rounds, shuffling the Star Bingo Image Cards so that you call the pictures in a different order each time.

What You Say:

“We had a nice straight line of stars on [winner’s name]’s sheet! [Transition] Let’s go to Large Group to hear about some people who followed a star along their trail, but their path was definitely not a straight line!”

Lead your group to the Large Group area.

Catch On: Make the Connection (Small Groups, 25-30 minutes)

Make the connection of how today’s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive activities and discussion questions.

* 1. Generosity Map (application activity / review the Bible story)

What You Need: Roll of brown craft paper, star stamps or sponges cut into star shapes, yellow or gold paint poured out onto paper plates, markers

What You Do:

Unroll a large section of the craft paper in the middle of your space and gather the group around it. Place the star stamps, the paint, and the markers along the edges of the paper. At one end of the paper, draw a simple nativity stable outline, and at the other end draw either a castle or a city outline. Tell the group that the wise men traveled from their homes in the east all the way to Bethlehem to find baby Jesus, and that we can make a map to show their long, long journey.

Help kids brainstorm ideas of places that the wise men may have stopped, such as a campsite in the desert, an oasis to get water, a market to stock up on supplies, a fancy shop to buy the gifts they brought Jesus, a ranch where their camels could get taken care of if they were sick, another family’s tent along the trail where they shared a meal together, an inn on the way to Bethlehem, a place to get cleaned up before they were brought to King Herod, etc. Let kids draw these places along the map, between the eastern city and the nativity stable.

As kids draw, talk about how the wise men could have shown generosity at each place (by thinking of others, by sharing what they had, by preparing to give gifts to Jesus, etc.). When those places are drawn in, let kids decorate the map by stamping the star along the route.

What You Say:

This is a truly extraordinary map! While we don’t know just what kind of map the wise men followed, it might have looked something like this. And you guys did a great job thinking about how the wise men might have shown generosity along the way. (Mention some examples that the kids gave.) [Apply] Just like the wise men, we have a lot of chances to show generosity every day! How can we be generous when we’re at school? (Take suggestions: sharing school supplies, taking turns on playground equipment, including others in our games with friends, etc. [note: many schools do not allow the sharing of snacks and lunches because of food allergies]) How about at home? (Giving away clothes and toys to charity, sharing with our siblings, taking turns with screen time or with choosing what show to watch on TV, helping with chores even when it’s not “our job,” etc.) Good answers! Those are all ways that we can [Impress] get wrapped up in giving every day!”

2. Giving Race (application activity / great for active learners / a large-group activity)

What You Need: “Calendar Pages” Activity Pages (stuck to the walls around the room), sticky notes, markers

What You Do:

Assign to each Small Group a different sticky note color or shape. Within each Small Group, let kids come up with ideas for showing generosity for different months year round. Give them a few minutes to draw their ideas on their notes and run to the calendar page for that month and stick their notes to it. Whichever Small Group has the most notes on the most months by the end of the time allotted is the winner!

Some suggestions (the helpfulness of these suggestions will vary according to your local climate and community situation):

• For winter months: shoveling snow for a neighbor, dusting off cars, making Valentines, handing out hot chocolate to neighbors, playing in the snow with younger siblings or friends, donating coats to a local charity

• For spring: picking a bouquet of flowers, weeding a flowerbed, helping to spring-clean a bedroom or closet, washing windows, sharing Easter eggs

• For summer: mowing lawns, doing yard work, making lemonade, cleaning up after a water balloon fight, sharing garden produce, taking turns in the sprinkler

• For fall: raking leaves, carrying schoolbooks, sharing art supplies, passing down favorite school clothes to a younger sibling

What You Say:

“You were really creative about ideas to be generous all year round! Having a plan is going to help you [Impress] get wrapped up in giving. [Apply] When you give to others, whether by actually giving them something or by being generous with your time or work or privileges, you’re doing exactly what the wise men did. They gave of their time to make that long trip to see Jesus. It could have taken weeks or months or even a year, and they gave their hard work to trek all that way across the desert. It was a lot of effort to travel that far because there were no cars or planes; and they gave up their privileges in order to give Jesus gifts that were special to them. They totally could have kept those gifts for themselves because they were important guys, but they didn’t. They gave all kinds of ways, at all kinds of times, and you’ve made some great plans here to do the same! I did that too, one time.”

