Free Bible School Materials

Matthew 19:29

Thursday:	Matthew 19:29
Bible Lesson:	The Rich Young Man: Throw Off Things That Entangle
Memory Verse:	And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29

Introduction: Rationale

Hold up a posterboard with the verse written on it, and have the children read it as a group.

This verse comes from the book of Matthew. Jesus was talking to his disciples about the rewards that people will receive who followed Jesus. He's talking about the prize we can win for running the race, following Jesus with our lives.

Explanation: Matthew 19:29

Does the verse mean that Jesus asks everyone to leave your house or your family? (No.) It's talking about whatever sacrifices you have to make for Jesus. Leaving your house or your family is an example – something some people might have to do, for Jesus. Can anyone tell me something you might do for Jesus that would mean you would have to leave your house or your family? (e.g., Going to Africa as a missionary.) Is that what everyone has to do? (No.) But some people do that — and everyone who follows Jesus will have to make some sacrifices, do some things that other people would think you wouldn't want to do. When you follow Jesus, that becomes the most important thing in your life, and sometimes you have to give up other things so that you can be a better Christian for Jesus. Jesus says in this verse that when you give things up to follow him, you will receive eternal life and a reward in heaven — a hundred times as much as you gave up.

Game: Learning the Verse

Hand out 3x5 cards with one word of the verse written on each. (You can divide into groups if there are too many children for the number of words in the verse — have more than one set of cards ready if attendance is running that high.) Stand (each group) in a big circle. Have each child hold their card facing themselves, so only they can see their word. Then go through the verse, everyone saying it together, and for each word, the person with that card turns their card around for the group to see, until all the cards are turned around. Shuffle and repeat as necessary until the children all know the verse cold or you run out of time.

Announcement: Verse Points

Tomorrow, when you come to Bible School, if you can say your memory verse without looking, you can earn points for your team's score. Each person who can say the verse can earn 200 points. So, if you want to help your team win more points, go home and practice your verse a few times. Don't forget the reference! On your way out the door tonight, you will be given a slip of paper with your verse on it. Don't lose it, because if you learn your verse, your team gets 200 more points!

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

1 Thessalonians 2:13

Wednesday:	1^st Thessalonians 2:13
Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Book: We should study God's word and apply it to our lives.
Memory Verse:	When you received the word of God... you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 1^st Thessalonians 2:13

Introduction: Rationale

Hold up a posterboard with the verse written on it, and have the children read it as a group.

Someone tell me why we should memorize this verse? (Accept answers from the children. Example: because it's from the Bible.) This verse is from the New Testament, and was written by the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church at Thessalonika. Paul is talking about how the Bible is God's word, and how it is important for our lives.

Explanation: 1^st Thessalonians 2:13

What does it mean to receive something? (That means somebody gives it to you, so then you have it.) So what is the word of God, that you received? (It's the Bible.) So the Christians at Thessalonica had the Bible, just like we do. What does the verse say next? It says they accepted it. That means they knew it was true. How did they know that? Because, like the next part of the verse says, the Bible is not the word of men — it wasn't just made up by people. The Bible is God's word. The Thessalonians knew that Paul was writing what God wanted him to write, so they accepted the Bible as God's word.

What does it mean for God's word to be at work in someone? (It means it changes the way they think and act.) Should we let just anything, or just anyone, change the way we think and act? No. But this is God's word, and God knows how we need to think and act. So if we believe in God, then his word needs to be at work in our lives — it needs to change us, to make us more like Jesus, more like God wants us to be.

Of course, the Bible can only change us, if we actually read and study the Bible. That's why we learn memory verses at Bible School, and that's also one reason we come to church.

Game: Arrange into Order

Read the big card together several times, then turn it around.

Divide the children into groups of three or four (all from the same team in each group), and give each group a baggie containing all the words in the verse on separate pieces of paper. Have the children arrange the words into the proper order, to make the verse. Some groups may need a little help. Have each group stand up and read their verse through together when they think they have it in order. If it's not right, tell them which words are in the wrong place, and let them keep trying. Award points for their team to the first groups that finish. When all the groups have finished, have all the children say the verse together without looking.

Announcement: Verse Points

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Tuesday:	1^st Corinthians 15:58
Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God Expects Faithfulness
Memory Verse:	Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1^st Corinthians 15:58

Introduction: Rationale

Hold up the posterboard with the verse written on it and have the children read it as a group.

Someone tell me why we should memorize this verse? (Accept answers from the children. Example: because it's from the Bible.) This verse is from the New Testament, and was written by the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church at Corinth. Paul is talking about how we need to be faithful to God.

Explanation: 1^st Corinthians 15:58

Who are Paul's dear brothers? (Christians.) He was writing to the church in Corinth, but his advice is good for all Christians everywhere. What does Paul mean, when he says, stand firm? The rest of the verse explains it more: Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. Does that mean we shouldn't ever let our feet move from the floor? (No.) It means we shouldn't let things pull us away from the work of the Lord. What is the work of the Lord? (Accept some answers from the children: e.g., studying the Bible, telling others about Jesus, missions, ...) Why shouldn't we let anything move us away from God's work? Look at the verse: it says, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. What does that mean? What's labor? (Work.) So your labor in the Lord is when you do God's work. So when you do God's work, that's not in vain. That means it's not for nothing – it's for a purpose. What's the purpose for doing God's work? Why do we do it? (To please God.)

