Option 1

What You Do:
· Welcome kids to the group by name.
· If a kid brought an offering, invite them to put their offering in the offering container.
· Compete in a singing challenge based on “Jingle Bells.”
· Instruct the kids to sing the chorus of “Jingle Bells” or play it on a phone or another device that plays music.
· Then, challenge the kids to see how long they can sing a nursery rhyme song to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”
· Here are some nursery rhyme song ideas:
o “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
o “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”
o “Wheels on the Bus”
o “Frere Jacques”
· The winner is the kid who can sing the most lyrics of their song without going back to singing “Jingle Bells,” pausing for a long time, or laughing!

Hope Undercover
[Live for God | Application Activity]
Made to Play: an activity that encourages learning through following guidelines and/or working as a group

What You Need: Paper plates, marker, small items, spoons, and buckets

What You Do:
· Set the covered plates at one end of your small group area and the two buckets at the other end.
· Give each kid a spoon.
· Create two teams and line each team up behind a bucket.
o One at a time, each kid will run to their set of plates and scoop off some of the items on the plate.
o They will run their full spoon back to the other end of the room and dump the items in the bucket.
o If anything falls off their spoon while they’re running, they have to go back and place those things back on the plate—without losing more off their spoon!
o Once a kid has put an object in the bucket, the next kid can remove items from the plates.
o The team who empties their plates of items to reveal “HOPE” first, wins.
o Optional: If you’re using more plates with random letters for older kids, teams must play until they have a set of cleared-off “HOPE” plates.
· Make sure all of the small items are gathered up and put inside the buckets.
· Save the plates to use again during prayer time.
· If you used Christmas candy as your plate-covers, let kids have a piece while you talk together.

What You Say:
“Aha! At the end of our game, hope was revealed! This reminds me of how, as time passed, God’s people got more and more details about God’s big promise to send a Savior to rescue everyone. His promise got clearer and clearer.

“Way back in the beginning of God’s Story, when the first people broke their relationship with God, God promised to fix it. Then, later in God’s Story, God promised Abraham that the world would be blessed by his family. Later in God’s Story, God promised King David that one of his descendants would be King forever. Then in God’s Story, God promised, through the prophet Isaiah, that the Savior would pay for our sins. As time went on, God’s promise of a Savior got clearer and clearer. Then, God kept His big promise. He sent Jesus. We could see our hope! That’s what we celebrate at Christmas! All through the Bible, we see that God always keeps His promises. [Bottom Line] We can have hope because God keeps His promises.

“What promises of God do you have hope in?” (Invite kids to share. If the kids are having trouble remembering the promises God has made to them, remind them that God has promised to love us, to be with us, to forgive us, to give us strength and courage, to take care of us, etc.)

Optional Discussion Questions for Older Kids
If you lead 4th, 5th, or 6th graders, consider asking these discussion questions:
· God’s people waited a long time for a Savior to rescue them. What do you think kept God’s people watching for a Savior all those years? How would you have felt?
· What’s one of God’s promises that you have a hard time feeling is true?
· What are some ways you can help yourself remember that God will keep every single promise He has made to you?
· What would you say to a friend who struggles to have hope? How could you show them that [Bottom Line] we can have hope because God keeps His promises?

Option 1: What You Do:
· Greet the kids by name as they arrive. Let them know you’re grateful they’re there!
· If a kid brought an offering, show them the offering container. Thank them for their gift!
· As the kids arrive, steer the conversation toward their Thanksgiving celebrations (if you’re in the United States). Ask questions like:
o “How did you celebrate Thanksgiving?”
o “What did Thanksgiving remind you to be thankful for?”

2. Gratitude Garland
[Live for God | Application Activity]
Made to Create: an activity that explores ideas through the process of drawing, building, designing, and problem-solving

What You Need: “Garland Template” Activity Page, construction paper or cardstock, hole punches, yarn or twine, pencils, markers or colored pencils, and scissors

What You Do:
· Give each kid two template leaves, scissors, pencils, and markers or colored pencils.
· Encourage the kids to trace the templates on several different colors of paper and cut out the leaves. Show them how to trace a small circle inside the hole punch so they’ll know where to punch holes in their leaves.
· Then, have the kids punch holes in each leaf.
· Direct the kids to write something they are grateful for on each leaf they made.
· Ask older kids to help younger ones thread the twine or yarn through the holes in the leaves to make a garland.
· Tie knots between the leaves so that they won’t fall off the twine.
· Set the garland aside for kids to pick up when it’s time to go.

What You Say:
“You all thought of so many things that you’re grateful for! I can see that you know how to [Bottom Line] get in the habit of being grateful.

“Many of you shared what you were grateful for during Thanksgiving Dinner this week, and you got to hear what your friends or family members shared as well. What did someone else share that they were grateful for? (Invite answers.)

“We can learn from people around us how to [Bottom Line] get in the habit of being grateful. Our parents, grandparents, and other adult friends have learned how to be grateful over their whole lives and probably have a lot of advice to give us on how to keep up the habit.

[Make It Personal] (Share something that an older adult taught you about the habit of gratitude. Maybe they went through a tough time and are grateful for the lessons they learned; or they are grateful for a relationship that has grown over time; or they have possessions or other blessings that they are grateful for if they didn’t have them when they were younger.)

“These leaves look like Thanksgiving, but the garland looks like Christmas! Consider this the perfect decoration for your room, hallway, or some other place in your home between these holidays. Put it somewhere that you can see it often and remember to [Bottom Line] get in the habit of being grateful.”

Ms. Bobbi is bringing a Thanksgiving craft to do after singing and video.

Song and Dance
[Hear from God | Memory Verse Activity]
Made to Create: an activity that explores ideas through the process of drawing, building, designing, and problem-solving

What You Need: Bibles, music player or phone, upbeat music

What You Do:
· Read Psalm 136:1 out loud from the Bible.
· If you have mostly older kids, separate them into groups.
o Ask each group to create something to help remember this verse: a song, a poem, motions, or a dance.
o After 5-7 minutes, gather the groups together.
o Ask for volunteers who want to perform their verse for the group.
· If you have mostly younger kids, say the verse out loud together while dancing to the upbeat worship music. Continue as long as their attention holds.

What You Say:
“This verse reminds us that no matter what happens, we can [Bottom Line] celebrate what God has done. Because God has sent us Jesus, we are never alone, and that means that we always have a reason to be grateful to God.

“God has done many things for His people, like we talked about before. (If time allows, let kids share about the Bible stories they know where God took care of His people.) But the most important thing God did was send Jesus so that we could have a relationship with Him that lasts forever. We can always be grateful for that and [Bottom Line] celebrate what God has done!”

(If time allows, more dancing at this point would be fun! Try to connect dancing and celebration with worship through your song choices. Choose a worship song to dance and sing to. And join in! Dance around and be silly with the kids, especially if you have older ones. Embarrassing yourself a little bit is the quickest way to get them to join in.)