Year 1 – I AM SPECIAL TO GOD!
LEADER’S BOOK
Theme: I am Special To God
God Made Me A Special World
Lesson
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Bible Lesson
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God Made Me Special Book
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Christian Value To Work On
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1
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Creation Day 1 & 2
Light/Darkness/Air
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Cover and Introduction
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Kindness – what it means to be kind
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2
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Creation Day 3
Land/Trees/Plants
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Eyes
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Kindness – taking care of earth (pick up garbage)
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3
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Creation Day 4
Sun/Moon/Stars
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Ears
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Kindness – taking care of earth (pick up garbage)
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4
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Creation Day 5
Birds/Fish
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Mouth
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Kindness – taking care of animals (bird feeder)
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5
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Creation Day 6
Animals/People
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Hands
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Kindness – being nice to others
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6
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Creation Day 7
Rest/Review
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Feet
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Kindness – being nice to others
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God’s Special Gift To Me
Bible Lesson
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God Made Me Special Book
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Christian Value To Work On
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7
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Baby Jesus
Angels/Shepherds
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Heart
Take Home book
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Thankfulness – words and actions
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8
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Baby Jesus
Wiseman/Gifts
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Christmas
Party!
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Christmas
Party!
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God Loves Me
Date
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Bible Lesson
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God Gave Me Special Gifts
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Christian Value To Work On
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9
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Noah’s Ark
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Special Talents – ability page
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Stewardship - Helping around the house with a chore we are good at
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10
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Jonah and The Whale
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Special Talents – talent show
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Stewardship - Helping around the house with a chore we are good at
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11
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Abraham and Lot
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Family – draw picture of your family
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Stewardship- helping around the house with a chore we are good at
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12
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Parable of the Prodigal Son
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Family – forgiveness craft
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Forgiveness
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13
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Parable of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin
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Friends
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Being nice to others
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14
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Jesus the Good Shepherd
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Friends
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Helping others
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15
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Easter Story
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Easter
Party!
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Easter
Party!
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Wonderful Place God Is Making For Me
Date
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Bible Lesson
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When I Grow Up
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Christian Values To Work On
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16
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Gifts from God after Jesus’s ascended into heaven
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What I want to be when I grow up
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Helping others – giving to the poor (food bank)
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17
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Heaven and Jesus’s Promise
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What God wants me to be when I grow up.
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Helping others – giving to the poor
(food bank)
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18
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Year in review
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Class photos
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Time Table
10:00 am – Circle Time
Opening Prayer
Song “Hello To ___ We’re So Glad To See You; Hello To ___ We’re So Glad To See You Too.”
Introduction
10:10 am – Bible Lesson In Flannel
10:30 am – Snack Time
Song “Thank you God for giving us food. Thank you God for giving us food. For the friends we meet and the food we eat. Thank you God for giving us food.”
10:45 am – Bible Craft
11:00 am – Circle Time
Song 1 – I am Special
Song 2 – God Made Me Special
11:15 am – God Made Me Special Activity
11:25 am – Closing
Closing Prayer
Take home activity
11:30 am – Pick up
Song 1 – I Am Special
(To the tune of Frere Jacques)
I am special, I am special (point to self)
Don’t you see? Don’t you see? (make binoculars with fingers)
Someone very special. Someone very special. (hands to the side, palms up)
Cause God made me (point to heaven, point to self)
Cause God made me (point to self)
Song 2 – God Made Me Special
(Chorus)
I know that I am special
I know because
God made me special
Because of his great love.
He made my arms and legs
So I could swim and run
I’ll swim, swim, swim
Run, run, run
Of me, God made just one.
(Chorus)
He made me with a mouth
So I could laugh and sing
Ha, ha, ha
La, la, la
I’ve been made specially by him
(chorus)
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There is nobody just like me
God made me specially
There is nobody just like me
God made me specially.
He made me with a purpose
So I could bring him praise
Thank you God for making me
In your special way.
(chorus)
(chorus)
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I Am Special To God – Lesson 1
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
This will take longer in this class as we are just getting to know everyone. We will learn each other’s name and remember them by singing a special song each time we start our class.
Sing the “Hello” song
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Did you know that each one of us is very special to God. Yes we are. Before we were created, God loved us so much that he created a special world for us. He thought about everything we would ever need and included it in the world he made for us. We are going to spend some classes learning all about this world.
Can anybody tell me what this is? (Hold up a flashlight and wait for answers). Why do we need a flashlight? What does it do? (Wait for answers)
What would you do if there was no light anywhere on earth? Where does light come from? (sun, moon, stars) Who created light? (God)
Bible Lesson
Our Bible lesson today comes from the very first book of the Bible. This book is called Genesis. Genesis chapter 1: 1-8 says:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth didn’t have any shape and it was empty. Darkness was over the surface of the ocean. At the time, the ocean covered the earth and the Spirit of God was over the waters.
God said “Let there be light” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. He separated the light from the darkness and called the light day. He called the darkness night. And there was light and there was darkness the first day.
And God said “Let there be a huge space between the water and let it separate water from water and that is exactly what happened. He separated the water from under the space from the water that was above it and he called the huge space “sky”. There was morning and there was night the second day.”
God loved us so much that he planned this special world for us. On day one he gave us light so that we could see. On day 2 he gave us air so that we could breath. He was making this world specifically for you and for me. Without these special gifts, we would not be able to see or breathe.
Bible Crafts
1. “Let There Be Light” Scratch Art Paper
Materials: Scratch paper cut in half and wooden craft sticks (kit from oriental trading.com), Art Explosion paper and markers
Give each child a piece of scratch paper and have them scratch off the black coating to reveal the beautiful colors hidden below. Smaller children can use the Crayola art explosion paper with art explosion marker.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God Made Me
God Made Me Special Activity
Materials needed: duotang and preprinted book for each child.
1. Name tag
Material: cardstock cut into 6 inch by 3 inch rectangles, markers, mactac, yarn, hole punch, stickers
Teacher will write their name on a piece of cardstock and the children can color and decorate the cardstock with stickers. Teacher will laminate with mactac and string them. kids can pick them up at the beginning of each class and put away at the end of each class.
2. Cover Page to book
Children draw a picture of themselves on the cover and write their name (some may need assistance). Collect them back before children leave.
Closing
Closing prayer
I Am Special To God – Lesson 2
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
This will take longer in this class as we are just getting to know everyone. We will learn each other’s name and remember them by singing a special song each time we start our class.
Sing the “Hello” song
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. Before we were created, God loved us so much that he created this special world for us. He thought about everything we would ever need and included it in the world he made. Last week we learned about the first and second day of creation.
What did God create on the first day? (light)
What did God create on the second day? (sky)
Did God see that it was good or bad? (God saw that it was good)
Let’s find out what happened on the third day of creation.
