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Hello Friends!
Today's lesson is one that you've probably heard about before, parents and guardians often remind kids of this lesson, especially on tough days. Before we jump into the lesson though, we're going to sing some songs together. Music Video: To God Be The Glory from DIG IN on Vimeo. Music Video: Stand Together from DIG IN on Vimeo.
Phew! That was fun!
So we are continuing to learn about God's commands. Those are things God tells us we must do to keep safe and healthy. God's commandments are like signs on a road while we're driving, directions to keep us safe. Do you guys remember our road? Well today we're going to be adding a new sign to it. This is what it looked like at the end of the last lesson... 
Since we’re talking about showing love to our parents and guardians, let’s start by thinking.... what is it that you love most about them?
God says that we should honour and obey our them, but that can be hard to do! Sometimes we don’t see eye to eye with our parents. In our video today we are going to hear about a few different viewpoints, Let's watch! Talk-About Video 5: Viewpoints from DIG IN on Vimeo.
Can you guys think about a time when you disagreed with what a parent or guardian asked you to do?
How did this video help you understand things from your parents’ point of view? How would it help you to think about things from your parents’ point of view the next time you disagree? We obey our parents. Sometimes we don’t want to, but we trust that they’re trying to do what’s best for us and help us grow into people who love and follow God. When we think about it from that point of view, it makes it a little easier to follow God’s Commandment. Game TIME
We know our parents love us and want us to be healthy and safe. That’s why they tell us what to do. We show love to our parents by obeying them. Let’s practice doing what we’re told right now by playing a game! It's a variation on the game "Simon says..."
**Have kids spread out around the room. Give instructions beginning with either “Mom says” or “Dad says.” Some possible instructions are: Hop on one foot, Put your hands on your head, Clap your hands, Twirl in a circle, Touch your toes.... add more actions as you think of them and continue to play as long as kids would like. We had some silly instructions to follow in our game. Most of the instructions our parents give us are not silly; they help us be safe and healthy. God loves us and wants us to be safe and healthy. That’s why he gave us parents and guardians. We show love to our parents by doing the things they say. When we do, we’re obeying God, too! Bible Lesson
So we’ve been learning the Ten Commandments and the one we’re talking about today is found in Exodus 20:12. Let's read it together..
“You must honor and respect your father and your mother. Do this so that you will have a full life in the land that the Lord your God gives you."
What does it mean to honor someone?
What do you think of the promise that goes after the part about honouring and resepcting our parents? The Bible has a lot to say about what it looks like to honor our parents or guardians. It means we show love to them. We’re going to look at four ways to show love to our parents and give advice to some kids who aren’t sure how to do it. Let's read the letters below and the verses that go with them and think of what advice we might offer each of the authors;
Dear Blabby,
My husband just died, and I decided to stick with my mother-in-law. I figured we’d be best buds! She’s kind of become a mom to me. I’ve been collecting food for us to eat, but today she gave me some really weird directions. She told me to get all dressed up, sneak up to this guy Bo while he’s sleeping, and lie at his feet. Should I really follow these instructions? Signed, Fretting Over Feet
Read Proverbs 1:8-9 and give advice...
"Listen to your father when he corrects you, and don’t ignore what your mother teaches you. What you learn from your parents will bring you honor and respect, like a crown or a gold medal."
Dear Blabby,
My dad is…well, he wants to hurt my best friend. He’s really jealous of my friend! I want to protect my best friend, but I’m also trying hard to respect my dad. How can I talk about what he’s doing without saying bad things about him? Signed, Not-So-Jealous Jonathan
Read Proverbs 20:20 and give advice...
"Those who would curse their father or mother are like a lamp that goes out on the darkest night."
Dear Blabby,
Our dad looooves our brother Joey. He clearly favors Joey and even buys him all the best clothes. Meanwhile, we’re pretty mad about it. We came up with a plan to get rid of Joey and trick my dad into thinking he died. But we know he’ll be sad if we do it. What should we do? Signed, Band of Brothers
Read Proverbs 23:22-25 and give advice...
"Listen to your father. Without him, you would never have been born. Respect your mother, even when she is old. Truth, wisdom, learning, and understanding are worth paying money for. They are worth far too much to ever sell. The father of a good person is very happy. A wise child brings him joy. Make both of your parents happy. Give your mother that same joy."
Dear Blabby,
I’d always wanted to take over my dad’s job when I grew up. Well, now I’m grown up, but he’s going to give the job to my brother instead of me. So I decided to throw a parade for myself and basically just take the job. Sometimes you just need to fight for what you want, right? Is it okay to take the job when my dad said I couldn’t have it? Signed, His Royal Highness
Read Ephesians 6:1 and give advice...
"Children, obey your parents the way the Lord wants, because this is the right thing to do."
What did you learn about ways to show love to your parents?
Were there any situations you related to? How could you show love to your parents in your situation? God’s commandments say that we show love to our parents. We can listen to their advice, say only kind things to and about them, bring them joy, and obey them. We saw what that would look like in four different situations. And you know what? Every one of those situations came from the Bible! Fretting Over Feet was Ruth, and she did listen to her mother-in-law’s advice. As a result, she got married to the man and ultimately, many generations later, Jesus was one of her descendants! Not-So-Jealous Jonathan stayed loyal to his friend David, but as far as we know from the Bible, he never said anything insulting about his father. He saved David’s life and honored his father. That’s amazing! ! We show love to our parents by saying only kind things about them. We show love to our parents by listening to their advice. The Band of Brothers went through with their plan to sell Joseph into slavery. As expected, their dad was very upset. Although God used this situation for good, it was not a good way to honor their dad…or their brother! We show love to our parents by bringing them joy! His Royal Highness was a guy named Adonijah, King David’s son. He made himself king and had a parade and a feast in his own honor. But while he was celebrating, David declared his other son, Solomon, the king. Adonijah feared for his life, but Solomon promised not to hurt him as long as Adonijah stayed loyal. Adonijah hadn’t obeyed his dad at first, but after Solomon’s promise, Adonijah didn’t make any more trouble for King Solomon. We show love to our parents by obeying them, even if it’s not what we want. Craft / COLOURING
God gives us lots of ways to show love to our parents, but sometimes we forget. Today we can make something we can give our parents to remind us of ways we show love to them. Click on this picture to print off the craft for today.
Prayer Time
God gave us parents and guardians to take care of us and help us. They love us very much, and we love them, too.
We can show love to them in lots of different ways. We listen, we’re kind with our words, we bring joy to our parents and we do what they say using obedient feet. Let’s ask God to help us show love to our parents in these ways. Dear God, Please help us to show our parents and guardians that we love them by being obedient to what they ask us to do, and being kind with our words. Thank you for all that they do to protect and care for us. Amen
How is your summer going? What have you been getting up to?
Whether you are home with your family or have been able to do some travelling we're so glad that right now you are here with us! Let's begin our time together with some songs, push play and let's get started! Music Video: Fairest Lord Jesus from DIG IN on Vimeo.
This is week 4 of learning about the commandments God gave to Moses, and to us. They are things God tells us we must do to keep us safe and healthy. This week we are learning about the Sabbath.