Game: Divide and Conquer

Pick volunteers to hold up the signs for each part of the verse:

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.
Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58

Line up the sign-holders across the front, so that everyone can see all five parts of the verse. Have everyone read the verse together as a group, off the signs, once. Now, concentrate on the first part: have everyone read the first card several times, until they can say it with the card turned around. Now, add in the second card, saying the first part from memory and reading the second part, until you can turn the second part around also. Continue with each part until the children can say the whole verse from memory. Say it several times that way for good measure.

Announcement: Verse Points

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

1 John 2:3

Monday:	1^st John 2:3
Bible Lesson:	David and the Lord's Anointed: Jesus should be lord and master of our lives.
Memory Verse:	We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 1^st John 2:3

Introduction: Rationale

Hold up a posterboard with the verse written on it, and have the children read it as a group.

Someone tell me why we should memorize this verse? (Accept answers from the children. Example: because it's from the Bible.) This verse is from the New Testament, and was written by John, one of Jesus' twelve disciples. John is talking about how we can know that we know God.

Explanation: 1^st John 2:3

Who is the him that we have come to know in this verse? (Jesus — see verses 1-2.) What does it mean to come to know Jesus? Verses 1 and 2 are talking about how Jesus paid for our sins, and how he sticks up for us and says we can go to heaven, even if we have sinned. If we have come to know him, that means we believe in and follow Jesus, and he sticks up for us. Does he stick up for just anybody? (No, only the people he knows.) So it's important to know him. We can know that we know him – and that he knows us – if we obey his commands, like the verse says.

Game: Covered Words

Cover up one word on the poster at a time, starting with small, unimportant words, and have the children read the verse as a group each time, inserting the missing words. Keep covering up words until the whole verse is covered up and the children can say the whole verse.

Announcement: Verse Points

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

Dress-Up Relay

Friday:	Dress-Up Relay
Elementary Bible Lesson:	The Finish Line: Heaven (John on Patmos)
Memory Verse:	2^nd Timothy 4:7-8
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Throw Your Net on the Other Side

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Equipment Needed:

starting and finish lines (rope is good)
clothing: two of each item, one for each team (see ideas below)

Instructions:

Divide the children into their red and blue teams. Line each team up behind the starting line. When the whistle is blown, the first person on each team must don all the garments and things, run down to the relay line and back, and take off all the stuff so that the second person can do the same things, and so on, down the line, until the whole team has gone.

Variations:

For preschool, use significantly fewer items than for the older groups, and they may need help getting them on. If there's time left over, you can just let them play dress-up with the oversize clothing.

For teens, use more clothes and make them bigger, floppier, and more outlandish. Add more accessories that they must carry, and put extra weight inside the items (e.g., in the backpacks and purses and belly pouches), to make them more awkward.

Clothing Ideas:

ties
belts
oversize shirts
jackets
enormous pants
hats and/or helmets
gloves and/or mittens
old clodhoppers, or floppy clown shoes
handkerchiefs or bandannas
purses
backpacks or satchels
water bottles
belt clips for: cell phone, keys, et cetera
eye patches
whistles (on lanyards)
Bibles
over-robes
winter coats, ski masks, etc.
snow pants
umbrellas (which must be carried open)
sweaters
oversized tube socks or tights
leg warmers
clip-on earrings
sports pads (knee pads, elbow pads, etc)
belly pouch / fanny pack
water wings or other inflatable accessories
swimming goggles, safety glasses, and/or sunglasses
medical mask or gas mask

Sand Relay

Thursday:	Sand Relay
Elementary Bible Lesson:	The Rich Young Man: Throw off Things that Entangle
Memory Verse:	Matthew 19:29
Preschool Bible Lesson:	The Paralytic Man

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Equipment Needed:

sand
buckets

Instructions:

Divide the children into their red and blue teams. Stand each team in a straight line. Place a bucket full of sand at one end of each line and an empty bucket at the other end. The person next to the starting bucket begins on the whistle-blow by picking up handfuls of sand and passing them to the next person, who passes the sand to the next person, and so on down the line. At the end of the line, the last person puts it in the finish bucket. The team that gets the most sand into their bucket (or fills it fastest) wins.

If you have time to play again, dump the sand back into the starting buckets, and send the person from the end of the line to the front of the line.

Variations:

Preschool: Play as one team, or make sand castles in a wading pool of sand.

Teens: The beginning sand bucket may be moved away from the starting line, so that the first person in line must make round trips to collect the sand, or you can have them stand farther apart so that they each must carry the sand a short distance to the next person.

Obstacle Course

Wednesday:	Obstacle Course
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Book: We should study God's word and apply it to our lives.
Memory Verse:	1^st Thessalonians 2:13
Preschool Bible Lesson:	Josiah and the Bible

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Equipment Needed:

This depends on exactly what obstacles you intend to implement, but in general most of it will be stuff you already have or can borrow. Plan ahead.