Bible Lesson
Our Bible lesson today comes from the very first book of the Bible. This book is called Genesis. Genesis chapter 1: 9- 13 says:
“God said let the water under the sky be gathered into one place. Let dry ground appear. And that is what happened. God called the dry ground land. He called the waters that were gathered together oceans. And God saw that it was good. Then God said Let the land produce plants. Let them bear their own seeds. And let there be trees on the land that bear fruit with seeds in it. Let each kind of plant or tree have its own kind of seeds. And that’s exactly what happened. The land produced plants. Each kind of plant had its own kind of seeds. The land produced trees that bore fruit with seeds in it. Each kind of tree had its own kind of seeds. God saw that it was good and there was evening and there was morning the third day.
“God loved us so much that he planned this special world for us. On day one he gave us light so that we could see. On day 2 he gave us air so that we could breath. On day three he gave us land to walk on and plants so we could eat. He was making this world specifically for you and for me. Without these special gifts, we would not be able to see or breathe walk or eat.
Bible Crafts
1. Creation picture of flowers and seeds
Materials: assorted packages of dried beans, popcorn seeds, sunflower seeds, crayons, preprinted cardstock with picture of flowers and plants on it.
Have the children color the picture and then glue seeds and beans onto the picture to finish.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God Made Me
God Made Me Special Activity
1. Page 2
Children draw a picture of the wonderful things they can see that God has made
2. Page 3
Children color pictures of eyes to match their own color. Then they find out how many children in their class have each eye color.
Closing
Closing prayer
Act of service: stewardship of the earth. Pick up litter that you see.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 3
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
This will take longer in this class as we are just getting to know everyone. We will learn each other’s name and remember them by singing our special song.
Sing the “Hello” song
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. Before we were created, God loved us so much that he created this special world for us. He thought about everything we would ever need and included it in the world he made.
What did God create on the first day? (light)
What did God create on the second day? (sky)
What did God create on the third day? (land, plants, trees, flowers)
Did God see that it was good or bad? (God saw that it was good)
Let’s find out what happened on the fourth day of creation.
Bible Lesson
Our Bible lesson today comes from the very first book of the Bible. This book is called Genesis. Genesis chapter 1: 14-19 says:
“God said let there be lights in the huge space of the sky. Let them separate the day from the night. Let them serve as signs to mark off the seasons and the days and the years. Let them serve as lights in the huge space of the sky to give light on the earth.” And that’s exactly what happened. God made two great lights. He made the larger light to rule over the day. He made the smaller light to rule over the night. He also made the stars. God put lights in the huge space of the sky to give light on the earth. He put the sun to rule over the day and the moon to rule over the night. He put them there to separate light from darkness. God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning . It was day 4.”
God loved us so much that he planned this special world for us. On day one he gave us light so that we could see. On day 2 he gave us air so that we could breath. On day three he gave us land to walk on and plants so we could eat. On day 4 God gave us the sun, moon and stars so that we could tell seasons and time. He was making this world specifically for you and for me. Without these special gifts, we would not be able to see or breathe or walk or eat or tell time.
Bible Crafts
2. Sun, Moon and Stars Mobile
Materials: plastic lid (prepped by cutting in half and punching 3 holes in the bottom and one hole in the top, salt dough sun moon and star shapes with holes in them, markers, glitter glue, yarn, scissors , preprinted bible verse Genesis 1:16
Give each child a plastic lid and have them glue the Bible verse on it. Let the children decorate the salt dough ornaments with markers and glitter glue. Tie the ornaments to the lid with yarn. Tie a yarn loop to the top of the lid.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God Made Me
God Made Me Special Activity
3. Page 4
“My listening ears” children draw pictures of things they can hear.
Closing
Closing prayer
Act of service: stewardship of the earth. Pick up litter that you see.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 4
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. Before we were created, God loved us so much that he created this special world for us. He thought about everything we would ever need and included it in the world he made.
What did God create on the first day? (light)
What did God create on the second day? (sky)
What did God create on the third day? (land, plants, trees, flowers)
What did God create on the fourth day? (sun, moon, stars)
Did God see that it was good or bad? (God saw that it was good)
Let’s find out what happened on the fifth day of creation.
Bible Lesson
Our Bible lesson today comes from the very first book of the Bible. This book is called Genesis. Genesis chapter 1: 20-23 says:
“God said Let the water be filled with living things. Let birds fly above the earth across the huge space of the sky. Do God created the great creatures of the ocean. He created every living thing and moving thing that fills the waters. He created all kinds of them. He created every kind of bird that flies. And God saw that it was good. He blessed them. He said have little ones and increase your numbers. Fill the water in the oceans. Let there be more and more birds on the earth. There was evening and there was morning. It was day 5.”
God loved us so much that he planned this special world for us. On day one he gave us light so that we could see. On day 2 he gave us air so that we could breath. On day three he gave us land to walk on and plants so we could eat. On day four he created sun, moon and stars so we could tell seasons and time. On day five he created fish and birds so that we look at beauty. He was making this world specifically for you and for me. Without these special gifts, we would not be able to see or breathe or walk or eat or tell time or see great and wonderful fish and birds.
Bible Crafts
3.
Materials for both: foam sheets, google eye, magnet, markers, glue
Materials for fish: foam fish body, sequins
Materials for bird: foam bird body, feathers
Decorate bird and fish as desired. Put magnet on back of each one.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God Made Me
Book “Feet are not for kicking”
God Made Me Special Activity
4. Page 5
My Beautiful feet page. Children trace their feet with many different colors of crayons.
5. Page 6
Good things I can do with my feet. Children fill out a chart with things that they can do with their feet.
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Gentleness – remember what good things feet are used for.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 5
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. Before we were created, God loved us so much that he created this special world for us. He thought about everything we would ever need and included it in the world he made.
What did God create on the first day? (light)
What did God create on the second day? (sky)
What did God create on the third day? (land, plants, trees, flowers)
What did God create on the fourth day? (sun, moon, stars)
What did God create on the fifth day? (fish, birds)
Did God see that it was good or bad? (God saw that it was good)
Let’s find out what happened on the sixth day of creation.
Bible Lesson
Our Bible lesson today comes from the very first book of the Bible. This book is called Genesis. Genesis chapter 1: 24 – 27 says:
“God said Let the land produce all kinds of living creatures. Let there be livestock, and creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals. Let there be all kinds of them. And that’s exactly what happened. God made all kinds of wild animals. He made all kinds of livestock. He made all kinds of creatures that move along the ground. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, Let us make man in our own likeness. Let them rule over the fish in the waters and the birds of the air. Let them rule over the livestock and over the whole earth. Let them rule over all of the creatures that move along the ground.
So God created man in his own likeness. He created them in the likeness of God. He created them as male and female. And God blessed them.”
Bible Crafts
1. Paper Plate Zoo Animal Craft Kit
Materials: paper plate, foam shapes for ears/nose/tail, crayons, glue, googly eyes
Children color the paper plate the same color as the animal they are making. They glue on foam shapes to finish off animal. Add googly eyes as finishing touch.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God Made Me
Book “Hands are not for hitting”
God Made Me Special Activity
6. Page 7
My Helping hands page. Children make a handprint on the page
7. Page 8
Good things I can do with my hands. Children fill out a chart that shows what they can do with their hands.
