Age: 5–11 years, 11–16 years
Length: 20–30 minutes
Approach: Godly Play-inspired – reflective, curious, and encouraging deeper thinking rather than giving answers.
You will need:
Invitation
Gather the children in a circle.
Place the globe (or ball) in the centre and shine the torch on one side.
Say: “Today we're going to think about light and darkness, day and night, and what they might help us notice about God's world.”
Allow a moment of silence.
Exploration
Show how one side of the globe is lit and the other is dark.
Ask children to observe before responding.
Say: “One side is in light and one side is in darkness. Both belong to the same world.”
Slowly rotate the globe.
“As the world turns, places move from light into darkness and from darkness into light.”
Invite children to move toy figures around the globe, noticing when they are in the light and when they are not.
Wondering together
Use open-ended questions, allowing silence and multiple answers.
Eclipse connection
Place an object briefly between the torch and the globe.
Say: “Sometimes the light is hidden for a short time.” (Pause.)
“The sun has not disappeared. It is still there, even when we cannot see it clearly.”
Wonder together:
Creation response activity
Invite children to think about ways they care for creation.
Give them a challenge to choose one thing they can do this week to help care for our world.
Examples might include:
As they share ideas, say: “When we care for creation, we join in looking after a gift that has been entrusted to us.”
Reflection prayer
Place the globe in the centre.
Invite children to name one thing in creation they are thankful for.
After each contribution, everyone responds: “Thank you for this gift.”
Closing words
God made the light. God made the dark. God saw that it was good.
May we enjoy the gifts of creation and help to care for them well.
If children ask about climate change
Respond gently:
“Some things in the world are changing. People notice. Creation notices too. I wonder what helps us live gently.”