LESSON 7 Humanity Bible Basis: Genesis 4:1 16; Matthew 18:10 14 Key Verse: John 3:16: God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. Key Question: How does God see us? Key Idea: I believe all people are loved by God and need Jesus Christ as their Savior. Resource: Believe Storybook Bible, Chapter 7, Humanity Master Supplies List Believe Storybook Bible PowerPoint slides or printable posters of illustrations Pencil Family Page (one per child) Optional Supplies You will need the following supplies based on which option(s) you choose in STEP 3 Explore More: OPTION 1: Clothespins (two per child); white yarn cut into 3 lengths (one per child); Woolly Lamb template, printed on white card stock (one shape per child); black markers (one per child); black construction paper; scissors; glue OPTION 2: Several blown-up balloons; a large stick OPTION 3: Paper and pencils/pens OPTION 4: Crayons or markers, Let s Color! sheet (one per child) OPTION 6: Two puppets
Supplies: Pencil STEP 1 Come Together (10 min) Teacher Prep: Before class, rough up your pencil break the tip, pull out the eraser, chew the wood, break it in half and tape it together. Then hide the pencil where it will take the children a few minutes to find. GATHER the children. SAY, Oh no, I ve lost my pencil! Can you help me find it before we start? ALLOW the children to look around the room for the pencil. GIVE them a description of the pencil as they look, so they will know for sure it is yours when they see it. SAY, Oh, thank you! This is my favorite pencil! I was so worried when it was lost. I m so glad to have it back. ASK, What do you think of my beloved pencil? (Take responses) SAY, It might look shabby to you, but the things you noticed the bite marks, the missing eraser show how much I love and use this pencil! CONTINUE, It doesn t look perfect, but it is very special to me. SAY, Today we ll learn about how God sees us and all mankind. He created man to be perfect, but it didn t stay that way for long. Our sin makes us imperfect. CONTINUE, Gladly, God still loves us and worries when we are lost, just like I worried about this shabby pencil. He sent Jesus so that even though we are imperfect, we can be with God forever. KEY VERSE REVIEW this week s Key Verse. You may want to repeat the verse slowly a few times until the children are able to say the verse from memory NOTE: You may also choose to review last week s Key Verse together. John 3:16 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. (cross arms over your chest/heart) (hold up pointer finger) (place hand over your heart) (give two big thumbs-up and smile!) LESSON 7: Humanity EARLY ELEMENTARY 2
STEP 2 Hear the Story (10 min) Supplies: Believe Storybook Bible, PowerPoint slides or printable posters of illustrations INTRODUCTION SAY, When God sees us, he doesn t just see the outside, like people do. He sees what s inside our hearts. SHOW the children how to make a heart shape by pressing their fingers together. SAY, As I read today s story, listen for clues about what is in a person s heart. When you hear one, make a heart shape with your fingers and hold it over your heart. READ CHAPTER 7 READ aloud chapter 7, Humanity from the Believe Storybook Bible. SHOW the illustrations included with this curriculum on PowerPoint slides or printable posters. REVIEW CAIN AND ABEL ASK, What jobs did Cain and Abel have? (Cain was a farmer; Abel was a shepherd) ASK, What kind of gift did God want from Cain and Abel? (God wanted the first and best of their crops and animals) ASK, Why was Cain angry with Abel? (He was angry because God accepted Abel s gift, but did not accept his) ASK, What terrible thing did Cain do because of his jealousy? (He killed his brother) ASK, Because Cain killed his brother, what consequence did he face? (He had to wander the desert without his family) ASK, Even though God was not happy with Cain, was God still watching him? (Yes, he still saw Cain and cared for him) REVIEW THE LOST SHEEP ASK, What are some reasons the story of the lost sheep is so wonderful for us? (Even when we wander away and do things wrong, God sees us as his precious child; he searches for us when we are lost, and doesn t give up searching; his love is stronger than all our sin; God loves every person no matter what) PRAY, Thank you, God, for carefully looking after us, your sheep. Please help us to look carefully at our feelings and actions so that we can please you and live in a good relationship with you. Amen. LESSON 7: Humanity EARLY ELEMENTARY 3