Today we are going to add another sign to this road of ours... 
Click on the image to print off this sign for your road
This street sign has a picture of a resting person. Today we'll be learning that it keeps us healthy to have a special day to rest with God, and this sign reminds us to have a special time with God.
Our weeks can get busy, especially at this time of year with vacations or days spent outside playing. That’s why it’s important that we have a special day for God.
How does your family keep track of everything that’s going on? Does your family keep a calendar, or a whiteboard of everyone's activities in the kitchen? Let’s take a look at a busy family and see what their week looks like.
Which day of the week seemed like the best day to you in this video?
What’s the busiest day of the week for your family? What’s your favorite thing to with your family? This family knew that we have a special day for God. Every Sunday, they paused their busy schedule and spent time together and with God. It seemed like they had a lot more fun being together on Sunday! That’s how great it can be when we have a special day for God. Game/Activity
Be Busy
Sometimes our lives get really, really busy. For example, maybe you have soccer practice and you have to run laps. While you’re running laps, don’t forget about your math homework! Do these math problems in your head and shout out the answers.
Okay, you’ve finished your laps, but you need to practice spelling. And while you’re at it, do jumping jacks! Now spell these words aloud.
Keep those jumping jacks going! You’ve finished with spelling, but you need to keep doing jumping jacks while pretending to make your bed. (Pause and let them do that for a while.)
Hurry up! You’re going to miss the bus! Take off your shoes, put them back on, and run to the door. (Pause. Just as kids are arriving at the door but before they get a chance to breathe, say:)When you get home from school, don’t forget that you need to practice your trumpet! Make trumpet noises while running in place. (As kids are running in place, say:) Oh no! You forgot to do your chores! You need to vacuum right now! Pretend to push a vacuum while hopping on one foot. (Allow about a minute for kids to vacuum on one foot, and then say:) Well, there’s just one thing left to do: Look around and make sure we didn’t forget anything. But do it quickly by spinning in a circle five times. Then you can sit down. BIBLE LESSON
How did it feel to be so busy doing so much?
How does it feel to sit and rest after all that activity? Our lives can be crazy, like the experience you just went through. But you know what? God gave us an awesome gift. One of his big commandments is this.
“You must remember to keep the Sabbath a special day. You may work six days a week to do your job. But the seventh day is a day of rest in honor of the Lord your God. So on that day no one should work—not you, your sons and daughters, or your men and women slaves. Even your animals and the foreigners living in your cities must not work! That is because the Lord worked six days and made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. And on the seventh day, he rested. In this way the Lord blessed the Sabbath—the day of rest. He made that a very special day."
This commandment means we have a special day for God. Resting doesn’t mean we have to sit around bored and do nothing. Instead, we can look at this day as a special gift from God. Just like getting a chance to sit down was nice after all our busy activity, our special day for God is a nice break from the busyness of the rest of our week.
You can think about it like a holiday. The word holiday started out as the words holy day! What’s your favorite holiday? Why? How do you celebrate that holiday? When we have a special day for God every week, it’s like having a holiday every week! God calls this holiday the Sabbath, and it’s a chance to celebrate what God has done through you that week. And it’s a chance to remember that God is the one who takes care of you—it’s not on you to meet all your needs. In fact, this gift was so important to God that he showed us how to do it! He created the world in six days, and then…
"So the earth, the sky, and everything in them were finished. 2 God finished the work he was doing, so on the seventh day he rested from his work. 3 God blessed the seventh day and made it a holy day. He made it special because on that day he rested from all the work he did while creating the world."
Wow! This Sabbath day is really important to God. And it’s such a great gift for us.
But if having a special day for God doesn’t mean sitting around bored, what does it mean? Let me read part of the commandment again. "But the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God” We have a special day for God that’s dedicated to him. That could include anything that helps us learn more about God and stay connected to him. The other thing to notice about this commandment is that the commandment doesn't specifically say that the Sabbath has to be Sunday. In fact, the Israelites who originally got this commandment observed the Sabbath on Saturday. Today most people think of God’s day as Sunday because that’s the day Jesus came back to life, but others continue to observe Sabbath on Saturday. So you can pick any day of the week that works best for you to be your Sabbath day. But most of the time, church meets on Sunday. How important is it to go to church? Hebrews 10:25 says "We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. No, we need to keep on encouraging each other." Why is going to church important? God says not to neglect meeting together with other Christians, because we need to encourage each other. So it’s important to go to church. But sometimes we have to make a choice: soccer or hockey game or church? 1 John 5:21 can help us think through that choice "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." How would you know if a sport or other activity has taken God’s place in your heart? Let’s think about this for a minute. Think of something you spend a lot of time doing that might interfere with going to church or spending time with God. We’ll take one quiet minute to ask God to show you whether that activity has taken God’s place in your heart. God isn't saying that you cannot do those activities, nor is He saying that you can't do those activities the odd time on a Sunday when perhaps we should be in church. He IS saying to be careful not to let those activities become idols in our lives, to become more important than spending time with Him! Here’s the bottom line: The Sabbath is important. Church is important. And God should be first in our hearts. My Sabbath might not look like your Sabbath, but we all need time to rest and refocus on God. If you're looking for some ideas about how to connect with God here are a few you could try out :) Perhaps you could draw a picture that helps you think about who God is. You could keep a journal about what you've learnt about God, or how you've seen him help you through something. You can sing along with worship music, maybe you can dance along with worship music, or you can simple go out touch and feel nature items and spend time thanking God for his creation. CRAFT / Colouring
Since we've been learning that we have a special day for God and that this day is to be used to take a break from other things we do, we're going to make something that can help us be comfortable while we rest and enjoy time with him.
Where is your favorite place to rest? Directions:
God knows we sometimes need to rest and take a break. He gave us a special day to spend time with him and rest. When we use our pillows, we can remember that we have a special day for God. Click on the image below to print off the colouring sheets for this week.
PRAYER
Dear God,
Please help us to remember to take some time out of our week to spend some time with you, whatever that looks like for us. Also help us to remember that it is SO important that even you took time to rest, and that it is also important for us to spend time not just with you, but with other christians so that we can encourage one another. Amen.
Welcome everyone!!
This is our third week learning a little bit more about the 10 Commandments from the bible. This week we are going to be learning some things about God's name, but before we begin, here are a couple of new songs for you to enjoy! SUNDAY SCHOOL WORSHIPMusic Video: Thankful from DIG IN on Vimeo. 
Today we’ll learn about some of the names people call God in the Bible. Let’s begin by sharing nicknames people call us. Can you guys think of some? What are they?
Thanks for sharing your nicknames! A lot of people have nicknames. A nickname might tell something about who we are or be a different way to say our real name. Did you know that God not only has nicknames in English but that there are different ways to say his names in other languages? All the names people call God tell about him, and they respect God’s name. That means they tell how wonderful God is.
What was your favorite name of God in another language?
The video said we use God’s name to praise him, and we don’t use it disrespectfully. What’s a good way to use God’s name? It was neat to learn how people who speak other languages say God’s name! No matter what language you’re using, you can use God’s name to praise him and say nice things, because we respect God’s name when we talk about him. Bible Lesson
Over the last couple of weeks we’ve learned about God’s commands. God’s commands are things God tells us to do that help us have the best life. This week we’ll find out that God commands us to use his name right. The command says we respect God’s name when we talk. Let’s learn more about that...
