Not only are Terrence and I newly married, but we’ve also joined a new ministry at church together. We have been so fortunate to have a lot of great couples lead the kids in our church in worship, and serve in Children’s Church on Sundays while we were in service. This year, we asked to be a part of the rotation of Ministry Leaders, and today was our official first day! Both Terrence and I have years of experience with working with young people, but teaching them about salvation is definitely different. That’s why I was really happy when God gave me this idea for a DIY Fishing for Good Works game early this morning.

We were teaching the children about Peter today, and our key text was Philippians 1:6 (God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that He won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns). I was trying to figure out how to really help the children understand that they could  be a hero just like Peter. Peter was an ordinary man that God had called to do “good work”, or to bring people to Him in order for them to have eternal life. Peter was a hero, because, although it was unpopular (and even dangerous) to support Jesus, he did so and led many people to Christ. Of course, he did that after denying Jesus, but that just goes to show how we all can be redeemed.

For the Fishing for Good Works activity, I wrote different “tasks” on slips of paper that the children would then “fish” for with a magnet attached to a ribbon. Each child had a chance to fish, and read their good work out loud. They then publicly agreed to commit to that good work for the week, and I wrote it down so that I can check in with them next week. The kids really enjoyed the game, and they all cheered when they “caught” a “fish”. They were also committed to the tasks that they had, and not one of them left their slip of paper behind, so I’ll take that as a good sign!

I’m sure someone a lot more crafty than me could make this game look even better, but I can say that the children were excited to participate, and not one of them mentioned aesthetics! Here’s how to put it together if you’re interested!

Materials

• paper
• marker or pen
• round magnets
• string or ribbon
• straight pins
• hot glue gun + glue sticks
• basket (optional)
• bubble wrap (optional)

What To Do:

1. Cut the paper into slips. Make sure you have enough so that every child will get at least one.

2. Write “good works” on each slip of paper. I had things like “Pray for a friend”, “Do what your mother says without talking back”, “Invite a friend to attend church with you”.

3. Fold the slips of paper in half and stick a straight pin through it.

4. Use your hot glue gun to glue ribbon or string to the round magnets. Allow to dry.

5. Put the pinned “good works” in a basket that you fill with bubble wrap to simulate water. (optional)

6. Give each child a chance to “fish”. When they catch a good work, let them read it out loud and ask them whether they can commit to doing that good work for the week. Write it down so that you can remember to check in with them at your next meeting.

Do you have any other ideas on how to use this game? I’d love to hear them!