Explore and respond
Activities marked with an asterisk 
next to the activity title are in addition to the resources in the Ready to go sessions. Suggested timings for these activities are also shown. NB The inclusion of additional activities varies from week to week.
VERY YOUNG CHILDREN
Light basket
Play and wonder about Jesus the light
Create a treasure basket with torches, battery-operated tealights, shiny fabric, mirrors and reflective foil. Encourage the children to explore the objects, reminding them that Jesus is the light of the world.
Make a light catcher
Create a reminder to trust in Jesus
Cut out circles of coloured paper and invite the children to use paint brushes to paint them with vegetable oil. Allow the oil to dry and fix the catchers to a window to let the light shine through.
Beanbag toss 10 mins E
You will need: balls or beanbags, basket or bucket.
- Ask everyone to take turns at throwing a ball or beanbag into a basket or bucket – but they must be looking in the opposite direction. Now invite them to do it again, this time looking at where they are aiming.
- Ask: Which was easier? Talk about the importance of seeing things clearly.
FOR CHILDREN
Play a memory game W E
A reminder that Jesus said God’s love is for everyone
- Sit in a circle and ask the first person to say, ‘God loves everyone who…’ and add an attribute, e.g. ‘God loves everyone who is wearing red.’
- The next person should repeat what the first person said and add their own attribute, e.g. ‘God loves everyone who is wearing red and has a cat.’
- Keep the game going round the circle, adding to what needs to be remembered each time. Finish by emphasising that God loves and offers eternal life to everyone no matter who they are.
Make a Möbius strip E S
Explore the concept of eternity
You will need: strips of paper about 2cm x 10cm, pens, glue.
- Give each child a strip of paper and ask them to write part of the passage (e.g. John 3.16) across both sides. NB, The writing on one side needs to be done upside down.
- Help everyone to fold their paper strip into a ring, putting a half twist into it as they do it and glue it in place.
- The Möbius strip is an infinite shape which has no start or end – if you draw a line along it with a pencil, you will get back to exactly where you started. Encourage the children to play with it and think about what eternity means.
Sing
Songs from Same Boat Music.
Everybody Praise Him
Find more suggestions on the Hymns, songs & music page.
Talk together and talk to God
Use these questions to discuss the Bible passage and then bring your thoughts together by praying to God.
Talk together
- How does darkness make you feel? How does it feel when light comes into that darkness?
- In what ways did Jesus’ words make Nicodemus feel brighter?
- How can we share God’s light with others?
Talk to God: Say sorry to God E S
Ask for and be assured of God’s forgiveness
You will need: candle, lighter, snuffer.
- Light a candle – ensuring safety. Invite the children to come up one at a time, think of something they want to say sorry for, and extinguish the candle with a snuffer, saying the words, ‘I am sorry.’
- After each child’s turn, relight the candle and say, ‘God says, “I forgive you”.’
Eternity slogans 10 mins E A
Design a poster promoting reducing and reusing
You will need: pens and paper.
- Talk about how the lives we live are often the opposite of eternal: things are disposable and we throw them away.
- Come up with ideas for ‘eternity’ slogans that encourage people to reduce and reuse what they have instead of throwing it away. For example, ‘Upcycle: make things last an eternity,’ or ‘Plastic waste lasts an eternity: cut it out’.
- Provide materials for everyone to make a poster of their slogan – these can be displayed somewhere in the church or community. Consider ways the slogans could also be shared with the congregation, e.g. in church magazines or on social media.
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Obstacle course 10 mins E
Experience how difficult it can be to trust
You will need: cups filled with sand or water, a blindfold.
- Place a large number of full cups in rows along your space. Invite one young person to be blindfolded and ask for a volunteer to guide them round the cups, just using verbal instructions, e.g. take one step to the right.
- Swap roles and allow everyone to have a turn (you may need to refill some cups if they’ve been spilt!). Afterwards, discuss together how difficult it was to trust. Ask whether looking to Jesus can make negotiating the obstacles of life easier.
Who or what do we look up to? 10 mins W E S
Consider why we put our trust in them
You will need: magazines, newspapers, glue, scissors, large sheet of paper, pens.
- Invite the young people to make a collage of people and things they look up to.
- Ask the group to write the qualities they admire in what they have chosen around the edge. Discuss together: How long do you think you will admire these people/things? Do we trust in them, and if so, why?
Our broken world 10 mins W E A
Explore our responsibility to make sure our world lasts
You will need: spoken word clip.
- Play the clip.
- Then, in small groups, consider the following questions: How do you think God feels about what we are doing to the world? Do we believe our world will last if we don’t make any changes about our behaviour? What practical things can you do as individuals and as a group to help look after the beautiful world that God created? Pray about these things as a group.
Check-in: Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues
Looking to the light 10 mins E S
Think about what we need to trust Jesus with
You will need: large candle, tealights.
- Sit in a circle with a lighted candle in the centre and read the Bible passage from The Message (see biblegateway.com).
- Invite the group to think about what it means to trust Jesus and to embrace the eternal life he offers us. What do we need to trust Jesus with more? Invite everyone to light a small tealight from the candle as a symbol of trusting God.