Fruit of the Spirit
In the book of Galatians, Paul talks about walking in the Spirit. He talks about things of the flesh that we should put off, and things of the Spirit.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23
Introducing the Fruit of the Spirit
When you first teach your children about the Fruit of the Spirit, read about it from Galatians 5. Talk with them about how fruit grows on trees because it is connected to the tree and gets what it needs to grow from the tree. Similarly, when we, as Christians, are connected to God through the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit gives us what we need to have spiritual fruit.
A fun book to read for young children is 9 Fruits Alive by Mindy MacDonald. It is a short book that has about one sentence per page describing each fruit, and concludes with a short explanation of how to grow fruit in your life.
A great song to sing is The Fruit of the Spirit. Several artists have recorded the song. Crazy Praise Volume 2 has a fun version. It is great for singing and dancing and it will help children remember the different parts of the Fruit of the Spirit.
When you talk about...
Love
Memorize 1 John 4:19 (NASB) - "We love, because He first loved us."
or memorize 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NASB) - "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,"
Sing "Hey! Jesus Loves Me" by Amber Thompson
Joy
Memorize Psalm 66:1 (NASB) - "Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;"
or memorize Psalm 92:4 (NASB) - "For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done. I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands."
Sing the "Rejoice in the Lord always" chorus or "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy" (Wonder Kids has a nice version)
Peace
Memorize Romans 12:18 (NASB) - "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."
or memorize Psalm 34:14 (NASB) - "Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it."
Sing "I've Got Peace Like A River" (Cedarmont Kids has a nice version)
Patience
Memorize James 5:7 (NASB) - "You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near."
or memorize Proverbs 19:11 (NIV) "A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense."
Kindness
Memorize Ephesians 4:32 (NASB) - "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
or memorize Proverbs 3:3 (NASB) - "Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."
Goodness
Memorize Romans 12:21 (NASB) - "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
or memorize Psalm 73:26 (NASB) - "And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
Sing "God Is So Good" or "Isn't He Good" by Maranatha! Praise Band
Faithfulness
Memorize Psalm 37:3 (NASB) - "For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work in done in faithfulness."
or memorize Psalm 119:30 (NASB) - "I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me."
Sing "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." It was originally written by Thomas O. Chisholm but there are my versions now. A kid-friendly song is "Rain or Pour" by Jana Alayra.
Gentleness
Memorize Matthew 5:5 (NASB) - "Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near."
or memorize Philippians 4:5 (NASB) - "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth."
Self Control
Memorize Romans 6:12 (NASB) - "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that
you obey its lusts."
or memorize Proverbs 25:28 (NASB) - "Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit."
Sing "I Wanna Do Right" by Jana Alayra
A fun book to read for young children is 9 Fruits Alive by Mindy MacDonald. It is a short book that has about one sentence per page describing each fruit, and concludes with a short explanation of how to grow fruit in your life.
A great song to sing is The Fruit of the Spirit. Several artists have recorded the song. Crazy Praise Volume 2 has a fun version. It is great for singing and dancing and it will help children remember the different parts of the Fruit of the Spirit.
When you talk about...
Love
Memorize 1 John 4:19 (NASB) - "We love, because He first loved us."
or memorize 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NASB) - "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,"
Sing "Hey! Jesus Loves Me" by Amber Thompson
Joy
Memorize Psalm 66:1 (NASB) - "Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;"
or memorize Psalm 92:4 (NASB) - "For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done. I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands."
Sing the "Rejoice in the Lord always" chorus or "I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy" (Wonder Kids has a nice version)
Peace
Memorize Romans 12:18 (NASB) - "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."
or memorize Psalm 34:14 (NASB) - "Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it."
Sing "I've Got Peace Like A River" (Cedarmont Kids has a nice version)
Patience
Memorize James 5:7 (NASB) - "You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near."
or memorize Proverbs 19:11 (NIV) "A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense."
Kindness
Memorize Ephesians 4:32 (NASB) - "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
or memorize Proverbs 3:3 (NASB) - "Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."
Goodness
Memorize Romans 12:21 (NASB) - "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
or memorize Psalm 73:26 (NASB) - "And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
Sing "God Is So Good" or "Isn't He Good" by Maranatha! Praise Band
Faithfulness
Memorize Psalm 37:3 (NASB) - "For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work in done in faithfulness."
or memorize Psalm 119:30 (NASB) - "I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me."
Sing "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." It was originally written by Thomas O. Chisholm but there are my versions now. A kid-friendly song is "Rain or Pour" by Jana Alayra.
