❤️ Trust in God Booth – “Care for Your Bear with Prayer”
Goal of the Booth | Help children learn that just like they care for their bears, God lovingly cares for them too—and they can always bring their thoughts, feelings, and needs to Him in prayer.
Bible Verse | “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:6–7
Booth Setup
- Set out the provided drawing/writing materials.
- Set out the emotions stuffies where children can easily see and interact with them.
- Make sure children have access to their Bear Health Passport (prayer/thankfulness section).
- Create a calm, welcoming space where families can sit and reflect.
- Have prayer request label stickers and pens ready.
How the Booth Runs
- Welcome children and families warmly to the booth.
- Explain that just like they care for their bear, God cares for them even more.
- Invite children to explore the emotions stuffies and choose one that represents how they are feeling today, or how they have felt recently.
- Talk briefly about how all of our feelings are important, and that it is okay to feel happy, sad, worried, frustrated, lonely, excited, or other emotions.
- Remind children that we can bring every feeling to God. We can talk to Him when we are happy and thankful, as well as when we are worried, sad, or need help.
- Invite children to draw or write something they are thankful for or something they would like to pray about for their bear or their family.
- Encourage parents to join their child in the activity and talk together about what they are sharing.
- Invite families to write 3–5 prayer requests, one on each label, and stick them in the prayer section of their passport.
- Invite families to say a short, simple prayer together about their requests.
- Remind children that they can always talk to God about how they feel and trust Him to care for them.
- When the activity is complete, place a star sticker on the completion circle in their passport.
Conversation Starters
Use simple questions like:
- “Which emotions stuffy shows how you feel today?”
- “What happened that made you feel that way?”
- “What do you do when you feel worried, sad, or frustrated?”
- “What are you thankful for today?”
- “What would you like to ask God to help you with?”
- “How does it feel to know God cares about how you feel?”
- “What would your bear like to thank God for?”
Key Teaching Points
Volunteers can naturally share simple facts like:
- God cares about every part of our lives, including our feelings.
- All of our feelings are important, and it is okay to talk about how we feel.
- We can talk to God anytime and bring our feelings, worries, thankfulness, and needs to Him through prayer.
- Prayer can help us feel peaceful and remind us that we are not alone.
- God listens when we are thankful and when we need help.
- We can trust God because He always loves and cares for us.
- When we don’t know what to do with a difficult feeling, we can pause, talk about it with someone we trust, and bring it to God in prayer.
Key Teaching Point
Remind families:
“We can always trust God because He loves and cares for us!” ❤️
Volunteer Tips
- Keep the atmosphere calm, gentle, and welcoming.
- Let children choose an emotions stuffy without telling them which emotion they should be feeling.
- Use the stuffies as conversation starters rather than trying to diagnose or solve a child’s emotions.
- If a child shares something difficult, listen with kindness and involve the parent or caregiver as appropriate.
- Encourage, but never pressure, families to pray aloud.
- Affirm children’s thoughts, feelings, and drawings with kindness.
- Help parents use the activity as an opportunity to listen to their child and talk about emotions together.
- Remind families that trusting God does not mean we never feel worried or sad—it means we don’t have to carry those feelings alone.