Family Night : Sample #3

Tame the Tounge

Target Age: 3-12 years old

Goal: To show the power of the tongue for both good and evil.

Scripture: James 3:3-10, Proverbs 15:28, Luke 6:45

Materials:

A tube of toothpaste for each child.
A video or picture book showing the destruction of a forest fire. (Yellowstone Fire, for example, is available from most public libraries.)
Paper plates and spoons.
A match.
$10 or $20 bill.

Family Lesson and Discussion

Open in prayer

Review last family night lesson

Activities and Discussion

Activity #1: Show the children the video or picture book about the devastation of a forest fire. Talk about how it can start from just one small spark. Then light a match for emphasis.

Pose Question: Can fire be used for good?

Answer: Yes, but only when it is under control. Pose Question: What part of our body can be as destructive as a forest fire?

Read Scriptures: Read James 3:3-10 and point out that the tongue is powerful.

Activity #2: Create a two-column list of ways the tongue can be used for good or evil.

Good: Complimenting, teaching, encouraging, telling truth, etc.

Evil: Teasing, gossip, swearing, name calling, lying, etc.

Activity #3: Have the children sit around the dinner table. Give each of them a tube of toothpaste and a paper plate. Have them race to squeeze every possible drop of toothpaste out of the tube onto the plate. Give them two to three minutes to finish the job. When done, give them each a spoon, lay $10 or $20 bill on the table, and tell them that the first person to get all of the toothpaste back into the tube wins the money. Give them twice as long to finish – four to six minutes. (Don’t worry, your money is safe.)

Pose Question: Which was harder, squeezing the toothpaste out or trying to get it back in?

Point: Once they are out, we can never take our words back.

Read Scriptures: Read Proverbs 15:28 and Luke 6:45 and make the point that, just as the toothpaste came out from inside the tube through the “mouth” of the tube, so our words come out from inside our hearts and minds through our mouths. What’s in your heart controls what’s on your mind, and what’s on your mind controls what you say.

Memorize: Do it God’s way. Be careful what you say!

Close in prayer

Have ice cream or some treat.

Family Night : Sample #3

Tame the Tounge

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