Did you know that there is a book that parents can get that has a list of ALLLLLL the names for babies in it, so new parents can choose very special names for their babies. Your name is special, and your parents gave you your name for a reason. We say our names proudly because they’re special. God’s name is special, too, so we respect God’s name when we talk. God is so amazing, so when we say his name, we want people to know that his name is special and it means power, strength, love, and lots of good things. All our names mean something, too. What if someone used your name in a mean way? How would you feel when someone says your name in an unkind way? What if someone used your name in a silly way? What did you think if you heard your name used wrong? Names are special, and they mean something. God’s name is special, too. And when we use God’s name, we tell people who he is. That’s why we respect God’s name when we talk. We want to use God’s name in a way that makes sense and shows that God is awesome! The Bible says God has more than one name, and we can respect all God’s names when we talk. Let's look at some of those names now: I Am who I Am (Exodus 3:13-14) God told his friend that his name is “I Am who I Am.” That’s an interesting name. It tells us God is powerful and in control. Lord of Lords (Deuteronomy 10:17) That means God is ruler over all people and things. Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6-7) Wow! God is a wonderful listener, he’s mighty and brings us peace, and he’s a loving father over all people on earth! God is so great—he’s all these wonderful things! There’s one more name.. Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8) Alpha and Omega means “beginning and the end.” God made the whole world, so he started it all and he’s the one who keeps the whole world moving and alive! God’s name is so great. That’s why we respect God’s name when we talk. Everything about God is wonderful. When we say any of God’s names, we remember how great he is, and we want others to know, too. Before we move on, there's one more thing we should talk about... So we're talking about how we respect God's name when we talk about him, butone thing you might have have heard about what this commandment means is that we don’t say “Oh my God.” But let's listen to this...
"Then I will praise you with music on the harp,
because you are faithful to your promises, O my God. I will sing praises to you with a lyre, O Holy One of Israel."
So if the Bible says it, how can it be bad? What’s the big deal about OMG?
First, let’s look again at that verse. As I read it, think about what the verse is trying to say. What is this verse trying to say? This verse is written as a praise to God. It’s a little like saying, “Oh my friend, you are so cool!” That’s why it’s okay to say “O my God.” The heart behind what we’re saying matters. If we’re praising God, that’s a great, respectful use of his name! More often, though, when we hear this phrase, it’s as an exclamation or a curse that has nothing to do with God. What are some types of situations where you’d typically hear that phrase? Perhaps when something shocking, bad, disgusting, or exciting happens? In those cases, people aren’t using God’s name as a praise; what they’re saying has nothing to do with God. And in many cases, it’s a reaction to something bad! If people used our names when they weren’t even thinking about us, we wouldn’t like that. It might even be hurtful and disrespectful. And God’s name is even more important than our names, so it should be treated with more respect than ours. Our names help identify us. But if we know your name is Aidan, we still don’t really know anything about you. God’s name shows us he is Creator, holy, forever, and so much more! And God’s name is all over the place; we see it when we see glimpses of who he is. Did you know that in the time the Bible was written, the Jewish people didn’t even write out God’s whole name? They left out the vowels. So if you look at the Old Testament in its original language, Hebrew, you would see God’s name, Yahweh, without the vowels. That was a sign of respect and how they treated God’s name differently from other names. God’s commandment didn’t say we can’t write his name. But it does tell us to be careful how we use God’s name! We respect God’s name when we talk, and that means we use it to praise him or say good things about him, not to curse. Craft / Colouring
We respect God's name when we talk because his name is very special. Our names are special, too. Sometimes even hearing our names can be exciting.
When someone calls our names in a kind way, that makes us happy. God loves us and is excited when we call his name, too. Saying God’s name as we pray to him and telling others about his love are great ways to say God’s name. God loves us and knows our names so we're going to make something today that shows off our beautiful names and reminds us of God’s love. **Click on the picture above to print off the page, then gather the following supplies to decorate your name hanging. (“God Loves” handout, card stock or construction paper, glue stick, markers, fun stickers, hole punch, curling ribbon) Each of us has a special name that tells people who we are. When we hang up our nameplates, we can remember that God loves us and knows our names. God’s name is special, too. Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
There are so many names that you have that help us to learn more about you and many of your characteristics. We pray that as we go about our days that we would remember to always respect your name, giving you the respect and honour that you deserve. Amen.
You're back!! We're SO glad that you're here!
Today we'll be learning about another of God’s commands—those are things God tells us we must do to keep us safe and healthy. Do you remember our road? Driving on a road makes us think of safety, and we’ll be learning about God’s rules that keep us safe and healthy. Each week we're going to add a street sign to our road. Before we do that though, let's sing some songs!! These are both new so jump up and join in the words and actions! SUNDAY SCHOOL WORSHIP
Okay so this week we are continuing our series on the 10 Commandments.. Are you ready for a new sign for our road?
This week our lesson is based on the commandment that we should only worship God, no other idols. Today we're going to be adding this sign to our road. (click on the image to print off) If you'd like, you can draw a picture of a road and then click the above link to print off this weeks sign to add to it. You should then keep this road as we will be adding more signs to it over the next few weeks. 
This street sign says “1” because there’s only one real God. We’ll read in the Bible about some people who made fake gods with their own hands, and we'll hear about how Josiah made sure to get rid of anything that would help people worship fake gods and taught people that there’s only one real God.
What do you know about other religions? How do you think they got started? In our video today, we’ll see what happens when our friend Carl gets a little confused about following only the real God. Talk-About Video 2: Carl's Bible from DIG IN on Vimeo.
Why did Carl start writing a new Bible?
What was the problem with what Carl did? There are people who have come up with other ideas for religions with different gods, and they’ve been able to spread those ideas better than Carl did. It’s a good thing Jacob stepped in to set Carl straight! But other religions aren’t true, because God is the only real God.
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Supplies: jumbo craft sticks (2 per child), glue, wooden clothespins (1 per child), bread (optional), toaster (optional), toast toppings such as butter, cinnamon, sugar, and jam (optional), plates (optional), plastic knives (optional).
Directions:
Decorate two jumbo craft sticks. Be sure to include the prayer, “Give us today the food we need.” Using Glue, secure the craft sticks on either side of the clothespin. The end of the clothespin that you pinch should line up with the end of the craft stick. |
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In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus prayed, “Give us today the food we need.” In other translations or versions of the Bible, this part of the prayer says “our daily bread.” Let’s make toaster tongs to remind us that we can ask God for help with whatever we need.
What’s your favorite breakfast food?
What do you like to put on your toast?
Eating bread or toast can remind us of Jesus’ prayer: “Give us today the food we need.” Asking for help is part of prayer, and we can ask God for anything we need.
What’s your favorite breakfast food?
What do you like to put on your toast?
Eating bread or toast can remind us of Jesus’ prayer: “Give us today the food we need.” Asking for help is part of prayer, and we can ask God for anything we need.
