Growing Deeper

Jesus – someone important!

Quick jumps:

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
Mark 1:1-11	Jesus’ coming predicted	His coming proclaimed	His coming confirmed
Warm-up	Follow the leader	Grab the tail	Wheelbarrow and inchworm
Move	Planks	Up-down planks	Mirror planks
Challenge	Crab plank relay	Plank laughing challenge	Plank tic-tac-toe
Explore	Read the story and predict 60 seconds	Read story and discuss	Read story in roles and imagine being there
Play	Quick topic words	Show me the way	Swamp walk

Watch the family.fit five steps

Getting started

Help your family to be active this week with three fun sessions:

Involve everyone – anyone can lead!
Adapt for your family
Encourage each other
Challenge yourselves
Don’t exercise if it causes pain

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Post a photo or video on social media and tag with #familyfit or @familyfitnessfaithfun
Do family.fit with another family

Day 1: Warm-up

Follow the leader

One person is leader for each round. Start by jogging around. The leader says a name and the family must move like this. Mix them up.

Mr Slow – move slowly
Mr Rush – move fast
Mr Jelly – shake your whole body
Mr Muddle – walk backwards
Mr Bounce – hop around
Mr Small – crouch and keep moving
Mr Strong – move flexing your muscle
Mr Tall – stretch up and move
Mr Tickle – wave your arms around
Mr Happy – move and smile

Rest and talk together.

How do you prepare for visitors coming to your home?

Day 1: Move

Planks

Put hands and feet on the ground and keep your whole body straight like a plank.

Support your weight on your elbows.

Hold for 20 seconds and rest. Repeat another three times.

Day 1: Challenge

Crab plank relay

Divide into two teams. Set a distance of about five meters across the room or yard and mark it. One person from each team starts in a plank position at one end of the room. On GO, they shuffle sideways across to the marker and back staying in the plank position as they go. Continue with the next person in each team until finished.

Day 1: Explore

Jesus’ coming predicted

Read Mark 1:1-11 from the Bible.

There are four records of the life of Jesus in the New Testament. This is the beginning of a journey through Mark’s story as we explore ‘Who is this man Jesus?’. Mark’s opening statement emphasizes two foundational starting points:

Jesus is the Messiah (the promised one from God).
This is Good News.

Click here to read the passage

Discuss:

Read the first three verses. Choose one person to time a one-minute challenge with a phone or watch. Others put up their hand when they think one minute has passed. Who was the closest to 60 seconds? Predicting the future is hard. Isaiah told us Jesus was coming 700 years before He came.

What does this say about Jesus?

Day 1: Play

Quick topic words

Sit in a circle. Select topics such as cities, countries, names, or objects. Someone goes through the alphabet in their head until someone else says stop.

Take turns to quickly say a word on the topic which starts with the chosen letter. Continue until someone cannot think of a word, then start a new round. Rotate the topics every round.

Make it competitive if you like.

Day 2: Warm-up

Grab the tail

Everyone wears a scarf or small towel as a ‘tail’ tucked in at the back of their pants. The goal is to collect as many tails as you can, while protecting your own. If you lose your tail, do five push-ups and continue the game. Have fun.

Rest and talk together.

What is the best gift you have ever received?

Day 2: Move

Up-down planks

Start in the plank position on your elbows and toes with your body in a straight line. Shift your weight and press up so you are supported on your hands – left hand then right hand. Then go back down to elbows.

Do 10 repetitions and rest. Do two rounds.

Day 2: Challenge

Plank laughing challenge

Family members take turns to do a plank while timed with a watch or phone.

Other family members who are not planking can make funny faces to try to make them laugh.

The person who planks for the longest time wins.

Day 2: Explore

Jesus’ coming proclaimed

Read Mark 1:4-8.

Click here to read the passage

Discuss

John was Jesus’ older cousin. What made him stand out? What was his message?

John proclaimed that Jesus would come with the gift of the Holy Spirit. How does the Holy Spirit help us live life?

Day 2: Play

Show me the way

Work with a partner. One is blindfolded and has a ball and the other has a bucket or similar.

In round one, the blindfolded person has three attempts to throw the ball into the bucket without knowing where it is. Place the bucket about two meters away.

In round two, the blindfolded person throws the ball into the bucket as it held by their partner. The partner can give directions like, “I am here” or “This way”. Swap roles.

Day 3: Warm-up

Wheelbarrow and inchworm

Wheelbarrow: Work with a partner. Walk 10 meters then swap places.

Inch worm: Bend at the waist and place your hands on the floor. Walk your hands out until you’re in a plank position with a flat back. Then walk your feet as close to your hands as you can.

Repeat for 10 meters. Do three rounds.

Rest and talk together.

Talk about some announcements you have heard ‘important’ people make.

Day 3: Move

Mirror planks

Work in pairs. Get into a plank position facing a partner. One person in each pair will be the mirror and will need to copy everything the other one does. Have fun.

Day 3: Challenge

Plank tic-tac-toe

Draw an outline for a tic-tac-toe game on a piece of paper and get markers for each person to use. Get into a plank position facing a partner and take turns to play the game while holding your plank.

Day 3: Explore

Jesus’ coming confirmed

Read Mark 1: 1-11.

Click here to read the passage

Discuss

Allocate the roles in the story: narrator, Isaiah, John and God. Read Mark 1:1-11 again. Add costume props if you want.

Imagine you were there on that day when God confirmed His special messenger. Talk about what you would have seen, heard, and felt.

What made this moment so special?

Day 3: Play

Swamp walk

Find a partner and get two sheets of paper. Pretend the ground is a swamp and the sheets of paper are the only dry land. One person places and moves the papers on the floor to help the other person step across the swamp.

Swap places and guide the other person across safely.

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