252 Groups
February 2015, Week 3
Small Group 2-3
Don’t You Forget About Me
Bible Story: Don’t You Forget About Me (the least of these) • Matthew 25:35-40
Bottom Line: Be kind to people who are overlooked.
Memory Verse: “Do to others as you want them to do to you.” Luke 6:31, NIrV
Life App: Kindness—showing others they are valuable by how you treat them.
Basic Truth: I should treat others the way I want to be treated.
Plug In: Focus the Energy (Small Groups, 10-15 minutes)
Focus the energy on today’s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question
and an interactive opening activity.
Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Ask God to help your
kids understand how important it is to seek out the overlooked people in their lives and show kindness to them. Pray that God will open their
eyes to all of the overlooked people around them. Ask God to help them be an example to others in the way that they show everyone how
valuable they are.
1. Early Arriver Idea
What You Need: An offering container
What You Do:
Collect kids’ offerings as they arrive. Talk to them about kindness and how they have shown others
they are valuable this month.
What You Say:
“Have you had an opportunity to show kindness this month? If yes, tell us about it. What about this past
week—how did you show kindness to your family and friends? Did anyone notice? What did they say?
Has it been hard for you to make time to be kind? Valentine’s Day was yesterday. Did you do anything
to show someone kindness?”
2. Overlooked
What You Need: Whiteboard (or butcher paper), marker
What You Do:
Talk about the definition of overlooked: to fail to see or notice [something]; to pay no attention to
[something]; to not consider [someone] for a job, position, promotion, etc.
Then make a 3-column list:
In column 1: When have kids felt overlooked?
In column 2: Can they think of a person or people who are often overlooked? (no names; stay
with broad examples such as homeless people, old people, a girl in my class, quiet people, etc.)
In column 3: How does it feel to be overlooked?
What You Say:
“Being overlooked can be really hard! [Transition] But today in Large Group, we’re going to hear
what Jesus has to say about it and what we can do to help those who are overlooked!”
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (CherylBishop/FUMCR/Feb2015).
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252 Groups
February 2015, Week 3
Small Group 2-3
Lead your group to the Large Group area.
Catch On: Make the Connection (Small Groups, 25-30 minutes)
Make the connection of how today’s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive
activities and discussion questions.
1. Kindness Turnover (application activity / great for active learners)
What You Need: Chairs or placeholders
What You Do:
Make a circle with one less seat than the number of kids in the group. Pick one person to stand in the
middle and tell everyone else to choose a seat. The person in the middle will say something kind that
they’ve done for someone else. If anyone else in the group has done it, they have to stand up and
change seats, but they can’t sit in the seat directly beside them. The person in the middle also finds an
empty seat. The person left without a seat goes to the middle, and they say something kind they have
done. Keep repeating until everyone has been “caught” in the middle (or until the game has gone on for
a reasonable amount of time).
What You Say:
“Those were lots of kind examples. I really love your hearts, especially after hearing how important it is
to God that we’re kind. I really love how Jesus is kind to everyone. He doesn’t overlook anyone. He has
enough kindness for everyone. [Apply] How can that be true of you, too? Can you think of a way
to show kindness to someone who is often overlooked? Tell me when you plan to do this. (Let a
few kids answer.) Great stuff! So this week we have a new challenge: not just to be kind, but also to
[Impress] be kind to people who are overlooked. Let’s do it!”
* 2. 4 Spaces (application activity / review the Bible story)
What You Need: Paper, colored pencils, Bibles
What You Do:
Open the Bible to Matthew 25:35-40 and read the verses from the Bible story out loud.
Hand out paper, and guide kids to divide them into four spaces by folding the paper in half two times,
making four equal parts. Instruct kids to label them: 1) hungry, 2) thirsty, 3) cold, and 4) lonely.
Then ask: How would you want to be treated if you were hungry? thirsty? cold? lonely? Ask the kids to
draw a cartoon to illustrate their answer in each space.
After they complete their cartoons, point out that the Memory Verse says to treat others how we want to
be treated. Sometimes that means that when we see people who are hungry, thirsty, cold, or lonely, we
should respond like in the cartoons. Then remind kids what Jesus said—that when they do these
things, they do it for Him! Finally, reread the Bible story one more time.
What You Say:
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (CherylBishop/FUMCR/Feb2015).
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252 Groups
February 2015, Week 3
Small Group 2-3
[Apply] “What would it look like for you to really put those cartoon squares into action? (Pause
for some responses.) How could you do it in your neighborhood or at your school? (Pause for
some responses.) What’s holding you back? (Pause for some responses.) Remind yourself that
Jesus said that when you are kind to people who are overlooked, you are being kind to Him. Sign me
up for that! So let’s find ways to [Impress] be kind to people who are overlooked.”
3. Kindness Cards (memory verse activity) – supplies provided
What You Need: Construction paper, stickers, markers, glitter pens, colored pencils
What You Do:
Ask if anyone received any cards or gifts on Valentine’s Day and how it made them feel. Discuss how
people who are overlooked may have been overlooked on Valentine’s Day. Then say the verse aloud
together a couple times, and see if any kids can say it without any help. Then ask how they would want
to be treated on Valentine’s Day (or any day). Then hand out the supplies and ask each kid to come up
with one person they know that is often overlooked and make a card for that person.
While they’re making the cards, ask if anyone remembers the memory verse for this month. Once the
verse has been recited by someone, ask the group how the memory verse ties in to what they’re
currently doing.
What You Say:
[Apply] “Now I want you to plan a time to give the card to the person you picked and let them
know how valuable they are to you. Does anyone already have a plan to do this and would like
to share it? (Pause for some responses.) Make sure you all tell us next week how it goes. I can’t wait
to hear about it. [Impress] Be kind to people who are overlooked, and let them know they’re special
even though they may not feel like they are. And you can always remind them—and yourself—that God
loves us all so much that He sent Jesus to die for us. Talk about being valuable!”
Pray and Dismiss
What You Need: No supplies needed
What You Do:
Instruct kids to spend some time silently praying for the person they made their cards for. (If you did not
do Activity #3 above, ask kids to silently pray for someone they think might be overlooked.) As they
pray, silently pray for each of them.
What You Say:
“It was really neat watching you all pray. While you were praying, I prayed for you. [Apply] Now let’s
keep praying for these people all week, and I want you to make time to give them their cards and
let them know that you’ve been praying for them. I think it will really mean a lot. [Make It
Personal] (Tell your group about someone you plan to pray for this week and how you’re going
to tell them you’ve been praying for them.) I know sometimes it feels awkward to give someone a
card or tell them you’re praying for them, so I’m going to pray that you all have the courage to show
kindness in this way. [Impress] Be kind to people who are overlooked.”
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (CherylBishop/FUMCR/Feb2015).
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