Welcome

• Thank kids for coming.
• Just for fun, have kids high-five three of their friends.
• Make announcements.
• Introduce new kids.
• Celebrate birthdays by having kids say “happy birthday” in the voice of their favorite cartoon characters.
• Collect the offering.

Introduce the Lesson

            Say: Today we’re going to learn that God is the greatest. In the Bible, some people wanted to do something great because they wanted to be famous. Let’s talk about famous people.

Share

• Tell kids about your favorite famous person and why you like that person.
• Have kids form pairs. Ask kids to share about their favorite famous people and why they like those people.
• After partners have discussed, ask two or three kids to share with the whole group what they talked about with their partners.

Summarize

            Open a Bible to Genesis 11, and say: The people we just shared about aren’t bad just because they’re famous. But in the Bible, people wanted to be famous instead of pointing to God’s greatness. He didn’t like that! Let’s see what happened in the Bible, God’s special book. That’s one way God shows us his greatness. Plus, here’s something great about God: he’s here right now, ready to talk to you! Let’s talk with God now.

            Pray, praising God for being the greatest.

Tip 

• Don’t have internet in your classroom? That’s okay! You can choose your own worship songs from our Best Of Dig In Music DVD here.

Sing Songs to God

            Sing the three songs in any order.

Act Famous

            Say: Today we’re going to learn that God is the greatest. We’ll see that the people in our Bible story wanted to be the greatest—they wanted to be famous!

            It seems like these days, anyone can become famous. You don’t have to be rich or have connections to earn fame. With YouTube and other sites on the internet, any one of us could become famous overnight!

            Let’s think about that. If I became famous, I’d want it to be for… Tell kids what you’d want to be famous for, and act it out (you may talk or make sound effects if you want).

            Say: Now it’s your turn. Act out what you’d want to be famous for. You’re all going to act at the same time, so try to get other people to pay attention to you while you’re acting. You can make noise while you act. Allow about a minute for chaotic acting as kids all try to be the center of attention.

            Ask: • What happened to our room when everyone was trying to be the center of attention?

            • What did it take to be the most famous in our room?

            Say: Since I told you to try to get other people to pay attention to you, your focus was probably more on yourself than others. That’s what happens when we try to be the greatest. Our focus is on me, me, me. We want everyone to pay attention to us!

            Let’s explore why God is the greatest, and we don’t need to be. We can keep our focus on him!

Build a Tower

            Say: Let’s see what the people in the Bible wanted to be famous for.

            Read Genesis 11:1-4.

            Have kids form mixed-age groups of five and work with their groups to crumple newspaper into wads, which they’ll tape together to build the tallest tower. Allow about three minutes for kids to work collaboratively.

            Say: Wait! Pause what you’re doing! Something happened as the builders in the Bible were seeking fame. God saw what they were doing and didn’t like it.

            Ask: • Tell about a time you got in trouble with a group of friends. Share your own example first. Then have kids share in their groups.

            Say: As I said, God didn’t like why they were doing what they were doing. So he decided to confuse the builders by making them speak different languages. That would make it harder to build a great tower together! God limited the builders by confusing their languages. So I’m going to limit you by telling you that you can no longer talk to your group members…and you can use only your pinkie fingers to work.

            Allow time. Some kids may lose interest, or they may get frustrated and give up. If there are still kids building after about three minutes, stop them.

            Ask: • Compare the ways you tried to build the tower: talking and not talking; using your hands and using only pinkies.

            • Think about building a real-life, huge tower without being able to understand each other. If you were one of the builders, what would you do?

            Say: Let’s see how the Bible-times builders reacted when God confused their language. Make everyone stand far away from their group members as you read Genesis 11:8-9.

Talk About It

            Say: God is the greatest, and we don’t need to be. But this story is a little confusing. Let’s talk about it.

            Ask: • Based on this story, do you think being famous is bad? Explain.

            • If you were famous, what could you do to help people see that God is the greatest…even greater than you? Encourage kids to think of real athletes or celebrities who give glory to God.

            Say: Another thing that’s confusing about this story is that God didn’t want people to work together. But usually we encourage you to work well with others.

            Ask: • When can unity be a bad thing? Examples may include cliques that exclude other people or people working together to do something wrong.

            Say: When we remember that God is the greatest, we don’t focus on people. We focus on God! We don’t know all the details of what the people in the Bible did wrong, but we do know they wanted to make a name for themselves. It seems like their focus was on themselves, not on God.