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Gentleness – remember what good things hands are used for.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 6
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. Before we were created, God loved us so much that he created this special world for us. He thought about everything we would ever need and included it in the world he made.
What did God create on the first day? (light)
What did God create on the second day? (sky)
What did God create on the third day? (land, plants, trees, flowers)
What did God create on the fourth day? (sun, moon, stars)
What did God create on the fifth day? (fish, birds)
What did God create the sixth day? (animals, people)
On the seventh day of creation, God saw all was good and the world was complete. Then he rested. Today we are going to spend time reviewing what we have learned in the past 5 lessons.
Bible Lesson
God loved us so much that he planned this special world for us. On day one he created light. He gave us light so that we could see. On day 2 God created sky. He gave us air so that we could breath. On day three God created land, plants, and trees. He gave us land to walk on and plants so we could eat. On day four God created the sun, the moon and the stars. He created sun, moon and stars so we could tell seasons and time. On day five God created fish and birds. he created fish and birds so that we look at the beauty around us. On day 6 God created animals and people. He created animals to be our friends. He saw everything was good and the world was ready. Then he created people. He was made this world specifically for you and for me. Then, on day seven, he rested.
When God created the world, he made a special garden and called it a special name: He called the world the Garden of Eden. God also gave a special name to the very first man and the very first woman he created. He named them Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden with God. They were given the task of naming the animals and taking care of the plants and trees and all the living things in the garden. They ate of all of the trees and plants except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This was the only thing God asked of them. But they decided to disobey God and eat from the tree. As a result, they ended up not being able to live in the garden any more. They were sent further out into the world God created and could not live with God anymore because they had sinned. But – God had a special plan. He planned to give a special gift to all people, including you and me, so that we could live with him once again. We will hear about our special gift from God next week.
Bible Crafts
4. Fingerprint Painting
Materials: 12x12 Cardstock preprinted with an apple tree and a snake, tempera paints in assorted colors, plastic lid or other “pallet” for putting paint on for each child.
Children paint garden of Eden picture as desired.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God Made Me
Book “Words are not for hurting”
God Made Me Special Activity
8. Page 9
My wonderful mouth. Children draw mouths in different emotions in the faces on the page. Sad, Happy, exited, mad/angry, loving
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Gentleness – remember what good things hands are used for.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 7
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. The last few weeks we have heard about the wonderful world God created for us. We also learned about the garden that God created for people to live with him in. But Because of Adam and Eve’s choice to disobey, people could no longer live with God. They were sent further out into the world God created and could not live with God anymore because they had sinned. But – God had a special plan. He planned to give a special gift to all people, including you and me, so that we could live with him once again. Let’s hear about God’s special gift to us.
Bible Lesson
God loved us so much that he planned a special gift for us. One of the books in the Bible is called Luke. Luke 2:1-20 tells us the story of God’s special gift to us.
Mary was going to have a baby. It was a very special baby, God's son. She and Joseph had to travel far away to Bethlehem because the ruler of the land told everyone that they had to go to the place of their birth to get counted.
When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, they couldn't find a place to stay; however, one innkeeper saw that Mary was going to have a baby and let them stay in the stable with the animals. That night Mary gave birth to Jesus. Mary wrapped him in cloths to keep warm and laid him in the manger for a bed. (A manger is a little box where animal food was put.)
At the same time Jesus was born something else was happening. In a field close by some shepherds were watching their sheep, just as they always did. But tonight was different. The shepherds looked up in the sky and saw a bright light. It was an angel. They were afraid. The angel told them not to be afraid and told them to go to Bethlehem where they would find a baby lying in a manger. Then the shepherds heard a beautiful song. Lots of angels were in the sky singing praises to God. Soon it was very quiet again. The angels went back to heaven and the shepherds were excited about the news. They went to Bethlehem to see for themselves.
When they got there, they found Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. He was lying in the manger just like the angels told them. The shepherds were so excited that they told everyone about baby Jesus, the savior who had been born that day. They told the people about the angels too and everyone believed them. The shepherds went back to their fields to watch over their lambs and they sang praises to God.
When the angel told the shepherds about Jesus, they said that God was telling us he was bringing peace to the earth. When we trust in God, he promises to give us peace too.
Just like God watched over baby Jesus in the manger, God watches over us too. This is because he loves us very much.
Bible Crafts
5. Angel Ornament
Materials: doily, gold card, foam hands and face, silver or gold chenille stems, yarn for hair, markers for face, glue
Make body from gold card. Make dress from doily. Glue foam hands to body and dress to body. Draw face on foam circle. Glue to body. Glue hair to face. Make halo out of chenille stems.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God Made Me
Book “My little golden book about God”
God Made Me Special Activity
9. Page 10
My happy heart. Children put foam stickers on page and draw smiley faces on the hearts. Pages are put into book and children can now bring them home.
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Thankfulness. Being thankful for every gift we receive.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 8
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. The last few weeks we have heard about the wonderful world God created for us. We also learned about the garden that God created for people to live with him in. But Because of Adam and Eve’s choice to disobey, people could no longer live with God. They were sent further out into the world God created and could not live with God anymore because they had sinned. But – God had a special plan. He planned to give a special gift to all people, including you and me, so that we could live with him once again. Let’s hear about God’s special gift to us.
Bible Lesson
In the desert, wise men were traveling with their camels. On the night that Jesus was born, the wise men looked up into the sky and noticed a very different star. They knew that this star meant a new king had been born. They followed the star all the way to Judea.
The wise men started to ask people where the new king was. When King Herod, the ruler of the land, heard about their inquiries, he called a secret meeting with the wise men. He asked them when the star had appeared and if they had found the child yet. King Herod was very worried because he wanted to stay king. He told the wise men to find the child and to come back and let him know so that he too could worship him.
After the wise men spoke to King Herod, they left to find the child. They didn't know where he was, but they followed the star until it stopped over the place where the child was living.
The wise men were very excited and happy. They found Jesus in Mary's arms and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they gave the gifts that they had brought Jesus. These were very expensive gifts that you would give a king. There was gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Mary thanked them for the gifts.
The wise men decided not to tell Herod about God’s precious gift and left by a different way.
Crafts
6. Frankincense and Myrrh Christmas Ornaments
Materials: 4 inch round circles of gold material with gold cording threaded through it approx 1 inch in., potpourri, small satin flowers
Put a 1 tbsp potpourri in the center of a material round. Pull the ends of the cording and gather round into a small bag. Stick small flowers onto bag.
7. Gold Wreath Christmas Ornament
Materials: Gold, pearl and clear craft beads, white chenille stem, gold cording
Children string beads onto chenille stem. Tie into wreath shape. Tie a piece of gold cording on to hang.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Away in a manger
Song 2 – We three kings
Book “The Animal’s Christmas Eve”
Christmas Activities
1. Nativity Scene
Materials: stickers, nativity scene backgrounds.
