Creation Day 3

Bible Truth: God created land and plants.
Bible Story: God created land to walk on, pretty flowers and trees.  He also gave us plants with fruits and vegetables to eat.
Bible Study: Genesis 1:1, 9-13

Day three of Creation invites little ones to observe, explore, investigate and touch their world.  This all comes quite naturally to young children.  Embrace their God-given curiosity.  See the world through their eyes, and lead them to give praise and thanks to God, the Creator of it all.

 

teach

Begin your lesson with your Bible open to Genesis 1:1. Use simple actions for the children to follow as they repeat the verse with you.  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

SAY: On day three of Creation, God told dry land to appear.  Then he told the land to grow trees, plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables.  God created all these things for us to eat and to enjoy. On day three God created land and plants.

 Choose from the visual ideas below to teach different aspects of day three.

• Hold up landscape pictures, perhaps from a book, calendar, or cards (i.e. vegetation, beach, mountains and/or rock formations).  Ask the children what they see.  Invite children to take turns pointing out one thing that they see in the picture.
  
  
• Collect rocks, pine cones, leaves, pieces of bark, etc. for the children to hold and investigate.  Talk about the colors they see and the textures they feel. You may opt to take the children out an a walk to collect their own nature findings.
  
  

• Bring in a plant, with soil and a watering can.  Talk about how God created plants to grow in soil, dirt that has food that plants need.  Demonstrate watering the plant with the water that God created on day two.  Observe the leaves, stems and/or flowers.
  
  
• Cut open a couple different pieces of fruit and remove the seeds.  Some fruit has lots of little seeds, and some fruit has one big seed.  Talk about how God put seeds inside plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables.  Share pieces of fruit with the class.  (Be sure to check for allergies.)
  
  

•  Read, How Plants Grow

            

sing

Sing the first three verses of "God Created".

craft

nature collage

Use the items the children collected on their nature walk.  Provide construction paper and glue to make nature collages.

dry ground appears

You will need:

• white paper plates
• white card stock
• this scripture print out
• razor blade
• ruler
• scissors
• blue markers, paint or crayons
• brown markers, paint or crayons
• brads
• glue

To prepare, use a razor blade and ruler to cut a 5" slit through the middle of each paper plate.  Cut the card stock into mountainous shapes approximately 4.5" x 3".  (Index card would work well for this also!)  Print the scripture print out, and cut out one for each student.  Line up the mountain shape over the paper plate to find the right placement.  Use the tip of the razor blade to poke a hole through the left corner and the paper plate.

In class, provide the children with blue markers, paint or crayons to color the paper plates.  Use blue crayons to color the scripture label blue.  Provide brown markers, paint or crayons to color the mountain shapes.  Place the mountain shape on the back of the paper plate, and fasten the brad through the hole.  Help the children glue on their scripture label to cover the brad.  Show the children how to manipulate the dry land to appear as they say the verse.

day 3 math

This activity page incorporates several beginning math concepts!  Preschoolers can trace the numbers 1, 2 and 3; count the flowers and apples to practice one-to-one correlation; and use fine motor skills to glue seeds or beans to the large three as they become familiar with the shape and orientation of the number.

You will need:

• this activity page
• glue
• seeds and/or dry beans
• crayons

David the Shepherd Boy

Bible Story: God loved David's heart.

Bible Study: David was a young shepherd boy who loved to sing and worship God.  God sent the Prophet Samuel to anoint David as king of Israel.

Bible Truth: 1 Samuel 16:1-3

teach

sing

Download the MP3 of Step by Step to sing with your little ones.  Over the years I have found this to be the best worship song to sing with preschoolers.  It's worshipful, but not too slow, with simple lyrics right out of Psalms.  The sign language that I demonstrate in the video, is also simple, and invites young children to actively participate.  I can always sense God's presence in the room when we sing this song!

craft

Here are links to a couple different interactive harp crafts for this lesson.