Hello Friends!!
This week is our second week talking about the Lord's Prayer. Last week we spoke about praise. Praise is important in our relationship with God as it is a way of telling God how grateful we are to him, and how awesome we think he is!
Let's do some praising right now! Join us in a couple of songs....
This week is our second week talking about the Lord's Prayer. Last week we spoke about praise. Praise is important in our relationship with God as it is a way of telling God how grateful we are to him, and how awesome we think he is!
Let's do some praising right now! Join us in a couple of songs....
SUNDAY SCHOOL WORSHIP SONGS
Music Video: Good in Every Way from DIG IN on Vimeo.
Music Video: Whole Lotta Change from DIG IN on Vimeo.
So today we’re going to be learning that wanting God’s will is part of prayer. That means we ask God what he wants for us when we talk to him.
It’s great to talk to God. He’s our friend, and he’s a great listener. Since we’re learning about talking to God today, I wonder, can you guys think about some other people in our lives that we like to spend time with, talking with?
There are lots of people we can talk with. We might talk with them because we need help, or to learn something new, or maybe just for fun. We can talk with God like that, too. Today we’ll find out we can ask God what he wants. Wanting God’s will is part of prayer. We’ll read in the Bible about a time Jesus talked to God about what God wanted for him.
Sometimes though we might find it’s easier to think about what we want than what God wants.
For example, what would you ask for if your birthday was coming up?
I'm sure that whatever you thought of were all fun birthday gift ideas! Let’s see what happened when a boy asked God for his birthday wish.
It’s great to talk to God. He’s our friend, and he’s a great listener. Since we’re learning about talking to God today, I wonder, can you guys think about some other people in our lives that we like to spend time with, talking with?
There are lots of people we can talk with. We might talk with them because we need help, or to learn something new, or maybe just for fun. We can talk with God like that, too. Today we’ll find out we can ask God what he wants. Wanting God’s will is part of prayer. We’ll read in the Bible about a time Jesus talked to God about what God wanted for him.
Sometimes though we might find it’s easier to think about what we want than what God wants.
For example, what would you ask for if your birthday was coming up?
I'm sure that whatever you thought of were all fun birthday gift ideas! Let’s see what happened when a boy asked God for his birthday wish.
Talk-About Video 11:God's Will from DIG IN on Vimeo.
Can you think about a time you got a present you didn’t really like?
How could not getting what we want be a good thing?
What good came out of the boy in the video getting the wrong gifts?
The boy in our video wanted a video game system, not a baseball bat. But what he didn’t realize is that he could make a new friend with his baseball stuff! What he got was more amazing than what he wanted because God’s will is better than what we want.
How could not getting what we want be a good thing?
What good came out of the boy in the video getting the wrong gifts?
The boy in our video wanted a video game system, not a baseball bat. But what he didn’t realize is that he could make a new friend with his baseball stuff! What he got was more amazing than what he wanted because God’s will is better than what we want.
GAME TIME
If you have time and some space perhaps you would like to play a game called "Mother, May I? - really you don't have to use the word Mother tho...
All the kids will line up on one side of the room and you will have to choose a person to stand on the other side of the room near the wall. The goal is to reach the pther side of the room. Take turns to ask “Mother, May I…?” or "(insert name), May I...?" and include a movement request, such as take three steps forward or one hop forward. You can do what was requested if the reply is “Yes, you may.” but you must stay in place if the response is “No, you may not.”
Here are some ideas for requests; walk backward, hop on one foot, crab-walk, twirl in circles, take giant steps, take tiny steps, fly like a bird, swim like a fish
All the kids will line up on one side of the room and you will have to choose a person to stand on the other side of the room near the wall. The goal is to reach the pther side of the room. Take turns to ask “Mother, May I…?” or "(insert name), May I...?" and include a movement request, such as take three steps forward or one hop forward. You can do what was requested if the reply is “Yes, you may.” but you must stay in place if the response is “No, you may not.”
Here are some ideas for requests; walk backward, hop on one foot, crab-walk, twirl in circles, take giant steps, take tiny steps, fly like a bird, swim like a fish
BIBLE LESSON
So, as we've already talked about, today we're talking about wanting God’s will and how it is a part of prayer. Prayer is when we talk with and listen to God, and today we’ll learn that when we talk with God, we’ll start to want what God wants.
Our bible story time today looks at how Jesus talked with and listened to God.
One time Jesus was teaching a big crowd, and he taught them how to pray;
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is is heaven.
Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"
We learned about this prayer last week, and we’re going to be learning a little bit more about it for the next couple of weeks.
Can you think of times that you pray?
Jesus prayed all the time because God was his best friend, and he loved to talk with God. Jesus wanted to know what God wanted for him. God can be our friend too, and we can talk to him anytime. God wants the very best for us.
Let’s look at some other times Jesus talked with God.
One time Jesus was very, very sad, and he talked with God then, too. Can you think about why might it help to talk with God when you’re sad?
The Bible says Jesus was getting ready to do something really difficult and so he went to a garden called Gethsemane. Jesus took his friends there too but then he went to talk with God alone. Remember, we can talk with God anytime, and we can talk to God anywhere!
Wanting God’s will is part of prayer and Jesus knew that, so in the garden he said to God, “Do I really have to do this hard thing, God? If you want me to, I will, because I want to do what you want, God!” Jesus wanted to obey God.
Being obedient is sometimes difficult, sometimes being obedient means doing something that you really don't want to do.
Jesus really didn’t want to do this thing God had asked him to do because he knew it was going to be really hard! But Jesus also wanted to do what God asked, so he told God he’d do it if God wanted him to.
I think that Jesus was feeling really conflicted about the difficult thing that God was asking him to do. Jesus went back to talk to God three more times, each time telling God that he would do what God asked even though it was going to be hard.
Jesus asked God what his will was, and God answered that he wanted Jesus to do the hard thing. The very difficult thing that God was asking Jesus to do was to die on the cross and came back to life. It was very stressful and sad, BUT it was worth it, because it means we can be friends with God!
Jesus’ example of how wanting God’s will is a part of prayer. It means letting go of what we want, or want to do, and doing what God tells us is best. God’s in control no matter what, but a change happens in our hearts when we choose to want God’s will over our own.
It’s not always easy to let go of what we want to do and try to do the thing that God wants, but we can also ask God to help us learn to want to do his will as part of the prayer.
When we pray, we also listen to God. We might listen for him to answer a question we asked, or we might listen for him to say he loves us. When we listen, we’re open to God’s will, or what he wants for us. We might not hear something with our ears, but we might hear something inside our hearts. Let’s listen for God to talk to us.
Our bible story time today looks at how Jesus talked with and listened to God.
One time Jesus was teaching a big crowd, and he taught them how to pray;
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is is heaven.
Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"
We learned about this prayer last week, and we’re going to be learning a little bit more about it for the next couple of weeks.
Can you think of times that you pray?
Jesus prayed all the time because God was his best friend, and he loved to talk with God. Jesus wanted to know what God wanted for him. God can be our friend too, and we can talk to him anytime. God wants the very best for us.
Let’s look at some other times Jesus talked with God.