Children put stickers on background and make their own nativity scene.
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Thankfulness. Being thankful for every gift we receive.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 9
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. We heard all about this wonderful world God created for us – Earth. We also heard about God’s wonderful gift he gave us – Jesus. Now we are going to learn about the wonderful love God has for us. We will start with stories from Genesis, the first book of the Bible and we will finish with a story from Revelations, the last book of the Bible. All of these stories will be teaching us about the love God has for each one of us.
Our first story begins in the book of Genesis after Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden of Eden because of they chose to disobey God.
Bible Lesson
The first book of the Bible, Genesis tells us that about 1500 years after God made Adam and Eve, the world was full of people. But the people had forgotten about God. They did bad things and made God very disappointed. In Genesis chapter 6 it says that God was very sorry that he had made people on the earth and it made him very, very sad because he loved people. But he had to stop all the wickedness – all the evil in the world. God decided that he would get rid from the earth people, animals, creeping things and birds of the air because he was sorry that he created them. But God was very, very happy with the one man that remembered him. Out of all of the people in the whole world, only one person remembered that God had made everything for people because he loved people. This man’s name was Noah.
Noah was a good and kind man and father to 3 boys. Noah loved God and remembered the stories that his father and grandfather had told him about God and God’s love. Noah remembered to thank God every day. He also taught his children about God and they grew up knowing that God loved them. Everyone in Noah’s family prayed and worshipped and thanked God.
God told Noah that he was going to send a flood to cover the whole earth because the whole earth was at war and it was evil. He told Noah to build a great big boat because he would be covering the whole earth with water. Noah was only a farmer but God gave him the skills and instructions on how to build this big boat called an ark. God also promised Noah that his wife, his sons, and his sons’ wives would be saved. And two of every animal and 7 of every kind of bird would also be saved. He also told Noah to get his family to gather every kind of food that was eaten and store it up for all of them. Noah did everything that God told him to.
Genesis 7 says that when the Ark was finally done and God sent all of the animals to come to Noah. It took seven days for all the animals and birds to come. Then drip, drip, drop. It started to rain. God shut the door of the ark once the animals and Noah’s family were safe inside. It rained heavily for forty days and nights. The waters rose and the ark started to float. It floated on the waters high above all of the trees and then even above the highest mountain. Only Noah everything with him in the ark was safe.
Genesis 8 tells us that or 150 days, half a year, the wind blew and the water started to go down. Finally the ark rested on top of a mountain. Then God told Noah that it was safe to go out and he opened the door of the ark. All the animals and Noah’s family left the ark.
Genesis 9 tells us that the first thing Noah did was to thank God. This pleased God and God promised to Noah that never again would he send a flood to cover the whole earth to destroy it. God placed a rainbow in the sky so he would never forget his promise.
This is such a wonderful promise because it is a promise of God’s love for all people and all creation. Just like his love for Noah, God has a very special love for each one of us. God’s love is all around and every time we see a rainbow, we can see God’s great love for us.
Crafts
1. Noah’s Ark Sticker Scene
Materials: Noah’s ark stickers, background sheet
Have children put stickers onto background and make their own Noah’s ark scene.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God made me
Book “I can do it by myself”
God Made Me Special Activities
Everyone can do special things with special abilities that God has given us. Some people can sing, some people can play sports, some people can make crafts, and some people can play musical instruments. God gave us these abilities. Today, I want us all to take a turn to show and tell something that we can do.
(Each person gets a chance to talk)
Next time we come to class, we are going to do something a little special. I would like for each of you to show us something you have made or show us something you can do. Take some time and talk it over with your parents. Next week we will have show and tell.
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Using our talents to help others.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 10
(Due to show and tell this will be a longer class)
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. We heard all about this wonderful world God created for us – Earth. We also heard about God’s wonderful gift he gave us – Jesus. Last week we started to learn about God’s great love for the people that obey him and how he gives them special abilities. We heard about Noah and how even though he was just a farmer, God gave him the ability to build a great big boat called an ark.
Today we are going to hear about a scared man who didn’t like to talk that God gave a special ability to. God gave this very scared and silent man a great big voice and lots of courage. Enough courage to yell up and down the streets of a city full of bad people and let them know that God was not happy with them.
Our story begins in the middle of the Bible in a book called Jonah.
Bible Lesson
There was a man named Jonah who loved God very much. One day God told him to go to a city called Nineveh and to tell all the people that God did not like what they were doing. Nineveh was full of very bad people who did very bad things. Jonah did not want to go. He was scared of the people there and he didn’t really like to talk. He didn’t want to do what God told him to, so he ran away.
He ran all the way to the ocean and then he hired a boat. He thought he could run away from God by hiding on the boat.
God sent a big wind on the ocean and caused a big storm. Jonah didn’t know about the storm. He had found a small spot in the bottom of the boat and had gone to sleep. He didn’t know that up above him men were very scared and the boat was about to break in half. Everyone on top of the ship was praying to God to save them. Then the captain of the boat noticed that Jonah was not there. The captain became angry and went to find Jonah. When he found him asleep he woke Jonah up and told him to pray so that the boat would be safe.
The storm was so fierce and one of the men said to the others. God isn’t pleased with someone on this ship. God won’t stop this storm until that person does what God wants. Jonah came up from the bottom of the ship. God gave him the courage to tell the others that he was the one God wanted and he was running away. He told the men to throw him to God. The men picked him up and threw him over the side of the boat.
God still wanted Jonah to talk to the bad people of Nineveh so he sent a whale to swallow Jonah up. Jonah spent 3 days and nights in the belly of the whale and prayed for God to forgive him. He promised God that he would do as God asked him to. God made the whale spit him up on dry land.
God told him once again to go to Nineveh and this time Jonah listened. God gave him the courage not to be scared. Once he got there God gave him a big, big voice to shout up and down the streets. Jonah yelled in a loud voice “40 days and Nineveh will be no more. 40 days and Nineveh will be destroyed.”
The people heard Jonah and were very sorry that they had been bad. They all made sure to do only good things. They all decided to do what God wanted them to do. They listened to what God told Jonah to say.
Because Jonah obeyed God, God gave him ability to speak to everyone without being afraid and God gave him a big voice to speak. God loves everyone even if they do bad things. God loved each person in the city of Nineveh so much that when they listened to Jonah and did what God wanted them to do, God decided to keep Nineveh safe from harm.
Crafts
1. Whale Craft
Materials: mini cardboard flower pots, foam shaped body, chenille stems, google eyes, markers, glitter glue, tacky glue
Children decorate flower pot as desired using markers and glitter glue. They put chenille stems through hole in flowerpot. The turn flowerpot upside down and glue onto foam body. Curl chenille stems to make it look like water coming out of spout. Add google eyes.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God made me
God Made Me Special Activities
Talent Show and tell.
