252 Groups
March 2015, Week 3
Small Group, 4-5
Keep Calm and Keep Your Cool
Bible Story: Keep Calm and Keep Your Cool (a patience principle) • Proverbs 14:29
Bottom Line: When you think you can’t wait, keep your cool.
Memory Verse: “Wait for the LORD. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the LORD.” Psalm
27:14, NIrV
Life App: Patience—waiting until later for what you want now.
Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.
Plug In: Focus the Energy (Choose one or both of these activities.)
Early Arriver
 An offering container
Sweet and Sour
 Print the “Sweet and Sour Drivers” Activity Page; cut apart
Catch On: Make the Connection (Choose as many of these activities as you like.)
* If you don’t have time to do all these activities, be sure to do activity #2. Activities #1 and #3 are
particularly good for children who need to move in order to stay engaged.
Meltdown (application activity / review the Bible story / great for active learners)
 Spray bottle of vinegar
 Hand wipes
 One foam dinner plate for each kid
 Trash bag
 For every 8-10 kids: snow dough
o 1- 1lb box of baking soda
o ¾-1 can of shaving cream
Mix and knead the baking soda and shaving cream together to form a soft, pliable dough. For
directions and more info: http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2013/01/erupting-snowrecipe.html
Optional: Instead of preparing the snow dough ahead of time, let the kids make it by mixing the
ingredients together during the activity.
Billboards (application activity)
 Bibles
 Markers
 Print the “Billboards” Activity Page; 1 for each kid
 (Optional) Do an Internet search for funny or interesting billboards and print off some that you
think the kids would enjoy, or be prepared to show them on a mobile device
Toe Truck (memory verse activity)
 Bibles
 Matchbox® cars; 1 for each kid (you can use the same ones as last week)
 Shallow, plastic tub filled with water
 Several bath towels
5-6 Challenge:
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252 Groups


March 2015, Week 3
Small Group, 4-5
Timer
Prizes
Note: If many of your girls will be wearing tights or leggings, or if you prefer a non-foot alternative
for this activity, substitute marbles for the cars and have kids rescue them using only their pinkies.
Prayer
 Ice cubes; 1 per kid
 Paper towels
Additional Resources:
 Make copies on cardstock of this week’s GodTime and Parent CUE cards.
 Tell parents about our additional family resources: Studio252.tv, CUE Box, and the Parent
CUE app. To find out more about these great resources, go to http://www.Studio252.tv/leaders.
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2
252 Groups
March 2015, Week 3
Small Group, 4-5
FOR LEADERS ONLY
GOD VIEW: the connection between PATIENCE and God’s character,
as shown through God’s One Big Story
There’s a phrase we say a lot in 252 Basics—it’s one of our three basics truths: “I can trust God no
matter what.”
As people who follow God and call ourselves Christians, this is something all of us say. And probably
for the most part we live this out. We trust God to provide for our needs, for our safety, even for our
health and well being. But there are certain times when trusting God seems just a bit more difficult—
often those are times that try our patience. Times when we’re not where we were, but we’re not at our
final destination. We’re somewhere in between on this journey. Put simply, we’re waiting. And it’s in the
waiting that our faith is tested.
Patience is important. It’s a Fruit of the Spirit, and actually it’s a foundational way that we reflect God’s
character. From the very beginning God has shown patience with people. When Adam and Eve broke
God’s rule, He could have killed them on the spot. Rather, He showed them grace. Yes, there were
consequences, but God had a plan for their rescue. All throughout the Bible we see God showing
patience in order that more people could come to know and believe in Him.
For God, it seems as though patience is all about relationships with people. Even after we sinned, He
still pursued us. He sent Jesus, His own Son to make a way for us to be with Him. He waited time after
time for people to repent and make things right. Something He still does today.
When we show patience, we are less likely to hurt our relationships with others. We are more likely to
trust that God has something better for us in the future. And when we trust God with our future, even
when we’re in-between on life’s journey and asking Him, “Are we there yet?” we can have patience
knowing that His plan and His timing are always better than our own.
This month, let’s think about how:
(1) God has been patient with us since the very beginning.
(2) The Bible challenges us to reflect patience in our lives with how we respond to circumstances
that are out of our control.
(3) As we demonstrate patience, we begin to look more like Jesus.
