Creation Day 2

Preschoolers love to explore, and discover the world around them.  As you explore Day Two of Creation with your class, lead them to the great love of our Creator, which reaches higher than the heavens, and beyond the depths of the sea.

Bible Truth: God created sky and water.
Bible Story: God put clouds in the sky; and gave us water to drink, clean and play.
Bible Study: Genesis 1:1,6-8

teach

You will need:

• a Bible
• small blue cloth
• clear tote
• water

Prepare for the lesson by filling a clear tote to the desired level with water.  Cover the tote with the blue cloth.  Set it out in sight of the children, to spark their curiosity in your lesson.  Begin teaching with your Bible open to introduce the memory verse.

SAY: We are learning the very first words that are written in the Bible.  They tell us how God created the whole world.  Repeat after me.  Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  

On day number one (show me one finger),  God spoke, "Let there be light!" and there was light.  There was day and night on the first day of Creation.  God looked at the light, and said, "It is good!"

On day two (show me two fingers), God spoke, "Let there be sky up above the earth.  Reach up high.  And let there be water down below.  Make wave-like motions with your hands.  

Lift the small blue cloth from the tote, holding it over the heads of the children, out of their reach.  God put the beautiful blue sky way up high above the earth.  Can you reach the sky?  No, I can't either!  Thank You God for creating the sky!  

Lightly splash the water in the tote.  God also put big oceans, and seas of water on the earth.  God gave us water to drink when we are thirsty.  He gave us water so that we can take a bath, and wash ourselves clean.  We can also go swimming and play with water!  Thank You God for creating water!

play

shaving cream rain clouds

This is a cool visual to introduce your class to a simplified version of the water cycle.  Preschoolers can begin to understand how clouds fill up with water, and rain down on the earth.  Their reactions of wonder and amazement are precisely the way we want them to view the world around them, as well as the Creator of it all!

sink or float

Fill a clear tote with water, and set it next to you in front of the class.  Gather together several small toys, and/or objects of various densities.  Some examples include, a Lego brick, a coin, a small rock, a feather, etc.  Give each child an object to hold.  Invite one child at a time to bring their object up to the tote to predict whether their object will sink of float.  Then allow them to test their prediction!

sing

• God Created - sing the first two verses
  
• Bigger Than Big

craft

You will need:

• this print out
• blue crayons
• small cotton balls
• glue

To prepare, print out this page, and pick out all the different shades of blue crayons that you have.

In class, provide blue crayons for the children to color the large number two.  When they finish coloring, help them glue cotton balls, as clouds, onto their number two.

OT Hero: Samuel

Through the story of Samuel, we learn that God seeks an obedient, reverent and ready heart to whom He can speak and trust with His word.  Samuel shows children that as they learn to listen, obey and respect their parents, and their teachers, they also learn to hear and obey God.

Bible Truth: Samuel listened to God's voice.

Bible Story:  When God called Samuel's name, Samuel learned to                        say, "Speak Lord, Your servant is listening".
Bible Study: 1 Samuel 1:1-3:19

teach

Along with pictures from a Bible Storybook,  I include these visuals and actions to draw my students into the lesson of Samuel.

Cradle and hold a baby doll as Samuel, Hannah's answer to prayer.

I gathered up a couple gold items from around my house to describe the ways that Samuel learned to help and serve in the tabernacle.  You could use a fancy looking bowl, cup, vase, candle holder, or anything else you may have.  The idea is to show the children that Samuel learned how to take great care of the things that were used to worship God.  We know for sure that Samuel opened the doors of the tabernacle every morning.  He listened to Eli's instructions, and obeyed everything that Eli told him to do.

