Solomon, David’s son, has been known in Judeo-Christian circles as the wisest man in the world. This story from 1 Kings shows how Solomon became king, with a request to God for wisdom. Try these [tag]Sunday school activities[/tag] with your younger Sunday school students to teach one of the [tag]lessons of Solomon[/tag].
Sunday School Activities for the lessons of Solomon & “Solomon Asks God for Wisdom”
Kids ask for a lot of things – toys, games, play time, popularity, and fashion are at the top of the list. This is a lesson about keeping priorities straight. Solomon asked for wisdom, and God was so pleased with his request that he gave him riches and long life as well. Solomon got all because he had his priorities straight.
Sunday School Activities Game:”Game of Riches”
Need: 2 Tubes of Pringles
Tell the children in your [tag]Sunday school[/tag] class to all wash their hands before starting. Bring one tube of Pringles to the table and open it. (Put the lid in your pocket for later use.)
Tell them they are going to pretend they’re a king like Solomon. God said that he would make Solomon rich. It’s kind of important for a King to have lots of stuff and lots of money to buy stuff with.
Let’s pretend we’re a king, too, and pretend that each of the Pringles in the tube is a solid gold piece worth a million dollars. Hand the jar to the first child at the table. Open the tube and have them take out as many million dollars as they think they want so that they can buy all the stuff they want as king. They can’t eat them yet! “Take as many as you want – first come, first serve – and don’t break any! Any broken Pringles have to be swept away, and can’t be used or eaten!”
Let each child reach in the jar and take as many Pringles as he wishes. Soon, the tube may be empty before all the children have gotten any. Encourage the children who were first to share with their classmates and not be greedy. If one child has none, ask others what they want to do about it. Let them decide. If some children snatch, discourage it. If some children don’t have as many, whisper to them,
“Don’t worry! It will all work out!”
Everyone count your dollars. We’re going to go around the table and see how many each person has. Ask children how many dollars they have and what they want to buy with all that money. Don’t let them eat yet.
To the child who has the least amount of Pringles, say, “You don’t have as many. You have the least amount. You were close to the end, and you’re not the type to grab, huh? Would you like to have the empty tube as your reward?”
The child might be ambivalent, but encourage him. Remove the lid from your pocket, put it back on top, and hand the tube to him. Next tell the child “I think there’s a secret message in the lid especially for you.” Have the child peel off the lid and read the message. If he or she is too young, read the message on the lid for him:
Congratulations. God often chooses the youngest or smallest or the one who has the least to be his special wise servant. You didn’t snatch, and you were wise. Therefore, God will reward you with more wisdom and with riches, too.
Give the child the prize, which is a second, private Pringles can. Use the tube to fill in so that everyone has the same amount, and give the remainder of the tube to the child so he can take home with him for later.
Everybody can eat now eat their Pringles!
Will you be trying these Sunday school activities with your students? When you do, be sure to come back and share your feedback! And don’t forget to Follow Me on Twitter, where I will share more great Sunday school activities and ideas!