Teaching the Great Commission Through Hands-On Activities
Sunday school lessons on the Great Commission often pair well with creative projects. A variety of craft ideas exist that help children grasp how they can participate in sharing the Gospel, whether at home or far away.
By Cameron Davis
Use crafts to teach the Great Commission.
In many Sunday school settings, children are introduced to the Great Commission—the instruction from God to spread the Gospel to others. Just as there are multiple ways to share the Gospel, there are also multiple crafts that can reinforce the lesson. These activities work alongside any teaching on how to respond to the Great Commission.
A Traveling Suitcase
The goal here is to show children that they can spread the Good News wherever they happen to be, including on trips with their family. To prepare, fold construction paper in half the wide way and cut out a suitcase silhouette. Be sure to remove the center of the handle so there's a place for carrying. Either pre-cut one suitcase for every student or draw a template and let the class do the cutting. Children then tape the edges together so the suitcase can hold its contents.
Prepare a generous supply of small rectangular papers sized to fit inside the suitcase. Ask the children to copy several Bible verses onto these slips—verses they might use when telling others about God's love. For younger kids, you can type the verses and print them on sticker paper so they can simply stick them onto the paper "luggage."
Once finished, the children place the verse slips inside their suitcases and take them home.
Drawing a Map
Have the children draw and color a map showing Paul's Missionary Journeys. Use this to explain that Paul carried out the Great Commission by traveling wherever God directed him. Provide each child with a sheet of white foam board. Using markers, colored pencils, or whatever supplies are on hand, let them create their own map of places they could go to share the Gospel. Encourage them to include locations from your local community. The point is for them to realize that spreading the message about Christ doesn't require traveling a great distance.
The Whole World in Clay
Before class, obtain some blue clay—roughly 1 cup per child. You'll also need toothpicks, tape, and enough printed copies of various national flags so that each child can have five or six. Hand out a lump of blue clay to each student and have them roll it into a sphere to represent the world. Demonstrate how to attach the paper flags to toothpicks with tape, then push the toothpicks into the clay "world." This activity encourages the children to "go into all the world and preach the Gospel."
