"Finishing the Race" Bible Object Lessons

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7; NIV) That’s a powerful statement by Paul and one that has inspired generations to keep up the fight. If you’ve decided to present this verse to your children’s church or Sunday School class, include these finishing the race object lessons in your order of service. Kids do love a visual teaching and this is one that they will understand and receive right away!
Where’s the Finish Line?
Supplies: Masking tape, a small trophy or blue ribbon, bible
Prepare: Put a start line on the floor with masking tape. Place the trophy or ribbon somewhere where kids can see it.
Teach: Oooh…look! It’s a trophy! Someone is going to be a winner today. I wonder who it will be. I think we should have a race and see who will gets this fantastic trophy. I need two volunteers. (Pick two kids.) Okay, you’ll line up at the start line and run to the finish line. (Kids will notice there isn’t a finish line.) No finish line huh? It’s hard to run a race if you don’t know where the finish line is. Thankfully, for Christians, God is our finish line! We don’t quit running until we are with the Lord. When we finally do see Him, He will have a prize for us. Let’s read this verse than I’ll put a finish line down so you can race. (Read 2 Timothy 4:7 together.)
Overcome the Obstacles
Supplies: Obstacles for your race track like cardboard boxes, traffic cones, a few stuffed animals. You also need colored masking tape.
Prepare: Use the tape to create a main race course. This is simply a line that runs from the start to the finish point. Place the obstacles on the taped line. They should space apart evenly.
Teach: Okay, I need a volunteer to walk this race track for me. (Pick a volunteer.) Great! Start at this end and get to that end but here’s the trick, you can’t step off the line. Ready? Go! (When the child gets to the obstacle, ask him to stop.) Looks like you have an obstacle in the way. What should we do? (Take suggestions.) Right! You can step over it! But remember the rule, you can’t step off the line. (When the child gets to the next obstacle give him some more suggestions like move the box or kick it out of the way.)
When he gets to the end say, “Good job! You finished the race, just like Bible tells us too! Who wants to try it next?
Read more from Mimi by visiting her blog at Tools for Kids Church.
For more ideas, check out our “Running the Race” Lesson plan for preschoolers.