Running the Race

This week our memory verse comes from 1 Corinthians 9:24.

“All the runners run, but only one gets the prize.  Run in such a way to get the prize.”

Materials:

• A race course (just a simple start and finish line)

• Your tot and someone to race with (meaning get siblings involved or put on your tennis shoes!)

Directions:

• Set up your mini race course
• Have your child(ren) run the race. 
• Ask your child if they wanted to win the race.  (If your racing your kiddo, you might want to let them win!)  
• Go over the devotional with your child.
• Say the verse above with your child.  We suggest that you print the verse off and use it every morning with your calendar time.  If you don’t do calendar time still say the verse each morning with your tot before you begin tot school.

Talk about the following with your tot:

Its fun to race one another isn’t it?  You know when we run races, we really want to win them, don’t we.  No one really runs in a race hoping to lose, do they?  This week we’ve been talking about football.  Football, like racing, is a something we do hoping to win.  Both teams play each other and they both hope to win.   In our memory verse it tells us that we are to run the race to win.  Now the race that this verse is talking about isn’t the type of race we just ran.  The race in this verse is about trusting God, even when its hard.  It would be hard to run a race if you didn’t know where the finish line was, wouldn’t it?   This verse tells that even though we don’t always know what God wants us to do, we should do it the best we can, just like a runner in a race.  Lets pray and ask God to keep us strong in our faith, to do the things He wants us to all the time. 

Dear Father, Thank you so much for all the things that you’ve given us.  We ask you to help us do all the things that you want us to, even if we don’t always know what things to do.  Help us do everything the best that we can, just like runners running to win a race.  We love you.  Amen

Questions to ask your tot:

• You might want to review last weeks questions with your tot.
• How should we do all things?  The best we can!
• Who helps us do all things the best we can? God!