[Make It Personal] Share about a situation when you were generous and it wasn’t a holiday or birthday, or even when it was completely unexpected.

3. Seasons of Giving (memory verse activity)

What You Need: No supplies needed

What You Do:

Gather your group and say the verse together. Then challenge them to say the verse in a variety of seasonal ways, such as:

Spring: loudly, with your hands over your head like umbrellas to ward off the thunderstorm; sing-song, skipping through a field to pick flowers; huffily, as you race around a baseball diamond

Summer: quickly, while hopping up and down on a hot sandy beach; slowly, while floating on their back in the pool; juicily, punctuated by spitting out watermelon seeds; quietly, around a campfire

Fall: swooping-ly, as you jump into a pile of leaves; clearly, as you raise your hand on the first day of school; shaking-ly, as you’re tossed around in the back of the school bus on a bumpy road.

Winter: chattering-ly, as you shiver in the cold; softly, as you smell hot chocolate steaming in your mug; smoothly, as you glide in ice skates; very sleepily, as you get ready for a long winter’s nap.

What You Say:

“Excellent! I can tell you’re going to be able to [Impress] get wrapped up in giving all year round! [Apply] When we give to others it shows God that we value the people He values. And who does God value? Everyone!”

Pray and Dismiss

What You Need: “Calendar Pages” (on the wall; from the “Giving Race” activity)

What You Do:

Gather your group by the January page, and explain that you are going to go on a “prayer walk” through the seasons. As you pray out loud and walk with them around the room along the Calendar Pages, ask each child to describe a picture from a month as part of the prayer. Emphasize the need for respect and reverence during the walk, and that talking and fooling around during this time are highly discouraged.

Note: If you don’t have enough room in your environment for every group to walk around at the same time, you can do these prayers in your group just coming up with some of the ideas from the calendar as you pray. Or you can have each group start at a different month and move after 30 seconds or so.

What You Say:

“Lord, thank You for showing us how to be giving and generous. [Apply] Please help us [Impress] get wrapped up in giving every month and every day of the year—not just at Christmas. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent CUE cards as adults arrive to pick up.

-----------------------

Chief Executive Officer

Reggie Joiner

Creative Team

Kristen Ivy

Mike Clear

Elloa Davis

Elizabeth Hansen

Jessica McKee

Brandon O’Dell

Greg Payne

Phil Pierce

Dan Scott

Jon Williams

Contributing Writers

Lauren Bowman

Sharon Carey

Stuart Chapman

Becky Jarrett

Emily Meredith

Lauren Terrell

Editors

Elloa Davis

Dana Wilkerson

Illustrations & Graphic Design

Brian Bascle

Mike Davis

Joe Goode

Technical & Web Support

Hadley Brandt

Orange Specialists

Amy Grisham

Joy Bowen

Abbey Carr

Amy Fenton

Becky Kizer

Misty Phillips

Stephanie Porter

Courtney Templeton

Orange gladly grants permission to churches, schools, and other licensees to tailor 252 Basics® materials to fit their unique leadership requirements, locale and format preferences, and physical environment needs. However, if you wish to edit the content substantively, including Bible stories, learning activities, scripts, and any other content in which biblical principles and concepts are presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal guidelines we’ve expressed in our Statement of Faith. These resources are intended to be downloaded and printed for use by the subscribing entity only and may not be electronically transferred to or duplicated by other non-subscribing entities. Any unauthorized reproduction of this material or incorporation into a new work is a direct violation of US copyright laws. ©2014 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. 252 Basics® and the 252 Basics® logo are trademarks of Orange and the reThink Group.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download