Gentleness
Memorize Matthew 5:5 (NASB) - "Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near."
or memorize Philippians 4:5 (NASB) - "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth."
Self Control
Memorize Romans 6:12 (NASB) - "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that
you obey its lusts."
or memorize Proverbs 25:28 (NASB) - "Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit."
Sing "I Wanna Do Right" by Jana Alayra
Games
Here are some games you can play to help children learn the fruit of the spirit and how to exhibit the fruit in their lives.
Matchin' Action Fruit of the Spirit
Matchin' Action Fruit of the Spirit is a fun game to help children learn the fruit of the spirit. Children play this fast-paced card game by matching either the word on a card or the picture on the card. The card is read aloud every time a card is played. For more advacned players, have the player say the fruit on the card and one example of how to show that fruit.
|
Whack Fruit of the Spirit
Whack Fruit of the Spirit is a whole-group game where students identify the fruit of the spirit that corresponds with different situations that you make up.
Examples:
When you stick by your friend and play with them even with other people make fun of them - faithfulness
When you help someone pick up some things they dropped - kindness
When you are thankful and happy in your heart even when you don't get your way - joy
Examples:
When you stick by your friend and play with them even with other people make fun of them - faithfulness
When you help someone pick up some things they dropped - kindness
When you are thankful and happy in your heart even when you don't get your way - joy
|
I Know! Bingo! Fruit of the Spirit
I Know! Bingo! Fruit of the Spirit is a fun game for small groups of children to play on their own or with an adult. Students make their own boards using words in a word box, and then try to cover three words in a row by correctly answering question cards about the fruit of the Spirit.
|
Fruit Basket
Fruit Basket is a small group game appropriate for 4-5 year olds up to adults. Players collect pictures of fruit by defining fruits of the Spirit or giving examples of specific ones. Remember that the fruit pictures are just for fun, and don't actually relate to Galatians 5.
|
Towering Fruit
Towering Fruit is a fun game for 5+ year olds and can be played in different ways depending on the ability of the children. Buy a wooden tower game like the one below.
http://www.amazon.com/Solid-Wood-Jumbling-Tower-Tin/dp/B0000544I8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1372217274&sr=8-3&keywords=jenga
Use a permanent marker and write one aspect of the fruit of the spirit on one side of each block. For example, write "love" on one block, "joy" on one block, and so on. Continue writing the Fruit of the Spirit on each block until all the blocks have a word. Try to have an even number of each word. If you need to, you can write "your choice" on the last few blocks in order to have the same number of the Fruit of the Spirit blocks.
Build the tower and play the game as usual, except for the modifications below:
Option 1: When you remove a block, read the word (or have it read to you) and say what the word means.
Option 2: When you remove a block, read the word (or have it read to you) and give an example of what that aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit looks like when it is being shown.
Option 3: When you remove a block, read the word and say a memory verse that relates to that aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit.
Option 4: If you play the game with children of different ability levels, use the different options (1-3) for different children. In other words, not all children will give the same type of response.
After giving a correct response, the block is placed on top of the tower and play continues as usual. If the response is incorrect or the child cannot respond, the group can collaborate to say an accurate response. Answers will be repeated, and that is OK. The goal is having repetition in a fun way that will help children learn about the Fruit of the Spirit without it seeming like memorization.
http://www.amazon.com/Solid-Wood-Jumbling-Tower-Tin/dp/B0000544I8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1372217274&sr=8-3&keywords=jenga
Use a permanent marker and write one aspect of the fruit of the spirit on one side of each block. For example, write "love" on one block, "joy" on one block, and so on. Continue writing the Fruit of the Spirit on each block until all the blocks have a word. Try to have an even number of each word. If you need to, you can write "your choice" on the last few blocks in order to have the same number of the Fruit of the Spirit blocks.
Build the tower and play the game as usual, except for the modifications below:
Option 1: When you remove a block, read the word (or have it read to you) and say what the word means.
Option 2: When you remove a block, read the word (or have it read to you) and give an example of what that aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit looks like when it is being shown.
Option 3: When you remove a block, read the word and say a memory verse that relates to that aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit.
Option 4: If you play the game with children of different ability levels, use the different options (1-3) for different children. In other words, not all children will give the same type of response.
After giving a correct response, the block is placed on top of the tower and play continues as usual. If the response is incorrect or the child cannot respond, the group can collaborate to say an accurate response. Answers will be repeated, and that is OK. The goal is having repetition in a fun way that will help children learn about the Fruit of the Spirit without it seeming like memorization.