As kids leave, ask them what word they chose to praise Jesus with on their palm branch!

Connect Time (15 minutes): Five minutes after the service begins, split kids into groups and begin their activity. Large Group (30 minutes): Begin 20 minutes after the service starts. Model what it looks like to be engaged in large group. Small Group (15 minutes): Keep kids in small groups until parents arrive. If you all have extra time at the end, you can review the video and songs together.

Before Large Group, be sure to set up expectations: Talk about how we can show respect to each other by listening, being silent when the leader is talking, and having FUN!

Today we’re talking about when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, which is when people recognized Jesus as the Rescuer they had been waiting for. They treated him like a king...because he IS our king!

Jesus is the promised king, and we can praise him. Luke 19:28-40

Palm SundayMarch 24-25, 2018

GOAL: Connect Time is all about engaging kids in an activity that allows them to connect with each other right away, while simultaneously piquing their curiosity for Large Group and preparing their minds for what they’re going to hear.

THE WAITING GAME● Break into small groups and assign a number to each kid, starting with one and

counting up (i.e. if you have 15 kids, count each kid from 1-15.)● Have kids stand in a large circle, while a volunteer leader stands in the center.● The volunteer throws the ball up in the air and call out a number between 1 and 15

(or whatever number of kids are in your group).● Whoever’s number is called has to run out and catch the ball before it hits the

ground. ○ This is being played within the small group, not together with the whole room.

Unless you have a small of room of kids, then you can stay as one large group.

● If the kid doesn’t catch the ball, then the rest of the small group has to run across the circle and switch places with someone.

● Once the kid who was called gets the ball, they yell, “Freeze!”� and try to tag another kid with the ball.

● Whoever gets tagged moves into the center of the circle, and continues the game.● As kids are calling out numbers, remind them to call out numbers that have not been

called yet, so everyone gets a turn.

Before you go to Large Group, you can ask kids how their week went. You can also remind kids of the expectations for Large Group behavior: (1) be kind, (2) listen when somebody speaks, and (3) follow the leader’s instructions.

Check out a new music video we’re watching today!

Sparrows:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRJZQFRyZ6s

*Today, you’ll need palm branch images for each kid. Prepare to hand them out towards the end of large group.

Here’s a link to today’s story video:

God’s Story / Palm Sunday:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O56CiH0dwLw

● Welcome: Hi everybody, welcome to Kids’ Club! It’s great to see you here today. Great job playing that game in Connect Time!

● Say: Throughout the game, you knew your name was going to get called, just like everyone else’s, except you didn’t know when! You always had to be ready, just in case you were next.

● Say: Waiting can be so hard, especially if we’re waiting for something better, or for something we’re really excited about.

● Ask? Have any of you had to wait a long time for something? (Let 2-3 kids respond. Follow up with: what was it? What was waiting like?)

● Say: Let’s play a little waiting game right now. Everyone find a partner, and sit facing each other. (Let kids respond.) Now, when I say “Go” you have to stay facing your partner and try not to blink, smile or laugh. The first person to do any of those things loses. Ready? Go! (Let kids play the game for a few minutes.) Great job everybody!

● Say: God’s family had to wait too. And not just for a week or a month or even a year. But for hundreds and hundreds and HUNDREDS of years. They had no idea how long they would have to wait. In fact, some people died before they saw what they were waiting for.

JESUS WANTS US TO WORK AS A TEAM

Main Goal: Review Connect Time and understand why Jesus wants us to work together.

GOD PROMISED A KING

THE KING ARRIVES

● Ask: Does anybody know what God’s family was waiting for? (Let kids respond.) Yes, they were waiting for a KING to rescue them. See, we talk a lot in Kids’ Club about how Jesus rescued us. But thousands of years ago, there hadn’t been a rescue. The world was just full of wrong things, like it is now, and there was a promise that SOMEDAY a rescuer would come.

● Ask: Now, if you knew God had promised a king, what kinds of things would you be looking for? (Let a few kids share.) Yeah, those are things I might look for in a king too. Maybe some of the things you thought of are in this video of a new, different kind of king…

● Video: Minions / King Bob● Ask: Okay, that was a pretty funny example of a king, but

some of the things in that video are what you might expect when a king arrives, right?

● Say: The thing is, the king that God was sending would be totally unexpected. That’s because he wasn’t going to be a king who came to rule the people like in the kingdoms of our world. He was going to be a king who was all about serving others. Not others serving him!