            When we do our best and work with others to do good things, we can still focus on God and point to how he’s the greatest. And when we don’t do things perfectly, we can let go and trust God because we know he’s the greatest.

            Ask: • What’s one way you can point to God instead of yourself this week?

            Have kids come back to stand together in the center of the room. Say: Let’s practice right now by telling God what he’s the greatest at. For example, “God, you’re the greatest at showing love!” You can shout out your praise any time you want to. Allow time for kids to praise God.

Tips

• This Bible Experience is specifically designed for video calls, pre-recorded videos, or parent-led lessons for a wide age-range of kids.
• If you’re leading this as a video, tell families to pause when you ask questions so they can discuss them. Tell families as you start the video what supplies they’ll need so they can gather them before they begin.
• For additional activities that adapt easily to an at-home setting, click “view” to preview the content of each activity block and choose only those that include a ▲ symbol in the highlighted summary description:
  • Opening
  • Music Video
  • Talk About Video
  • Object Lesson (using baking soda, vinegar, dish soap, and whatever mixing supplies they have on hand)
  • High-Energy Game (eliminate the racing element)
  • Low-Energy Game
  • Life Application Wrap-Up
  • Take-Home page (for families to do at home)

Act Famous

            Say: Today we’re going to learn that God is the greatest. We’ll see that the people in our Bible story wanted to be the greatest—they wanted to be famous!

            It seems like these days, anyone can become famous. You don’t have to be rich or have connections to earn fame. With YouTube and other sites on the internet, any one of us could become famous overnight!

            Let’s think about that. If I became famous, I’d want it to be for… Tell what you’d want to be famous for, and act it out (you may talk or make sound effects if you want).

            Say: Now it’s your turn. Act out what you’d want to be famous for. You’re all going to act at the same time, so try to get other people to pay attention to you while you’re acting. You can make noise while you act. Allow about a minute for chaotic acting as everyone all tries to be the center of attention.

            Ask: • What happened when everyone was trying to be the center of attention?

            • What did it take to be the most famous in all that chaos?

            Say: Since I told you to try to get other people to pay attention to you, your focus was probably more on yourself than others. That’s what happens when we try to be the greatest. Our focus is on me, me, me. We want everyone to pay attention to us!

            Let’s explore why God is the greatest, and we don’t need to be. We can keep our focus on him!

Build a Tower

            Say: Let’s see what the people in the Bible wanted to be famous for.

            Read Genesis 11:1-4.

            Have families work together to crumple paper or newspaper into wads, which they’ll tape together to build the tallest tower. Allow about three minutes for families to work collaboratively.

            Say: Wait! Pause what you’re doing! Something happened as the builders in the Bible were seeking fame. God saw what they were doing and didn’t like it.

            Ask: • Tell about a time you got in trouble with a group of friends. Share your own example first. Then have kids share in their groups.

             Say: As I said, God didn’t like why they were doing what they were doing. So he decided to confuse the builders by making them speak different languages. That would make it harder to build a great tower together! God limited the builders by confusing their languages. So I’m going to limit you by telling you that you can no longer talk to your family members…and you can use only your pinkie fingers to work.

            Allow time. Some kids may lose interest, or they may get frustrated and give up. After about three minutes, have families stop building if they’re still trying.

            Ask: • Compare the ways you tried to build the tower: talking and not talking; using your hands and using only pinkies.

            • Think about building a real-life, huge tower without being able to understand each other. If you were one of the builders, what would you do?

            Say: Let’s see how the Bible-times builders reacted when God confused their language. Make everyone stand far away from their family members as you read Genesis 11:8-9.

Talk About It

            Say: God is the greatest, and we don’t need to be. But this story is a little confusing. Let’s talk about it.

            Ask: • Based on this story, do you think being famous is bad? Explain.

            • If you were famous, what could you do to help people see that God is the greatest…even greater than you? Encourage families to think of real athletes or celebrities who give glory to God.

            Say: Another thing that’s confusing about this story is that God didn’t want people to work together. But usually we encourage you to work well with others.

            Ask: • When can unity be a bad thing? Examples may include cliques that exclude other people or people working together to do something wrong.

            Say: When we remember that God is the greatest, we don’t focus on people. We focus on God! We don’t know all the details of what the people in the Bible did wrong, but we do know they wanted to make a name for themselves. It seems like their focus was on themselves, not on God.

