I guess I'm a little behind in my posts. There have just been so many snow days!!! Our meeting for Self-Control was back in February. I'm finally getting around to posting this.
Jessica led the meeting. I was lucky that she typed up all of her notes for me so I'm going to go ahead and just post them as is. It was a great meeting and the girls really enjoyed the activities.
SELF CONTROL
Set out a cup of M&Ms in front of
each girl – do not let them eat it until the end. This will demonstrate self
control.
Explanation of Self-Control
Does anyone know what self control
is?
Once girls raise their hands, I asked
them to all raise their hands (that demonstrates right there a sign of self
control)
control or restraint of oneself or one's actions,
feelings, etc. (from dictionary.com)
·
Remind children that they
will never be tempted beyond what God will help them handle *Self control is
taking us out of the center of our hearts, minds and universes and putting
Christ in it. (from leaders book)
·
It’s even a daily struggle
your parents face, but with Jesus as our guide we can do all things well, even
control ourselves! (from leaders book)
·
What is a good way you could
help yourself maintain self control?
1. Example, do not sit beside a friend who you enjoy talking to
when you are supposed to be quiet, or choose to leave a play area
2. when tempers are getting heated and you feel angry with a
friend.
3. When doing homework
Kick-off craft
The craft suggested here will help remind your children to
practice self-control and is based on
1 Peter 5:8: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy
the devil prowls around looking for someone
to
devour.”
A self-control poster
Directions
- Help your children draw or
trace a picture of a lion on the poster.
- Next have your children
place their hands over the lion and trace around their hands.
- Write the memory verse of
your choice on the poster.
- Use the poster as a reminder
that the best way to defeat Satan when he tries to devour us is to pray.
- Review the questions for
discussion below to enhance your children’s understanding of the concepts.
Throughout
the day, encourage your children to clasp their hands together tightly when
they feel like they are going to lose self-control. Have them come to you so
you can help them pray. Explain that Satan is strong like a lion, but we can be
stronger than Satan when we go to God for help. Just as the tracing of their
hands covers the lion, they can be stronger than the temptation Satan sends
when they are full of the Holy Spirit. Tell your children that putting their
hands together will help remind them to talk to God and ask for His help in
maintaining self-control.
WWJD sign (read #6 and do it in a
group)
fulfill #6 on your list for this month
Self-control scenarios
– give scenarios and ask the 3 questions after each one.
•
Someone has just taken your favorite toy from you.
•
You have had one piece of cake and your stomach feels full. Someone offers you
another
piece.
•
Someone has just called you a mean name that hurt your feelings – now they are
laughing at you.
•
You just received some discipline from one of your parents, now your brother or
sister is smiling.
Questions for discussion
•
Would you need to use self-control in this situation?
•
Would it be easy or hard to be self-controlled in this situation?
•
If you would have a hard time using self-control, how could you make it easier?
Key concepts
·
When we are full of the Holy
Spirit, it is easier to use self-control. It is one of the fruits of the
Spirit.
·
Remind them - you will never
be tempted beyond what God will help you handle.
(1 Corinthians 10:13).
·
Close by praying and
thanking God that He understands what it is like to be tempted and that He will
never let us be tempted beyond that which we can handle.
Felicity was a noble Christian woman of Rome. After her
husband's death, she served God by prayer and works of charity. Her good
example led others to become Christians, too.
This angered the pagan priests (they
worshipped false gods), who complained to Antoninus Pius, the emperor. They
said Felicity was an enemy of the state because she was making the gods angry.
So the emperor had Felicity
arrested. Her seven young sons were arrested with her. Like the mother of the
Maccabees in the Old Testament, Felicity remained calm. The governor tried to
make her sacrifice to the false gods but she absolutely refused.
They finally threatened to kill her
sons one by one if she did not do as she was told. The governor said to her,
"Unhappy woman, if you wish to die, die! But do not destroy your
sons." And Felicity answered "My sons will live forever if, like me,
they scorn the idols and die for their God."
This brave woman was forced to watch
her sons being put to death. Four months later, Felicity, too, was beheaded.