Then, I invite the children to role play the part of Samuel, while play the part of Eli.  They lay down and pretend to sleep.  I say, "Samuel! Samuel!"  They stand up and run (in place) and then repeat after me, "Here I am.  Did you call me."  I tell them to go back and lay down, and call for Samuel twice more.  On the fourth time, I teach the kids to say, "Speak Lord, Your servant is listening."

sing

Sing "Are You Sleeping (Samuel)?" with the actions as fun way to reinforce this lesson.

play

samuel scripture pass

Choose one of the objects that you used to represent items that were used for worship in the tabernacle that you don't mind the children handling.  Gather the children into a circle.  Remind them that Samuel learned how to take great care of the things in the tabernacle.  Explain that in this game, they are going to be very respectful with the item you have chosen, just as Samuel was.  Play a children's worship song as you pass the item around the circle.  Randomly stop the music.  Invite the child who is holding the item when the music stops to stand up.  Ask, "What did Samuel say when God called his name?"  Help the child repeat Samuel's response from 1 Samuel 3:10, "Speak LORD, Your servant is listening."  Continue playing the game, ensuring that each child has a turn to repeat the verse.

craft

sleeping samuel, sitting samuel

Lay Samuel down in bed, and sit him when he hears the LORD call his name.  For this craft you will need:

• this print out
• card stock
• felt
• scissors (paper & fabric)
• glue
• crayons

To prepare, print page one onto regular paper, and page two onto card stock.  Cut out the Samuel figures. For each child, cut one piece of felt to approximately 2.5" x 5".  Cut another piece of felt to approximately 2.5" x 3.5".

In class provide crayons for the children to color Samuel and the tabernacle scene.  Help them apply glue to attach the larger piece of felt to the activity page, and then apply glue to three sides of the smaller felt to create a "pocket" for Samuel.  

Fold the Samuel figures at the waist.  Put him into the felt "pocket" to lay down in bed, and then pull him out just enough to sit up and say, "Speak Lord, Your servant is listening."

OT Hero: Joshua

Our children are growing up in a world that blatantly erects walls in opposition to God and His Word.  Pray that the children you teach will come to know their God, as Joshua did, so that they may walk in confident obedience, regardless of the evil that surrounds them. Here are some great activities to help them begin to understand that our obedience, teamed up with God's power, is the key to victory.

Bible Truth: Joshua had courage to obey God.

Bible Story:  Joshua obeyed God, and marched around Jericho.  God gave Joshua the victory!
Bible Study: Joshua 6

teach

dramatic play

I like teaching little ones the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho through dramatic play!  I have this set of cardboard blocks that I picked a couple years ago to use as our walls of Jericho. Before that, I use to save ALL my shoe boxes, specifically for this lesson, and they worked great!  I like to set the blocks up on a low table, with a table cloth under them. 

I also gather up the little people from our nativity set.  The children can each hold one as they participate in the story, making the people march, sleep and shout.  Using little figurines such as Lego people, army men, or anything else you may have, gives the children a perspective of the size of the wall around the city of Jericho.  It also gives them a greater appreciation for the incredible miracle God did when He brought the walls down.

This sun and moon visual help mark the days and nights, as we dramatize the story.

I read the story from a children's storybook Bible, or read selected verses straight from my Bible, pausing to direct the kids, as we act out each part of the story.  We march around the city walls once, without a sound, then go lay down to sleep, and repeat the process five more times, just as the Israelite's did. This activity not only burns off some energy, it also helps them to understand that Joshua won the battle because he obeyed, and did exactly what God told him to do, even though other people laughed at him, and made fun of him.  

Of course, on the seventh time that we wake up, we march around the city seven times, blow our "trumpets" and give a shout!  I pull the cloth to make the walls fall down!  This makes the point to the kids that Joshua's army didn't make walls fall down.  God is bigger and stronger than any walls, or any army, and He made walls fall flat down.  Thank You God for giving us the victory!!

sing

• Bigger Than Big - This is a great song to sing during worship time to support the lesson.
• My God is So Big - This is also a great song to sing during worship time to support the lesson.
• They Marched Around the City - This is a fun, playful song, set to a classic children's nursery rhyme, to reinforce the lesson, or to do at any time, when you need a little filler.
• Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho - This song works best as a puppet song or as a song to listen to during craft time.