            When we do our best and work with others to do good things, we can still focus on God and point to how he’s the greatest. And when we don’t do things perfectly, we can let go and trust God because we know he’s the greatest.

            Ask: • What’s one way you can point to God instead of yourself this week?

            Have family members come back to stand together. Say: Let’s practice right now by telling God what he’s the greatest at. For example, “God, you’re the greatest at showing love!” You can shout out your praise any time you want to. Allow time for families to praise God.

Tip 

• Don’t have internet in your classroom? That’s okay! You can download the videos before class using the “download” button at the link provided, or purchase DVDs here. 

Discuss and Watch “Super Quadcopter World Racing Champion”

            Say: Today we’re learning that God is the greatest, and we don’t need to be.

            Ask: • If you could be the best in the world at something, what would you want it to be?

            Say: Let’s watch a video about a kid who’s getting ready to be the best super quadcopter racer in the world.

            Watch “Super Quadcopter World Racing Champion.”

            Ask: • What did you think about how Carter was acting?

            • Who is someone you noticed that Carter hurt? Explain.

            Say: It’s not bad to be great at something, but we don’t want to think we’re better than other people. And we do want to remember that God is the greatest. He’s more amazing than anyone or anything. The people we’re reading about in the Bible today tried to build the tallest tower so they would be the greatest. They found out, like Carter did in our video, that we don’t need to be the greatest. Because God is the greatest we can put him first.

Not available for this age level.

Tips

• We used clear 16-ounce cups so kids could see the chemical reaction bubbling up inside. But solid colors work, too!
• If you’re concerned about the cost of supplies, have kids work in pairs. But it’s more fun for kids to create their own reactions!

Mix Baking Soda and Vinegar

            Say: Combining vinegar and baking soda makes a great reaction. But don’t take my word for it—let’s experiment and see for ourselves! Have older kids help younger kids as needed.

• Place vinegar, baking soda, and food coloring on each table so they’re easily accessible.
• Give each child two 16-ounce cups, two 3-ounce paper cups, and two bowls.
• Have kids place their large cups inside each bowl to catch overflowing liquid.
• To make the reaction more colorful, help kids add two drops of food coloring to each large cup.
• Invite each child to scoop 1 tablespoon of baking soda into a 3-ounce paper cup and then fill the other paper cup two-thirds full of vinegar. If possible, assign an adult or teen helper to each table to pour vinegar.
• Have kids each dump the baking soda into one of their large cups and then quickly pour the vinegar on top of the baking soda. It will bubble up and over the sides of the cup. Adding more vinegar will make it react again, but the bubbles will soon dissolve and disappear.

Add Dish Soap to Vinegar

Say: You made some great reactions, but now they’re gone! Let’s see if we can make an even greater reaction with foam that doesn’t dissolve so quickly. We’ll need one more ingredient.

• Add a container of dish soap to each table.
• Invite each child to add another tablespoon of baking soda to one 3-ounce cup and fill the other 3-ounce cup two-thirds full of vinegar again. 
• Tell kids to squirt a little dish soap into the cup of vinegar and use a straw or coffee stirrer to mix it.
• Have kids each dump the baking soda and then the vinegar mixture into their second 16-ounce cups and watch the reaction.
• Encourage kids to count and see how long the foam lasts this time. It’ll take longer to dissolve.

Talk About It

            Ask: • Compare the reactions with and without the dish soap. What was different?

            Say: The reactions were great without the dish soap, but they disappeared before we knew it. When we added dish soap, the reactions became even bigger and lasted longer.

            Ask: • How is God like the dish soap in our experiment?

            Say: In our Bible story, people were trying to build the greatest tower on their own. But they left God out of the process! We may be able to do some great things on our own, but God is the greatest. When we depend on him and his greatness, he’ll help us do amazing things that point to his greatness.

Tip

• To avoid choking hazards, be sure to pick up pieces of any broken balloons promptly.

Inflate a Balloon

            Say: When someone is too proud or conceited, we say that person has a big head.

            Ask: • Why do you think we use that expression?

            Hold up the uninflated balloon with the face drawn on it. Say: Imagine this balloon is a person. We’ll call him Johnny.

            Johnny is famous. He’s done a lot of awesome things—and he wants everyone to know he’s great! Let’s make up some things Johnny has done. As you make something up, say it as if you’re Johnny, bragging about your greatness.