STEP 3 Explore More Choose from these activity options, depending on your available time frame, to help children explore the lesson further. Option 1: Woolly Sheep (15 min) Supplies: Clothespins (two per child), white yarn cut into 3 lengths (one per child), Woolly Sheep template, white card stock, black markers (one per child), black construction paper, scissors, glue Teacher Prep: Cut construction paper into six squares per sheet so that each child can have one small square. Print and photocopy the Woolly Sheep template onto card stock then cut out the kidney shapes (one per child). Prepare a sample to use as a model. SAY, Today we learned about how Abel brought an acceptable offering of his best lamb, and this offering pleased God. SAY, We are going to make our own little lamb today. GIVE each child two clothespins, a black marker, a kidney-shaped piece of card stock (explain that this is the lamb body), a square of black construction paper, and a length of yarn. Distribute the scissors and glue. INSTRUCT the children to color the clothespins completely black with the markers. INSTRUCT the children to clip the clothespins to the bottom of the lamb body, making legs for it to stand on. INSTRUCT the children to begin to wrap their length of yarn around the body until there is a thick woolly coat for the lamb. INSTRUCT the children to cut some ears for their lamb out of the black construction paper and glue them onto their lamb. They can also create a face or tail for their lamb. SAY, When you see your woolly sheep, let it remind you to always give your very best to God. Option 2: Gathering in the Sheep (15 min) Supplies: Several inflated balloons, large stick or other object that can be used to move balloons along the floor Teacher Prep: Blow up several balloons before class to use as sheep. Create a sheepfold/pen with several chairs as the fencing by placing the chairs in a circle with an open portion as the gate. LESSON 7: Humanity EARLY ELEMENTARY 4
SAY, Today we learned about how a shepherd will look for his sheep if the sheep are missing. This is part of a shepherd s job. SAY, We are going to play a game in which you will be a shepherd pretending to gather your sheep into their pen. ALLOW children, one at a time, to attempt to use the stick to move all of the sheep into the sheepfold within the circle of chairs. REMOVE all the sheep from the sheepfold before the next child has a turn. CONTINUE the game until all of the children have had a chance to practice being a shepherd. Option 3: Bible Memory Rap (10 min) Supplies: Paper and pencils/pens REVIEW the Key Verse with the children several times before beginning this game. DIVIDE children into groups of four. (If you have a number that doesn t divide into four, make the teams at your discretion.) GIVE each group a piece of paper and a writing utensil. The groups don t need to write down their ideas, but it might help. INSTRUCT children to take a few minutes to come up with a rap, using the words of the Key Verse. Children can get creative, but here is an example: GOD Who s dat? I said, GOD Oh, yeah, LOVED THE WORLD Oh, yeah. SO MUCH How much? SO MUCH Oh, yeah... HAVE the teams of children perform their rap for the class if you have time. Children should get creative and have fun. Allow them to add dance moves or beat-boxing if time and talents allow. LESSON 7: Humanity EARLY ELEMENTARY 5
Option 4 (10 min) Supplies: Crayons or markers, Let s Color! sheet (one per child) Teacher Prep: Print and photocopy the Let s Color! sheet (one per child). GIVE each child a coloring page. PROVIDE a selection of crayons and/or markers for the children to share. DISCUSS this week s Key Idea as the children color. Option 5: Praise and Worship (15 min) Mighty to Save, by Ben Fielding and Reuben Morgan 2006 by Hillsong Music Publishing CCLI #4591782 I Just Wanna Be a Sheep, by Brian Howard 1974 by Mission Hills Music CCLI #454057 Option 6: Act It Out (10 min) Feel Happy, Not Jealous! The characters in this script can be played by two puppets or by a teacher, class helper, and/or student leader. Explain to children how Cain was not being a good brother to Abel when he was jealous of him. Explain how brothers and sisters should be happy for each other, not jealous. Setting: At school Characters Jacob Tina jealous boy older friend Optional Props: Two puppets Tina: Why do you look so sad? Jacob: I m sad because my sister won a prize at school and I didn t! Tina: What did she win the prize for? Jacob: She won the prize for having the best drawing. Tina: Did you draw a picture for the contest too? Jacob: No. Tina: You should be proud of your sister. She did a good job. LESSON 7: Humanity EARLY ELEMENTARY 6
