Fun with someone else’s arms
You will need: cereal, milk, toast, jam, juice, bowl, spoon, plate, cup and knife – and a phone or tablet to record the activity.
Watch the video below
Recreate it in your kitchen! Set up some food such as cereal, milk, toast and jam with a drink. Set up a phone or tablet to record the fun. Loosely tie your child’s hands behind their back. Pop your arms through the gaps between their arms and body and duck down behind them. No peeking and no talking grown-up!!!
Have a discussion about how we need all the parts of our body to function well using the Discussion Questions below
Discussion Questions
- How hard do you think it was for me to feed you without the use of my eyes?
- What happened to our ability to communicate when I didn’t have the use of my mouth?
- Which is more valuable: the use of our eyes, the use of our ears or the use of our mouths?
- Imagine that our hands, mouth and ears could talk to each other. What might they say to each other if they were becoming overly proud of their role in the body?
- Can you think of a special talent or ability that God that has given you?
- How could you use your ability to serve others?
- Why do you think God gave people different gifts?
Note: When we consider “gifts” young children can use, examples include a cheerful disposition and a smile that can be offered to anyone at any time. “Helpful hands” can be used to open doors, carry packages and to clean up messes. A helpful pair of arms can offer a hug to someone who is feeling sad. A kind voice can place a phone call to a friend who is sick or to a grandparent, who will be blessed because someone called to say, “I love you!”
Key Concepts
God gives everyone gifts and abilities so we can use them to serve others. If we begin to think our gifts are more valuable than the gifts God has given to others, our pride can get in the way of the “body of Christ” functioning as it should.
When we compare ourselves to one another, we can be tempted to question each person’s value. As a result, our pride can get in the way of things being accomplished in a way that honours God. If we are tempted to be proud of a gift God has given us, we can remember the instructions written in Romans 12:9-11 that tell us to use our gifts to serve God and to show our love for each other by honouring one another above ourselves.
Relevant Scripture
Romans 12:3-6a “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to us.”