252 Groups
January 2016, Week 1
Small Group, K-1
Power Source
Bible Story: Power Source (City with broken walls) • Proverbs 25:28 (supporting: 2 Peter 1:3a)
Bottom Line: God can give you the POWER to control yourself.
Memory Verse: “A person without self-control is like a city whose walls are broken through.”
Proverbs 25:28, NIrV
Life App: Self-control—choosing to do what you should do, not what you want to do.
Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.
Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction (Small Groups, 15 minutes)
Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience
today’s story.
Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group
for the first time. Ask God to speak to kids’ hearts as the concept of self-control is introduced. Pray that
He would bring to mind times when they’ve lost control of themselves and that He would guide your
group’s conversation as you talk about how God gives them the power to have self-control.
1. Early Arriver Idea
What You Need: Offering container
What You Do:
 Invite the kids to place their offerings in the container.
 Then encourage kids to name as many things as they can that use or have power (TVs, iPods®,
computers, lights, cars, thunderstorms, super heroes, rocket ships, God, etc.).
 Add challenge and fun by asking: Which has more power: a light bulb or the sun? A mouse or
an elephant? A lightning bug or a lightning bolt? A night light or a shooting star? A car or a
rocket ship?
2. Hidden Power
What You Need: “Hidden” Activity Pages; 1 for each kid, crayons or markers
What You Do:
 Give each child an Activity Page.
 Guide kids to point to the pictures at the bottom of the page and identify each.
 Next, give each child a marker or crayon and lead him to find and mark each item in the picture
above.
 As kids search, ask them to talk about what each item does. Ask them what each item’s job is
and if they’ve ever seen or used one. Ask leading questions about what some of the items have
in common.
 Once you ask them what ALL of the items have in common, kids may come up with the answer
quickly or be completely stumped! (They all keep something safe. They all protect things.)
Whatever the case, give them ample time to make a connection between the items. The pause
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252 Groups
January 2016, Week 1
Small Group, K-1
gives each child’s brain time to process the riddle. If kids are still stumped after a minute or two,
lead them to compare three particular items. This may jumpstart their thinking.
What You Say:
“These things all keep something safe or protected. What are some things that keep YOU safe?
(parents, house, teachers, firefighters, police officers, God, etc.) [Transition] Let’s go to Large Group
where we’ll hear about something ELSE that can help keep you safe. What it is might surprise
you!”
Lead your group to the Large Group area.
Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Small Groups, 25 minutes)
Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through
interactive activities and discussion questions.
1. Power Up! (application activity / possible environment-wide activity)
What You Need: “Power On, Power Off” cards from the Activity Page; 1 set for each kid, a call bell and
a buzzer (optional)
What You Do:
 Set the “Power On” and “Power Off” cards in the center of your area. Place the bell by the
“Power On” card and the buzzer by the “Power Off” sign.
 Guide kids to huddle an even distance from the “Power On” and “Power Off” cards.
 Read a self-control scenario below, pause briefly (giving kids time to think of the answer), and
then call out, “Go!”
 If the scenario describes a situation where the child practices self-control, kids run to the “Power
On” sign, ring the bell, and then run back. If the scenario is a situation where the child isn’t using
self-control, kids run to the “Power Off” sign, press the buzzer, and then run back.
Note: If you don’t have a bell and buzzer, guide kids to tap the “Power On” / “Power Off” cards
and call out “Power On!” as they fist pump or “Power Off!” as they squat down.
 Add variety by instructing kids to move in different ways: slow-motion, crabwalk, tiptoe,
sideways, heel walk, hopping on one foot, etc.
Possible scenarios:
o You come home and see a plate FULL of your favorite cookies on the table. You want to eat
ALL of them, but you eat just one.
o Someone calls you a name. You get SO angry that you punch them.
o Your favorite TV show is on all weekend. You watch it from the time you get up until the time
you go to bed.
o Your brother grabs the controller from you while you’re playing your favorite game. You want to
yell at him, but you decide not to.
o Your teacher brings donuts to class. After everyone has eaten one, there are two left. You
gobble them up.
o Your little brother breaks your favorite toy. You yell at him and call him stupid.
©2015 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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252 Groups
o
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January 2016, Week 1
Small Group, K-1
You’re playing your favorite video game. You want to play for hours, but instead you turn it off
after 30 minutes.
Your friend said something mean to you, and you want to yell at her; but instead you say, “It’s
okay. I forgive you.”
What You Say:
“Sometimes it’s hard to practice self-control. [Make It Personal] (Tell kids about a time when it’s
hard for you to practice self-control, whether it’s when you’re tempted to devour a carton of ice
cream while you watch your favorite movie, yell when you’re upset, or procrastinate.) When can
it be hard for you to practice self-control? (Pause.)
“Self-control can be hard, but someone is ready to help you when you’re tempted to lose control. Who
is it? (Pause.) Yes! God wants to help you when you’re tempted to lose control. He wants to give you
HIS power to practice self-control when you don’t have any of your own. So remember: [Bottom Line]
God can give you the POWER to control yourself.”
* 2. The Walls Fall Down (application activity / review the Bible story)
What You Need: Bible marked at Proverbs 25:28, a toy city (LEGO®, Matchbox®, Playmobil®, etc.) or
materials the kids can use to build their own city; blocks; toy figures
What You Do:
 Guide the kids to work together to set up a city and then surround the city with a wall.