Jacob: But I want a prize too! Tina: I m sure there is a solution to this problem so that you could feel good about yourself and be happy for your sister. Jacob: What kind of solution? Tina: Why don t you ask your sister to help teach you how to draw better? Jacob: Yeah, I could do that. She does draw really well. Tina: Exactly! Jacob: I guess that is why she won the prize. Tina: Feeling jealous never helps us. It makes us feel bad about ourselves and can hurt the people we love. Jacob: You are right. I don t want to feel bad. And my sister really did draw a great picture. I will tell her what a good job she did and ask her to teach me too. STEP 4 Going Home (5 min) Supplies: Family Page (one per child) Teacher Prep: Print and photocopy the Family Page supplied with this lesson (one per child). GIVE each child a copy of this week s Family Page. SAY, Give this page to your family when they pick you up. It will remind you to tell your family what you learned about Cain and Abel today and how God sees us. HAVE children practice telling you about how God looks inside of us and loves us even when we do bad things or are lost sheep. REVIEW this week s Key Verse as well as today s story and Key Idea from the Believe Storybook Bible as you wait for the children to get picked up. MAKE sure each child remembers to take home any activity sheets or craft projects and the Family Page. LESSON 7: Humanity EARLY ELEMENTARY 7
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LESSON 7: Humanity EARLY ELEMENTARY Woolly Sheep Template
Let s Color! Name: [Coloring page to come] Simple line drawing of a shepherd looking for a lost sheep. Pick up from Preschool LESSON 7: Humanity EARLY ELEMENTARY
FAMILY PAGE Lesson 7: Humanity Bible Basis: Genesis 4:1 16; Matthew 18:10 14 Key Verse: John 3:16: God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. Key Question: How does God see us? Key Idea: I believe all people are loved by God and need Jesus Christ as their Savior. Resource: Believe Storybook Bible, Chapter 7, Humanity How to Use This Page This week, your family can either read the story from the Believe Storybook Bible or read the Bible Basis passages from your Bible to help your child remember it. Use the Table Talk questions below to start a discussion around the dinner table, while driving in the car, or just about anywhere. The Living Faith activity is designed to remind your child of the Bible lesson through a drama or other engaging activity. The Extra Mile ideas provide interactive ways for your child to connect with the story. Table Talk 1. What do you think caused Cain to give God less than his best? Are there times when you are tempted to give God less than your best? 2. What does it mean to feel jealous? 3. Have you ever felt jealous of your brother/sister/friend? How can you deal with these feelings? 4. When other people do wrong, how can you try seeing them the way God sees them? Living Faith Option 1 The story of Cain and Abel is a very important story for siblings to understand. Sibling rivalry can be a very real, very harmful problem for families. Helping children to recognize these feelings early on is important in order to avoid future problems and resentment. Using role-playing activities can help LESSON 7: Humanity EARLY ELEMENTARY
children to discuss these feelings in a comfortable setting. Have your children act out the parts of Cain and Abel. Have the children use problems that they really have in their own relationships in the role-playing. When children feel they are playing, they are often more comfortable with sharing their feelings. If your child does not have siblings, have them role-play with you about a situation they encounter with a friend. Option 2 Play a game of Marco Polo with your child, pretending to be Jesus finding his lost sheep. The person playing Jesus closes his or her eyes and says, Where are you? The person pretending to be the lost sheep says, Here I am! while moving about the room. The person pretending to be Jesus follows the sound of the sheep s voice to find the sheep and catch it. Take turns being Jesus and being the sheep. Extra Mile Help your child memorize their Key Verse by playing Bible Freeze. Throughout the day, freeze your child, saying they must remain frozen until they recite the verse to you. Encourage your child to freeze you during the day as well, and you must quote the verse to be unfrozen. Use the story of Cain and Abel to reinforce the concept of punishment and forgiveness. The next time your child does something wrong and earns a punishment, take an extra moment to tell them that you are disappointed they did something wrong, but you still love and forgive them, just like Jesus still loves and forgives us when we make mistakes. Sing a song with your child and do the motions (see below) based on the words of Ephesians 2:8, sung to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell : By grace you have been saved, By grace you have been saved, It is by grace you have been saved, Through faith in Christ. It is not from ourselves, It is not from ourselves, It is not from ourselves, it is a gift from God. (hold open arms toward heaven, then hug self) (hold open arms toward heaven, then hug self) (hold open arms toward heaven, then hug self) (hold hands in prayer position) (cross arms in front of chest, open arms) (cross arms in front of chest, open arms) (cross arms in front of chest, open arms) (hold open arms toward heaven, bring to heart) LESSON 7: Humanity EARLY ELEMENTARY