Craft-Toe Painting

Use this fun craft to help children learn that Christ sets them free from selfishness so they can serve others. GRADES K--6

Stuff you'll need: Poster board, cardboard, or construction paper; red, white, and blue liquid tempera paint; wash basins filled with water; and towels.

Get ready: Have girls wear pants or shorts for this activity. Pour different-colored paint into aluminum pie pans. Cover kids' work area with newspapers.

Text: Galatians 5:1, 13-14

Tell kids to:

*Take off your shoes and sit by a sheet of paper. (Older children may enjoy creating murals together, while younger children may enjoy making individual paintings.)

*Let's celebrate freedom by painting an Independence Day picture with our toes. Place your toes in the pans of paint and paint a picture on your paper.

*Once you're finished with your picture, wash your feet and set your picture aside to dry.

Talk teasers: Tell about your picture. You were all free to create whatever you wanted to-with some guidelines, such as colors to use and a topic to focus on. Let's look at another kind of freedom we Christians enjoy.

(Read the Scripture.) What freedoms do we have in our country? What does the Bible say Christians are free from? What does the Bible mean when it talks about using our freedom to serve others? (For older children only: How is our freedom in Christ similar to the freedom we have in our country?) How can we use our freedom in Christ to serve others this week?