Build a House
You will need: materials for creating a house (as complex or as simple as you like). cartons with sloping tops (not plastic bottles), coloured paper, glue sticks, scissors, sticky tape, pencils, collage scraps. You could use tables and sheets, let the children put up a real tent, the sky is the limit.
Give each child an empty carton and ask the children to make it into a house by cutting out shapes and sticking them to the sides of the carton to make the walls and sloping top of the carton to make the roof.
Ask the children to add further details such as doors, windows, curtains, letter box using paper and collage materials.
For the younger children let them describe their house to you; number of rooms, what is the main thing in each room (television, table, bed...)
For the older children they can describe their house, their rooms, why one part is a favourite part of the house.
Discuss with the children the importance of having a place to call home.
Talk about unusual/ different places they have stayed in even for a holiday (for example a tent, pod, canal boat, caravan).
Read the story from the Bible John 14 v1 -2
"Do not be worried and upset," Jesus told them. "Believe in God and believe also in me. There are many rooms in my Father's house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so.”
Talk about
Jesus promising a place for every person in God’s house and within God’s love: that all are welcome.
Prayer
I have a friend in Jesus who understands
the way I am today, A friend who always speaks the truth.
I have a friend who’s always there. Who stays with me each day,
A friend who never runs away. I have a friend who never lets me down,
I have a friend that loves me. I have a friend in Jesus Amen