Paying For Sin

The children will participate in an activity to teach them that only Jesus can pay for sin.
by Leah Pittsinger

TOPICS: Holiness, Knowing God, Sin MATERIALS: Play money Click here Various recycled food boxes and containers (such as cereal, pasta, milk, etc) Marker, sticker price tags Medium card stock, scissors DURATION: Approximately 10 minutes

PREPARATION:

Print the play money on medium card stock and cut out the coins. Write a small dollar amount on each price tag and place a tag on each recycled food container. Set up the containers on a side table or on the floor.

WHAT YOU WILL SAY:

Give each child the same amount of play money and tell all of them that they are going to pretend they are at a grocery store. They will pick one or two items and pay for them with their money. Help the children decide which items to “purchase” depending on how much money they have. Then they will “pay” for their items by giving you the correct amount of money. After all the children have paid for their items, tell them the items are like sin, or the bad things we do. Because only God is perfect and holy, we have no way to pay for them! Help the children understand that the play money is like Jesus paying for our sin by dying on the cross. Without Jesus, there is no way to pay for our sins. When we trust in Jesus as our Savior, He pays for our sins through His perfect sacrifice.

Time-Saving Option: Make all the food boxes/containers the same price to avoid confusion, especially among younger children.

Increased-Difficulty-Option: Mark different prices on the food boxes/containers so children may practice adding money.