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FRUITSPIRITFRUITSPIRITThe

The Holy Spirit produces this kindof fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22–23

EVENT OUTLINE

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This event outline is designed for children ages 3–8 and provides ideas for a one-hour event based on the theme The Fruit of the Spirit. It’s perfect for use in Sunday school on the fifth Sunday of the month. Or use one or more of the activities in VBS or during your church’s midweek Bible club.  The event includes a Bible Time, snack idea, crafts, and games. As you choose activities, take into account the size of your group, the children’s ages and interests, their background knowledge and skill levels, and the time available to you.  May God bless you as you share the transforming, empowering work of the Holy Spirit with the children in your care!

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As Children Arrive  Position group leaders throughout your welcome area and urge them to greet families warmly as they arrive. Gather children into groups, four to six children per group. Mix older children with younger ones in each group. That way, experienced children can help the little ones. Assign one or two adult leaders to stay with each group throughout the event.  As you wait for everyone to arrive, pique the children’s interest using one or both of the options below.

Option 1 Tell some fruit-related jokes and riddles like these:

• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Banana. Banana who? Knock, knock! Who’s there? Banana. Banana who? Knock, knock! WHO’S THERE! Orange. ORANGE WHO!? Orange you glad I didn’t say banana again?

• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you going to answer the door?  • Knock, knock! Who’s there? Orange juice! Orange juice who? Orange juice going to talk to me?

• Knock, knock! Who’s there? Apple. Apple who? Apple doesn’t have a last name, Silly! 

• Why was the baby strawberry sad? Because its parents were in a jam.

• Why did the orange stop? Because it ran out of juice!

• What is green and races down the mountain? A skiwi.

Option 2Lead the children in singing about the fruit of the Spirit. Several such songs are available on YouTube and in children’s ministry materials. If your church has a traditional favorite, by all means use it! If not, find one online and begin teaching it to your group.

Or use these words to the tune “Rock-a-Bye Baby”:

Love, joy, peace, patience,God works in me.Kindness and goodness—So tenderly.Faithfulness, gentleness,And self-control,God works these in me; he loves me so!

After everyone arrives, it’s time to begin the small-group activities. Get everyone’s attention and explain that the groups will be moving from one activity to the next. Let them know that you will give a signal (ringing a bell, sounding a whistle, or playing “traveling music”) every fifteen min-utes to indicate that it’s time to rotate.

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Bible Time

Gather the children around you, having them sit down to listen. Make sure everyone can see and hear clearly.

Hold up an apple.

Who can tell me what this is? Yes, it’s an apple.

I got this apple from the store, but it did not grow in the store. Where did it grow? Yes, it grew on a tree. Maybe in Michigan. Maybe in Washington. Maybe in New Zealand.

How did that tree make an apple for me to bring today—and to eat later? Let a volunteer or two comment.

Yes, God sends sunshine and rain to make apple trees grow. God uses farmers and other workers to care for those trees in other ways, too. Healthy apple trees produce healthful apples for us to eat. That’s what God created apple trees to do.

Apples are one kind of fruit. What other kinds of fruit can you name? Let’s see how long a list we can make.

Lead the children in doing so, accepting reasonable responses for a minute or so. Then continue:

God created all kinds of trees and bushes and vines and other plants to make fruit for us to eat, didn’t he? I’m glad he did that. I’m especially glad that God made (name two or three of your favorite fruits). I think those fruits are especially delicious!

The Bible talks about another kind of fruit. It’s not the kind we can eat, though. The Bible calls this fruit the “fruit of the Spirit”—the Holy Spirit. This fruit doesn’t grow on trees or bushes. It grows inside you and me!

Listen! This is what the Bible says: “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23).

On our own, we are not so loving, joyful, or patient, are we? We sometimes say hurtful words. We are sometimes grumpy instead of joyful. We are sometimes impatient; we pout when we don’t get what we want right away. We can be rough and cross instead of gentle and good. We think unkind thoughts. I could go on and on. It’s all pretty sad!