Her strength came from her great hope that she would be with God and her sons
in heaven.
St. Felicity, it could be said, was
martyred eight different times as she had to watch each of her sons die. Then
she too gave up her life for Jesus.
Look how praiseworthy
it is to die for the King (Christ). This woman (St. Felicity) feared not the
sword, but perished with her sons. She was given eternal life.
Bible Story and questions
Picking fights
Read
Genesis 26:17-22.
Questions for discussion
1. What
do other kids do when they want to pick a fight?
2. How
about your brother/sister?
3. How
do you feel when someone says that something you own is his/hers?
4. What
happened to Isaac’s servants?
5. What
did they do?
6. How
many wells did they have to dig before the herdsman of Gerar didn’t bother
them?
7. What
is the best thing to do if someone picks a fight with you?
Key concepts
Isaac’s
servants had moved into a new territory. Part of moving into new territory
involved finding water for the flocks they were caring for. As Isaac’s men dug
wells, the herdsman living in the new territory argued with them and kept
claiming the wells as their own. Instead of fighting back and fighting for the
wells that were rightfully theirs, Isaac and his people just kept moving on and
digging another well, until the herdsmen of Gerar left them alone. These men exercised
self-control and didn’t fight for their rights. Isaac and his servants set a
good example for all of us of what to do if someone picks a fight with you. The
best thing to do is to walk away and keep the peace.
Giggle game
Then I selected one LF to go before the entire group to
attempt to make the group laugh. She had full reign to be silly and the
audience had strict instructions not to laugh. A good time was had by
all. Upon completion of this round, the girls discussed their strategy to
exercise self-control so they did not laugh despite the silly antics.
We held one more round. This time the silly girl could not get her
audience to laugh. We discussed the reason for this outcome, was it
because it was not funny or was it because it becomes easier to
exercise self control after time of practice?
After
the game, talk about self-control. Explain that it is usually okay to laugh in
life, but there are times when we shouldn’t laugh. We should not laugh when someone
is hurt or sad, during quiet time at school or church, or if they are somewhere
where they have been asked to be quiet. The following questions will help to
clarify this for young children.
Questions for discussion
•
Can you think of some times in life when we shouldn’t laugh?
•
Eating is fun, like laughing is fun, but there is a time to eat and a time to
stop eating. When is it
time
to stop eating?
•
Playing is fun. But when Mom or Dad say it is time to stop, it can be tempting
to continue. When is it time to stop playing?
•
Chasing around and being silly is fun, but there is a time and a place for
silliness.
•
When is okay to be silly?
•
When is it not okay to be silly?
•
How can you have self-control in these situations?
Key concepts
There
are times when we need to obey the instructions of parents and stop doing what
seems
to
be fun. Even though it is tempting to do what feels good instead of stopping,
we can ask God to help us be self-controlled and to choose to stop what we are
doing.
Relevant Scripture
Ecclesiastes
3:1,4 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under
the heaven. . . . a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a
time to dance.”
Clap Hands Game(or use a drum) (http://mattbgomez.com/fun-activities-for-practicing-self-control/)
Children crouch down
with eyes shut on the floor and can only jump up like a Jack-in-the-box when
you clap your hands, or hit a triangle etc, The length of time before clapping
is varied so children have to really listen and not jump up impulsively.
Games (http://kelleyward.hubpages.com/hub/Focus-and-Self-Control-Life-Skills-For-Children)
· Mirror what I do. For this
game the parent and child sit in a chair directly facing one another. The
parent plays the role of the leader and the child plays the role of the
follower. The parent sits still in the chair using few words, so the child
focuses on controlling his or her
body
movements. The object of the game is to have the child mirror the movements
of the parent. This game increases self-control skills in children and helps
them learn to become more aware of body placement and positioning.
· Story sharing. Story sharing
is a great activity that can be played anywhere— even in the car. One person
begins a story with a short sentence and then the other members of the family
take turns adding one sentence at a time. Story sharing helps children laugh
their way to becoming more cognitively flexible, attentive, and
self-controlled.
Finally they can eat their candy- this
demonstrates the virtue self control. J