play

they marched around the city

Setup the blocks, or boxes, as the walls of Jericho on a table cloth or sheet.  Sing "They Marched Around the City", as you march around the walls.  At the end, pull the cloth or sheet to knock the walls down.  The kids are sure to ask you to play it again and again!

craft

victory trumpets

Here is my version of a simple trumpet craft that makes the dramatic play suggestions even more fun!
You will need:

• scripture labels
• cardboard tubes (toilet paper or paper towel rolls)
• construction paper
• wax paper
• rubber bands
• hot glue gun
• scissors
• tape
• crayons

To prepare, print and cut the scripture labels.  Cut construction paper sheets into fourths, and cut wax paper into approximately 3.5" by 3.5" squares.

In class, give the children the scripture labels to color.  Tape the scripture to the construction paper as shown above. and then tape the construction paper around the cardboard tube.  Place the wax paper over the shown end of the tube, and secure with a rubber band.  Apply a couple dots of hot glue to keep the rubber band in place.  DO NOT ALLOW CHILDREN TO HANDLE THE HOT GLUE GUN, AND KEEP IT OUT OF THEIR REACH.

Make a "doo-do-it-dooo" noise into the open end of the trumpet for a great kazoo sound!

the walls fall down

This craft gives the children the opportunity to retell the story, and bring home the words to "They Marched Around the City" to sing at home with their parents.  You will need:

• this print out
• construction paper
• yarn
• drinking straws
• brown paint
• sponges
• scissors
• hole punch
• glue
• tape
• crayons

To prepare, print and cut the print out. Cut the solid lines around the wall.  Fold the wall along the dotted lines. Cut out the character graphics and the rhyme, on the dotted lines.  Punch two holes on opposite ends of the construction paper.  Cut drinking straws to about 3" in length, and cut yarn to approximately 24" lengths.  Thread a strand of yarn through the cut straw, and then through the holes of the paper.  Tie it securely in the back.  Cut sponges into rectangular, brick shapes.

In class, provide small rectangular sponges and brown paint for the children to stamp brown bricks onto the wall. Allow the walls to dry for a few minutes while you continue working on the craft.  Provide crayons for them to color Joshua and the Israelite's.  Tape the characters to the straw.  Glue the lyrics to the rhyme onto the construction paper.

When the walls are mostly dry, tape the bottom tabs to construction paper as shown below.  

Show children how to manipulate the people to march, and make the walls to fall, as you sing the rhyme.

OT Hero: Joseph

Children can absolutely glean lessons from Joseph's story about keeping a good attitude when they are treated unfairly, and forgiving those who don't deserve it, but the ultimate goal of every Biblical account of someone's life is to teach us something of God, and His character.  Through the twists and turns of Joseph's life, we see God's goodness, God's faithfulness, and His ability to work all things out for our good (Romans 8:28).  As you teach the story of Joseph, point your children towards God and His goodness.  Here are some ways to help you do just that!

Bible Truth: Joseph shared God's goodness.

Bible Story:  Joseph's brothers were mean to him, but God was good to him.  Joseph forgave his brothers and helped his family.

Bible Study: Genesis 37-45

teach

show-and-tell

As with most Bible stories, I will use a Children's Bible Storybook, or flannel graph for visuals, but I always try to add another tangible element to bring the story alive!  There are a lot of details in the story of Joseph, but since we are teaching this lesson to young children in one service, I focus on the big picture of Joseph's life, emphasizing that God was watching over Joseph wherever he went.  No matter where Joseph was, or how he felt, he trusted and obeyed God.  These items help me stay on track, and illustrate each of these points in the story.

