One of my favorite Bible verses should be Galatians 5: 22-23, which gives us the wonderful “fruit of the Spirit.” This is because it was one of the first scriptures I ever wrote. I love sharing this verse with kids of all ages, but when I share it with preschoolers, I tend to focus on the first 3 fruits of love, joy and peace. Here is a fun Bible school activity to help your little ones learn the first part of this verse. I call it “Spirit Fruit Spin and Throw.”
Here’s what you do:
For this activity, create 9 large circles that the children throw. I created mine from the top and bottom of frozen juice cans. Attach a picture of a heart on 3 of the circles. On the 3 is attached a picture of a cheerful smile and on the last 3 is attached a picture of a peaceful sleeping baby or child. You also need a large bowl or bag into which the circles are thrown. Finally, you want to make a line on the floor with a piece of chalk or tape after the children throw the circles.
How to play:
Choose a child to come forward and stand behind the line. Before letting him toss the 9 circles in the bowl, slowly turn around him as you say the following Bible verse at a slight pace. Highlight the words I have emphasized:
“But fruit of the Spirit
Is Watching it, joy and peace… ”
After the giggle has disappeared, allow the child to toss the circles in the bowl at a time. Count how many circles came in the bucket by encouraging your little ones to count with you. Then point out what kind of “fruit” came into the bucket – love, joy or peace. When you show each circle, you might say, “God wants us to love each other,” or “God wants us to be happy,” or “God wants us to be peaceful.” After each child has had at least one reversal. You may want to finish your activity by handing out fruit cups.
Before playing this Bible school activity, you may want to introduce it as follows:
Who can tell me their favorite fruit? (Wait for answers.) I’m so glad you all like fruit. Did you guys know that God loves fruit too? He does. He loves apples and oranges and grapes just like you, but he also loves a special kind of fruit called the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy and peace. When we have love, joy and peace in our lives, we will be sweet and “delicious” to everyone we meet, just like a good piece of fruit. Let’s play a fun game to help us remember the wonderful fruit of God. It’s called “Fruit of the Spirit Spin and Toss.”