One time Jesus was very, very sad, and he talked with God then, too. Can you think about why might it help to talk with God when you’re sad?
The Bible says Jesus was getting ready to do something really difficult and so he went to a garden called Gethsemane. Jesus took his friends there too but then he went to talk with God alone. Remember, we can talk with God anytime, and we can talk to God anywhere!
Wanting God’s will is part of prayer and Jesus knew that, so in the garden he said to God, “Do I really have to do this hard thing, God? If you want me to, I will, because I want to do what you want, God!” Jesus wanted to obey God.
Being obedient is sometimes difficult, sometimes being obedient means doing something that you really don't want to do.
Jesus really didn’t want to do this thing God had asked him to do because he knew it was going to be really hard! But Jesus also wanted to do what God asked, so he told God he’d do it if God wanted him to.
I think that Jesus was feeling really conflicted about the difficult thing that God was asking him to do. Jesus went back to talk to God three more times, each time telling God that he would do what God asked even though it was going to be hard.
Jesus asked God what his will was, and God answered that he wanted Jesus to do the hard thing. The very difficult thing that God was asking Jesus to do was to die on the cross and came back to life. It was very stressful and sad, BUT it was worth it, because it means we can be friends with God!
Jesus’ example of how wanting God’s will is a part of prayer. It means letting go of what we want, or want to do, and doing what God tells us is best. God’s in control no matter what, but a change happens in our hearts when we choose to want God’s will over our own.
It’s not always easy to let go of what we want to do and try to do the thing that God wants, but we can also ask God to help us learn to want to do his will as part of the prayer.
When we pray, we also listen to God. We might listen for him to answer a question we asked, or we might listen for him to say he loves us. When we listen, we’re open to God’s will, or what he wants for us. We might not hear something with our ears, but we might hear something inside our hearts. Let’s listen for God to talk to us.
Prayer Time
Dear God,
We thank you that Jesus showed us how to pray, and taught us that asking you what your will is in our lives is a part of that. Help us to come to you in prayer, anytime, anywhere, and help us to also listen for you during our prayers. Be with us as we go about our weeks.
In your name we pray,
Amen.
We thank you that Jesus showed us how to pray, and taught us that asking you what your will is in our lives is a part of that. Help us to come to you in prayer, anytime, anywhere, and help us to also listen for you during our prayers. Be with us as we go about our weeks.
In your name we pray,
Amen.
CRAFT / ACTIVITY
When Jesus prayed in the garden, he talked to God again and again because his heart was sad and worried. But Jesus wanted to do what God asked because God said was best and we can trust God and want his best for us, too.
Let’s make some gardens of our own that we can take home, they can remind us when we pray to ask God what his will is, or what he would want from us.
Let’s make some gardens of our own that we can take home, they can remind us when we pray to ask God what his will is, or what he would want from us.
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Supplies:
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Directions:
- Using scissors, cut the empty toilet rolls (or papertowel roll, or a portion of pool noodle) in half so that each piece will make an arched half-circle piece that can stand up on its own.
- Use scissors to make 3 slits across the top of each arched piece so kids can stick their craft sticks into the slits.
- Give each child three craft sticks to color with markers. The sticks will be the stems of the flowers.
- Give each child a pool noodle piece, and explain that it will be the grass in the garden. Show how to stick craft sticks into the slits. Invite kids to put animal stickers on the “grass.”
- Give each child three cupcake liners to color as flower blooms. Help kids to glue the flower blooms to the top of their stems.
Kids!! I'm thrilled to let you know that we'll be back at church soon! and although we're not going to have Sunday School for a little while we are going to do some things just for kids in the service, and we're looking forward to see your smiling faces around the church again.
Well, last week we finished our Fruit of the Spirit series and now we are moving onto something new! But first, we have some new songs to learn too!!
Well, last week we finished our Fruit of the Spirit series and now we are moving onto something new! But first, we have some new songs to learn too!!
Music Video: All That Is Good from DIG IN on Vimeo.
Music Video: Million Reasons from DIG IN on Vimeo.
Okay so singing worship songs is actually a great lead in to our lesson this week. This week we are learning about Praise! Today we’ll learn that praise is part of prayer.. Prayer is talking with God, and praise is talking with God about how awesome he is.
Another way to praise is clap and cheer, can you think about some places or situtations where you might clap and cheer? What were some of the answers that you came up with?
Perhaps you might have cheered at a friends little league ball game, perhaps you've been to professional hockey game and clapped and cheered when Connor McDavid scored another epic goal! Perhaps you family has come and celebrated with you at your school Christmas concert or dance recital.
There are lots of times that people deserve a good cheer from us. For today though, we’ll be finding out that God deserves the biggest cheers because he’s a pretty awesome God!
That’s why praise is part of prayer; God loves to hear our praises and cheers for him when we talk with him.
What do you think praise being part of prayer really means?
What is praise? How would you describe it?
Let's watch this video and see what praise is and what it isn’t....
Another way to praise is clap and cheer, can you think about some places or situtations where you might clap and cheer? What were some of the answers that you came up with?
Perhaps you might have cheered at a friends little league ball game, perhaps you've been to professional hockey game and clapped and cheered when Connor McDavid scored another epic goal! Perhaps you family has come and celebrated with you at your school Christmas concert or dance recital.
There are lots of times that people deserve a good cheer from us. For today though, we’ll be finding out that God deserves the biggest cheers because he’s a pretty awesome God!
That’s why praise is part of prayer; God loves to hear our praises and cheers for him when we talk with him.
What do you think praise being part of prayer really means?
What is praise? How would you describe it?
Let's watch this video and see what praise is and what it isn’t....
Talk-About Video 10: Pure Praise from DIG IN on Vimeo.
Do you think the kids in this video were truly praising God?
What can distract you from praising God?
If praise is about your heart and your focus, what activities besides music could be praise?
Praise is part of prayer. It’s a reminder that God is in control and a celebration of how amazing he is! So praise means we’re focused on God, not going through the motions of praise while our minds think about other things.
What can distract you from praising God?
If praise is about your heart and your focus, what activities besides music could be praise?
Praise is part of prayer. It’s a reminder that God is in control and a celebration of how amazing he is! So praise means we’re focused on God, not going through the motions of praise while our minds think about other things.
Low ENERGY GAME
The Bible tells us there are big, beautiful gates in heaven. When we get there, we’ll be so thankful to be with our friend God and we’ll all be praising him. Let's read and then memorize Psalm 100:4
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name."
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name."
Let’s play this game and pretend we’re going through the gates of heaven praising God!
Adults;
- Have the kids form a circle, holding their neighbors’ hands up high to create “gates.”
- You start the game by walking in and out of the circle through the gates kids are making as you repeat Psalm 100:4.
- Each time you say “Enter,” take the hand of the nearest child to join you, creating a chain. The kids who were on either side of the child who joined you will step together and hold hands to create a new gate.
- Continue saying the verse and leading kids in and out of the circle, adding new kids to the chain each time you say “enter.” The chain will get longer and the circle smaller.
- When there are only two kids left, encourage them to form a “bridge” for the whole chain to pass through.
- Help kids create a circle as before, and begin again.
