Fairground Games - Buzzer
AGE: Primary |
THEME: Fairground Games: Buzzer |
AIM: |
| To think about life as a journey with decisions to be made along the way. To explore whether having God in our lives can make the journey and the decisions we have to make easier and more satisfying. |
PREPARATION: |
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INTRODUCTION: |
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Encourage children to come and have a go at the game. Can they share hints with each other and those who aren't taking part? What are the easiest bits? Is there anything they can try that makes the harder bits easier? How does it feel when the buzzer goes? Are we scared? Anxious? Embarrassed? What else makes us feel these same things? How does it feel when we get caught doing something we know is wrong? The buzzer on the game is a bit like our conscience, buzzing, or reminding us each time we do something we know we shouldn't do. To avoid feeling guilty then, we need to do the right thing. But, how do we know what is right? Well there are some clues in the Bible. Look at the rules given as the Ten Commandments. Many of these rules seem to make sense and are easy to understand, although they are not always so easy to follow! Try and think of a time when you got jealous because you wanted something someone else had, or the last time you were rude or naughty to your mum or dad. The rules give us an idea of how to live a good life, but that doesn't mean it is easy to do so. Read the words of the song 'The Journey of Life'. Our life is like a journey, travelling to new places and new experiences, making decisions about where to go and what to do, but the song reminds us that God is with us on our journey and as we learn about him and learn from what he taught, we hope our journey may be an easier one to face and that fewer of our decisions will set off the buzzer of our conscience. |
DEVELOPMENT: |
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Tell the story of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10. Re-create the lines of the buzzer game on a piece of paper. Can the children make links between events in the story and the game? Where would the buzzer be most likely to go off? Which parts of the story would make someone's conscience prickle? At what points did people make bad decisions? How could we represent the part of the story where the injured man was helped? Encourage the children to think about why the man who helped acted as he did. Identify characteristics the man had that they feel are positive. Make a list of good decisions the children think they can and do make in their lives. How do you feel when you are about to play a tricky game like the buzzer game? Excited, nervous, stressed? Do you enjoy games like that or would you prefer to just walk away? The journey that is our life has times like this. There are curvy tricky bits that we sometimes wish we could walk away from, times when we feel uncomfortable, nervous or scared. (You might like to discuss what some of these situations might be.) We hope that by believing in God these times are fewer and less challenging, but we would be wrong to believe that it will all be plain sailing! Tell the story of Daniel in the lion's den from Daniel 6. Daniel could have given in and prayed to the King instead of God. He could have walked away from the challenge, from the tricky part of the buzzer game, but his faith in God kept him feeling safe and confident. We may not be thrown in a den of lions, but by learning about God and what he teaches, maybe our big decisions and challenges will feel a little less scary too. |
REFLECTION: |
| Think about a time recently when you felt guilty about something. Can you think of what you could have done that would have been a better decision? Think of another thing you have done that has made you feel proud. Which is the better memory? Is there anything you can try and do to get more good memories? On our journey of life we are faced with many decisions. Try to think of a decision or challenge that is facing you. What can you do to try and make your journey easier? Remember the promise in the song, that 'Christ is my Lord and he's given me his word that by my side he'll stay'. Try and feel stronger because of that promise. Consider listening to the song 'Proud' by Heather Small to encourage reflection, or for entrance / exit times. |
PRAYER: |
| Give us strength Lord, to face the challenges that meet us on our journey of life. We know we will make some bad decisions, help us to hear the warning buzzer when we do, and to change our direction so that our journey is smoother and the buzzer stops. Thank you that you are always with us, supporting, caring and loving us. Amen. |
SONGS / MUSIC: |
| 'Would you walk by?' No.70, The Complete Come and Praise, BBC. 'The Journey of Life' No.45, The Complete Come and Praise, BBC. |
FURTHER IDEAS TO DEVELOP: |
| Links to work on rights, respect and responsibilities - cause and consequence of our actions and behaviour. |