In these chapters, God leads the Israelites out of Egypt and shows them the way with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He parts the Red Sea so they can escape, and they see that He has power to protect and save them. In the wilderness, manna was a special food God sent from heaven to feed the Israelites. Each morning, it appeared on the ground like small flakes, and the people would gather it to eat for the day. God commanded them to only collect enough for that one day, and if they tried to save extra, it would spoil and go bad overnight. This taught them to trust that God would provide what they needed each day. Then on Saturday, the Lord provided enough manna for 2 days so they could keep the Sabbath Day holy. Moses also learned to get help from others, showing that we don’t have to do everything alone.
Game time!! Time to collect your daily manna! this is a fun version of “Go Fish” that’s great for kids ages 3+, 2-4 players.
- Download, print, and cut out the attached game cards.
2. Deal 5 cards to each player. Put the rest in a pile face down (this is the “manna pile”).
3. Look at your cards and try to make matches of the same number (same amount of manna). On your turn, ask another player, “Do you have any ___ manna?” (say the number).If they have it, they give you all their cards with that number. You go again! If they don’t have it, they say, “Go gather!” and you draw one card from the pile. If you make a match, place the set in front of you. Keep taking turns until all the manna is collected. The player with the most matches at the end wins!
While playing, here are some possible discussion questions:
-How is collecting matches of manna cards like the Israelites collecting their manna in the wilderness?
-What is something we can do in our everyday lives that helps us grow closer to God and trust him, just like collecting manna?
