Directions:
- First, show children the penny. Say the penny represents us. Place the penny on the plate, off to a side.
- Next, pour the colored water, which represents sin, onto the plate covering the penny. This represents how we are covered with sin. (Experiment with the water to see how much to put on the plate for it to work right. Don’t use too much water.)
- Then take the candle that represents Christ and place it in the middle of the plate.
- Jesus is the Light! So light the candle. (A lighter works best. I used matches and after class the hallways smelled of smoke, so everyone wondered what was on fire.)
- Finally, take the clear glass and place it over the candle onto the plate. Within seconds, the water will begin to draw up inside the glass, off the penny (us).
- Wow! Jesus took ALL our sin at the cross and continues to this day, forgiving us. What an amazing, loving Savior we have!
I’ve used this creative way to teach the crucifixion with kindergarten through fifth grade. Kids love it so much they beg to do it over and over! It’s a simple but highly effective visual for showing kids how Jesus took on all our sins at the cross. That means every sin was on him.
Can you imagine how painful this was for Jesus? But he did it because he loves us and wants us to be with him in heaven one day. This visual will stick in children’s heads for all time. One day it just may click not to take Jesus on the cross for granted.
This creative way to teach the crucifixion originally appeared here.