● Say: Here’s three important things for us to know as we set up today’s story.

a. God gave people LOTS of clues about who the king would be. He told people things that this king would do, like that he would ride on a donkey!

b. God DID send the king, Jesus, just like he promised. He was God’s son, and he was sent to earth to save us from all the wrong choices we make.

c. Before he did that huge job, Jesus and his followers headed to Jerusalem, a really big and important city.

● Say: Let’s watch a video and see what happens as they approach the city. Pay attention to how people react!

● Video: God’s Story / Palm Sunday ● Ask: Wow, so how did people treat Jesus? What did they

do as he came riding into Jerusalem? (Let kids respond.) That’s right, they waved palm branches, laid their coats on the ground, and shouted praises to him! That’s why we call that day, “Palm Sunday”.

PEOPLE WELCOME AND CELEBRATE JESUS

WE CAN PRAISE JESUS

● Say: Now, people didn’t just wave palm branches and lay them on the ground for fun. Palm branches were a symbol of celebration and royalty. It was really special. And while we don’t wave palm branches and lay down our coats as carpeting anymore, we do scream and wave and cheer with excitement for things, don’t we?

● Say: It’s kind of like in this video of people celebrating the Philadelphia Eagles winning this year’s Super Bowl!

● Video: Eagles Parade 2018● Say: Imagine crowds like that screaming out of love and joy

that they get to follow Jesus! That would be pretty incredible, wouldn’t it?

● Say: What’s even more incredible, is that people weren’t just cheering and celebrating him because he was famous; they celebrated because he was their rescuer! He was God’s son, who came down to earth to take the punishment for all our sins. The very rescuer they had been waiting for soooooo long. And for that, people praised him.

● Ask: For 1 minute, everyone turn to a friend, and tell them what you think it means to praise Jesus. (Let kids respond for 1 minute, or longer if they need it!)

● Say: Okay, would anyone like to share your answer with the room? (Let a few kids share out loud.) Thanks for sharing, those are great answers!

● Say: Praising Jesus means that we tell him how good, amazing and perfect he is. We tell him how much we adore and love him. We thank him for taking care of us, and giving us what we need. We remember all the things he’s done for us, and how he is more mighty than anything in the whole universe!

● Say: Let’s check out an example of praise in the Bible, written by a very famous and powerful King named David. (Let a kids read out loud if they want.)

● Slide: Psalm 150: 1-2, 6: Praise the Lord. Praise God in his mighty temple. Praise Him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his powerful acts. Praise him because he is greater than anything else….Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

● Say: That’s a lot of praise! And Jesus deserves ALL of it, because he is a mighty king AND he’s our loving father.

EASTER IS NEXT WEEK!

WRAP AND WORSHIP

● Say: Next week, we’re going to hear the next, and most IMPORTANT, part of this story. We’ll see what happened a week later, after all these people welcomed Jesus and praised him as their king. We’ll see how Jesus rescued us by taking the punishment for all the wrong things we do.

● Say: Since it’s SUCH an important week, we want you to invite your friends to Kids’ Club! It’s going to be an incredible experience, and it’s not something you or your friends want to miss!

● Say: Right now, we’re going to praise Jesus, and tell him out loud how good and perfect and mighty he is! First, everyone get a paper palm branch. (Have volunteers pass them out.)

● Ask: Who remembers what people used these for in today’s story? (Let a kids respond.) Yep, people waved them in the air as they praised Jesus! We’re going to do the same. You can wave it up high as we sing, or just hold it, it’s up to you. And as you listen to the song, write on the back of the palm branch Just remember, Jesus deserves the best praise we can possibly give!

● Music Video: Sparrows● Music Video: Ask Me Who Loves Me / Car Dance Video

(Optional)● Prayer: Jesus, you deserve the best praise we can

possibly give, because you are a mighty king and a loving father. You show us love, so we can show love to you too. Amen!

*Let kids take their palm branch back to small group.

Goal: Kids will (1) understand why people praised Jesus on Palm Sunday and (2) identify ways we can praise Jesus as our king.

Why? It’s important that kids understand that Jesus was God’s promised Rescuer—and is still our king today.

Tips: Share your favorite ways to praise Jesus! Kids loving hearing from you!