God gave each one of us special abilities. Everyone has 2 minutes to show something they made or something they can do. Let’s start here and go around in a circle.
(This will take a little longer than usual)
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Using our talents to help others.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 11
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. We heard all about this wonderful world God created for us – Earth. We also heard about God’s wonderful gift he gave us – Jesus. Last week we started to learn about God’s great love for the people that obey him and that he gives us special abilities to do what he asks. This week we are going to learn about another gift God gives us because he loves us. The gift of family.
Our Bible story starts long, long ago in the book of Genesis chapter 12.
Bible Lesson
There was a man named Abram who loved God very much. One day God told him to leave his dad’s house and leave his country and go to a special country that God would show him. He told Abram that he would give him many children, so many that the whole country would be filled up.
Abram did what God asked and left his dad’s house and country. He brought his wife Sarai with him. Abram’s nephew named Lot also came with him.
God lead them to a land called Canaan and told Abram that this was where God wanted him to live. They made a home and started to live on the land.
Abram and Lot were shepherds and had many, many sheep. So many that there was not enough room for them all. Abram and Lot’s workers fought all the time about grass and about water.
Because Abram and Lot were family, they did not want to fight. They decided to split the land. Abram loved his nephew and told him to pick which side of the river he wanted. Lot, being a man who wanted only the best, decided to pick the side with the greenest and longest grass and left Abram the side with only a little grass. Abram didn’t complain because he knew that God would take care of him.
Some time later, there was a king who went out for a ride. He all of Lot’s wonderful things and wanted it for himself. So the king made war and took Lot’s sheep and workers. He made Lot, Lot’s wife and his children were made into slaves.
Abram heard the bad news. He took all 318 of his men and went after the king. The king gave up and gave Lot and all of Lot’s things to Abram. With God’s help Abram rescued Lot, Lot’s family, his workers and his sheep and brought them all back to the Land that Lot had chosen.
God gave us the gift of family to show his love for us. God put each one of us in a special family. Each family is different. God loves every person in our family and helps us to take care of each one. God helped Abram take care of Lot. He asks us to love and to take care of each other.
Crafts
1. Abram Puppet
Materials: foam man, bits of fabric, yarn, google eyes, craft stick, crayons, glue, tape.
Have children make the face of the man and glue on bits of fabric for clothes. Children glue on yarn for hair and google eyes. Tape craft stick to back of man.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God made me
Book “Me Too”
I Am Special To God – Lesson 12
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. We heard all about this wonderful world God created for us – Earth. We also heard about God’s wonderful gift he gave us – Jesus. We are learned about God’s great love for the people that obey him and that he gives us special abilities to do what he asks. Last class we heard about how God loves us and gives us families to take care of us.
Today we are going to hear another story about how family. We are also going to learn about how God’s love for us is a father’s love. This is a story that Jesus told to people when he was teaching about God’s love. It is found in Luke 15:11-32.
Bible Lesson
There was a boy who did not want to stay at home. He wanted to travel and see the world. He wanted to be very rich and have lots of friends and buy anything he ever wanted. The problem was that he lived with his dad and his brother. Everything around him belonged to his dad.
One day the boy went up to his dad and told him, “Dad, I want to go live on my own, be rich and have lots of things and lots of friends. I don’t want to wait until you die. Can I have half of everything you have right now? ”
This made the dad very sad because the boy already had everything he could ever want right at home. But, because his dad loved him so much, he gave the boy half of everything he had. Half of the sheep, half of the money, half of the house, half of everything.
The boy took it all and travelled far, far away to a different country. There he spent all his money on people who pretended to be his friends. When he ran out of money he sold everything he had just to keep partying with the people he was with. Before he knew it, he didn’t have any money and nothing left to sell. He was so poor, that he couldn’t even buy food for himself. He had no food and his friends had all left him because he had no money.
He did the only thing that he could think of and went knocking door to door to try to find work. He finally found a job where he could feed the pigs. In payment he would get a place to sleep, but no one gave him any food.
The boy thought back to what it was like at his dad’s house. He missed his dad and he knew his dad would never let anyone go hungry. So he decided to go back to see his dad.
The dad had been missing his son for a long time. Every day, all day he would sit in front of his house to see if his young son was coming. Every day the dad went to bed very sad that his son did not come home.
One morning the dad was sitting outside of his house, looking down the road. While the boy was still far away from the house, the dad saw him. The dad got excited and jumped up. He ran down the long road to meet his son and gave him a big, big hug and kiss. He had missed him so much and was so glad his son was back home.
The boy started to cry. He was sorry for what he did to his dad and how he wasted his dad’s money. He asked his dad if he could work for him and be a servant. But his dad said to his servants, “Bring my best clothes for him, put rings on his fingers and put shoes on his feet. Make lots of food. We are going to have a big, big party. My son is home!” The dad forgave his son of everything he had done wrong.
The older son came home to find that everyone was celebrating. He got upset and asked his dad why his dad did not ever give a party for him. The dad told the older son that everything he had was his, but they need to celebrate that his brother had come home. They need to forgive his brother for the wrong things he did because that is what family does. Family is supposed to love each other no matter what. The brother understood and joined in celebration too.
God gave us the gift of family to show his love for us. Just like the dad in this story, God loves us no matter what we do. He is very, very happy when we remember him and talk to him in prayer. God always forgives us, even when we do things that are not so good. God loves us and that is why we call him our heavenly dad. God not only made our family, God is part of our family.
Crafts
8. Pig Pen Craft
Materials: craft sticks cut in half, cardstock cutout of a pig and corncob and man, unpopped popcorn, brown construction paper sheet, glue
Have children create the scene.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God made me
Talk about forgiveness.
Say “Look at all these pencils. They all have an eraser for when they make mistakes.” Compare the pencils to people. Tell children that people have an eraser too. God is our eraser. When we ask forgiveness, He takes away our sins, just like the eraser wipes away the pencils' mistakes.
God has also given us the ability to forgive others. If other people hurt us, we need to forgive them just like God forgives us. Forgiveness is a gift that we give people when they hurt our feelings. We can show forgiveness by giving the person who hurt us a hug or a smile.
God Made Me Special Activities
1. I Can Forgive Craft
Materials: Paper, crayons
Have the children draw a picture of something that they can do to show a family member or a friend that they forgive them. The picture can be of a hug, a smile, a handshake or anything they come up with.
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Forgiveness to others
I Am Special To God – Lesson 13
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. We have learned that God gave us wonderful gifts – the world, Jesus, special abilities and families. God loves us so much. And He wants us to know that we are very, very special to him.
Today we are going to hear 2 stories about how special we are to God. Jesus told both of these stories to the people that were with him. Our stories today are both written in Luke 14.
Bible Lesson
Story 1 :
A woman was working in her house. As she was baking some bread she noticed that one of the beautiful silver coins on her necklace were gone. She saw only nine of the coins. The tenth one was missing.
