God's Blessings Object Lessons

Children rarely hear about the blessings of God outside a Christian household or a church environment, making it a crucial topic that we need to faithfully teach. I believe God loves positive reinforcement, otherwise He would not bless us for our obedience and faith in Him. Kids need to know that yes, there are consequences for doing wrong but doing what’s right, in God’s eyes, also has special benefits. A few object lessons could help your class understand that God blesses His faithful children. Verses like Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth; and he adds no trouble to it,” or Deuteronomy 11:27, “…the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today…” (NIV)
A racetrack set: Set up a small racetrack on a table or an elevated platform so everyone can see it. Place a car on the racetrack. Let the car whiz around the track a few times and explain to kids that the Bible describes our Christian life as a race. We must follow God’s track to get the prize at the end, but God also gives us blessings along the way. Next, set up a detour and lead the car off the track in the wrong direction. Explain that when we derail or take our own way, we no longer qualify for wonderful, sometimes surprising blessings along the way.
Tray of blessings: For this visual lesson, you need a deep tray or shallow basin plus many clear cups and glasses of varying sizes. Have a pitcher of clear water nearby for this demonstration. Tell the kids that blessings from God can vary, some of His blessings are long life, (promised when we honor our parents) or peace because we know that “all things work together for the good of those who love God.” Sometimes the Lord will bless us with abundance in different areas of our lives too. Pour the water into the cups until they overflow. It may also be helpful to allow kids to share when they have experienced God’s blessings.