This week, we’re discovering:
There’s an important patience principle King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 14:29. “Anyone who is patient
has great understanding. But anyone who gets angry quickly shows how foolish he is.” (NIrV) How we
respond to waiting shows others our character. Getting frustrated and angry doesn’t make the wait any
less; it just makes us look foolish.
Bottom Line: When you think you can’t wait, keep your cool. Sometimes when you’re waiting, it’s
too easy to get frustrated and become angry with others. Don’t make yourself look foolish when you
have to wait.
Our memory verse is Psalm 27:14. “Wait for the Lord. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the
Lord!” (NIrV) When having patience seems too difficult, the Lord will give us strength to wait.
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3
252 Groups
March 2015, Week 3
Small Group, 4-5
Keep Calm and Keep Your Cool
Bible Story: Keep Calm and Keep Your Cool (a patience principle) • Proverbs 14:29
Bottom Line: When you think you can’t wait, keep your cool.
Memory Verse: “Wait for the LORD. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the LORD.” Psalm
27:14, NIrV
Life App: Patience—waiting until later for what you want now.
Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.
Plug In: Focus the Energy (Small Groups, 10-15 minutes)
Focus the energy on today’s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question
and an interactive opening activity.
Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group
for the first time. Pray that kids would start applying the things they’re learning about patience, if they
haven’t already. Ask God to make kids aware when they are in situations that require a choice to be
patient. Pray for your kids to be able to keep their cool when they think they can’t wait. And pray that
you would be an encouragement to them today, so they will walk away knowing that they can do it with
God’s help!
1. Early Arriver Idea
What You Need: An offering container
What You Do:
Invite the kids to put their offerings in the offering container as they arrive. Tell kids that they cannot
speak. The goal is for everyone to keep still and quiet until it’s time for the next activity. To make it more
challenging, ask them questions about their week, how they’ve been showing patience at home, etc.
They will have to show patience while waiting for a chance to answer your questions.
2. Sweet and Sour Drivers
What You Need: “Sweet and Sour Drivers” Activity Page
What You Do:
Ask the kids if they’ve ever played the “Sweet and Sour” road game where they wave or smile at people
in passing cars or trucks and keep track of how many people wave or smile back.
Tell the kids that you’d like to play an indoor version of the “Sweet and Sour” game. Explain that each
kid will be given a card describing a certain kind of driver, such as a truck driver. No one else will know
what the other drivers are. The kids will give clues to the others by the way they drive around your area
and the things they say to the other drivers about where they’re going. After the game, everyone will get
a chance to guess the drivers each kid was portraying.
Now, here’s where the “Sweet and Sour” part comes in. Before the kids begin moving around the room,
pick an animated kid to be an angry driver. He will still portray his character, but as he does, he will also
try to get the other drivers to smile at him by throwing a road-rage temper tantrum. When another kid so
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252 Groups
March 2015, Week 3
Small Group, 4-5
much as smirks, he switches places and the kid that smiled becomes the angry driver. Remind kids to
stay in character during the whole game.
What You Say:
“It was hard to not laugh at the road rage. People who lose their cool in real life and throw tantrums
often act very childish. It’s not pretty. [Transition] Our ‘Sweet and Sour’ game reminds me of
something we’re going to learn in Large Group today. Keep the image of those temper tantrums
in your mind as we head over to Large Group.”
Lead your group to the Large Group area.
Catch On: Make the Connection (Small Groups, 25-30 minutes)
Make the connection of how today’s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive
activities and discussion questions.
1. Meltdown (application activity / great for active learners)
What You Need: Bible, foam plates, spray bottle of vinegar, trash bag, hand wipes, prepared snow
dough (or ingredients, if kids will be making it)
What You Do:
If you have not yet made the snow dough, guide the kids to make it using the instructions in “Get
Ready.”
Give each of the kids a small amount of snow dough and a foam plate. Invite them to create a tiny
snowman and place it in the center of their plate. Include yourself in this activity by making your own
snowman with the kids.
When everyone is done, bring the kids together and sit in a circle. Have them place their plates
containing the snowmen on the floor or on the table in front of them. Ask a volunteer to read Proverbs
14:29. (“Anyone who is patient has great understanding. But anyone who gets angry quickly shows how
foolish he is.”)