She became upset and worried. These were very special coins given to her by her husband. One for every year they were married. She did not want to lose any of them as they meant a lot to her. She called her friends to see if they had seen it but they had not.
She turned on all of the lamps in her home and picked up her broom. Carefully she swept the floor, moving all of the furniture. There in between the couch and the wall she found the lost coin. Right away she was so happy and excited.
She called all of her friends to let them know she had found her lost coin.
Story 2:
A shepherd was watching over his sheep. He had 100 of them and loved them all very much. One night as he was putting them into their pen, he counted only 99 of them. He was missing one. He checked with his friends and neighbours but they had not seen it.
He was worried. He knew that a lost sheep would be in a lot of danger during the night. The sheep could fall off a steep cliff or it could get taken by wolves.
The shepherd left his 99 sheep and went looking for the one sheep that was lost. He searched and searched. Finally he found it caught in a bush. He picked it up and carried it home. Then he called his friends and neighbours to celebrate because he found the lost sheep that he was missing.
Jesus says that we are like the lost coin and the lost sheep. God loves us so much and we are so special to God. God will keep calling us until we come to him and know that we are special to him. Jesus says that when we decide to follow God and do what God asks of us, all of heaven rejoices.
Crafts
9. Coin Necklace
Materials: string, large craft beads, 1 silver washer
Have children thread beads and washer onto the string. Tie the string to form a necklace.
10. Sheep Magnet
Materials: cardboard sheep cutout, glue, cotton balls, google eye
Have children glue cotton balls onto sheep and glue the eye onto the sheep. Use double sided tape to put on magnet.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God made me
God Made Me Special Activities
2. Ribbon Craft
Materials: 1 inch – 2 inch wide ribbon. Circles precut spelling the name of the child, crayons
Children color the circles with the letter on it. Then they glue the circles in order to the ribbon.
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Obeying our parents.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 14
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. Last week we learned that God loves us so much. We learned that we are like lost sheep and lost coins and that God will not stop calling us because he loves us.
Jesus says that he is the Good shepherd and that he takes care of his sheep. This means that he loves and takes care of you.
Bible Lesson
One day Jesus said to his disciples, “If a man sneaks over the fence to get into a sheep pen, he probably is a thief. IF he calls the sheep, they won’t come to him because he is a stranger. His voice frightens them and they run away. But the real shepherd enters through the gate and when he calls his sheep, he uses their names and they know his voice.
I am the good shepherd. I know each of my sheep and they know me. I am also the gate. Those who come through me will be saved and have everything they need.
"Sometimes a man is hired to watch over the sheep," continued Jesus. "But this man does not own these sheep and he does not really care about them. He just -works to get paid. If a wolf comes in the middle of the night, the man runs away! And the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters the flock. The man doesn't even care–because they're not his sheep.
"But I am the good shepherd," said Jesus. "And I lay down My life for My sheep.
"My Father loves Me, and I gladly lay down My life for My sheep. Even though He has told Me to do this, I do it because I want to. No man will take My life from Me. Instead, I give it freely.
"And after I lay down My life, My Father has given Me the power to take it back again."
This is so wonderful because we know that Jesus truly loves each and every one of us. He loves us so much that he was willing to give his life for us to protect us from hell and bring us to heaven.
Crafts
11. Lamb Paper Plate Craft
Materials: paper plate, glue, foam cutouts, cotton balls
Have the children put together the craft using glue.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God made me
Book - “the good Samaritan”
God Made Me Special Activities
3. Friendship Paper doll chain
Materials: precut paper doll chain, markers
Children color the paper doll chain while listening to the story
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Helping others.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 15
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. Over the past weeks we have heard the God loves us. Today We are going to hear about the greatest thing God has ever done for us.
Our Bible Lesson today is found in 4 books of the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Bible Lesson
It was a sad day for all of Jesus’ disciples. They stood at the bottom of the cross and watched their friend Jesus die. They didn’t understand why it had to happen.
They believed he was the son of God. They remembered all the good things he had done like making blind people see and lame people walk. He made sick people well and he raised people from the dead. He was good and kind, following God’s commandments: loving both God and people. Why did he have to die?
Jesus had given his last breath after he asked God to forgive the people for crucifying him. One of the soldiers looked at Jesus and realized that he was the son of God.
Later that night, before the sun set, one of Jesus’s friends asked the governor if he could have the body of Jesus so that he could bury him. Pilate agreed and they carefully wrapped Jesus’s body in clean cloths and took him to a tomb to bury him. The governor thought that someone might try to steal the body of Jesus so that they could say that he rose again, so the governor had guards placed at the tomb and had a huge stone rolled in front of the entrance to the tomb.
Three days later Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women came to visit Jesus’s tomb. When they got to the tomb there was a huge earthquake because an angel descended from heaven, moved the stone and sat upon it. The guards were afraid and fell faint to the ground.
Then the angel spoke to the women and said: do not be afraid. I know you are here to see Jesus, but he is not here. He has been raised from the dead and is going to see you in Galilee. They ran quickly away from the tomb both a little scared and excited. Jesus met them in the garden, gave them a hug and told them to go tell the disciples. They went to the disciples and told them what had happened.
When they told the disciples, no one believed. Peter decided to take a look for himself. When he got to the tomb he found the cloths that had been wrapped around Jesus but the tomb was empty. He went home amazed at what had happened.
Jesus appeared to his disciples in Jerusalem and showed them his side and his hands. They believed him. They were so happy that they told everyone the good news. Jesus was alive!
He stayed with them a few more days teaching them and then he led them to Bethany, raised his hands and blessed them. As he blessed them he ascended into heaven and told them he was making a place for them in heaven. He also told them to go into the whole world and tell everyone about the gospel.
Crafts
12. Easter Cross
Materials: foam cross, rhinestones, foam flower stickers, glue
Have the children put together the craft using glue
13. Easter Eggs
Materials: small foam eggs, Easter stickers, crayons.
Have the children color the eggs and then put stickers on them.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God made me
Easter Activities
4. Easter Movie
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Obeying our parents.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 16
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Each one of us is very special to God. Over the past weeks we have heard the God loves us. Today we are going to learn about the special gifts Jesus gave us when he left the earth.
Our lesson can be found in Galatians 5: 22
Bible Lesson
The first gift that Jesus gave us was the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence in our life. The Holy Spirit brings us special gifts each day. These gifts are called fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is a little like real fruit because they are each special and different too.
It's really neat because when we ask Jesus to live in us his Spirit stays with us and He will give us some of this special fruit. As we grow and learn more about Jesus, the Spirit will give us more and more fruit and become more Christ-like.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. All of these fruits are good to have and the Spirit wants to give them to us.
God wants us to try to be good and have the fruit of the spirit in us. We can try to have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control but the Spirit will give us the kind of gifts he wants us to have. It's hard to do it on our own; we need the Spirit to help us with each of these things.
