New Year's Idea: Prayer Balloons

If I believed in magic, (which I don’t) I would have to say that balloons have a magical quality. No matter where you put them in a room, children will unavoidably be drawn to them. Even uninflated balloons are full of potential for kids. Don’t believe me? Place a basket full of balloons in the center of your classroom table. You’ll have to move them! If you’re like me, you have probably used balloons in your children’s ministry class. These handy, inexpensive items are perfect for illustrating many different bible topics, like dealing with anger before you pop or how the Holy Spirit lives inside us.
And other cool way to use a balloon is as an object lesson for prayer. Teaching kids that prayers are more than words, they are powerful messages to God who hears every single word. It’s an important lesson to teach if building a strong foundation of faith is a priority for you. When we talk to God, these special messages travel quickly to God’s ears. For this New Year’s object lesson, you need latex balloons, string, scissors, small pieces of paper and pens. It’s a good idea to teach a lesson on prayer before this activity. Use prayer balloons at the beginning of the year so kids can start the year with an emphasis on prayer.
Encourage the kids to write their prayers on a piece of paper. (They can leave them unsigned for privacy.) You may need to give them several minutes to collect their thoughts and write their prayer request. Each child should then roll up his prayer like a scroll, then cinch it closed with a string. Tie the string to the balloon string and head outdoors. Lead the kids in a prayer and release the balloons!
A sea of balloons rising up to the heavens is a powerful demonstration to kids about prayer. This is also a terrific object lesson for teens too!
Read more from Mimi by visiting her blog at Tools for Kids Church.