• colorful scarf / cloth - Joseph had eleven brothers.  Can you count to eleven?  Joseph was his father's favorite son. His father, Jacob, gave him a very special, beautiful, colorful coat.  This made Joseph's brothers jealous, because they didn't get a special coat.  Joseph also had special dreams like that the sun, moon and eleven stars bowed down to Joseph.  The dreams seemed to mean that Joseph's father, mother and eleven brothers would bow down to him.  Dreams like this made Joseph's brothers mad at him.
•  rope - One day Joseph's brothers stole his coat and threw him into a pit, a dark hole in the ground.  They were trying decide what to do with him, when some travelers who sold expensive spices and oils passed by.  They sold Joseph to the travelers, so that they could sell Joseph as a slave.  How do you think Joseph felt when his brothers treated him this way?
• hand towel and money - The travelers sold Joseph to the captain of the army in Egypt.  Joseph took very good care of the captain's house.  God was with Joseph, and He became the one in charge of everything in the captain' house, even all of his money.  How do you think Joseph felt now?
• handcuffs - One day, the captain's wife told a lie about Joseph.  She told her husband that Joseph tried to hurt her.  The captain believed his wife's lie and threw Joseph into prison.  How do you think Joseph felt in prison?  Even in prison, God was with Joseph, and he became the one in charge of all the prisoners.  Sometimes the prisoners had strange dreams, and God helped Joseph explain the meaning of their dreams.
• Egyptian headdress (Follow the link for a template.  This could also be a craft for the kids to make!) - One day, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had a strange dream.  He called Joseph out of prison, and God helped Joseph explain the meaning of Pharaoh's dream.  Pharaoh listened to Joseph and made him ruler over the land of Egypt.  How do you think Joseph felt now?  
• bag of rice, oats or any other grain - After seven years there was a terrible famine.  There was no food in all the land, and people were very hungry.  But as the ruler of Egypt, Joseph had stored up lots of grain, so people all over the land came to Joseph to get grain to eat.  One day, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to ask for grain.  They came before Joseph and bowed down to him.  Joseph recognized them, but they didn't know that it was Joseph.  Joseph's dream came true!  His brothers were bowing down to him!  Joseph had lots of power.  He could throw them into prison, or even kill them, if he wanted to get back at them for the horrible way that they treated him.  But Joseph didn't do that.  He started to cry, and said to them, "Brothers, it's me Joseph.  You tried to hurt me, but God was taking care of me.  He brought me here, and made me the ruler so that I can help you.  I forgive you for the way that you treated me."  He hugged them, gave them all the food that they needed.  Then all of Joseph's family came to live with him Egypt.  How do you think Joseph felt now?
• binoculars - God was watching Joseph everywhere that he went.  He saw Joseph proudly wear his colorful, handsome coat.  He saw Joseph when his brothers stole his coat, threw him in a pit, and sold him as a slave.  He saw Joseph take good care of the captain's house, and he saw him get thrown into prison when he didn't deserve it.  He saw him become the ruler of Egypt, and forgive his brothers.  God was always watching Joseph.  Joseph kept a happy heart, and kept believing and trusting God.  God took care of Joseph.  He made the bad things in his life turn out to be good things.  God is always watching and taking care of you too!

sing

• Watching Over You - God was watching over Joseph everywhere that he went, and God is watching over you too!  Here is a video to see suggested actions for this song.
   
• When I'm Sad - God was with Joseph when he felt sad, hurt, scared and mad.  Joseph believed that God was with him, and knew that God was helping him.  

Here's a great visual to go with this song!  If you have ever attended one of my seminars, you've likely seen me do this song.  I suggest printing on card stock for durability.  Print page three on the back of page one.  Print page four on the back of page two.  Then cut each page lengthwise, fold and attach each pair of faces to a file folder as shown below.  Add a small bandage to the hurt red face.  Lift each flap as you sing each part of the song.  

I'm telling you, this song is anointed!  The kids loooove it, and it has a very applicable message for their lives.

play

i spy

Play the classic game of "I Spy" with your class to imagine all the beautiful colors that were on Joseph's coat!  Use your binoculars to spy an object in the room.  Say, "I spy with my little eye something that is ___________ (color of object)".  Give the children three guesses to find your object.  Let the children take turns to spy objects too.

craft

coat of many colors

You will need:

• this activity page
• chenille stems in various colors
• wire cutters
• glue
• crayons

To prepare, print the activity page, and use wire cutters to cut chenille stems the length of Joseph's coat.

