Snacks as Object Lessons!

Snacks are commonplace in Children's Ministry.  And it's awesome that they are because they can be amazing tools for teaching a part of the lesson. Though I'm not one to give out a snack in every service, if I can use snack time to reinforce the day's lesson, then I am all for that.  So this week, I want to share a couple of lesson reinforcement snack ideas that I've found online or made up myself.  I hope you find them as fun as I do.

Goldfish crackers (or the generic equivalent)
These can be brought out to reinforce several scripture such as how we should be fisher's of men (Matthew 4:19) or if you put a few pieces of melba toast with it or croutons it could be a mini version of the loaves and fishes (Mark 6:30-44) that you could use as an object lesson before they ate them.  But they could also be a cool lesson about Jonah and the whale.  Give each of the children a handful of goldfish and let them eat all but one.  Then you could say something along the lines of, "Look at that fish in your hand.  You could swallow it up so easily and in fact you've already eaten several and it was no problem at all.  Now imagine that you were a whale and that little fish was a person...Today we are going to talk about a person who was swallowed up by a whale as easily as you've been swallowing up those fishes."  From there you could continue your lesson on Jonah and the whale.

Homemade Pretzels 
Last year I came across this website through Pinterest that explained how the pretzel was created as a Lenten food and how the shape actually mimicked a common prayer position for early Christians.  I found it fascinating so I used it on my lesson about about Lent.  I mixed up the dough a head of time and had small portions of it divided into cupcake holders.  Then each child got some dough and made their own pretzel that baked while I taught the rest of the lesson and then they got to eat them.  It was such a fun way to teach about Lent.   We are going to do it again this year, but this year they will get to make two pretzels so that they will have one to share with someone else and explain how the pretzel relates to Lent.

Armor of God Snack 
The website, Life's a Bowl of Cherries, had a great idea for a snack that represented all the parts of the Armor of God.  It is easy to use and fun for the kids!  We gave them all the pieces and had them create their Armor of God as we told them step by step what each piece of food represented.   

There are lots of other snack ideas out there that really help to reinforce the lesson you are teaching.  I hope you find these three a good starting place!
  
Until next week!