Just in case you don't know what each of the fruit of the spirit means I'm going to try to explain them. I think the easiest fruit of the spirit to explain is love. Think of someone that loves you no matter what. You can make mistakes and it doesn't matter what you look like, but they still love you. God loves us too, no matter what; he even loves you more than your parents! He can help us love others the way we should.
The next fruit is joy. Joy is like being very, very happy, it’s being happy inside even when things aren't going great. Again, we can try to be joyful but only God can give us the kind of happiness that makes us joyful, we can't just be joyful on our own.
When we think of peace, we usually think of no more fighting or war. That is right, but the peace of the spirit is a bit different. This is the peace we get when we get to know God really well (by reading the Bible, praying, asking questions, etc). If we have this peace we will feel calmness inside and know that all our sins are confessed and that God forgives us.
Patience is the next one and I'm sure we know what this means. Have you ever been told to have patience? The patience God is talking about is for those little things like waiting to open your Christmas presents or being patient to go to the park. But it also means to be patient for answers to prayer that might take years to be answered.
Next is kindness and it should be easy although sometimes it's not. Is it easy to be kind to someone who has been mean to you? When God gives us this gift, its more than just being kind to others. He might help us be kind to someone who really needs it and we're not even aware of it. For example, maybe you feel like you should make a picture for your mom or call a grandparent. God might be telling you to do that because they are having a bad day and that's exactly what they need to cheer them up. Sometimes your kind deed to someone else is all they need to remember that someone special loves them.
Being good or goodness is the next fruit of the spirit. Having the gift of goodness means God can depend on me to be honest, repent of my sins, and turn away from bad things. We also need to try to act this way towards others through our actions so they can see the fruit in us. The only true goodness we have is the goodness of God living in us.
Faithfulness is next and this one might be a little trickier to understand. Being faithful is keeping your promises, being a loyal friend even when times get tough, being trustworthy and doing the things you said you would do. When I think of faithfulness I think of my grandma who prayed for me every single day of her life. She was faithful in praying for me, which also meant that she prayed everyday.
When I think of gentleness I think of holding a brand new baby. For some reason we think they might break if we don't hold them so carefully. The kind of gentleness God is talking about is similar to this. No matter what situation comes up we are supposed to be gentle. That doesn't mean we shouldn't stick up for ourselves, if someone is doing something you know is wrong you should still tell an adult or tell them to stop. Just do it in a gentle way like Jesus would do it.
The last fruit is self-control and is a very important one, it means to be in control of what we say and do. Without self control we can't do the things we should. To be able to live the way God wants we have to be in control of the things we do. Just like when a brother or sister bugs you so much you just want to hit them, we know that we have to control ourselves and not hit them. We know we just can't do whatever we feel like sometimes because it’s not right and we'd be punished.
Just remember that with all these gifts we need help from God to be able to use the gifts properly. We need to remember that God made us and he is perfect. If you want the fruit of the spirit first you need to ask God to live in you, and then the more you get to know him the more fruit or gifts he will help you have.
(this Bible story explanation of the fruits of the spirit is used with permission from www.dltk-bible.com)
Crafts
14. Fruit Craft
Materials: foam fruit shapes, pompoms, sequins, stickers, glitter glue,
Children decorate a foam fruit shape
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God made me
God Made Me Activity
5. How we can use the gifts God gives us to help others
Children color a chart to take home that helps them remember to use God’s special gifts.
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Using our gifts to help others.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 17
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
Last week we heard about the greatest thing that God ever did for us: Dying on the cross for our sins so that we can go to heaven.
Today we are going to learn more about the promise that Jesus made us. WE are also going to learn more about heaven.
Our Bible lesson today is found in the book of Revelations.
Bible Lesson
Have you ever wondered about heaven? Where is it? What it's like? Who lives there? The Bible talks a bit about heaven and God has given us some hints about what it will be like. However, a lot of it is still a mystery to us because God is still preparing a place for us. At least that's what Jesus told his disciples before he went up to heaven. Revelations also tells us what will be in heaven.
He said he was preparing a place for us with many rooms or mansions. Which makes me think that if God created the world and everything in and around it in six days, how amazing will heaven be if he's taking longer than that? If you can think of a beautiful mountain, waterfall or even the prettiest flower you've ever seen and think of a place even more amazing than that, I think that's what heaven will be like.
God can use whatever he wants gold, diamonds and amazing things we haven't even seen on earth. Maybe that's why the Bible doesn't give us a complete description of heaven because we wouldn't even be able to understand how amazing and beautiful it really is.
We can talk more about what heaven is like later. First we should talk about how we can get to heaven and what are some ways we can prepare to go there. Don't worry you don't need to pack a suitcase. In fact, God specifically says that we shouldn't spend all our time on earth trying to collect a bunch of things because we can't take any of it with us.
It might seem strange that we won't need any of our things like our favorite doll or toy truck or even a change of underwear!! God will give us everything we need plus much more. We won't even be bored in heaven because God knows what we need and he's getting it all ready for us.
We still haven't answered the question about how we get to heaven. Actually one of Jesus' disciples named Thomas asked Jesus: We don't know where you're going, so how can we know the way? (John 14:5) Jesus answered: I am the way, the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through me. This might sound like strange directions but what Jesus was saying is that if you believe the Bible and believe that Jesus died and rose again for you, then you believe in the truth and He will bring you to Heaven.
Not only that, the words God tells us in the Bible will help us in life right now and are like a map that will lead us on the right path and then eventually to Heaven. For example Jesus says that by helping others by feeding them if they're hungry, visiting the sick, giving clothes to those who don't have much, and even by visiting people in jail or who have done things that are wrong. When we do these things it's like we're doing it for Him. (Matthew 25:31-46)
By helping others now, God will give us a reward in heaven. (Matthew 5:12) One of these rewards is a crown. The Bible says that the Lord will reward each person a crown of righteousness when we get there. Imagine your very own crown!
The best part of all is what heaven will be like. Most of this is written in the last two chapters of the Bible. It says that God will wipe every tear from our eyes and there will be no more death, sadness, crying or pain. Everything will be made new again! You won't be able to get hurt anymore and there won't be any fighting or hitting or crying EVER! That sounds pretty neat.
It also says that there won't be a church or temple there because the Lord God Almighty and Jesus are the church. Instead of going to church to learn and worship God we just can go right to Him.
The city of heaven won't need a sun, moon or lights because God's glory will give light to everything. Plus there will be no night time there (I think that means no more naptime or sleeping)! It gets better! Nothing bad will ever enter heaven either.
The Bible tells us a little about what it will look like. It talks in Revelation about the city walls and how they are decorated with precious stones. The wall will be made of pure gold and then 12 different kinds of beautiful stones will cover and decorate it. Some of these stones we don't even know about on earth and other stones we wear in rings and necklaces and are worth a lot of money.