Grown-ups and kids alike do all these things. We are not always what God created us to be, what he wants us to be. So does God give up on us then?

He does NOT! God goes right on loving us, though he is not happy about the ways we often think and act. Still, he goes on loving us. And because he loved us, God sent Jesus to be our Savior.

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Jesus was punished for those things we do wrong! Now, instead of punishing us, God forgives us. He makes us his very own children in his very own family.

But God doesn’t stop there! He sends the Holy Spirit into our lives so that we will grow to become more and more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit grows the “fruit of the Spirit” in our hearts and lives.

If we have love in our lives, who is growing love in us? Yes, the Holy Spirit. If we have joy in our hearts, who is growing joy in us? Yes, the Holy Spirit. If we have peace and patience and kindness in our lives, who is growing that fruit in us? Yes, the Holy Spirit.

Let’s sing a song to thank God—the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit—for all he has done for us. Sing the “Fruit of the Spirit” song you introduced earlier. If the children haven’t sung it yet, introduce it now.

Closing prayer:

Dear Father, you love us so much! You sent Jesus to be our Savior. He died on the cross for us. He washed away our sins, and now we are your forgiven children. Thank you so very much! Please keep on sending the Holy Spirit to help us grow more and more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We love you, God! Amen.

If time allows, sing the “Fruit of the Spirit” song once or twice more. 

Snack Time

FROOTie-TOOTie Treat

What You’ll Need

• 2 cups sliced strawberries

• 3 kiwis

• 1 cup blueberries

• 2 mangoes

• 1 fresh pineapple, peeled and diced

• 2 cups green grapes

• 1 muskmelon, peeled and diced

• 1 cup raspberries

• 2 apples

• Small bowls or paper cups

• Spoons or forks

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What You’ll Do

Cut all the fruit into small pieces, retaining as much juice as possible. Mix together. If possible, chill before serving.

As the children eat, see which fruits they can identify. How many different kinds of fruit are in our salad? (Nine.) The Bible lists nine “fruit of the Spirit,” too. Can you name them?

(Note: This recipe makes about a gallon and serves 10–12 children.)

Crafts Here are three options. Choose the craft that best fits your situation and the children at your event. Fruit of the Spirit Coloring Sheet

What You’ll Need • Copies of the “Fruit of the Spirit” coloring sheet, one per child, on page 10. • Crayons, colored pencils, or markers What You’ll Do

1. Distribute the coloring sheets and crayons, markers, or colored pencils.

2. Have the children color each “fruit” as you talk together about what that particular fruit looks like in our lives. Give specific examples drawn from the lives of the children in the group.

3. Invite the children to take their sheet home so that they can tell family members what they have learned. Fruit of the Spirit Mobile

What You’ll Need • Copies of the “Fruit of the Spirit” coloring sheets, one per child, on pages 11 and 12. • Crayons, colored pencils, or markers • Safety scissors • Hole punch • Thin ribbon, yarn, or string • Dowel sticks, two per child, each 8–10 inches long

What You’ll Do 1. Ahead of time, print the coloring sheets front to back so that the back is the mirror image of the front. (You will run each sheet through your printer twice: the first page on one side and the second page on the other. This will complete the mirrored fruit images on front and back of same sheet.)

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2. Distribute the coloring sheets. The children are to color both sides.

3. Carefully cut out the images and punch a hole at the top of each “fruit.”

4. Use ribbon, yarn, or string to tie the dowel sticks together, making a large X or cross shape. (Adults will most likely need to help with this step.)

5. Use string, thin ribbon, or yarn to tie each “fruit” to the mobile, balancing it from side to side and front to back.

6. Use a longer ribbon to make a hanger for the mobile.  Fruit of the Spirit Classroom Tree

What You’ll Need • Tree pattern on page 13 • Copies of leaves and fruit on page 14 • Large sheets of poster paper taped together • Poster paints and a brush • Crayons or markers • Paper • Safety scissors • Glue sticks or double-sided tape

What You’ll Do

1. Ahead of time, paint a large tree on poster paper and affix it to one wall in your classroom. Title it: The Fruit of the Spirit.

