Before class, print out enough “Wanted! The Perfect Sibling” worksheets for your class (one per student; template found here.)
Distribute the “Wanted! The Perfect Sibling” worksheets and pens/pencils. Display the worksheet on the whiteboard so all students can see it.
This morning, you get to imagine what you would want if you could have the perfect sibling. Anything about a sibling that would be important to you—their age, whether they are a boy or girl, what they look like, how they act—can be included as you think about what the perfect sibling would be like.
Give students time to complete the worksheet. If students finish early, allow them to draw a picture of their perfect sibling on the back of their worksheet.
When students are finished, discuss their ideas for the perfect sibling. As time permits, write responses of students on the whiteboard to the following questions:
- Who wanted a younger brother, younger sister, older brother, and older sister? (Count up how many responded to each category and record it on the whiteboard.)
- Why was the gender and age of your perfect sibling important?
- What does your perfect sibling look like?
- What kind of personality does your perfect sibling have?
- What kinds of things does your perfect sibling like to do?
- How does your perfect sibling treat you?
- Which aspect of your perfect sibling was most important to you? Why?
Once you have recorded their responses, discuss:
- Would having a perfect sibling make your life better? Why or why not? (Accept all reasonable answers.)
- Is it possible to have a perfect sibling? (Answers will vary.)
It can be fun to imagine having a sibling who is always kind, never takes something of ours, never frustrates us or fights with us, and who likes to do all the same kinds of things that we do. Family members aren’t perfect, but they are an important part of our lives.
- Why is family so important to us? (Allow students to respond.)
At the same time that we can list why our families mean the world to us, we can also list ways in which our families drive us crazy! No family is perfect, each one has its strengths and its weaknesses. But our families have an immeasurable impact on who we are. In our lesson today, Jesus teaches a man about becoming a member of a very special family—the family of God. Let’s take a look at how Jesus invites us to become a part of His family.