 Lead the kids to set up “enemies” (the toy figures) around the city.
 Let the kids take turns knocking the wall down as you call out scenarios that show a lack of selfcontrol. (You can refer to the scenarios in “Power Up!” or create your own.)
 When the wall is down, let the enemies “invade.”
 After the “invasion,” guide the kids to march around the city. Chant Proverbs 25:28 as they
march.
 End by leading the kids to reconstruct the block wall and “vanquish” the enemy!
What You Say:
“Long ago, people protected their cities by building walls around them. The walls kept the cities safe by
keeping out people who wanted to attack and destroy them. Proverbs 25:28 tells us: ‘A person without
self-control is like a city whose walls are broken through.’ (NIrV) What could happen to a city if its walls
were broken down? Yes, enemies could come in and take over the city.
“When we don’t control ourselves, we’re like a city with a broken down wall. We can do and say things
that aren’t nice or kind or wise, and as a result, we can get hurt, others can get hurt, and we can miss
chances to show others who God is and what He is like.
“But [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control yourself. He is with you every hour of
every day, and He can help you have control over what you say and what you do. And when you use
the self-control power God that gives you, you protect yourself, you protect others, AND you show
others what God is like. So remember, [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control
yourself.”
©2015 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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252 Groups
January 2016, Week 1
Small Group, K-1
3. Broken Down (memory verse activity)
What You Need: Bibles
What You Do:
 Lead kids to look up the verse using the Bible navigation tips below
Finding verses with kindergartners: Guide children to open the Bibles to the marked page. Point to the word
Proverbs at the top of the page as you say “Proverbs” aloud. Then guide children to find the big number 25 on the
page. Explain that this is the chapter number. Finally, guide them to look under the big 25 for the little 28; this is the
verse number. Tell them to leave their finger on the verse as you read the verse aloud. Then lead everyone to say the
verse together.
Finding verses with 1st graders: Guide them to open their Bibles to the front and find the table of contents. (Hold up
a Bible opened to the table of contents to show the kids what the page looks like.) When the kids find the table of
contents, lead them to find Proverbs in the list under “Old Testament.” You can help by telling them that Proverbs
starts with the letters P-R. When the kids find Proverbs, lead them to look at the page number beside the word.
Explain that the number tells them on what page they can find Proverbs. Help the kids find the page. When they find
Proverbs, explain that the big numbers on the page are the chapter numbers. Help them find chapter 25. Explain that
the small numbers are verse numbers. Help them find verse 28 in chapter 25.
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
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Guide kids to place their fingers on verse 28 as you read it aloud.
Briefly unpack the term “self-control” (choosing to do what you should do, not what you want to
do; choosing to do what is wise instead of what is easy; controlling what you say or do).
Lead kids to march around you in a circle, each child’s hands on the shoulders of the child in
front of him, as you sing the verse to the tune of “London Bridge” When you sing “broken down,”
guide kids to “fall” to the floor.
A person without self-control, self-control, self-control
A person without self-control is like a ci-ty
Who-ose walls are broken down, broken down, broken down
Who-ose walls are broken down. Proverbs 25:28
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
Add variety by leading kids to move sideways or backwards on successive repetitions.
As kids learn the song, encourage them to sing with you.
What You Say:
“A person without self-control is like a city without walls. A person without self-control doesn’t protect
what’s important to them. Sometimes it’s hard to practice self-control, like when we want to run instead
of walk so we can be first in line, when we want to eat ALL the candy instead of just a few pieces, or
when we want to yell at someone or hurt them because they hurt us.
“But [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control yourself. And when you control
yourself, you can show others who God is and what He is like. So remember: [Bottom Line] God can
give you the POWER to control yourself.”
Pray and Dismiss
What You Need: An image of an intensely bright full moon; glow-in-the-dark stickers; 1 for each kid
(optional)
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If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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252 Groups
January 2016, Week 1
Small Group, K-1
What You Say:
(Hold up the image of the moon.) “Have you ever seen a full moon glowing at night? Does the moon
have the power to glow on its own? No. How does the moon get its power to glow? Yes. The moon
reflects the light of the sun shining on it. When night comes, it looks like it’s glowing!
(Hold up a sticker.) “Have you ever seen a sticker glow in the dark? Does the sticker have the power to
glow on its own? No. How does the sticker get its power to glow? Yes. The sticker absorbs or soaks up
the power of light that shines on it. When you turn off the lights, it glows!
“On your own, do you have the power you need to practice self-control? No, you don’t. Where can you
get the power to practice self-control? Yes! [Bottom Line] God can give you the POWER to control
yourself. Let’s pray and ask God to give us the POWER we need to control ourselves.
“Dear God, help us remember that a person without self-control is like a city without walls. A person
without self-control doesn’t protect what’s important to them. Help us this week to rely on your POWER
to control ourselves and choose to do what we should do, not what we want to do. Thank You, God, for
the help You will give us. We love You so much. Amen.”
(Optional: Give each child a glow in the dark sticker to take home as a reminder that God can give them
the POWER to control themselves.)
Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent Cue cards as adults arrive to pick up. As each child
leaves, ask, “Who can give you the POWER to control yourself? (Pause.) Yes! [Bottom Line] God can
give you the POWER to control yourself.” Seal the deal with a high five or fist bump.
©2015 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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