4. Dominoes
Tape shapes down on the floor. As children enter, assign them each to a shape. Have them work together as a group to line the dominoes up along the tape. After the dominoes are set up, allow one student to tap lightly the first domino, and watch them make all the dominoes fall. Try to do this several times (if time allows) to allow several different students a chance to knock them down.
Afterward, talk with children about how one sin leads to others. Pretty soon, it’s hard to stop. Also, you could discuss the idea that my sin does affect others. Explain that today kids will hear about the first sin and how it affected Adam and Eve. Also talk about how sinning affects God.
5. Big and Little Sin
Have a child stand on a chair and drop two oranges from the same height at the same time. Observe what happens at the floor level (cover the floor with newspaper). This is the “control” part of the experiment. Then have a child stand on a chair and drop an orange and a grape (or pea) from the same height at the same time.
Observe what happens at the floor level. They should hit at the same time as gravity pulls things, at the same rate even if they are not the same size.
Wrap up this object lesson about sin with a simple explanation. Say that whether big or small, all sins are wrong in God’s eyes. So we need to confess them all. Adam and Eve’s sin affected all of humanity. But it was no bigger sin in God’s eyes than a lie.
6. All Fall Short
Place two pieces of masking tape far enough apart that it would be impossible for students to jump from one to the other. Allow students to take turns attempting to jump from one mark to the other.
Explain that this is exactly what the memory verse is talking about. We “fall short of God’s glory” because of our sin. No matter what we do, we can’t be good enough. Our sin keeps us from God’s perfect standard. Read Romans 6:23. Explain that the Bible says we deserve to die and not go to heaven because we can’t reach that mark. But God gives us the free gift of eternal life when we trust in Jesus.
We hope you enjoy using an object lesson about sin. Are you looking for more Sunday school lessons for kids? We’ve got ’em!