            I’ll start. “I’m Johnny! I’ve won four trophies…just this year!” Inflate the balloon a little bit.

            Then encourage kids to brag on Johnny’s behalf. Each time a child brags, inflate the balloon a little bit more. Ideally, you’ll inflate it to the point where it bursts! At the very least, you want to make it big enough that kids are nervous about it bursting.

            Ask: • Why did Johnny’s head get so big?

            • Johnny’s head got so big, it exploded! (Or was about to explode.) What are some negative consequences when we brag about ourselves too much? Encourage kids to include negative consequences for themselves and others.

            Say: We started by saying that Johnny was famous. And in our Bible story, the people wanted to be famous. What’s so bad about that? Is it wrong to be famous? Let’s dig in to that.

Dig Deeper

            Say: Let’s look at some famous people in the Bible and what God promised them. One was Abram, who was an old guy who really wanted a son. The other was David, a shepherd who later became a king.

            Read Genesis 12:1-2 and 2 Samuel 7:9. Explain that the 2 Samuel passage was spoken to David.

            Say: Hmm…interesting. God promised to make Abram and David famous. That makes me wonder if being famous is a bad thing…or a good thing? Let’s see what else the Bible says about them. Before we read these verses, you should know that Abram was also called Abraham.

            Read Romans 4:3 and Acts 13:22.

            Ask: • Based on the verses we’ve heard so far, how would you describe Abram and David?

            • Why do you think God would want to make them famous?

            Say: Let’s look at how fame impacted one more person: Jesus!

            Read John 7:1-9.

            Ask: • What do you think Jesus meant when he said it wasn’t his time to go and be famous?

            • Would you consider Jesus famous in our world today? Explain.

            Say: Jesus’ brothers wanted him to be more famous, but Jesus had a special plan for how he’d let the world know about him. Today, a ton of people have heard about Jesus and know how great he is. Jesus’ heart revealed he wasn’t just trying to show off. He was pointing to God, even before people realized he is God.

            Say: Think about the verses you read about Jesus, Abram, and David. Hold up the “Johnny” balloon (or balloon fragments).

            Ask: • How would you compare those famous people with someone like Johnny?  

            • Why do you think God wants some people to be famous?

            Say: Fame can be a platform to reflect Jesus to others when you give credit to God for what you do. Or it can be a way to point to your own greatness, like it was for our balloon, Johnny.

            But like we saw with Johnny, pointing to our own greatness doesn’t end so well. Listen to this.

            Read Proverbs 16:18.

            Ask: • What does this verse mean?

            • Tell about a time you saw an example of this verse happen in your life. Share your own example first.

Point to God

            Say: A lot of us may never be famous on a worldwide level. But fame can happen on a smaller scale. You might be famous in your school because you’re popular or you’re in a leadership role on your sports team. Those are small examples of fame, but we can still use them to give glory to God.

            Inflate your second balloon with just a few puffs of air.

            Let’s try that. We’ve got another kid here, Air-ica. She’s a regular kid like you. Think of something a kid like you or your friends might do well. When a child names something, inflate the balloon slightly. Then ask how Air-ica could give credit to God when she does that well. For that answer, release a little bit of air. Repeat several times.

            Say: It’s not bad to be famous, and it’s not bad to do things well. But like Air-ica, we can give credit to God for his greatness in us. God is the greatest, and we don’t need to be. It’s not about showing off ourselves. It’s about showing off God! When we do that, we keep things in balance. Unlike the Johnny balloon, Air-ica is in no danger of exploding! And when we show humble hearts that give glory to God, we’ll have more balanced lives, too.

Tip

• You can purchase downloadable music and other items to enhance your DIG IN program here.

Build Quickly

            Say: The builders of Babel wanted to build the best city with the tallest tower and to be known for what they built. Let’s play a game where you’ll try to build the best tower creation.

• Form small mixed-age teams of two to four.
• Have teams each pick a spot behind the boundary lines you taped around the supplies.
• You’ll call out something for teams to build, and they’ll have to build it using only eight supplies from the pile.
• Teammates will take turns running to get one supply at a time to build their tower creation—working as fast as they can to build.
• When teams have finished building, you’ll decide which tower creation looks the most like what you called out and then move on to the next item.
• Call out long, tall, or towering things for kids to build, such as:
  • a giraffe
  • a rocket
  • a Christmas tree
  • a whale
  • a skyscraper
• If you’d like, play upbeat music while kids build.

