Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Cause and Effect
Materials: no materials needed
Inform the kids that you will tell them a scenario and give them the opportunity to describe what could happen next. With every scenario, help the kids see the relationship between a cause and its effect. Afterward, tell them that in today’s lesson, they will learn about Nabal, who experienced negative results because of his poor decisions. Say the Life Point together.
Possible scenarios: Your friend needs help in school, but you refuse to help him.; Your dad instructs you to help him work in the yard, and you obey with a good attitude.; Your brother wants to play with you, but you yell at him.; Your teacher tells you to stop talking during class, but you continue to do so.
Live It Out
Game – Emotional Charades
Materials: slips of paper, scissors, pen, cup
Before class, cut multiple slips of paper. Write down emotions that are revealed during today’s lesson. Place the pieces of paper into a cup. In class, ask volunteers to pick a slip of paper out of the cup and act out the emotion without talking. Once the emotion is guessed, have the children name the person in the Bible story who expressed that emotion. Allow multiple volunteers to participate. Write the Weekly Verse on the board and say it together.
Possible emotions to write on the slips of paper: anger; pride; fear; excitement; sadness; happiness
Craft – Different Choices
Materials: paper, colored pencils
Give every child a piece of paper and some colored pencils. Direct the children to turn their paper sideways and to write the Life Point across the top of the page. Instruct them to draw a vertical line down the middle of the page. Tell them to draw and color Nabal’s interaction with David’s men on the left side of the page and Abigail’s interaction with David and his men on the right side of the page. Afterward, ask a volunteer to explain the differences in outcomes based on their responses to David’s men.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Maze of Choices
Materials: paper, pencil
Give each child a piece of paper and a pencil. Instruct them to draw a large box and create a maze inside of the box. Direct the kids to give their maze to someone else for them to solve. Afterward, explain how, just like they had to make decisions on which way to go when they solved the maze, they must make choices on how to treat people when they go throughout their day. Tell them that the Weekly Verse is a good guideline to help them know how to treat people. Write the Weekly Verse on the board and say it together.
Live It Out
Game – Matching Game
Materials: index cards, pen
Write down events from today’s lesson on the index cards, one per card. Make two sets of cards. Form two teams of kids. Lay the cards on the floor in a grid. Tell the teams they will take turns turning over two cards to find a match. If they get a match, they can keep them. They must turn the card back over if they don’t find a match. The team that finds the most matches is the winner!
Craft – Choices Door Hangar
Materials: construction paper, scissors, markers
Give each child a piece of construction paper and ensure everyone can access scissors and markers. Tell the children to turn their paper sideways and cut it in half vertically. Direct them to take one half of the paper and cut out a circle the size of a doorknob at the top. Instruct them to write the Weekly Verse on both sides of the door hanger and decorate it. Encourage the kids to hang this on their doorknobs at home to remind them to treat their family members with kindness.