Story Idea: Act it out!

- Place an offering bowl at the front of the room

- Ask 3 kids to volounteer and help

- Dress two kids as rich people using crowns, robes, jewelry etc. from the dress up box, and dress the third helper as a poor person with just a robe

- Give the rich people lots of coins each and the poor person only two coins (plastic money in Kids Church Cupboard)

Tell the story and have the kids act it out, covering the following main points:

- Jesus was sitting in the temple (like a church)

- He was sitting near the offering bowl, where people gave money to God and the church as an offering

- There were rich people who had LOTS of money, they came and put a lot of money in the bowl, but still kept a lot for themselves

- One very poor lady came, and she had only two coins!

- She put both of her coins in the offering and kept nothing for herself!

- Jesus explained to his disciples that even though the rich people had put more money in the bowl, the poor lady had given more because she had given everything she had!

- Everything we have comes from God, and He wants us to use it wisely to help people follow Him, not keep it all for ourselves!

Quiz Questions:

1. Who put more coins in the bowl?

The rich people

2. Who did Jesus say had given more?

The poor person

3. Why had the poor person given more?

Because that was all they had

4. Who gave us everything we have?

God

5. Does God want us to be giving with what we have or keep it all to ourselves?

Be giving

6. What does God want us to use our money and things for?

Helping others know Him

Game Idea: Money Throw

- Use the plastic coins from the cupboard

- Split the group into teams and give each team a bowl

- Have each team line up behind a marker a little way back from the ball

- Give each child a few coins and have the first child in the line try to throw a coin into their bowl, before allowing the next in line to have a go and so on

- The team with the most coins in their bowl wins!

Remind the kids that the poor lady was very generous and gave all the she had! God wants us to be generous and not greedy with what we have!

Craft Idea: Widows Purse

- Download and print the widows purse and coin cutout templates (preferably on cardboard for rigidity)

- Cut out the shapes - one purse and two coins per child

- Have the kids cover their coin shapes in pieces of alfoil to make them silver, glue them onto their purse and bend a pipe cleaner to make a handle then attach it to the back of the purse

- Kids who finish quickly can colour in their purse or decorate it by adding ribbons etc.

Remind the kids that the widow was generous with all that she had instead of keeping it all to herself!

Prayer Idea: Prayer Dice

- Use the prayer dice from the cupboard with the 'thank-you' inserts

- Have the kids sit in a circle and each roll the dice, praying to thank God for the thing that shows on top of the dice

Remind the kids that everything we have comes from God and we should be generous with all we have!