In class, provide crayons for the children to color.  Help the children apply glue, and choose chenille stems to press onto Joseph's coat.

God is watching binoculars

If you use binoculars, as suggested to wrap up the story, your kids will want to look through the binoculars as well.  They will love having their own pair to take home that will help them remember both the story of Joseph, and that God is always watching over them!  You will need:

• this print out
• scissors
• cardboard (toilet paper) tubes
• colored tape
• crayons
• yarn or lacing
• hole punch
• clear tape

To prepare, print and cut the binocular cover print out.  Place two cardboard tubes side by side, and wrap colored tape around the top and the bottom to connect them, and give them a finished look.  Cut yarn, or lacing, to approximately thirty inch lengths.

In class, provide crayons for the children to color their binocular covers.  Use clear tape to secure the covers around each pair of cardboard rolls.  Punch a hole on either side of the binoculars.  Tie yarn or lacing through each hole to complete the binoculars.

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a special and different type of day in my classroom.  We keep the generally same routine, but we make Mom the star of the show, and focus on things that will be a blessing to her!

Bible Truth: Thank God for my mommy.

Bible Story:  God's Word says to obey and bring joy to my mother.

Bible Study: Proverbs 23:25; Ephesians 6:1-3

 

pray

When it comes to prayer time, we forego the normal prayer requests.  We talk about all the things our mothers do for us, and how blessed we are because God gave us a mommy to take care of us.  We thank God for her, and pray especially for her.  Praying for our mommies is one of the best ways that we can show our love for her!

craft

Today's goal is to be a blessing to our mothers, so instead of a lesson, we put our love into action, allowing for a longer craft time to make something extra special for her!  Since most children are in my class for two years, I try to never repeat the same Mother's Day craft two years in a row.  Thankfully, Pinterest helps to keep the creative juices flowing!  I've rounded up a few different craft ideas from other sites to share with you.

Butterfly Handprint Card - You will probably need to trace all the kiddos' handprints right at the beginning of service to get them all cut out and ready to assemble and decorate, but I think these are quite adorable!

Because Bouquet - For younger children, you will need to write the reason that they love their mom for them, but the reasons that little ones give are always so cute, and they make a great keepsake for Mom!

Satin Hands Sugar Scrub - This was the Mother's Day gift that I made with my class last year.  I used small plastic containers, which also come in a pack of ten at Dollar Tree.  Children mixed their ingredients in a cup.  I poured the mixture into the container, and they chose a pretty flower decal to attach to the lid.  We labelled them with these labels (which will fit on an Avery 5160 address label if you would like to print them onto an adhesive label).  It was a sweet, and useful gift that the kids really enjoyed making, since it was different than the crafts that we usually do.

Peter, John and a Lame Man

The story of Peter and John praying for the lame man to be healed, is an example of how the disciples continued to follow Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, after Jesus returned to heaven.  It shows children that the power of Jesus that is still at work, even in our lives today.

Bible Truth: Jesus teaches me the power of His name.

Bible Story:  A man who was unable to walk was healed when Peter and John spoke the name of Jesus.

Bible Study: Acts 3:1-10; Philippians 2:9-11

teach

Read this week's story to your class from a children's Bible. (This is the story Bible that I use and recommend.) Or you may choose to use flannel graph. After you've presented it, use the following craft and song to reenact the story with your kiddos and their finger puppets!

sing

• Walking and Leaping is a catchy song by the Donut Man that puts this story music!  Use the finger puppet crafts that you have created to act out the story as you listen to the song and sing along!

• J-E-S-U-S has become a favorite in my class.  The lame man was healed when Peter spoke the name of Jesus. Before you sing the song, tell the children that the name of Jesus has more power than anything else in the world. The devil gets scared, and runs away when he hears the name of Jesus. That is why when we pray, we say, "In Jesus' name."