Talk About It

            Ask: • What was it like to have your creation picked as the best?

            • What do you like about winning or being the best?

            • What’s something you want to be the best at in your life? Share an example from your own life, such as earning Employee of the Month.

            Say: It’s human to want to be the best, but we can get stuck focusing on ourselves. The people of Babel did that, so God confused them and changed their focus. We don’t need to worry so much about being the best or the greatest, because God is the greatest.  

Tip

• You can purchase downloadable music and other items to enhance your DIG IN program here.

Find Four Cards With the Same Number

            Say: Today we read about the people who built the Tower of Babel. God scattered or confused the people building the tower. Let’s play a fun game where your efforts will get confused and scattered!

• Scatter the cards facedown on the floor throughout the room.
• On your cue, kids will quickly make their way around the room picking up and sorting through the cards to find four cards of the same suit—the numbers don’t matter. (Kids who are 5 and under can match by color instead, collecting either reds or blacks.)
• No one can have more than four cards in his or her hand at a time, so as new cards are picked up, kids need to discard other cards facedown to keep the total at four cards each.
• If you’d like, play music in the background as kids work on finding four matching cards, and every 30 seconds or so, yell out “Scatter!”
• When you yell “scatter,” everyone will redistribute the cards around the room and start a new round.
• Anyone able to find four matching cards before you signal a new round gets a point.

Talk About It

            Ask: • What made it easy or hard to get four matching cards before I yelled “scatter”?

            • What could have happened if I never interrupted in the game?

            Say: You were very focused on the goal of the game, and you might have forgotten I was even here if I didn’t interrupt your focus.

            Ask: • Have you ever been so focused on one thing that nothing and no one else could get your attention? Tell about it. Maybe you were really into a TV show or movie, or you were playing and you couldn’t hear someone trying to get your attention. Share an example from your own life to help kids think of their own.

            Say: We can get busy focusing on our own efforts to be the best and forget about the more important things or people in our lives—like God. God is the greatest; he’s far more important than even good things we might get busy doing. It’s important to take time to refocus on God’s greatness rather than our own.

Make Foam Fingers

            Show kids the sample craft you made. Set out supplies to share, and have kids follow these instructions to make foam fingers. Have older kids help younger kids as needed.

• Using a pencil, draw a large hand on your foam piece. It should look like a hand holding up the index finger to make a number one hand signal. (Have older kids help younger kids. To do this, preschoolers can put their hands on the foam with their index fingers sticking up, and older kids can trace widely around it.)
• When you’re happy with your hand shape, cut it out. Write “He’s #1!” on the foam hand using a permanent marker.
• Use a scrap of craft foam to cut a strip that’s just a little longer than the width of your foam hand.
• Staple the strip to the back of the foam hand. This should hold your foam finger snugly over your hand.

Make Up Cheers

• Think of common cheers or chants people use to cheer on sports teams. For example, “Let’s go, (team), let’s go!” or “Charge!”
• Use those cheers or chants as inspiration to cheer on God while holding up your foam fingers.

Talk About It

            Ask: • What would it look like to cheer on God when you do something great?

            • Why would you do that?

            Say: God is the greatest, and we don’t need to try to show off how great we are. In fact, when we do our best at something, we can point to God’s greatness instead of our own! He’s the one who gives us all of our skills and abilities, so we can give him the credit for all the things we do well.

            Have kids take their foam fingers home and show their friends and families their chants or cheers, as a reminder that God is the greatest and we can point to his greatness instead of our own.

Learn a Formula

• Write this formula on a piece of paper: He > I.
• Show kids the formula, and have them each write it at the top of a piece of paper. Older kids can help younger kids write the formula as needed.
• Tell kids that the formula reminds us that God is greater than we are, and the good things we do can point others to God’s greatness.
• Have kids think of things they can point to God’s greatness for and write or draw them as prayers below their formulas. For example: God, thank you for helping me remember what I studied so I could ace my test this week.

Pray

            Pray: Dear God, thank you that you are the greatest. Help us remember that even when we do great things, we can point to you. You’re the one who made us with all of our talents and abilities! We praise you for your greatness! In Jesus’ name, amen.

            Thank kids for coming, and encourage them to come back next week.

           Distribute a copy of the “Dig In @ Home” handout to kids as they leave, or email it to parents during the week.