Wise Men / Happy New Year (Maze)

Happy New Year! A fun time of year that certainly means more to me as an adult than to my 4 year old Sunday school students. My students do understand fun, so when I found this object lesson on http://www.kidzmatter.com/ (submitted by Ryan Frank), I knew this would be a perfect way to wrap up the Christmas story, bring in the new year and have fun.

The Kidzmatter version says to give each student a maze and a pencil. Mr. Frank then says, "We are entering a new year. You may have some difficult days ahead and may not know what direction you should go. When you don't know what to do or where to go, all you have to do is ask God. Pray to God. God is always there to help us if we will just ask Him to guide us. In Isaiah 30:21, God said, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.' God wants to help us, we just need to listen!"

As is customary in many denominations, we review the wise men story after the birth of Christ. The belief is that it took the wise men several day (perhaps 12) to follow the star and find the Baby Jesus. Along the way, the wise men became confused and asked where the new born king could be found, thus creating a tie-in to the maze analogy.

To take the analogy one step farther, I used masking tape to create a round maze on the floor. In the center of the maze was a mini manger with a Baby Jesus. As I told the wise men story, I started to navigate a path through the maze suggesting that the wise men had to walk around houses and trees (turns on the path) to find Jesus. I placed a mini crown at a fork in the maze. The crown represented King Herod and I stopped a moment to discuss that portion of the story. Then I moved to the manger and discussed the wise men's reactions and gifts, but of course, God warned the wise men not to return the way they came. On the other side of the manger was another path offering a quick exit from the maze.

To offer life application for our students, I returned to the beginning and navigated the path again discussing the new year and the challenges ahead of us (someone cuts in line to the slide, your brother breaks your toy, Mom won't let you eat candy for breakfast, etc.). In the center of the maze I reviewed Isaiah 30:21 and offered a simple prayer. The quick exit was aligned with God's guidance. We then had some fun letting the kids navigate the maze themselves.

A tip, let the kids pull the tape up. They love to help and for a reason I don't know, they love pulling up the tape. Some kids made tape balls, and we had an impromptu game of catch. Catch is a good way to review the lesson. The student who catches the ball has to answer a review question. HAPPY NEW YEAR!