Explore and respond
Activities marked with an asterisk 
next to the activity title are in addition to the resources in the Ready to go sessions. Suggested timings for these activities are also shown. NB The inclusion of additional activities varies from week to week.
VERY YOUNG CHILDREN
Picture hunt
Play and explore waiting and trusting
Set up a treasure hunt around your space with picture clues relating to the Bible story, along with a prize to share.
Precious parables
Make a symbol of heaven
Use play dough to create precious pearls and jewels.
Talk about what heaven might be like as you do so.
FOR CHILDREN
Treasure chests E S
Create a reminder of Jesus’ parable of the hidden treasure
You will need: basic card or wooden treasure box forms (or empty shoeboxes), assorted materials to decorate with.
- Provide a treasure box for the children to paint and decorate as they wish, sticking on sequins and gems, for instance. If you prefer, you could work together to create a large cardboard box treasure chest for display.
- Talk about the precious things you can keep in your chests, and the treasures in God’s kingdom.
Yeast balloon experiment E S
See how God’s kingdom is like yeast
You will need: balloon, yeast sachet, plastic bottle, balloon, 1tsp sugar, warm water.
- Demonstrate the experiment: Inflate and deflate the balloon a few times to soften it. Part-fill the bottle with about 1-inch warm water. Add the sachet of yeast and stir. Add the sugar and stir again, explaining that this is the food for the yeast to get to work. Stretch the deflated balloon over the neck of the bottle and place the bottle in a warm place.
- Wait to see the balloon begin to inflate. Look back together at the parable and ask what this shows about God’s kingdom.
Sing
Preview song(s), then buy online and download.
Find more suggestions on the Hymns, songs & music page.
This little light of mine
0-5s
King of Love, Doug Horley on Duggie Dug Dug's Top 50 Awesome Action Songs CD
5-11s
Waiting Here For You, Kid’s Praise! Company, Maranatha! Music
You give rest to the weary
12+
Trust and obey, Hillsong Kids on Follow you
Give me joy in my heart
Talk together and talk to God
Use these questions to discuss the Bible passage and then bring your thoughts together by praying to God.
Talk together
- What makes something precious?
- Where do you see God’s kingdom growing in the world?
- How might we take God’s kingdom into the world with us?
Talk to God: Precious prayers W S A
Consider the treasure in God’s kingdom
You will need: coloured paper, gem shapes, pens, treasure chest.
- Set out the treasure chest in front of the children and distribute the paper gem shapes and pens.
- Invite the children to think about the ‘treasures’ of God’s kingdom that they see or that we are waiting for. Discuss further as appropriate, helping the children to think of real-life examples, such as a loved one being healed, people coming to know Jesus, kindness being shown in surprising places, a community being cared for.
- When they are ready, ask the children to write something down on the gem before adding it to the treasure chest. You can pray together about these things, as appropriate.
Sort it 10 mins E S
Explore the idea of God’s kingdom being like a fishing net
You will need: age-appropriate objects to sort, e.g. different shapes or coloured counters, beads; tweezers, coins.
- Sort and categorise the objects. Volunteers take turns to sort the given objects into the right containers against the clock, or all work together to sort the objects.
- Consider how this parable from Matthew 13:47-48 makes individuals feel.
Ask: Why is waiting and trusting important for Christians?
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Faster slower 5 mins W A
Think about activities taking time
You will need: six A4 sheets with images of activities on them.
- Have sheets depicting different activities, e.g. blinking, take a bus to town, wash your hands. Lay these face down for people to select. Show one activity and ask the group to guess if the next activity will be slower or faster. Then ask someone to select a different sheet to show the group. Anyone who was wrong is out. Mix the sheets and play again.
Time and trust 10 mins W S
Think about trust over time
You will need: flipchart or whiteboard (or similar), suitable pens.
- Talk together about how we mark time. Draw up a list to include ‘minutes’, ‘hours’, ‘days’, ‘weeks’, ‘months’, and ‘years’. Discuss the time taken in each of the parables, asking the young people to choose which time frame best applies to each story: growing a tree takes years, raising dough takes hours, buying a field takes days.
- Ask: How do these stories help us trust God even if prayers don’t seem to be answered quickly? How does it help us understand God’s view of time?
Acrostic prayer 15 mins W E
Reflect on trusting in God’s time
You will need: folded A5 card with T R U S T written inside, pens.
Play the track ‘While I Wait’, Lincoln Brewster on God Of The impossible.- Invite everyone to design a cover for the card around the theme of ‘trust’. In the middle of the card write five simple sentence prayers about these things, each beginning with the letters T R U S T.
Check-in: Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues
Available by 10 am on Thursday 27 July 2023.
Waiting wins 10 mins E S
Experience waiting
You will need: a deck of cards, a large bag of small sweets.
- Deal a card face up in front of each player.
- When the top card from the deck is turned, if it is a different colour from theirs, players should shout ‘ME’. The first person to shout ‘ME’ gets a sweet and leaves the game. Turn the next card; the person who shouts ‘ME’ gets two sweets and leaves. The number of sweets increases with each turned card.
- Play two or three times. Ask: When benefit is there from waiting?