We have a small church with a small Children’s Ministry. Because of this, we have decided in lieu of a VBS this year, we would have fun days for the kids, one day each in June, July, and August. This has really worked well and it takes less planning and preparation to get ready for each day.
This month, we had a movie day. I really wanted a movie that none of the children had seen and so I chose an old Disney movie, “Toby Tyler”. It is about a young boy who joins the circus. It is a fun loving story with a great application for the Bible.
I decided to make this day a Circus theme. I had popcorn and peanuts available, as well as water bottles, and we watched the movie using the projector in the sanctuary. The kids thought that it was like a movie theater. I had found some circus themed coloring pages for them to work on during and after the movie. I also had some circus games to play while we waited for lunch. We had ring toss, throw the bean bag through the hole, a large inflatable bowling set, and ping pong ball toss into baskets. The kids thought that it was great fun!
For my devotional, I used 3 Bible verses that I thought exemplified parts of the movie.
Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” In the movie, many people speak unkindly to Toby Tyler. There are also those that speak kindly to him. We discussed what the responses to these were and what that means for us.
Proverbs 6:6 “Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise.” Toby works hard throughout his time at the circus, no matter how he is treated.
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Toby went to Sam and Ben, who really helped him throughout the movie. We can go to God in our times of trouble and He will help.
I made a “ticket” for the kids with these 3 Bible verses written on it for them to take home to remember them.
The kids loved our circus themed movie morning! I hope your kids will love it, too!