There will be twelve gates and each one will be made of one humungous peal bigger than you! On top of that, the streets will be made of gold! I can't even imagine how amazing it will be. No dirt or dust just shiny beautiful streets and walls filled with different colored stones reflecting the light from God. The only tricky part before we get to heaven is how we move from this world to this amazing place. If we believe God, that He died and rose again, need his forgiveness and try to live the way God wants; then God writes our name in the book of life. (Philippians 4:3) Everyone who believes and accepts Jesus will go to heaven and live forever there.
Then there are two ways we can move to heaven. The first way is if we die and the second way is when Jesus comes again while we're alive on earth. The thought of death can be scary (for grown-ups too) BUT, if we keep reminding ourselves how great heaven is maybe it wouldn't have to be so scary.
That second way we can go to Heaven is called the second coming. When God decides it's time for everyone who believes in Him to come to heaven he is going to come get us. It says in the Bible that nobody will ever know when this will be and he will come and we'll all know and see Jesus. There will be angels and trumpets and it'll be very exciting for all those who believe.
As you can see, heaven is going to be a big party and a fabulous place to be with God who made us and wants to reward us. God loves us even more than our parents and promises to take the best care of us. He hasn't forgot us either, he says three times in the last chapter of the Bible that Jesus is coming soon and to keep doing what is right and holy.
Heaven is a wonderful place!
(this Bible story explanation of the fruits of the spirit is used with permission from www.dltk-bible.com)
Crafts
1. Mansion in Heaven
Materials: birdhouse spray painted gold, glitter glue, rhinestones, tin foil, and glue
Have the children put together the craft using glue
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God made me
God Made Me Special Activity
What I am going to be when I grow up page.
Children draw a picture of what they want to be when they grow up.
Closing
Closing prayer
Virtue to work on: Helping others.
I Am Special To God – Lesson 18
Circle Time
Opening prayer
Hello song.
Introduction to Bible Lesson
We have learned a lot over the past year. Today will be our review of what we have learned this past year.
Bible Lesson
1. God chose us as his special people. Before he created the world, he knew that he was going to create people. So he created a very special world for us here on earth.
The Book of Genesis tells us that at the start of the world, there was only darkness, water and wind. God took seven days to create our special world. On day 1 He created light (so that we can see the world around us.) On day 2 He created sky (air so that we can breathe). Day 3 He created land, trees, grass, flowers, vegetables, fruits, grains and other plants (so that we can live and eat). Day 4 he created the sun, moon and stars (so that we can tell day from night). Day 5 He created fish and birds. Day 6 He created animals (for companionship) and then the world was ready and He created us.
2. God loved us so much that he sent his son to the world to live with us and to save us from our sins.
After Adam and Eve (the first man and woman) sinned, the world was lost and forgot about God. But God did not give up on us. He loved us so much that he sent his son Jesus to us. Jesus taught us about God’s love and then he gave his life for us by dying on the cross and taking the sin of the world with him.
In the Book of Matthew it says that Jesus stands at the door to our hearts and knocks. We need to ask him to come into our lives and fill every room in our heart. We need to believe in Jesus. We need to believe that he died on the cross for our sins and that he rose again. Then we need to ask Jesus into our heart to forgive us for the bad things that we do. Once we ask Jesus into our hearts, we become God’s children. God becomes our Father, our Dad. And like our Dad’s here on earth, God wants us to talk to him, listen to him, and obey him.
3. In the Book of Ephesians the Bible tells us that God adopted us as his children through Jesus Christ. Once we ask Jesus into our hearts and become a child of God, God gives us gifts just because he loves us. The main gift that he gives us is his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings you more gifts too. With God, it is like it is your birthday every day. God gives you the daily gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These gifts allow us to live a very rich and happy life. We will never feel alone or lonely because God is always with us.
4. When we die, that will not be the end of us. Because we are God’s children, we will get to go to heaven. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples that he was going to prepare a place for us. A mansion for each one of us in Heaven.
In the Book of Revelations we are told what heaven looks like: The mansions, really big houses, are made of pure gold. City walls are made of precious stones such as jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carnelian. Gates are made from pearls and streets are made of pure gold that looks like glass. There is a river that runs through the middle of the tree of life. There will be no need for sun or lamps because God will give us light. There will be no tears, no sickness, no dying.
We are so blessed to be God’s special people. And for all this, we should praise and worship him and follow the little that he asks us to do. When we do all that he asks, we are truly the King’s Kids.
Crafts
15. Kings Kid’s Crown
Materials: crown, rhinestones, glitter glue
Children make their special crowns to remind them that they are truly the King’s kids.
Snack Time
Circle Time
Song 1 – Theme song “God Made Me Special”
Song 2 – God made me
Year End Activities
6. Class Pictures
7. Take home God made me special book and certificates and little gifts.
Closing
Closing prayer
Child’s Name
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In
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Person Picking Up
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Out
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Date
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Theme
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Name
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Sept 7
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Introduction
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Sept 21
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Oct 5
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Oct 19
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Nov 2
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Nov 16
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Dec 7
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Dec 21
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Christmas
Party
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1.
2.
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Jan 4
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Jan 18
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Feb 1
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Feb 15
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Mar 7
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Mar 21
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Apr 4
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Easter Party
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1.
2.
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Apr 18
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May 2
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May 16
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Year End Party
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1.
2.
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Handbook
2011-2012
Vision for King’s Kids Children’s Church Ministry
Our vision for King’s Kids Children’s Church Ministry at St. Vital Parish is to minister to the heart of each child and to instill God’s word into their hearts and minds at an age appropriate level
Spiritually
Children ages 2-5 are able to understand how to thank and please God. They are also able to think of God as a real and loving person. When properly taught, they trustfully depend on God and know that God takes care of them. They learn to give and share because God gives and shares his blessings with us.
Lesson Plans
Children ages 2-5 normally have the attention span of 10-15 minutes and thrive on structure. We plan for this and accommodate it by having several built in elements in our 1 ½ hour program.
Our lesson plans include: circle time, singing, crafts, Bible stories, and Bible activities all planned in 15 minute increments.
Snack Time
As part of our children’s church curriculum we include snack time. Each family is required to take turns and provide a healthy snack and drink for the entire class. A list of allergies in the class will be provided at the time of snack signup. The signup sheet will be available to you on the first day of the classes in September.
Parental Assistance is Required
King’s Kids Children’s Church is a parent assisted program. Parents who are not attending the Mom’s Bible Study are required to stay in the class with their children and assist as needed.
Younger siblings (ages 0-2.5) are welcome to stay but will not be able to participate in the Bible craft if they are not pre-registered. Please plan ahead for this.
Parents are responsible for the actions of their children, so please make sure they do not get out of hand. If there is consistent problems, in extreme circumstances we made need to ask the parent to withdraw the child(ren) from the program.
Bathroom Procedure
We do not assist with any bathroom needs or with diaper changes. This is the responsibility of the parents. In the event that a parent is attending the Bible Study they will be called out to help their child.
Fees
Suggested donation for the year is $50.00 per child ($5 per month per child). All donated money goes towards the purchase of crafting supplies and party supplies for our Christmas, Easter and Year End celebrations.