- Continue playing as time allows.
We’ll be so happy when we get to be in heaven with God. What do you think you want to talk with God about face-to-face in heaven?
When we get to heaven, we’ll get to see our friend God and thank him for all he has done for us. But we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven. Even though we can’t see his face, we can talk with God now and he’s always listening. When we talk with God, we can praise him because praise is a part of prayer.
When we get to heaven, we’ll get to see our friend God and thank him for all he has done for us. But we don’t have to wait until we get to heaven. Even though we can’t see his face, we can talk with God now and he’s always listening. When we talk with God, we can praise him because praise is a part of prayer.
BIBLE LESSON
In the Bible, Jesus taught his friends how they could talk with God. He taught his friends this prayer....
"Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who have sinned against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil."
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who have sinned against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil."
Have you guys ever heard this prayer said before?
The very first part of Jesus’ prayer shows us to praise God. Let’s think a bit more about what praise is.
If someone does a really good job at something you might give them a hug to say well done, or you might say “You did a great job at that!”
Have a think about how you might praise these people;
Dad when he made a delicious dinner. (Say "Yum!" or ask for more?)
A friend who made something cool with Legos. (Say "That looks so cool, or ask the friend to show them how they built it)
Sister after she scores a goal in a soccer game (You might say "Hooray!" or high five her!)
We praise people in all kinds of ways, but God deserves praise more than anyone else! God made the whole world, and God is the best at loving and caring for us.
One man named David wrote a song to praise God. It’s in the Bible. David’s song shows us all kinds of ways to praise God. Let’s practice these ways now..
Psalm 100:1 "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth."
David said everyone in the world can shout happily that God is awesome! Can we shout joyfully, telling God he’s awesome?
David said there are other ways to praise God, too.
Psalm 100:2 "Serve the Lord with joy. Come before him with singing."
David said we can praise God by singing. Do you have a favorite worship song that you like to sing? How about this one?
The very first part of Jesus’ prayer shows us to praise God. Let’s think a bit more about what praise is.
If someone does a really good job at something you might give them a hug to say well done, or you might say “You did a great job at that!”
Have a think about how you might praise these people;
Dad when he made a delicious dinner. (Say "Yum!" or ask for more?)
A friend who made something cool with Legos. (Say "That looks so cool, or ask the friend to show them how they built it)
Sister after she scores a goal in a soccer game (You might say "Hooray!" or high five her!)
We praise people in all kinds of ways, but God deserves praise more than anyone else! God made the whole world, and God is the best at loving and caring for us.
One man named David wrote a song to praise God. It’s in the Bible. David’s song shows us all kinds of ways to praise God. Let’s practice these ways now..
Psalm 100:1 "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth."
David said everyone in the world can shout happily that God is awesome! Can we shout joyfully, telling God he’s awesome?
David said there are other ways to praise God, too.
Psalm 100:2 "Serve the Lord with joy. Come before him with singing."
David said we can praise God by singing. Do you have a favorite worship song that you like to sing? How about this one?
Music Video: My God Is Powerful from DIG IN on Vimeo.
Praise is part of prayer, and that’s what we just did when we sang a song, telling God how great he is. Let’s look at another way David said we can praise God.....
Psalm 100:3 "Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep he tends."
David said we can praise God by remembering that God made us and that we’re his children. God made each of us to be special! What’s something special about you? You’re all special, and God made you to be that way! We can praise God for how he made us! We can say “Wow, God! The way you made me is amazing!”
David shared two more ways he praised God. Let’s look at the next two verses..
Psalm 100:4-5 "Come into his city with songs of thanksgiving. Come into his courtyards with songs of praise. Thank him, and praise his name. The Lord is good. His love continues forever. His loyalty continues from now on. "
David said we can praise God just by thanking him. He also God gives us his great big love! God loves all the people in the world, and since God’s love reaches to everyone, let’s end our activity with a big group hug!
When we share God’s love with others, it’s another way to praise God because he hears us even when we’re telling others how great he is!
Prayer is when we talk with God, sing to God, clap for God, and many other things. We can praise God by doing these things and showing God how amazing he is. Praise is part of prayer, and we can praise God anywhere and anytime in all the ways we learned today!
Psalm 100:3 "Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep he tends."
David said we can praise God by remembering that God made us and that we’re his children. God made each of us to be special! What’s something special about you? You’re all special, and God made you to be that way! We can praise God for how he made us! We can say “Wow, God! The way you made me is amazing!”
David shared two more ways he praised God. Let’s look at the next two verses..
Psalm 100:4-5 "Come into his city with songs of thanksgiving. Come into his courtyards with songs of praise. Thank him, and praise his name. The Lord is good. His love continues forever. His loyalty continues from now on. "
David said we can praise God just by thanking him. He also God gives us his great big love! God loves all the people in the world, and since God’s love reaches to everyone, let’s end our activity with a big group hug!
When we share God’s love with others, it’s another way to praise God because he hears us even when we’re telling others how great he is!
Prayer is when we talk with God, sing to God, clap for God, and many other things. We can praise God by doing these things and showing God how amazing he is. Praise is part of prayer, and we can praise God anywhere and anytime in all the ways we learned today!
PRAYER TIME
Dear God,
Thank you that you love us SO much. Thank you that there are many ways for us to show you that we love you through praise, whether we say quiet prayers, or sing loudly Lord, you love to hear our praise to you.
Amen
Thank you that you love us SO much. Thank you that there are many ways for us to show you that we love you through praise, whether we say quiet prayers, or sing loudly Lord, you love to hear our praise to you.
Amen
CRAFT / ACTIVITIEs
Today we learned that praise is part of prayer.
We can praise God with claps, cheers, songs, and even whispers. It’s great to praise God whether it’s loud, quiet, or even if no one can hear it at all.
So, let’s learn to praise God with our hands. People who are deaf and can’t hear with their ears make words with their hands, and we can, too! Follow these simple actions...
We can praise God with claps, cheers, songs, and even whispers. It’s great to praise God whether it’s loud, quiet, or even if no one can hear it at all.
So, let’s learn to praise God with our hands. People who are deaf and can’t hear with their ears make words with their hands, and we can, too! Follow these simple actions...
"I LOVE GOD"
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When we talk with God about how wonderful he is, that’s called praise. There are so many exciting ways to praise God. So let's make something that’ll help us praise him with fun sounds, Today we're going to make praise shakers!
These shakers are a fun way to praise God with loud noise. We can even use them when we sing and make music! That’s a special way to talk with God and praise him.
These shakers are a fun way to praise God with loud noise. We can even use them when we sing and make music! That’s a special way to talk with God and praise him.
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Supplies:
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Directions:
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Hello friends!!
How are you doing? I hope that you and your families are doing well.
This is our last week in the fruit of the spirit series and this week is about self-control. But, before we jump in, lets sing some songs together. If you're like me you must be starting to get to know these songs really well!!
How are you doing? I hope that you and your families are doing well.
This is our last week in the fruit of the spirit series and this week is about self-control. But, before we jump in, lets sing some songs together. If you're like me you must be starting to get to know these songs really well!!