Download this visual as an interactive way to sing this song.

craft

puppet play

Two different styles of puppets, encourage children to dramatize the story and/or the song. For this craft you will need:

• this print out
• cardstock
• scissors
• 0.50-inch circle punch
• glue
• crayons
• markers
• fabric scraps
• yarn
• envelopes (optional)

To prepare, follow the instructions on the print out.  The 0.50-inch circle punch makes it a breeze to punch the holes for the Lame Man.  As an alternative, use a regular single hole punch, and punch several holes within the circle in order to create larger holes.  You may want to provide envelopes for the children to contain their puppets as they take them home.

Play Walking and Leaping, and sing along as the children use their finger puppets to reenact the story! Hold Peter and John in one hand.  Insert two fingers from the other hand into the holes punched out on the Lame Man, and manipulate your fingers as his legs.

name of JESUS

To prepare, print out this activity sheet.  In class, provide watercolors for the children to paint and decorate the name of Jesus.

Children's Ministry Conference Recap

Last weekend my husband and I were honored to attend, and speak at an annual children's ministry conference in Prescott, AZ.  One of the highlights for me was to meet, and reconnect with many fellow teachers and faithful readers.  The testimonies and encouragement that I heard and received, about how this blog is helping you all in your ministries, was extremely humbling and uplifting.  When we step out in faith to meet a need, and fulfill a vision, God gets involved to extend our reach, and our impact for His glory!

If you would like to see my entire preschool ministry presentation from the conference, you can view it here!

Here is the handout from my seminar as well.

This year's conference theme, "Getting God's Word Into (and the World Out Of) Your Children's Church," was exciting for me, because getting God's Word into children is my passion!  It is what I devote much of time and energy to.  The words and messages given at the conference refreshed my commitment, and renewed my sense of purpose.  God's Word, and His Word alone, has the power to bring transformation, hope, and truth into the lives of our kids.  I am extremely grateful that God would use me, to partner with you, as an expression of His Word, to His children.

I also highly recommend viewing these seminars from the conference:
Creative Storytelling Techniques by Liz VonSeggan
Loving the Unlikable Child by Michael Derois

Teacher Hack for Glue

If glue bottles only seem to create messes and frustration for you during your craft time with little ones, then you are going to love this!

Since I share so many craft ideas with you here, I wanted to pass along a clever little hack.  I wish I could say that this genius idea is my own, but I've seen it a few other places around Pinterest.  All you need is a wide shallow container, with a lid, and a sponge. I picked up some colorful plastic containers, and sponges, from Dollar Tree, and cut the sponges to fill the space in each container.

Step #1: Cover the entire top surface of the sponge with glue.
Step #2: Allow the glue to soak into the sponge.

That's it!

Now all your kiddos have to do is press an object into the sponge and stick it to their paper.  NO gobs of glue, and NO plugged glue bottles! (Cue angel chorus, "Ha-llelujah!")

Over time the glue will soak down to the bottom of the sponge.  Simply turn the sponge over, and continue using it.  Keep a water bottle handy to spray the sponge if it begins to dry out.  When it is no longer sticky enough, add more glue!  Of course you will want to keep the lid on the container when it is not in use.

The kids in my class love to use the glue sponges, and it allows them to be more independent with their crafting, while minimizing the mess. I hope this helps craft time go a little more smoothly for you too!

Fishermen Follow Jesus

Last week we learned to repent, and turn from our sin.  This week we are moving forward, following Jesus! If you have been following the lessons here for a while, you've probably started to notice certain recurring themes.  Following Jesus is one of those themes.

For a preschooler, following Jesus means simple obedience.  (Actually it is as simple as that for us too, we just make it more complicated.)  Children who learn to obey their parents and their teachers, will have a much easier time learning to obey God as they grow into their own personal relationship with Him.  In these young formative years, we are tilling the soil, and laying the groundwork of faith in their little hearts.  One of the critical pieces of the foundation is obedience.

There is a clear element of soul-winning and evangelism in this story, and that it is typically the context in which this story is used.  Jesus calls the fishermen to leave their nets, follow Him, and become fishers of men. However, before Peter, Andrew, James and John could become fishers of men, they had to act in obedience.  They obeyed the first time when Jesus told them to let down their nets, after they had been fishing all night and caught nothing.  As I teach this lesson, I make a really big deal of the fact that Jesus did an amazing miracle for then when they obeyed Him!  The fishermen obeyed again when Jesus told them to leave their nets and follow Him.

