| The basic idea for this craft has been circulating the various craft boards for a while and it could be connected to any healing story, but I’ve chosen this one deliberately. Simon-Peter’s mother-in-law was family, healed by Jesus’ touch. We can still send Jesus’ touch to those people in our church family, and community through his children, brothers and sisters in Christ. |  |
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Print the PDF onto card. There are 2 pages, one is in colour the other grey scale. There are 4 tags per page. You can make your own tag cards or add a message onto the back of the ones provided. You’ll also need a hole punch, fabric, paper, scissors and pencils or large stamp-pad. Remind the children how Simon-Peter’s mother-in-law had been healed when Jesus took her hand. get them to look at their own hands and think of how powerful touch can be – when they hold a friends hand, when their parent holds them, or when they give somebody a hug. |
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Today’s craft is a way of giving somebody who is very ill a hug from Jesus. Explain that as Jesus is in heaven we are going to be his hands and send a hug to people we know who are not feeling well. Give each child 2 sheets of paper and get them to either stamp or draw round their hands. (You can buy or pre-prepare hand-prints but real hand-prints will be a much more powerful message to the recipient.) Use a glue stick to glue the hand-prints to a non-fray fabric (I used felt) and cut them out. If your child wishes to identify themselves they can write their own names on their hands. |
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Now get your child to stand up and stretch out their arms, like they are preparing for a bear hug. Stretch a piece of ribbon from one wrist to the other and cut. Cut out a tag card and punch a hole at either end, this will thread onto the ribbon. |
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Attach the ribbon with the tag to the fabric hands using a stapler. try and get the sharp parts of the staple on the fabric side where they are less likely to snag. Slide the completed ‘hug’ into an envelope. Ask the children if they know anyone they would like the hugs to be sent to. If possible ask the adult congregation too. |