SUNDAY SCHOOL SONGS
Music Video: Whole Lotta Change from DIG IN on Vimeo.
So this week we are going to be learning about self-control. Self-control is when we make a choice not to do something we know is wrong. Being friends with God helps us to have self-control and avoid doing wrong, even if it’s hard.
What are some things that distract you from what you’re supposed to be doing—like homework?
Our video today is about a girl who got distracted by a lot of things. She wasn’t using self-control to limit her distractions. Let’s see how she turned things around. As you watch, think about which of her distractions happen to you, too.
What are some things that distract you from what you’re supposed to be doing—like homework?
Our video today is about a girl who got distracted by a lot of things. She wasn’t using self-control to limit her distractions. Let’s see how she turned things around. As you watch, think about which of her distractions happen to you, too.
Which distractions did she have that you have, too?
How could you have self-control and limit those distractions?
The girl in the video said, “I feel like Jesus was right beside me, like he gave me the strength to turn this around.” How can you turn to Jesus for strength to have self-control?
Like the girl in our video, we can turn to Jesus for help with self-control when we’re having a hard time with it.
How could you have self-control and limit those distractions?
The girl in the video said, “I feel like Jesus was right beside me, like he gave me the strength to turn this around.” How can you turn to Jesus for strength to have self-control?
Like the girl in our video, we can turn to Jesus for help with self-control when we’re having a hard time with it.
Games/ ACTIVITES
What are some of your favorite games to play?
It’s super fun to play games. But if someone doesn’t follow the rules, the game usually isn’t as much fun. Following the rules of a game takes self-control; we can’t just do whatever we want. Since we’re learning self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, let’s play a couple of games where we have to use self-control to follow the rules.
Blind Duck, Duck, Goose
1. Have kids sit in a circle.
2. Choose a kid to be the first person to go around the circle. The "Ducker"
3. Have the kids in the circle close their eyes. Explain that if they open their eyes, the Ducker won’t choose them.
4. The Ducker walks around the outside of the circle as for a traditional game of Duck, Duck, Goose, except that the word duck is said silently. The Ducker taps kids gently on the head without saying anything until a child is chosen to be the “Goose.”
5. The word goose is said aloud when the chosen child is tapped on the head. The Goose opens his or her eyes and chases the Ducker, who will try to take the Goose’s seat, around the circle.
6. The Goose becomes the new Ducker, and the kids in the circle close their eyes again.
7. Continue playing as time allows.
In our game, we had to use self-control to keep our eyes closed and wait for the Ducker to come to us. Following the rules takes self-control.
Let's try another one... When we’re doing something fun, it’s hard to stop. To stop doing something we want to do takes self-control, in this one we have to practice self-control and stop running.
Red Means Stop
For this game you'll need a red and a green piece of construction paper (or something to hold up that is red and something that is green)
1. Have kids line up against one wall.
2. Stand near the opposite wall with a piece of construction paper in each hand.
3. When you hold up the green paper, kids can run toward you as fast as they can. When you hold up the red paper kids must freeze where they are. If any kids are still moving they must return to the starting wall.
4. The first child to reach the wall behind you becomes the new stoplight. Everyone else returns to the starting wall and begins again.
5. Continue playing as time allows. If you’d like, play music while kids play.
When we’re running fast, it’s hard to stop. We had to control our bodies when we played the game; that’s self-control. And we use self-control when we stop before making a wrong choice or when we stop playing when Mom says to clean up. Jesus helps his friends have self-control and make good choices.
It’s super fun to play games. But if someone doesn’t follow the rules, the game usually isn’t as much fun. Following the rules of a game takes self-control; we can’t just do whatever we want. Since we’re learning self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, let’s play a couple of games where we have to use self-control to follow the rules.
Blind Duck, Duck, Goose
1. Have kids sit in a circle.
2. Choose a kid to be the first person to go around the circle. The "Ducker"
3. Have the kids in the circle close their eyes. Explain that if they open their eyes, the Ducker won’t choose them.
4. The Ducker walks around the outside of the circle as for a traditional game of Duck, Duck, Goose, except that the word duck is said silently. The Ducker taps kids gently on the head without saying anything until a child is chosen to be the “Goose.”
5. The word goose is said aloud when the chosen child is tapped on the head. The Goose opens his or her eyes and chases the Ducker, who will try to take the Goose’s seat, around the circle.
6. The Goose becomes the new Ducker, and the kids in the circle close their eyes again.
7. Continue playing as time allows.
In our game, we had to use self-control to keep our eyes closed and wait for the Ducker to come to us. Following the rules takes self-control.
Let's try another one... When we’re doing something fun, it’s hard to stop. To stop doing something we want to do takes self-control, in this one we have to practice self-control and stop running.
Red Means Stop
For this game you'll need a red and a green piece of construction paper (or something to hold up that is red and something that is green)
1. Have kids line up against one wall.
2. Stand near the opposite wall with a piece of construction paper in each hand.
3. When you hold up the green paper, kids can run toward you as fast as they can. When you hold up the red paper kids must freeze where they are. If any kids are still moving they must return to the starting wall.
4. The first child to reach the wall behind you becomes the new stoplight. Everyone else returns to the starting wall and begins again.
5. Continue playing as time allows. If you’d like, play music while kids play.
When we’re running fast, it’s hard to stop. We had to control our bodies when we played the game; that’s self-control. And we use self-control when we stop before making a wrong choice or when we stop playing when Mom says to clean up. Jesus helps his friends have self-control and make good choices.
BIBLE LESSON
Self-control is when we decide we won’t make a choice we know is wrong. When we’re friends with God, he helps us say “no” to wrong choices.
Can you guys think about someone you know who says “no” to wrong choices?
Jesus is the very best at self-control and we're gonna learn more about that now...
The Bible tells about a time Jesus showed self-control because of love. He did something he really didn’t want to do for us. Jesus died on the cross. He could’ve stopped it, but because he loves us so much, he used self-control to stay on the cross. Because Jesus used self-control to stay on the cross and died, we can be friends with God.
Jesus loved people and told them about God. He said that he was God’s Son and some people thought Jesus was telling a lie, and because of that they wanted to hurt him.
On this sad day, soldiers took Jesus to the place they would put him on the cross. Jesus has awesome power, and he could’ve gotten away from them, but Jesus used self-control to stay with the soldiers because he knew that dying on the cross would make it so we can be forever friends with him. Wow!
When we make a choice to obey our parents or guardians we use self-control. We could just run away, but instead we use self-control and do what our parents or guardians ask because it’s what is best for us, and God will help us use self-control to obey.
Are there things that you do to obey your parents or those people that are responsible for you?
Saying “no” to wrong choices or "no" to making bad decisions is using self-control. Sometimes it can be really hard to do, but when we’re friends with God, we can ask him to help us. We can remember that even Jesus used self-control, and we can, too.
Back in the Bible story it says the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross.
Again, Jesus had the power to leave anytime, but he used self-control because he loves us so much. Jesus knew if he would die on the cross, he would take the punishment for all the wrong things we’ve done. That’s why Jesus stayed on the cross.
Next, the soldiers took Jesus’ clothes and played a game to see who would get to keep them.