Basic Instructions:

Have the obstacles positioned all over the back yard. (Creativity counts on this one – the more different obstacles you can arrange, the better.)

Explain the course order to the children. Have one person demonstrate for everyone to watch the proper running of the course. Then divide the children into several even teams (4-5 teams, however many you can do while dividing the children more-or-less evenly). Send the first person from each team when you blow the whistle; when they return, they tag the next person on their team, who then runs, and so on, until everyone has run the obstacle course. If one team is a person short, someone runs twice. Whichever team finishes first wins. Play again as time allows.

Depending on the obstacles you use, you may need extra helpers to reset some of the obstacles to their original state after each person passes through.

Variations:

For preschool, skip the teams and have all the children follow you and run the course together. If necessary, simplify the harder parts of the course, or have a helper help the children past hard parts. Once you have run it all together, run it again, or let them run the course on their own like a playground.

For teens or small groups, dispense with the teams and run each person individually, and time them. Fastest time wins. As time permits, they may try again to improve their time, or you can rearrange the course a bit to make it more interesting. Play until time expires, then stop.

Suggested Obstacles

crawl under a table
belly-crawl under something even shorter, such as a rope
jump over (or limbo under) a rope strung between two stakes (or a broom set across two chairs)
crawl through suspended hula hoops
step through tires or horizontal hoops or rings
run around the tree three times
crawl through a tunnel made from sheets on a framework of hoops
crawl under, over, or through a set of chairs
jump over or slog through a wading pool (barefoot, by preference)
crawl through a wading pool full of sand (possibly right after the water one)
a jump-rope that they have to stop and use a certain number of times
kick a ball between stakes/cones/whatever, into a goal
weave back and forth around stakes/cones/whatever
fill a cup with water from one bucket and carry it to another bucket
fill a cup with water using a sponge and a bucket of water (without picking up the cup)
get a marble out of the bottom of a bucket of ice water
find an object buried in a bucket of sand
throw a ball through a hoop or a bean bag into a goal or cetera
drop a clothespin or other object into a jar or bucket
log roll between two ropes or lines
hop on one foot, or with both feet in a sack
say the memory verse while standing on one leg on a certain object. (Have copies of the verse available for those who haven't learned it yet.)
crawl under a large sheet, rug, or wet blanket
somersault, crabwalk, etc.
spin around ten times
carry a basket of something on one's head
slip-and-slide
stack blocks
pop a balloon with your bare hands

Water Relay

Tuesday:	Water Relay
Elementary Bible Lesson:	Daniel and the Satraps: God expects faithfulness
Memory Verse:	1^st Corinthians 15:58
Preschool Bible Lesson:	TBA

Age Groups:

elementary
preschool
teens

Equipment Needed:

plastic plates
two large buckets
two smaller buckets

Instructions:

Divide the children into their red and blue teams. Give each team a plastic plate. (Rubbermaid plates like the ones distributed with Mainstay dogfood in the eighties work nicely. Otherwise, styrofoam will do in a pinch but not paper.) Line each team up in a line behind the starting line. Give each team a large bucket full of water at the starting line. Place a smaller, empty bucket for each team at the finish line. (For teens, place the buckets farther apart than for the younger children.) When the whistle is blown, the first person on each team must carry water on the plate from the large bucket to the small bucket, then give the empty plate to the next person, and return to the back of the line. Repeat until bucket is full (if time allows); each person may go more than once. The first team to fill their small bucket wins. (Repeat the game only if time allows.) The game leaders should keep plenty of water in the large buckets, using the hose as necessary. Whichever team wins the most number of times (or gets their bucket fullest if time runs short) should be awarded fifty points.

Pre-school Version:

Shorten the distance between the buckets, use cups instead of plates, and play all as one team together.

Baton Relay

Monday:	Baton Relay
Bible Lesson:	David and the Lord's Annointed: Jesus should be Lord and Master of our lives.
Memory Verse:	1^st John 2:3

Age Groups:

elementary
teens

Equipment Needed:

baton objects (these can be basically anything)
marks for the starting line and relay line (e.g., rope or chalk line)

Instructions:

Divide the children into teams of four. Split each team of four into two groups of two. Place one group from each team at the starting line, and the other group from their team at the relay line. Give one person in the starting group from each team the baton for that team.

When the whistle is blown, the starting runner from each team must take the baton ring to the relay line and hand it off to the second runner there; the second runner must return the starting line and hand the baton ring off to the third runner, who must take it to the relay line and hand off to the fourth runner, who must carry the ring back to the starting line (which is also the finish line) to conclude the race.

Instruct the children to sit down after they have finished running their segment of the race (so that you will know who still has to run). Repeat as time permits, or until the children can no longer breathe.

Free Bible School Materials

Complete Themes

Almost Complete

Bits and Pieces

General Information

What's New

Matthew 19:29

1 Thessalonians 2:13

1 Corinthians 15:58

1 John 2:3

Dress-Up Relay

Sand Relay

Obstacle Course

Water Relay

Baton Relay