RESPOND TO THE STORY1. What’s one thing that surprised you in today’s story? 2. Who is like royalty in America today? How do we treat them?3. Do we treat Jesus as well as we treat famous/royal people around us? Why/why not?4. What does it mean to praise Jesus? Why is Jesus worthy of our very best praise?5. Lay out the sheets of praise adjectives on the table, and tell kids to get out their

palm branch from Large Group: a. On the other side of the image, it says “Jesus, you are ________.” b. Write in the blank one word that best describe Jesus to you. A word that

praises him and describes who he is. If you need some ideas, look at the list of words on the table, and choose one of those! (Be prepared to explain some of the less familiar words to kids.)

c. Go around the circle and let kid share what they wrote on their palm branch.

FOUR CORNERS● Let’s think of some more ways we can treat Jesus as king by praising him. Everyone

will vote on a response to different questions by walking to a corner around our small group area, kind of like “Would You Rather”. Wait until I’ve given all the options before choosing a corner.

● Designate corners 1, 2, 3 and 4 and let kids respond to the following (to continually remind kids which corner is which, point to the numbered corner as you give each option):

○ When you finish school, do you like to (1) hang out with friends, (2) spend time alone, (3) watch TV or (4) eat!

○ When you think about worshiping Jesus, would you rather: (1) sing, (2) dance, (3) pray, (4) help a person in need

(Activity continued on next page.)

○ If Jesus was standing in front of you, would you: (1) hug him, (2) fall down in front of him, (3) start talking to him or (4) smile at him

○ If you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life, would it be (1) mashed potatoes, (2) pizza, (3) ice cream, or (4) pancakes

○ Jesus says we give him praise when we love other people. Would you rather: (1) give money to someone, (2) help someone, (3) hug someone, (4) make a card to give

○ If you had to choose one of these places to travel to, would it be (1) Disney World, (2) a space station, (3) the beach or (4) Antarctica

○ When you get really, really excited, do you (1) scream, (2) jump up and down, (3) sing, or (4) draw/write about it

○ If you could have one of these pets, would you choose (1) a tiger, (2) a dolphin, (3) a monkey or (4) an ostrich

○ When you pray, do you like to (1) kneel, (2) lay down, (3) sit, (4) you never really thought about it

EASTER INVITATION*If you don’t have time to focus on this activity, just make sure kids know what the invitation is for, and let them take it home! You could also pass them out at the door if needed.

● Remind kids that next weekend is Easter! Since it’s SUCH an important week, we want you to invite your friends to Kids’ Club! It’s going to be an incredible experience, and it’s not something you or your friends want to miss!

● Give kids an invitation to fill out and give to a friend, to invite them to Kids’ Club for a special Easter service next week! (They can decorate it if there’s time.)

Extra time? Let kids make up their own “Four Corners” situations to choose from!

How can we treat Jesus as king?What does it mean to praise Jesus?

3rd-5thMarch 24-25, 2018

Connect TimeItem Usage Details Provided by

Beach ball 1 per small group, reused

Oriental Trading, Item #IN-49/12212” balls OR smaller size is ok KC National

Small GroupItem Usage Details Provided by

Markers 1 set per small group, reused site

Sheet of praise adjectives 3 per small group, reused 8x11 cardstock, color, Page 12 site

Easter Invitation 1 per kid 8x11 cardstock, color, double sided, cut into quarter sheets, Page 13-14 site

Large GroupItem Usage Details Provided by

Adventure Bible1 per large group,

reusedBiblesbythe Case.com site

Palm Branch 1 per kid8x11 cardstock, color, cut into halves,

double sided, Page 10-11site

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1. Song slide: for when kids enter the room (All that You Need instrumental; mp3 only; can be downloaded on website)

2. Video: Minions / King Bob (0:00-0:59; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7booh4V0jaA&index=6&list=PLZbXA4lyCtqpWd8Ojjnhu_2WPqgNuMJAZ)

3. Video: God’s Story (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O56CiH0dwLw)4. Video: Eagles Parade 2018 (0:00-0:15;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo1wyWANLQU) 5. Slide: Psalm 150: 1-2, 6: Praise the Lord. Praise God in his mighty temple. Praise Him in

his mighty heavens. Praise him for his powerful acts. Praise him because he is greater than anything else….Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

6. Music Video: Sparrows (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRJZQFRyZ6s) 7. Music Video: Ask Me Who Loves Me / Car Dance Video

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLk3DF7qBvc)

3rd-5th