Happy Birthday America

Birthdays are a big deal to little ones, so celebrating the Fourth of July as America's birthday is a fun way to explain the importance this day!  Our celebrations may be a little bit more low key this year,  but hopefully you can celebrate our nation's freedom as a family, and make some great memories together.  Now, more than ever in our lifetime, we need to pray, and teach our children to pray for our country, our leaders, and our fellow believers around the world. May God bless America!

teach

craft

I rounded up some simple patriotic crafts and coloring sheets that I found on Pinterest.  Visit my board and choose some activities to do with your little ones at home.

sing

In addition to singing Happy Birthday to America, here is an album with some great patriotic songs to introduce to your kids.  Play it as the soundtrack to your day, and they will likely choose a favorite or two to hear on repeat.  If you choose to do a flag craft, you can play You're a Grand Old Flag and have a flag parade in your living room!

Father's Day

Bible Story: Thank God for my daddy.

Bible Study: God is our Father.  He loves us, protects us and gives us everything we need.  He gives us good fathers to take care of us.

Bible Truth: Exodus 20:12; Matthew 7:7-11; Proverbs 4:1-2; 23:22-24

seeds for thought

Father's Day can be a tricky to navigate with our little ones.  On one hand we want to uphold and honor good fathers, and it is absolutely right to do so.  On the other hand we also want to be very sensitive to children who are growing up with absent fathers.  For these children, Father's Day can be difficult.  My approach is to speak about this reality very gently and indirectly.  In my lesson I say, "Sometimes our dads make mistakes, or they can't be with us."  Every child can identify with this statement on some level.  Then, I point the children to our perfect Heavenly Father.  Every child needs to know that they have a Father in heaven who loves them, cares for them, and gave His only Son so that we can be His children.

teach

visuals to gather:

• picture of you with your dad
• picture of your dad doing his job
• hammer (or any tool)
• laptop (or any device)
• wrapped gifts
• heart shaped gift box
• baby Jesus figurine (or picture)
• wooden cross

A picture of you with your dad when you are young is a fun way to introduce your Father's Day lesson.  Kids don't usually think of their teachers as ever being children, so seeing a picture of "little you" is interesting to your little ones, and also helps them connect and identify with you.  In my video lesson I connect the concept of dads working to the idea that God, our perfect Heavenly Father is always working for us and for our good.  In Matthew 7:11 Jesus tells us that our earthly fathers know how to give us good gifts, but God knows how to gives us the best gifts.  The best gift that He has given us is the gift of His only Son Jesus.  Jesus was given to die for us, so that we can be God's children.  Our Heavenly Father loves us, and nothing can separate us from His love.

craft

One of my favorite things to do for Mother's and Father's Day crafts is to write down what children say about their parents.  Their own words are so sweet, memorable and personal!  I provide two wording options for this craft.  The first one is clearly for a child to give to their dad.  The second could be given to their dad, or another significant man in their life.  Choose the best one for each child, depending on their family situation.  You could also just use the second option for all the children, so that there is no difference between them.  

You will need:

• this coloring page
• construction paper
• glue sticks
• a pen
• washable paint

In class, allow the children to choose a color of construction paper to glue their page to.  Use the blank space to write down the reason each child says about why they love their dad, or think someone in their life is a good man. Provide any art medium you have, or choose, for the children to color their pictures.  I love these paints because they are so easy, mess free, and vibrant in color!  Encourage the children to sign their own name.  You can write it again for clarity if needed. 

Heaven Video Lesson

Jesus Changed Zacchaeus' Heart Video Lesson

I pray you and your little ones are well.  Enjoy this week's video!

Follow the links below to see my original blog posts for this lesson, where  you'll find songs and printouts for a couple crafts and a coloring sheet.

Jesus Changed Zacchaeus' Heart

Jesus Changed Zacchaeus' Heart: Home Ideas   

Jesus Blesses Little Children Video Lesson

Since we've all moved to online church platforms, I've been inspired to create weekly video lessons for our kids to watch at home.  Here's the first lesson.  Stay tuned for more to come! 

Click on the links below to see my original blog posts of this lesson, where you'll find songs, activities, crafts, coloring sheets and more for you to do with your children at home.  You are welcome to share this resource with others!

Jesus Blesses Little Children Lesson

Jesus Blesses Little Children Home Ideas

I pray you and your loved ones are safe and well.  I am grateful to live in a time when even though we have to stay physically apart, we have ways to stay connected, encourage one another, and proclaim the love of Jesus.  I leave you with Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"