by Deborah Climer
Adapted from “The Young Peacemaker”
The activities suggested here are ones Silverton Friends used for Vaction Bible School. Your meeting is welcome to use these suggestions during Sunday school or as a VBS curriculum. Learn more information about “The Young Peacemaker” or order it here. The full curriculum is available in the NWYM office, for those close enough to come make copies.
Note also that the NWYM website has a number of MP3s of songs on each of the SPICE Friends testimonies (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality). Many of the ones by Bill Jolliff are particularly kid-friendly. You could weave them in to your lessons or play them at the beginning or end of class in the background. Listen to the music and choose which ones to use for your lesson at NWYM Music on the Testimonies.
Coloring pages to go with the Bible stories in each lesson are available in the PDF version of the “Activities for Children” at the bottom of this page, or in the Leader’s Handbook.
Optional ideas to go along with the following activities:
- Print out each week’s verse on mailing labels and have notebooks or bookmark-size sheets for the students to put them on each week.
- Put the “5 A’s of Confession” (see Week 3) and the “Promises of Forgiveness” (see Week 5) on larger mailing labels or stick-on name badges for kids to stick onto their craft projects. This works well for students with special needs or younger children who cannot yet write.
- Provide a folder for each child to keep their papers in for the month. They decorate the folder the first week and take it home the last week.
- Use the coloring sheets found at the end of this section that depict the Bible story for the week.
Week 1: Conflict starts in the heart
- Activity: Have the kids make puppets out of lunch sacks and put wiggly eyes and yarn hair on them. The children then use the puppets to act out the drama scenarios.
- Read the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-12, from the Bible or a book).
- Questions: How was Cain’s heart toward his brother? What did God say to him about his attitude/heart? What did Cain do? How did he feel after he killed Abel?
- Application: Have the kids think about times they have been angry, like Cain, for a not very good reason. Talk about what that felt like. Ask, “What can we do about it?” Think together about how God responded to Cain, granting him acceptance.
Week 2: Conflict is a slippery slope
- Activity: Have the children color the Slippery Slope picture as you talk.
- Find a picture for older children here.
- Use the picture at the end of this section for younger children, but use the information on the web page.
- It’s a slippery slope from the top of the “mountain,” which is “Work it Out.” It’s a dangerous fall either in the direction of “Escape” and “Attack.”
- Escaping entails running away, playing the blame game or denial.
- Attacking includes put-downs, gossip or fighting.
- Working it out can include overlooking the conflict, talking it out or getting help.
- Read the story of Daniel and his friends who refused to eat the king’s food (Daniel 1:1-21). Eat healthy snacks to go along with the story and discussed how Daniel dealt with the conflict as we looked at the slippery slope picture.
- Questions: Did Daniel Escape? Did Daniel attack? How did he resolve the conflict? What was the outcome?
- Application: Ask the kids for conflict situations they might encounter at school, at home, etc. Use the puppets you made last week (kept in folders) to act out different ways to resolve conflicts.
Week 3: 5 A’s of Confession
- Activity: Talk about what it means to confess something, then introduce the 5 A’s of Confession. Have the children decorate door hangers with stickers, including a sticker with the “5 A’s of Confession.”
- The 5 A’s of Confession:
- Admit what you did wrong.
- Apologize for how your choice affected the other person.
- Accept the consequences.
- Ask for forgiveness.
- Alter your choice in the future.
- Read about Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10).
- Questions: Did Zacchaeus use the “5 A’s”? How did he use them as he confessed to Jesus?
- Application: Discuss when we need to confess something. Ask for a scenario where someone might have to confess something, and have the kids role play or use their puppets to act out using the “5 A’s of Confession.”
Week 4: Respectful Communication
- Activity: Have the students make pictures or write out words on a sheet (see included sheet) expressing how they might act in four different ways to being asked to do a chore their parents asked them to do.
- If the children are young, have them draw pictures to show being cheerful, mad, etc. about doing the chore.
- Older children can write words in conversation bubbles next to the faces.
- Read about Abigail, Nabal and David (I Samuel 25).
- Questions: How did Nabal communicate to David? Was he respectful? How did Abigail communicate? Was she respectful? How did David respond to each of these people?
- Application: Discuss the different ways one might feel when asked to do something one doesn’t want to do. Talk about the validity of each of these feelings, and discuss ways to act respectfully even when feeling a negative emotion. Have the kids discuss why respect is important, and how respect and disrespect make others feel.
- If the group is enjoying the puppets, utilize the puppets again and have them act out scenes where they respond respectfully and disrespectfully in the same situation.
Week 5: The Freedom of Forgiveness
- Activity: Talk about the “4 Promises of Forgiveness,” and have the kids make a magnet out of a foam heart. They can use glitter glue, sequins, beads or foam stickers to decorate the heart.
- 4 Promises of Forgiveness:
- Good thought: “I promise I will think good thoughts about you and do good for you.”
- Hurt you not: “I promise I will not bring up this situation and use it against you.”
- Gossip never: “I promise I will not talk to others about what you did.”
- Friends forever: “I promise I will be friends with you again.”
- Read the story of Joseph forgiving his brothers (summarize the story, then read Genesis 45:1-15).
- Questions: How did Joseph show that he forgave his brothers? What did Joseph learn from his life?
- Application: Talk about times when the children have been asked to forgive someone. Did they feel like forgiving the other person? Talk about times when they’ve had to ask forgiveness. How did they ask forgiveness? How did they feel when they asked forgiveness? Have them practice using the “4 Promises of Forgiveness” with each other. (They can use their puppets if they want.)
(If you would like to continue this curriculum for an extra week you can wrap it up with a final week to review and reflect. See below.)
Week 6: Reflect
- Review what you’ve learned together over the last month.
- Have the children look through their folders and talk about each item, and help them remember the main point of each lesson.
- Read a children’s book on peacemaking or conflict resolution. A good one is “What does Peace Feel Like?” by V. Radunsky and children from around the world.
- Application: Talk about what peace feels like. The children can draw or write what they think peace feels like. Share these pages with the class.