[Make It Personal] Share about a time when you got angry and didn’t handle impatience well and
then ended up doing or saying something foolish that you regretted. Invite the kids to suggest
ways you could have done things differently to prevent a patience meltdown and bring about a
better outcome.
Next, invite one of the kids to talk about times when waiting for something makes him lose his cool.
When is he the most tempted to feel impatient, frustrated, angry, and ready to lose it? It can be as
incidental as a waiting for your turn with the TV remote or as huge as tying to figure out a math concept
at school. Invite the other kids to push their plates forward towards the center of the circle if they, too,
would have a hard time being patient in that situation.
After the first kid finishes sharing, give him the squirt bottle of vinegar. Let him squirt a mist of vinegar
directly onto his snowman (only his). The vinegar will react with the baking soda and create a
“meltdown.”
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252 Groups
March 2015, Week 3
Small Group, 4-5
[Apply] Ask the kids (particularly those who pushed their plates forward earlier) to suggest what
to do in situations like the one their friend described. How can they avoid meltdowns and bad
choices when faced with people and situations that make them angry? In other words, what
does it take to “play it cool” when they feel like having a meltdown?
Have the kids pull their plates back in front of them and then choose another kid to take a turn sharing
something that is hard to handle with calm and patience. Once again, let the others push their plates
forward to signify whether they, too, would feel a potential meltdown coming on if they were in a similar
situation. Have kids continue to suggest ways they can apply Proverbs 14:29. Then, pass the squirt
bottle and let him spray a mist of vinegar on his snowman. Repeat until all the kids have had a turn
sharing and “melting.”
Gather up the plates and dough and place them in a trash bag to clean up.
5-6 Challenge: Ask kids to pick a partner to pray for this week. If they don’t already have each other’s
contact info, ask them to share it with their partner. Then challenge them to follow up with their partner
this week to see if they were able to keep their cool during the moments when it’s difficult not to. If
possible, follow up with at least a few of the kids and ask how them the same questions. Encourage
them to catch up with their partner from today.
What You Say:
“When the vinegar hit the snow dough, there was a messy meltdown. This was a great picture of what it
feels like to lose our cool. Have you ever been waiting so long that you start to feel angry and unless
you make a choice to hold your temper, you’re headed for a meltdown? Impatient people are no fun to
be around. Practicing patience will help you avoid an argument or give you time to cool down and make
a better choice about what you should say and do. [Impress] When you think you can’t wait, keep
your cool. Controlling messy meltdowns makes you a better friend and a stronger follower of Jesus.”
* 2. Billboards (application activity / review the Bible story)
What You Need: Bibles, “Billboards” Activity Pages, markers, funny or interesting billboard pictures
(optional)
What You Do:
Set out the markers and give everyone a “Billboards” Activity Page and a Bible. Ask the kids if they
have ever seen any interesting or funny billboards and signs along the highway as they were traveling
with their families. Let them share what they remember.
Next, assign each kid (or pair of kids) one of the verses below. Ask them to create a billboard that either
illustrates a way to live out the verse or a consequence of not doing so.
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
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Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit the Holy Spirit produces is love, joy and peace. It is being
patient, kind and good. It is being faithful and gentle and having control of oneself. There is no
law against things of that kind.” (NIrV)
Colossians 3:12 – “You are God’s chosen people. You are holy and dearly loved. So put on
tender mercy and kindness as if they were your clothes. Don’t be proud. Be gentle and patient.”
(NIrV)
Psalm 40:1 – “I was patient while I waited for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry for
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252 Groups


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March 2015, Week 3
Small Group, 4-5
help.” (NIrV)
Proverbs 14:29 – “Anyone who is patient has great understanding. But anyone who gets angry
quickly shows how foolish he is.” (NIrV)
Proverbs 15:18 – “A man who burns with anger stirs up fights. But a person who is patient
calms things down.” (NIrV)
Romans 12:12 – “When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient. When you pray, be
faithful.” (NIrV)
Ecclesiastes 7:8 – “The end of a matter is better is better than its beginning. So it’s better to be
patient than proud.” (NIrV)
When finished, take a few minutes for kids to read their verses aloud and explain the billboard they
created. Lead them in a discussion about what they learned from the verse they were assigned. Ask
them to share some ways that impatience can hurt us. How does it hurt others? What did their verse
teach them about how to chill out?
