Kindness • Treating Others the Way I would want to be Treated
February 2021 • Week 3
Today's Bible story: One More Time (Go the Extra Mile) • Matthew 5:41
Monthly memory verse: You are God's chosen people. You are holy and dearly loved. So put on tender mercy and kindness as if they were your clothes. Don't be proud. Be gentle and patient. Colossians 3:12 (NIrV)
Life Application: Kindness-Showing others they are valuable by how you treat them
Suggested songs: Who I Am, Indescribable, Good Good Father
Praise & Pray: Sing along with the provided worship videos and pray. Access songs here
What you might pray: "Dear God, thank you for showing me unexpected kindness. You show me kindness everyday by providing for our needs, giving grace, forgiveness, and through salvation. Please help me to understand why I should also show unexpected kindness to others. In Jesus' name I pray, amen."
Read God's Word together: Matthew 5:41 (Need a kid-friendly Bible? Check out our suggestions.)
Family Devotional & Discussion
What you do: Watch the complementary video together as a family and discuss today's question.
What you discuss: "Jesus said, "If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles." (Matthew 5:41) It is easy to do the very least that we are asked to do, but what God wants us to do is to go above and beyond what we are expected to do as a way to show kindness. Have you ever received unexpected kindness?"
Bible Story Review
What you need: Bible
What you do: Hand out Bibles and ask kids / family members to open and read Matthew 5:41 together.
- Guide kids / family members to imagine they are part of the crowd sitting on the mountainside listening to Jesus speak. Jesus says, "If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles."
- What did that mean to the people listening to Jesus on the mountainside? (If necessary, remind kids the people on the mountainside had to obey the laws of Rome, including the law that any Roman soldier could force a Jewish person to carry his pack for one mile.)
- How would you feel if you had to carry a Roman soldier's heavy pack?
- After walking a mile with a heavy pack, I would be ready to be done; I would want to set the pack done and walk away. However, imagine saying to a Roman soldier, "How about I carry this another mile for you?" Why would that be an example of unexpected kindness?
- Why is it unexpected when someone is kinder than they have to be?
- What about having basic manners, like saying "please" or holding a door open for someone? Is that being kinder than you have to be? Why or why not?
- Challenge kids to think of way they could be kinder than what is expected:
- Family and friends
- The annoying kid at school
- Your teacher or coach
Pray and Bless Your Family
What You Need: No supplies needed
What You Do: Ask for prayer requests.
- Encourage family members to think of the name of another family member or friend who they want to do a better job of showing kindness to.
- Allow the kids or family members to pray aloud if any choose.
- Close the group in prayer, asking God to help them [Bottom Line] be kind to your family and friends.
What You Might Pray:
"This week, you will have LOTS of chances to show kindness! But will you go the extra mile and [Bottom Line] be kinder than you have to be? Let's ask God to help us with that this week.
"Dear God, thank You for choosing to be kinder than You had to be by sending Your only Son, Jesus. This week, when we're tempted to just get by and do a little, help us remember how much You love us and to go the extra mile and do MORE to show kindness to the people around us. We love You, God. Pray for prayer requests. In Jesus' name we pray, amen."
Additional Activities
What you need: "Kindness Bingo Card" Activity Page (DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE), pencils, clipboard
What you do: Give each kid / family member a "Kindness Bingo Card", and a pencil
- Point out the blank line under each act of kindness on the bingo cards.
- Invite kids / family members to write their own names in the center of their card as their free space.
- When the game starts, direct the kids / family members to walk around and ask other kids / family members which act of kindness they've performed that week.
- If a child has performed that act of kindness the owner of the card can write down their peer's name in the correct blank.
- Explain that the winner is the first kid / family member to fill five spots in a row-either down, across, or diagonally.
- Instruct the kids / family members to yell "BINGO!" if they get five spots in a row.
- Play until someone yells "BINGO!"
What you say: "I LOVE bingo! And bonus, in this version of bingo, you learned several new ways you can spread a little kindness, too. [Transition] Sometimes when it comes to kindness, we do JUST enough instead of going above and beyond. Jesus said something kind of crazy about kindness in the Bible story today. Who knows what he said? (wait for responses). Jesus said, "If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles." What Jesus meant was that if someone asks you to do something you should show kindness by going the extra mile by helping even more than you were asked."
What you need: Bibles, "Megaphone" Activity Page (DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE), scissors, stapler, stickers, and markers, Clear tape (optional)
What you do: Pass out Bibles.
- Direct kids / family members to work together to look up Colossians 3:12.
- Invite a kid / family member to read the verse out loud while the rest of the group follows along.
- Pass out a "Megaphone" Activity Page.
- Point out the verse written in the center of the megaphone.
- Let the kids / family members decorate their megaphones with the markers and stickers.
- Instruct them to only decorate inside the dotted lines.
- Explain to the kids / family members that the megaphone templates will be rolled up and the edges will overlap, so they may not want to decorate all the way to the edge on one side.
- Encourage the kids / family members to cut along the dotted lines and roll up the cardstock to create a megaphone.
- Help the kids / family members to use the stapler to staple the overlapping edges.
- Optional: Show the kids how to fold in the edges of a strip of cardstock (leftover from what they cut out) and tape it to the back of the megaphone to create a handle.
- Lead the kids to chant the monthly memory Bible verse through their megaphones a few times.
- Monthly Memory Verse: You are God's chosen people. You are holy and dearly loved. So put on tender mercy and kindness as if they were your clothes. Don't be proud. Be gentle and patient. Colossians 3:12 (NIrV)
- To keep interest high, select different volume levels each time the kids say the verse:
- Loud-shouting
- Soft-quiet as a mouse
- Medium-regular speaking voice
What you say: "Just like you put on a new set of clothes each day, God wants us to put on kindness every day. Why? Because we are dearly loved by Him! So, like this verse says, let's not be proud this week. Let's be gentle and patient. And just like Jesus went the extra mile for us because He loves us so much, let's put on kindness and go the extra mile for others. [Bottom Line] Be kinder than you have to be."
