Sunday School Lessons, Bible Crafts and Activities for Children's Church

Getting kids to feel empathy for those less fortunate is often not easy, as empathy is considered an emotion that grows stronger with maturity. But it’s never too soon to provide Sunday school activities to help them stretch in that direction. This is one.

When choosing what company we will keep as Christians, we don’t want to visibly “reject” or hurt feelings. We want to build people up and not tear them down. So it’s important, if we’re deciding who’s best for us to keep company with, to have compassion. Compassion means we feel bad for people who act up, because we understand why they
do sometimes.

Some of the reasons kids act up are on these cards. Let’s take turns pulling cards and talking about them.

Have kids pull cards, which give some of the foremost reasons as to why kids can behave badly. Tell them to think of experiences they may have had that would go with the card they’re discussing. Try not to use names. The point is to discuss how they might view the person differently and how they might handle a situation that arises in the future.

Card #1: Kids often reflect how they have been made to feel.
Card #2: Kids will behave badly if they are not stopped.
Card #3: Kids will sometimes lie or cheat because they don’t feel good about themselves.
Card #4 Kids can watch people in movies, TV shows or cartoons without the guidance of Mom or Dad.

Think of one person from the scenarios discussed today. While not picking up his or her habits, make a vow to pray for that person every day this week.

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Use the game of Good Apple/Bad Apple in your youth Bible study lessons on Samson and Delilah. Your students may have heard of the expression “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch.” Do they understand what it means? It is a truism having to do with how apple bruises spread from the bruised apple to a good apple when the bruise touches the good apple. Consequently, the bruises grow and more apples get touched.

With kids, it’s come to mean that one bad kid in a crowd can turn everyone into people who misbehave. (Teacher words in bold.)

Today we’re going to play Good Apple/Bad Apple.
Mark off an area with masking tape that is around six feet by six feet. Pick two children to be the “bad apples.” Have them shut their eyes and stand inside that area. Tell the rest of the kids to run through that area after you say, “One, two, three, go!” See how many kids the two bad apples can tag with their eyes shut. Everyone who gets tagged has to become a bad apple and while keeping their eyes shut, tag kids on the next time through. The last kid to be tagged wins a Good Apple point.

Did you notice how it was easier not to get tagged if you were quiet? What does that say about attracting attention to yourself in real life? Sometimes the best way to get through life is quietly and humbly.

Did you notice how the more bad apples there are, the harder it is not to get caught up in the bruising yourselves? What does that tell you about your need for will-power while in a crowd? You need to be prepared and make conscious choices.

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As your Sunday school curriculum on Samson & Delilah continues, try using the role playing idea below.

We have heard about how God uses the smallest, youngest and least noticed to do His will. This week, He uses a biggest, strongest guy in Israel named Samson. But Samson looses his strength because he picked the wrong friends.(Teacher words in bold.)

“New Kid” Role Playing
Now we’re going to pretend we’re making friends with a new kid. The new kid will do something and we’ll try to decide whether he would be a good friend or not.

Bring one child up to be the “new kid.” Whisper in her ear something to say in front of the class. Then move with her to the front of the class, and have this exchange:

Teacher, pretending to be a child: “Hi! Did you just move here?”
New Kid: Yes! (And then she should recite the line you whispered to her).

1. Yes, I’m new! And I already met one kid on this street. Wow, his house is really dumpy and I bet he doesn’t have any good toys. (gossip)
2. Yes, I’m new. And I heard that big kid say bad words at you when I was standing across the street. If you want to tell my mom, I’ll bring her over. (honest)
3. Yes, I’m new! And I know what. That neighbor left his car window open. Let’s go see if we can sit in the car and beep the horn. (trouble maker)
4. Yes, I’m new. I already met one kid. He told me a secret, so I can’t tell you want he said. (trustworthy)
5. Yes, I’m new. I saw your big sister pull your hair. I was watching from my house. I’ll stand up for you if she comes back. (loyalty)
6. Yes, I’m new! Let’s go to my house and play checkers. I can beat anybody. I never lose. (probably cheats)
7. Yes, I’m new. It’s kind of lonely so far. But Jesus keeps me company. (Loves Christ.)
8. Yes, I’m new. My house isn’t as nice as yours. You’re lucky. (Humble/humility)
9. Yes, I’m new. Watch this. Hi-yyyyah!!! (he makes karate chops at you and your fence) (violent)
10.Yes, I’m new. Wow, you’re kind of fat. Do you eat constantly or something? (hurts feelings)

The others will decide if this is someone they want to play with or not.  Help them along with these prompts:

Did he (she) show he was a trouble maker?
Did he(she) show he could hurt feelings?
Did he (she) act like he might cheat at games?
Did he (she) act violent?
Did he (she) gossip?
Was he (she) showing loyalty?
Was he/she showing honesty?
Was he/she showing trustworthiness?
Was he/she showing humility?
Is he/she happy to say he loves God?

