If you say the words “Holy Spirit” to kids, you may conjure images of something straight out of a Harry Potter movie. Kids, especially younger ones, don’t necessarily grasp the difference between the Spirit of the Lord and a ghost from television. But the Holy Spirit is one of God’s greatest blessings. That’s why a Holy Spirit object lesson is essential for older children and preteens.
Use This Holy Spirit Object Lesson With Preteens at Your Church
Silly Dough Trio
Kids will make putty dough using three ingredients. Each will become unrecognizable, though each is still present.
What You’ll Need:
• Bibles
• 1 cup of Elmer’s white glue per group of 4 kids
• ¾ cup of warm water per group
• ½ tsp of Borax per group
• food coloring (optional)
• 1 bowl per group
• 1 large spoon per group
SAY:
One of the coolest things about God is that God knew we’d need help but forget to ask sometimes. The Holy Spirit is everywhere, both in us and on earth. But you can’t look in the mirror and see the Holy Spirit. It may be easy to forget the Holy Spirit is even there because we don’t see him.
Ask for willing children to read aloud Romans 8:11 and John 14:16-17.
SAY:
These words from the Bible promise that the Holy Spirit will live in us. But how is it possible to have something inside you that you can’t see? You can see every other part of your body, right? Let’s try an experiment to help us understand a little better. We’re going to make silly dough right now.
Have kids form groups of four or fewer. Give each group a set of ingredients and a bowl.
SAY:
Let’s start by mixing all our ingredients together. First, pour in the glue. Have one person in each group pour the glue into the bowl. Then add the other ingredients, one at a time.
Instruct kids to mix the ingredients. Then show them how to knead the mixture well. Once the mixture is pliable, let kids each have a piece to play with for a few minutes. Tell them to try to create something that looks like their version of the Holy Spirit.
Debrief the Lesson
ASK:
• Where is the glue now? the water? the Borax powder?
• Why do you think you can’t see the individual ingredients?
• How are the ingredients in the dough like or unlike how the Holy Spirit lives in each of us?
SAY:
Even though the separate ingredients aren’t visible, we know they’re still in your silly dough. It’s the same for us. Once we get with Jesus, choosing to believe in and follow him, the Holy Spirit is within us. We’ll never be the same, just as the individual ingredients won’t be the same. But we’ll be much, much more.
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This activity is from the book 13 Most Important Bible Lessons for Kids About God. The #1 cry of children’s ministry leaders is the desire to teach kids the foundational truths of the Christian faith. The lessons in this book contain solid, Bible-packed experiences that draw children closer to Jesus and prepare them for a lifetime of spiritual maturity. Give your kids a firm hold of God’s truth!
How do you help your kids understand the Holy Spirit? What Holy Spirit object lesson do you recommend? Let us know using the comment section below!
