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
Growing rhythm
Explore growth in difficult times
Stand together and invite everyone to curl up in a small ball. Bang a drum or clap a rhythm and encourage the children to slowly reach up and grow tall as you do. Repeat this saying: 'Even in the difficult times God is with us and we can grow with him'.
Rich soil
Make a symbol of growing with God
Provide small plant pots, soil and bulbs. Half fill the pot, add the bulb and then hide the bulb away in the soil. As you do, talk about how the bulb, hidden away in the dark soil, will be growing until it is ready to poke through and flower.
FOR CHILDREN
Joy jars E S
Create a bank of positive memories, photos or verses
You will need: empty jam jars, coloured tissue paper, glue, coloured pens, small pieces of paper.
- Make ‘joy jars’ by gluing tissue paper to the outside of a jar and decorating it. Invite the children to write or draw things that give them joy in difficult times, e.g. things they have enjoyed, memories, verses. Add these to the jar. They could also add photos when they take their jar home.
- The children can take out their memories and look at them when things are difficult.
Sing
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
- Can you think of a time recently when you were kind and tried to help others?
- Have there been times when you have needed God’s help because things were difficult?
- How could you support your friends if they had a disagreement?
Talk to God: It’s good to share E S
Bring difficult things to God in prayer
You will need: coloured paper with a speech bubble drawn on for each child, pens.
- Encourage the children to reflect on the things they find difficult and then write them in the bubble. They can then fold their paper in half so that no one can see them.
- Invite the children to spend some time in quiet prayer or reflection. The leader should pray in general for the things written and unknown. The children can take their paper home and continue to talk with God and people they trust about difficult times.
Scratch art S
Make a symbol of good things coming out of darkness
You will need: A5 scratch art cards, or make your own ahead of time, toothpicks or similar.
- Invite the children to write their name on their scratch art card. The beautiful colours will shine through the dark. Talk about God’s promise to give good things in difficult times.
Missing word quiz 5 mins W
Recall the blessings that God gives
- Form two teams. Ask everyone to crouch down. Read out the Beatitudes, missing out the word in the bracket (see below). The first person to jump up can answer. If correct, their team wins one point; if not, offer it to the other team.
Blessed are those who realise how much they need God’s help, for the kingdom of (heaven) belongs to them.
Blessed are those who are sad because of a death, for they will be (comforted)
Blessed are the (gentle) and humble, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and (thirst) for goodness and justice, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive (mercy)
Blessed are the pure in (heart), for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called (children) of God.
Blessed are those who are made to suffer for the sake of goodness, for the kingdom of (heaven) belongs to them.
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Be…attitude 10 mins W E
Discuss how we can grow when things are difficult
You will need: bowl, prepared paper tokens (see for Unfair questions game instructions below).
- Play the Unfair questions game. Afterwards, ask the young people on a scale of 1-10 how frustrating was it when the team got more points than you?
- Life isn’t always fair, sometimes it can be very hard. Discuss: How can living out the beatitudes help us grow as individuals?
Unfair questions game instructions
- In a bowl put pieces of paper with the numbers 1-10 written on them plus a strip of paper that says -5 (minus five).
- Divide the group into teams and then take it in turns to ask them trivia questions (examples).
- When a team gets a right answer, a member come up, closes their eyes, and takes out a score from the bowl. That number is either added onto their score or, in the case of the -5, taken away. That means that two teams getting the same number of answers right could end up with different scores.
- Play a set number of rounds and then add the scores up.
Easy or hard? 10 mins W E
Explore living out values in darker times
You will need: information that you can briefly share about inspirational people,
e.g. Nelson Mandela, Gordon Wilson, Desmond Tutu, Corrie Ten Boom.
- Ask for examples of inspirational people. How did these people live out the Beatitudes even when it was tough? Share an example that will resonate with the group.
- Invite the young people to think about their lives and list places/times it might be easy to live out the Beatitudes and places/times when it is tough. Ask: What might the inspirational person advise in these tough times?
Light in darkness 5 mins W S
Thank God for blessings in dark times
You will need: pots of fluorescent paint, labels, black card.
- Label the paint pots with the Beatitudes verses on them and display these. Give each young person a square of black card.
- Ask everyone to paint the words of their favourite beatitude onto their card as a reminder that, even during dark times, walking with God is a blessing. Offer these thoughts in prayer.
Play ‘Walk Humbly’ (video; chords), Trent, on Unfailing Love during this activity.
Check-in: Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues
Big picture 10 mins W E S
A collage celebrating the beauty of the Beatitudes
You will need: cardboard and art supplies.
- Place a big piece of cardboard on the ground. Give everyone a different beatitude and ask them to create something on the cardboard that represents their assigned Beatitude.
- Explain how the beatitudes, taken together, show how God wants us to live. What are those principles? Micah 6.8 is worth reading at this point.