These are the moments in the story that I highlight for my preschoolers.  Obedience and the blessing that follows, are truths that they can grasp and live out in their own life today, as they learn to follow Jesus! Now let's get into the lesson, shall we?!

 

Bible Truth: Jesus teaches me to follow Him.
Bible Story: Jesus calls four fishermen to follow Him.
Bible Study: Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11

teach

bring it to life

Songs and visuals are the dynamic duo of any effective lesson for young children.  Any time I can combine these two elements, I know I have a winning lesson!  I gathered up some toys and such to bring this story to life.  Improvise with whatever you have on hand to help illustrate this story.  I used:

• a small kiddie pool filled with water
• a toy boat
• disciple figurines
• a laundry bag
• a Jesus visual

Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen.  There job was to catch fish with big nets.

One night, they were out fishing all night, but they didn't catch even one fish.

Jesus came into Peter's boat and told him to let his net down into the deep water one more time.
(My Jesus visual is WAY out of proportion, haha!)

Peter and his friends obeyed Jesus, and their net was so full of fish that it almost sank the boat!
Jesus told the fishermen to leave their boat, nets and fish to come follow Him, and become fishers of men.
That means that they would help other people follow Jesus too!

disciple dozen

I discovered this visual aid, via Pinterest, using an egg carton to introduce Jesus' twelve disciples.  I don't use the song accompanying this visual, because my focus for this lesson is following Jesus, rather than teaching three and four year olds the names of all the disciples.  The egg carton visual is a unique way to package and present the disciples.  It helps the kids quantify the number twelve in their minds, and they understand who I am speaking of when we talk about the disciples in the coming weeks.

sing

Peter, James and John in a Sailboat/Fishers of Men is the duo part of this lesson! After telling the story, I like to review it with this song.  I love the way Veggie Tales combines these two songs into a medley on their "25 Favorite Sunday School Songs" album.  As we listen to the song, and sing along, I reenact the story with the visuals.

play

follow the leader

A simple game to play with this lesson is "Follow the Leader."  Say to the children, "When we follow Jesus, we learn to do what Jesus does, just like His disciples.  Let's practice follow Jesus by playing 'Follow the Leader.'"  Invite the children to follow you in a line around the room as you hop, "fly", tip-toe, etc. You could even set up a little obstacle course for them to follow!

Jesus says

"Jesus Says" is played just like "Simon Says,"  I suggest that when playing this game with young children, don't try to trick them by doing the action yourself even when you don't say, "Jesus says."  This only confuses and frustrates them.  Depending on the age and maturity of the children in your class, you may also not want to have sit down and be "out" if they do the action when "Jesus didn't say."  At this age, the appeal of games is the action and participation rather than the competition.  This is intended to be a fun and enjoyable activity for them!

craft

net full of fish

For this craftivity you will need:

• this activity sheet
• bright colored paper
• craft sticks
• burlap ribbon (Found in the floral section of craft stores.  I found mine for 50% off at Hobby Lobby.)
• scissors
• glue
• crayons

To prepare, print out this activity sheet.  Use the triangle patterns to cut out the sail from bright colored paper.  Cut out several fish shapes for each child, and cut the burlap ribbon to the preferred size.

In class, provide crayons for the children to color the activity sheet.  Help them glue a colorful sail and a craft stick as a mast to the page.  Give them fish to place onto the page, but don't worry about gluing these down. 

 Help them apply glue around the burlap ribbon, and attach it to the page with the fish inside.

coloring page

Here is a simple coloring page to which the children could easily add fish stickers, fish cut outs, or gold fish crackers.

footprint mural

Trace the children's feet, cut them out, and provides supplies for them to paint and/or decorate them. Put the decorated feet up on a wall in your classroom with the heading, "We Are Following Jesus!"