What You Say:
“If we call ourselves followers of Jesus, we are like a walking, talking billboard. Our lives, and the way
we react to hard situations, can point others to God. [Apply] You will have many opportunities this
week to be a billboard for God in your school, at home, and wherever you go. When you wait
patiently, you’re showing that you trust God and believe He’s in control of your situation. When you
don’t say hurtful things to others, you’re showing that you value people the way He does. If you get
impatient, it can lead to wrong actions if you don’t cool it. Those bad actions not only make YOU look
bad, they make God look bad. So, [Impress] when you think you can’t wait, keep your cool.”
3. Toe Truck (memory verse activity)
What You Need: Bibles, toy cars, plastic tub filled with water, towels
What You Do:
Read Psalm 27:14 together and let the kids practice saying it a couple of times. Ask for volunteers to
say the verse from memory. Prompt as needed.
If you lead mostly older kids, consider asking these discussion questions:
 Why are some people harder to be patient with than others?
 If you figure out that someone is difficult for you to be around and not lose your patience, how is
that helpful? What should you do once you figure it out?
 Explain why you agree or disagree with the following statements:
o A patient person—a person who “waits for God”— is more fun to hang around with.
o When I lose my temper, it’s not always my fault.
o My friends know that I don’t mean what I say when I’m angry, which makes it okay.
Have the kids remove their shoes and socks. Give each child a car. Explain that they must work to
rescue their car out of a tub of water using the toes on one foot. They must stay in the water long
enough to say all of Psalm 27:14 and rescue their car. Have dry towels close by to dry each player's
feet. Prompt kids who may need help saying the verse.
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252 Groups
March 2015, Week 3
Small Group, 4-5
Optional: If many of your girls will be wearing tights or leggings, or if you prefer a non-foot alternative,
consider having the kids rescue marbles (instead of cars) in a tub of water using only their pinkies.
5-6 Challenge:
What You Need: Items from above, timer, prizes
What You Do:
Time each child and award a prize for who says the verse and rescues his car the fastest.
What You Say:
“Great job ‘toeing’ those cars! And great job quoting Psalm 27:14, too. Today’s Bottom Line is:
[Impress] when you think you can’t wait, keep your cool. [Apply] You may have to do some
waiting this week. You may find yourself running out of patience. Just when you need it, Psalm
27:14 might pop into your head. That’s God speaking to you. Pretty cool, right?”
Pray and Dismiss
What You Need: ice cubes, paper towels
What You Do:
Bring the kids together and sit in a circle with the bowl of ice cubes in the middle. Give each of the kids
a couple of paper towels. Tell them that you’ll name some things that often try our patience and cause
us to lose our cool. If it’s something that’s true for them, ask them to grab an ice cube from the middle.
Have them hold it while you pray a short prayer for God’s help in that area this week. Then, they can
return the ice to the middle (if it hasn’t completely melted).
Repeat the process several more times with different types of situations where patience can be a
struggle. If some of the kids don’t take an ice cube, encourage them to still pray along.
Use the following examples or add others that you know are true of your group:
 It’s hard for me to be patient with some of my family members. (Dear God, help us to show Your
love to our families this week by being patient with them the way You’re patient with us.)
 I sometimes lose my cool with some of the kids at school. (Dear God, help us to be good
examples of keeping our cool at school. Help us to not say or do things we will regret later.)
 I get impatient with myself when I don’t do things well. (Dear God, help me to live for You and to
do my best. When I make a mistake, help me to come to You right away and ask forgiveness.)
 I get impatient when I have to wait for something that I really want. (Dear God, help me to
remember that You love me and are always in control.)
 I often forget to be patient until it’s too late. (Dear God, help us to remember today’s Bottom
Line this week. [Impress] When you think you can’t wait, don’t lose your cool.)
What You Say:
“Being patient—learning to wait until later for what you want now—is just one of the ways to follow
God. [Apply] This week, when you’re at home, school, a friend’s house, or anywhere in between,
remember that you can call on God’s help as often as you need it. God hears your prayers and will
give you what you need to make wise choices, like choosing to wait when it’s the right thing to do.”
Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent CUE cards as adults arrive to pick up.
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