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One of the childrens Bible studies lessons to teach from the story of Samson and Delilah are the signs of good qualities to look for in friends.  (Teacher words in bold.)

If a kid tells the teacher when somebody copies in school, that person is honest. Honest people make great friends. Pass out another index card that says GOOD FRIENDS ARE HONEST.  Let the child read the card then hold it up.

If you ask someone about sad news you heard of a third friend and he says, “Sorry, I do know about that but I promised not to tell,” that friend can keep his word. Then, when you tell him a secret, you know he won’t tell. Pass out another index card that says GOOD FRIENDS ARE TRUSTWORTHY. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

If kids in school ever tease you and one child stands up for you or pulls you away, that child is showing that he’s loyal to you. Pass out another index card that says GOOD FRIENDS ARE LOYAL. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Let’s say kids in school start gawking over clothes, noticing who wears designer labels, who has the best sneakers, jackets, etc. If one kid blurts out honestly, “My family just can’t afford that stuff,” that person is honest and humble. Pass out another index card that says GOOD FRIENDS ARE HUMBLE. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Here’s the last one, and this is hard to find. If you go to someone’s house and she has something important to her about Jesus hanging in her bedroom—something she made in Sunday School or a poster of a Bible story…ask her why it’s there. Did she put it there herself ? Without being forced by parents?

It is often hard for even the best kids to say to another kid that they love Jesus. Jesus is invisible. He’s not the loud voice when we’re involved in games. He doesn’t show up visibly in school to solve all the problems. To many kids, he isn’t real at all. If you can find a friend who is old enough in his heart to know already he loves Jesus, that is the best quality you can find in a friend. Pass out the last index card that says GOOD FRIENDS LOVE JESUS. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Let’s make ourselves a promise, right here and now. We are going to think about these qualities this week. Good friends are hard to find. It takes time and work. But we don’t want to be like Samson and pick people who sap all our own strength. So we will be mindful when we are looking for friends this week, and today’s Activities will help us remember them well.

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The story of Samson & Delilah provide many Sunday school lessons for children in regards to friendship.  Understanding how to choose the right friends is an important part of growing up and learning judgment. (Teacher words in bold.)

Samson, a Judge of Israel, was given the gift of great strength. More than once he single-handedly protected Israel with his bare hands. However, one woman was able to get the better of him. It’s a great story of how God makes us strong, but picking the wrong friends can make us weak.

Have your parents ever said to you, “Gee, we really don’t want you going over to so-and-so’s house to play?” So-and-so can be anyone who gets into trouble, or who could get you into trouble.

Samson was lured in because she was fun, because she was beautiful, and because she was tricky enough to make him believe she would never betray him.

How do we pick friends?

Here are some important qualities:

Are they the types who keep getting into trouble? If so, they will get you in trouble too. Hand one child an index card that says on it, NO TROUBLE MAKERS. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Can they make people laugh, but their jokes often hurt other people? Someday a person like that could hurt your feelings, too. Hand another child an index card that says NO HURTERS OF FEELINGS. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Do they often say bad things about other kids when those kids are not around? Someday they will gossip about you, too. Hand another child an index card that says NO GOSSIPERS. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

When you play games, do they often cheat? Cheating means a person cares more about winning than he does about his friend—you. Is that really a good friend? Hand out an index card that says NO CHEATERS. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Do they often hit and punch? Sometimes children hit and punched because they’ve been hit and punched a lot by older, stronger siblings or even parents. Hence you have to show kindness. But if you hang around with a violent person, you could get hurt…or be inspired to hit and punch yourself ! Hand out an index card that says NO HITTERS OR PUNCHERS. Let the child read the card then hold it up.

Wow, that kind of eliminates a lot of people, doesn’t it? Doesn’t almost everybody you know do a couple of these things once in a while?

Notice I’m using the word “often” in most of my questions. Anybody can mess up “once in a while,” but if people mess up often, you want to keep your strength, not give it up like Samson did. You don’t want to make them your best friends.

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