Hobbies And Interests
Dressed For Church Paper Dolls
There are two variations of this activity. You can either print paper dolls forms, and appropriate outfits off the internet, or cut out a paper doll chain for children to color outfits on. In either case, have the children color outfits to dress the dolls for church. Discuss the reason that people traditionally dress up for church and how this is related to respecting the church and its position.
Simon Says: Have Manners
Play a game of good old fashioned Simon says, only instead of having kids jump up and down on one foot or hold their arms up in the air, give commands that help them use manners in church. For example, Simon says whisper to your neighbor. Simon says use the words please and thank you when asking for a hymnal, Simon says walk quietly to the bathroom, etc.
Role Playing
Have children act out acts of respect and disrespect using prepared skits. Then have class members explain what was happening in the scene and what type of behavior it demonstrated. For example, after a skit in which two friends are giggling and texting on their cell phones during a sermon, a child watching the skit might say ̶0;They were not being respectful to God, or the minister. They did not give the minister respect because they were not listening to his message, and they did not give God respect because they were showing that they were not interested in learning about him.̶1; Make sure you have a nice mixture of positive and negative examples.
Respect Memory Game
Make index cards that show works of the church and acts of respect. Put words that correspond with them on another set of index cards. For example, you might use a picture of someone putting money in a collection plate and the words, ̶0;tithing̶1; or ̶0;giving back to God.̶1; Then let kids play a game of memory where they match words and pictures. Have a discussion as each successful match is made about how that act or work of the church demonstrates respect.