Initial Giving – A Super Sunday School Lesson for Your Elementary Kids

Have you ever received a gift from someone who had a scowl on their face? Or maybe they just didn’t seem that thrilled at giving you a gift? That’s happened to me. It’s not very fun. I almost wished I had never received the gift. Do you know how God expects us to give our gifts? 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “God loves a cheerful giver.” Being cheerful when giving anything will bless the giver and the receiver. Here is a fun Sunday school lesson to help your kids memorize this verse and think about some interesting gifts they might give to some special people. It’s called “Initial Giving.”

Here’s what you do:

For this Sunday school lesson you will need a second-timer and a white board or chalkboard. You will need someone from your class who spells and writes well and who can be the scorekeeper.

Divide your class into 2 teams. Have them sit in 2 separate areas of the room. You are now ready to play this activity. Say the following: 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “God loves a cheerful giver.” This verse doesn’t say God loves a grumpy giver or a bored giver. It says God loves a cheerful giver. Why do you think God wants us to give cheerfully? (Wait for responses. Clarify with the following: When we give with a cheerful and joyful heart, we are going to be blessed and the person who is receiving the gift is going to be blessed.) 2 Corinthians 9:7 is an easy verse to memorize so we’re going to play a fun game to make sure you have it inside your heart and mind for your whole life.

Continue saying: You are in 2 different teams. I am going to take turns asking a student from each team something they might give to a certain person. You will have to answer with 2 words formed from the initials of your own name. For example, I might ask, “David Johnson, what would you give to your grandma?” David might respond with “dandy jacks.” Sarah Crawford might say “seven cantaloupes.” You will have 7 seconds to come up with an answer. If you are successful, you will come forward and stand on your side where you team is sitting. My scorekeeper will write your answer on the board so it cannot be used again. Once I have asked every student the gift they would give, I will then have each of you who were able to give me a gift according to your initials to recite 2 Corinthians 9:7. For every team member who says the verse correctly, they will earn 50 points for their team. We will then start all over, but on the next round you will have to give a new answer that hasn’t been used. After 5 rounds, the team with the most points wins. Now let’s play!

Tips for Success:

Just come up with different people the kids can give “gifts” to. Try the following: the Queen of England, Sponge Bob (or another favorite cartoon character of the kids), your pastor, the tooth fairy, and best of all, Jesus.

If 7 seconds is not long enough, try 10 seconds. You don’t want to take too long, though, because you want to maintain a nice momentum.

Finally, if you have a child with initials that would be difficult to work with, such as KV, you could have him or her use 2 other letters in their name.