Has anyone ever taken your stuff? It’s really not fun when people steal our stuff. It might make us want to grab the things they took back and yell at them, but Jesus used self-control. He didn’t yell or grab his clothes back.
How do you think it might be helpful to use self-control when someone takes our things?
Let’s look back at the Bible to find out some more ways Jesus used self-control...
Back in the bible it says that the soldiers put a sign over Jesus’ head. They made fun of Jesus and called him names. Others came by and shouted mean things at Jesus, too. Jesus didn’t shout mean things back, and he didn’t get off the cross—because he loves us.
It hurts when people say mean things to us. But we can use self-control in times like that. Jesus didn’t yell back at the people. He used self-control, and we can, too. God will help us say no to wrong choices, like saying mean things back when someone is being unkind.
We have a choice to do the right thing even when someone else isn’t. When we do that, we’re using self-control. Jesus shows us how, and God will help us! Jesus used self-control on the cross because he was taking the punishment for all the wrong things we’ve ever done. That makes it so we can be friends with God - Forever!
Can you guys think about someone you know who says “no” to wrong choices?
Jesus is the very best at self-control and we're gonna learn more about that now...
The Bible tells about a time Jesus showed self-control because of love. He did something he really didn’t want to do for us. Jesus died on the cross. He could’ve stopped it, but because he loves us so much, he used self-control to stay on the cross. Because Jesus used self-control to stay on the cross and died, we can be friends with God.
Jesus loved people and told them about God. He said that he was God’s Son and some people thought Jesus was telling a lie, and because of that they wanted to hurt him.
On this sad day, soldiers took Jesus to the place they would put him on the cross. Jesus has awesome power, and he could’ve gotten away from them, but Jesus used self-control to stay with the soldiers because he knew that dying on the cross would make it so we can be forever friends with him. Wow!
When we make a choice to obey our parents or guardians we use self-control. We could just run away, but instead we use self-control and do what our parents or guardians ask because it’s what is best for us, and God will help us use self-control to obey.
Are there things that you do to obey your parents or those people that are responsible for you?
Saying “no” to wrong choices or "no" to making bad decisions is using self-control. Sometimes it can be really hard to do, but when we’re friends with God, we can ask him to help us. We can remember that even Jesus used self-control, and we can, too.
Back in the Bible story it says the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross.
Again, Jesus had the power to leave anytime, but he used self-control because he loves us so much. Jesus knew if he would die on the cross, he would take the punishment for all the wrong things we’ve done. That’s why Jesus stayed on the cross.
Next, the soldiers took Jesus’ clothes and played a game to see who would get to keep them.
Has anyone ever taken your stuff? It’s really not fun when people steal our stuff. It might make us want to grab the things they took back and yell at them, but Jesus used self-control. He didn’t yell or grab his clothes back.
How do you think it might be helpful to use self-control when someone takes our things?
Let’s look back at the Bible to find out some more ways Jesus used self-control...
Back in the bible it says that the soldiers put a sign over Jesus’ head. They made fun of Jesus and called him names. Others came by and shouted mean things at Jesus, too. Jesus didn’t shout mean things back, and he didn’t get off the cross—because he loves us.
It hurts when people say mean things to us. But we can use self-control in times like that. Jesus didn’t yell back at the people. He used self-control, and we can, too. God will help us say no to wrong choices, like saying mean things back when someone is being unkind.
We have a choice to do the right thing even when someone else isn’t. When we do that, we’re using self-control. Jesus shows us how, and God will help us! Jesus used self-control on the cross because he was taking the punishment for all the wrong things we’ve ever done. That makes it so we can be friends with God - Forever!
Object Lesson (Parent/GUARDIAN PARTICIPATION REQUIRED)
Supplies: Candy such as skittles or M&Ms (2 per child)
Since we’ve been learning that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, here is a fun way for us to practice self-control. (put one candy in front of each child).
Say: "This is your candy, but you can’t eat it yet. You're going to practice some self-control to keep yourself from eating it until I say it’s time. If you wait until I say it’s time, you’ll get another piece of candy! But if you don’t use self-control and you eat it, you won’t get a second piece of candy."
After about a minute tell the kids that while they're waiting they can go and do something to help them while they wait.
Say: "It’s not easy to use self-control. But hang in there! If you wait, you’ll get two pieces of candy! Let’s do some things to help us to wait and use self-control."
For the next minute and a half, guide kids to do any mix of the following; Turn their backs to their candy, walk away from the table and play with a toy, look at a book or get a drink of water..
When roughly two and a half minutes have passed since you placed the candies, call out that everyone can go back and eat their candies.
Give a second piece of candy to all the kids who managed to wait to eat until you said so, congratulating them for using self-control. If any kids already ate their candies, avoid calling them out—just avoid giving them a second piece of candy.
Talk About It
What made it hard to wait to eat your candy? What helped you wait to eat your candy?
It can be hard to have self-control, but like we did in our activity, we can help ourselves have self-control by doing something different. Instead of taking a toy from someone else, we can find a different toy to play with. Or when we feel upset or mad, we can walk away
Since we’ve been learning that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, here is a fun way for us to practice self-control. (put one candy in front of each child).
Say: "This is your candy, but you can’t eat it yet. You're going to practice some self-control to keep yourself from eating it until I say it’s time. If you wait until I say it’s time, you’ll get another piece of candy! But if you don’t use self-control and you eat it, you won’t get a second piece of candy."
After about a minute tell the kids that while they're waiting they can go and do something to help them while they wait.
Say: "It’s not easy to use self-control. But hang in there! If you wait, you’ll get two pieces of candy! Let’s do some things to help us to wait and use self-control."
For the next minute and a half, guide kids to do any mix of the following; Turn their backs to their candy, walk away from the table and play with a toy, look at a book or get a drink of water..
When roughly two and a half minutes have passed since you placed the candies, call out that everyone can go back and eat their candies.
Give a second piece of candy to all the kids who managed to wait to eat until you said so, congratulating them for using self-control. If any kids already ate their candies, avoid calling them out—just avoid giving them a second piece of candy.
Talk About It
What made it hard to wait to eat your candy? What helped you wait to eat your candy?
It can be hard to have self-control, but like we did in our activity, we can help ourselves have self-control by doing something different. Instead of taking a toy from someone else, we can find a different toy to play with. Or when we feel upset or mad, we can walk away
Craft / Activity
Stop and Go
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Supplies:
white card stock (1 sheet per child) large craft sticks (1 per child) crayons glue sticks or tape |
Directions:
1. Cut each piece of card stock into an octagon. (click the image for a template.) 2. Write “Stop” in large letters on one side and “Go” on the other side. 3. Have kids colour the 'Stop' side red, and the 'Go' side green. 4. Tape or glue the popsicle stick to the octagon. |
Today we learned that we use self-control to "stop" (show the “stop” side) before we make a wrong choice. And we "go" (show the “go” side) when there are good choices ahead of us. We might even use the “stop” side (show the “stop” side) when we’re doing something good like playing with toys but it’s time to clean up.
We use self-control to stop and do the right thing. When we’re his friends, Jesus helps us have self-control.
Click the images below to print a copy
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