Bible activity for kids: Fruit of the Spirit vs Good Behavior

Bible study for kids: Fruit of the spirit vs Good behavior


Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to teach the children in our home group.  I asked God earlier what I should teach them and the word "behavior" popped to my mind. My children sure could benefit from God's teaching on good behavior.

I searched the Internet the next morning and came across a bible craft activity for good behavior. As I read the craft I sensed it was wrong because good behavior is not going to get us to heaven. Worse still the craft included a height chart to show how we measure up to God. This is crazy! This is on the net! I realized only much later that the craft activity was trying to show us how far we fall short from God's glory. The words they used were sure deceiving.

I decided to convert the height chart to a red cross cum height chart! Height chart for ice breaker before the real lesson on what Jesus did on the cross for us and about the holy spirit.

The children were very active and the ice breaker height chart didn't work out. Sigh.  I gave them each an empty green card to write down what were some of their friends' behavior that upset and bothered them at school. This was really interesting because I finally got their attention. I got to hear their difficulties with friends in school like some who ridiculed our God and they say their god is more powerful, getting smacked in school, being told lies, bullied etc. Even little Ethan wanted to share. I told them that all these sins have been nailed on Jesus on the cross 2000 years ago. And if all our sins are on the cross how does Father God see us now? Clean! And we should be so thankful to God.

They sure had fun nailing (with blu tack) all the sins on Jesus. I thought the red cross would do to symbolize Jesus and his blood shed for us but Nic volunteered to be Jesus and other kids stuck the green "sins" on him. What a sight! And then little Ethan followed suit, head flopped one side, eyes closed.

When Jesus rose from the dead, He sent us the holy spirit and I shared Nic's testimony of how he was prompted by the holy spirit to press B1 of the lift even though I told him not to and the lady in the lift was so thankful to Nic because she had forgotten to press any button. Their eyes opened wide and Steffi asked "Why is it that the Holy spirit only happens in your family?". I replied that we can hear God for the bible says we are his sheep and his sheep hears His voice.

I introduced to them the fruit of the spirit found in Galatians 5:22. We then had a little drawing activity. Using their thumb print as the heads of people in a story board, they were to show how they are transformed from without the holy spirit to with the holy spirit showing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control in real life situations.

Then, there was also the "transformer keys" that switches on the fruit of the spirit with the power of the holy spirit. The idea was that they could take back these keys (different colored paper key stating each fruit of the spirit held together with a real key chain) back to their homes and if their siblings were to behave badly we could remind them of the fruit of the spirit using the transformer keys. But the bottom-line was that they demonstrated the fruit of the spirit as a result from listening to the holy spirit.

I pray the bible study made a difference in their lives. I think I grew up just learning the 10 commandments and about "right doing" not really being able to understand in practical terms what was the consequence of jesus' death and victory in our lives. I pray they will hear from the holy spirit as a result from "being right' with God because of what Jesus has done in their lives. And that their lives would be transformed from inside out.