Forgiveness of sins, adoption into God’s family, eternal life in Heaven.

All of that was made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus!

It is easy, in our limited understanding, to underestimate the value of what Christ did on the cross.

Use this game with your preteens to explore and celebrate some of the things Christ accomplished through His death and resurrection.

PRETEEN MINISTRY GAME: EASTER EGG END ZONE

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SUPPLIES

10-15 plastic colored Easter eggs per preteen (any size)

One large Easter basket per team

Two paper cups per team

A powerpoint slide, or piece of paper with the value of each color of egg – not to be revealed until the game is finished.

GAME PREP

Mark an end zone at one end of your playing area.

Mark a throwing zone at the other end of your space.

There should be a gap between the two zones so the game is challenging.

Divide the students into teams.

The number of teams will depend on the size of your group and your space.

Have one or two people from each team go to the opposite side of the room in the “end zone”.

These students will serve as “catchers.”

Give each catcher a paper cup and one Easter basket for their team.

Their Easter basket will sit behind them during the game.

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

Tell preteens that when you say “go” they are to begin throwing the Easter eggs to the opposite side of the room for their catcher to catch in his/her cup.

All teams and throwers can begin at the same time.

They cannot use their hands to help the egg into their cup.

Once a catcher has caught an egg, they put it into their basket and continue to catch.

Let preteens know that each egg is worth points but they will not know how much until the game is done.

Take a moment to ask them to guess which egg might be worth the most, but don’t give any indication as to whether or not they have guessed correctly.

Eggs that don’t get caught must stay on the floor and can be returned to the thrower’s side to keep the game going.

Have a leader or some of the throwers collect the eggs and bring them back to the throwing zone.

Eggs cannot be stolen from another person’s basket.

Once all the eggs have been caught or a preset time runs out, the game is over.

At the end of the game, reveal the number of points for each color of egg in your game.

Make the least likely color worth the most points.

For example, if you have silver or gold eggs, make them worth less.

Have teams total up the points in their Easter baskets.

The team with the most points wins.

Once the game is finished ask:

How many of you guessed that the ________ colored egg was the most valuable? Why?

What made it difficult to determine which eggs you should go after?

Because of the Bible, God’s Word, we can know the value of what Jesus did on the cross, but sometimes we forget or we underestimate the importance of His death and resurrection.

Easter is a great time of year to remember the value of what Jesus did on the cross.

Let’s take a look at five big things that were accomplished through Jesus’ death and resurrection:

Power Over Sin (1 Corinthians 15:57)

We no longer have to be a slave to sin.

We can receive forgiveness and overcome sin because of Jesus’ death.

Restored Relationship With God (Hebrews 10:19)

Before Jesus’ death and resurrection, people had to go to the tabernacle or the temple and go through the priest in order to connect with God.

When Jesus died, the curtain that separated the people from God’s presence was torn.

We can now be with God anytime, anywhere.

Adoption Into God’s Family (1 John 3:1)

When we ask Jesus to come into our hearts, to be the ruler in our lives, the Bible tells us that we are adopted into His family.

We are now His sons or His daughters.

Eternal Life in Heaven (1 Thessalonians 5:10; Romans 10:9)

Jesus resurrection demonstrated that He has power over death.

Those who believe in Jesus, and in His resurrection, no longer have to be afraid of death because we know we will spend eternity with God.

God’s Power Living In Us (Philippians 4:13)

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now in us through the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was God’s promise to us when Jesus returned to His Father in heaven after His resurrection.

This means that the same miracles that Jesus did are possible today when we pray for others and trust in God.

Ask: Are there any more things that you can think of? (Allow for responses.)

As we celebrate Easter this year, let’s not underestimate the value of what Jesus did for us.

Let’s take time to thank Him for all He has done!

Maybe you have never heard about Jesus before.

Jesus died and rose again to make us a part of His family, to give us an opportunity to have a relationship with Him that is no longer distant because of our sin.

If that’s you, and you would like to have Jesus be your forever friend, if you would like to have Him forgive your sins so that you can have a fresh start, and you would like to spend an eternity with Him, would you let us pray for you today?

You can tell the friend who brought you, or your small group leader, or you can raise your hand now and we will pray together.

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Like this game? Check this out blog post…

WHY PRETEENS DON’T THINK EASTER IS A BIG DEAL (AND HOW TO FIX IT)