2. Invite the children to create leaves and fruit to add to the tree. Help them label each “fruit” using one of the nine “fruit of the Spirit” from Galatians 5.

3. As the children work, ask them to give examples of how each “fruit” is growing and showing in their own lives. You might also sing the “Fruit of the Spirit” song.

As Craft Time Wraps Up: Children who finish any of the crafts early may help younger participants. You might also keep them busy with an activity book (Item #FRS18AB for ages 7–11). Or a helper may lead everyone in continuing to learn and sing the “Fruit of the Spirit” song you introduced as today’s event began.

FRUITSPIRITFRUITSPIRITThe

FRUITSPIRITFRUITSPIRITThe

The Holy Spirit produces this kindof fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, and

self-control. Galatians 5:22–23Ages 7–11

#FRS18AB 216758

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of CTA, Inc.Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Printed for CTA, Inc. Fenton, MO 63026 Printed in Effingham, IL, U.S.A. November 2017

Written by Jane L. Fryar

Copyright © 2018 by CTA, Inc. 1625 Larkin Williams Rd.

Fenton, MO 63026 www.CTAinc.com

ISBN 978-1-943216-75-8

9 781943 216758

9 0 0 0 0

Activity BookActivity Book

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Games Choose the game(s) below that will work best in your setting and are age appropriate for your children. Before each game, explain the rules. Also, remind the children that God is making us more and more like Jesus, helping us to grow and show more of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

Fruit of the Spirit Spinning Top Game

What You’ll Need

• A Fruit of the Spirit Spinning Top (Item #FRS18AK) for game play

• A Fruit of the Spirit Spinning Top (Item #FRS18AK) for each child as the game ends

What You’ll Do

1. Build the top.

2. Before you spin, choose Home, School, Church, or Neighborhood.

3. Say your choice out loud.

4. Spin the top and read the word that lands facing up.

5. Tell a story to explain how the Holy Spirit helps you grow that “fruit” in the place you have chosen.

Scoring: Keep track of the words that you use. The first person to land on 5 different words and give examples of each wins.

As the game ends, give each child a spinning top to take with him or her. Encourage children to teach the game to someone else at home or school.

Fruit Basket Upset

What You’ll Need

• A large, open space • Chairs, placed in circle • Prizes (see below) 

What You’ll Do

1. Have the children sit in a circle. Give each child the name of one fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control). Tell the children to remember the name you have given them.

2. Choose an IT and remove that child’s chair. Have IT stand in the center of the circle.

3. IT then names two of the “fruit of the Spirit,” for instance, “love” and “joy.” At that point, “love” and “joy” must change places while IT tries to capture one of the vacant seats.

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4. The child left standing is IT for the second round and names two fruit.

5. At any point, IT may say, “Fruit basket upset!” Then everyone must change places.

6. After several rounds, go around the circle asking each child to explain what his or her “fruit” is like or giving an example of how it acts. Give each child who can do this a prize. (The Fruit of the Spirit Silicone Bracelet [Item #FRX18SBT] would make a great prize and reminder.)

When your time together is drawing to a close, invite all the children back to the main meeting area one last time. Repeat the Fruit of the Spirit song one last time. Thank everyone for coming and make sure all participants have any take-home items. In addition, give visiting children a letter, brochure, or postcard that invites them and other family members to join your church family for worship in the weeks ahead.

After the event and cleanup, gather volunteers. Pray together for the children who attended and for their families, asking the Holy Spirit to bless the Word he has planted in their hearts. Ask that Jesus’ love and the gift of forgiveness will be with them wherever they go.

© 2018 CTA, Inc. www.CTAinc.com Permission to make photocopies or reproduce by any other mechanical or electronic means is granted and is intended for use within a church or other Christian organization, but not for resale.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

#WJE18DCE

1

FRUITSPIRITFRUITSPIRITThe

The Holy Spirit produces this kindof fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness, and

self-control. Galatians 5:22–23