BIBLE STORY: Two people are better than one — Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

BOTTOM LINE: Choose your friends carefully.

LIFE APP: Friendship—Using your words and actions to show others you care

MEMORY VERSE: “A friend loves at all times. They are there to help when trouble comes.” Proverbs 17:17, NIrV

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CFKIDS AT HOME FAMILY EXPERIENCE GUIDE

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FAMILY ACTIVITY #1: Better Together

WHAT YOU NEED: Timer, six shirts, random toys, kitchen chairs, broom, and dustpan

WHAT YOU DO: Tell your child you’re going to play a game. They’ll get to do a list of tasks and you’ll time them. Then you’ll do those same tasks again, but you’ll do them together and see if your time gets better!

Get ready for the following tasks (i.e. unfold shirts, scatter toys, move chairs away from the table, etc.), and then time your child doing each of the tasks on their own.

*Perfectly fold six shirts

*Pick up and put away toys

*Tuck in all the kitchen chairs

*Sweep half the kitchen using the dustpan

*Organize one kitchen drawer

Record all the times on a sheet of paper. Say, “You did those things so fast! Now, let’s do them together and see how quick we are!”

Complete each task together and time how long it takes. The times should be faster. Once you’re finished, record the times on the same sheet of paper as the others. Say, “Look how much faster we were together. We can get so much done when do things together.”

FAMILY ACTIVITY #2: Finding Friends

WHAT YOU NEED: Paper and pencil

WHAT YOU DO: Draw the outline of a body on a sheet of paper. Then give your child the pencil and ask them, “What do you think makes a good friend?” Prompt them to write down (inside the body outline) all the qualities they look for when they’re choosing friends. When they finish, ask them to choose two qualities and tell you why they wrote those down. Ask them to go back and put a circle around any qualities THEY’VE shown as a friend over the last week. Engage your child in a conversation about the ways they’ve been a good friend over the last week.

TALK ABOUT THE BIBLE STORY:

*In the video today, we talked about how much better it can be when we do things together. Is there a particular friend that you like doing things with?

*What makes that person a good friend?

*Do you think it matters who you choose as a friend? (Yes, because our friends influence us. We start to talk like them and act like them. So we should choose our friends carefully.)

*We’ve already talked about what makes someone a good friend. Look at what you wrote down. Which three things do you think are the most important qualities of a good friend, and why?

*What kind of friend are you? What kind of friend do you want to be?

Say, “Remember, it matters who you choose to be friends with. If you choose friends who disobey, you’ll probably disobey. If you choose friends who work hard, you’ll probably work hard. Choose your friends carefully.”

FAMILY PRAYER TIME

Use this prayer as a guide, either after talking about the Bible story or some time before bed tonight:

“God, thank You for being the best example of a good Friend. You love us so much that You sent Your Son, Jesus, to die for us. You forgive us when we mess up. And You listen when we talk to You. Help us to be a good friend, too. Help us to be generous, to forgive, and to listen well. Help us to look for people who do those same things for us. Help us to choose our friends carefully. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”

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FOR OUR PARENTS

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We want to encourage you to listen to this Parent Cue Live podcast titled "How to Help Your Kids Make Friends": https://theparentcue.org/pcl-37-how-to-help-your-kids-make-friends/

In this episode, Dr. Jim Burns talks about how the types of friends our kids choose affect the direction of their lives. He gives some ideas on how parents can foster and coach healthy friendships.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Click this link below to access your helpful parent resources! » https://christfellowship.church/content/cfkids-resources-ebd6dec61c3347229ad15ac977f0034e

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