Fear Knot Leader Guide: Lesson 2 Preschool: Age 4 - Kindergarten Fear of Dark Series Verse Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 NIV The Point of the Lesson: Each child will learn that at some point in everyone s life, they were afraid of the dark. They will learn that even in the midst of their fear, God is with them and can provide them comfort. The Power of God s Word: Don t be afraid. I am with you. Isaiah 41:10a CEV The Prayer of Each Child: Dear Jesus, you already know everything about me and you know that I am afraid of the dark sometimes. Please help me to trust in You and not be so afraid the next time I am in the dark. Thank You that you promise to always be with me. And thank You for my night light that helps me to see in the dark. I love You, Jesus. Amen The Lesson in a Word: Together 1
Prepare: (Before service) Object Lesson: A nightlight Game Supplies: 2 buckets or bins, 2 sleeping masks or blindfolds, multiple objects of different shapes and sizes (get creative!) For the objects, you can use anything you have available, but some examples of different objects are: a softball, a golf ball, a piece of Lego, a Frisbee, or a shoe, blank piece of paper, pen and a clipboard Craft Supplies: Light Switch Cover pattern (photocopied on card stock), scissors, star stickers, glue and paper punch, crayons or markers. Story: Classroom Storybook (provided on CD; print out and spiral bind at the top so that you have a visual teaching aid) Student Handouts: There are three handouts for students this age. One is a Family EnterAction Guide that is given out (one per family only) the first couple of weeks of a new series. We recommend passing out coupons (provided on CD) to all the students that direct the parents to a central pick up location, such as the Children s Information Booth at your church, so that those parents who are interested can pick them up and you aren t sending several home to the same family. Photocopy & spiral bind EnterAction Guides (provided on CD or purchase ahead of time from ). Photocopy Student Handouts (provided on CD). There are two artwork options available to you on the CD, either the full color one in Adobe PDF format or the one in Word format. The one in Adobe PDF format is completely ready to go and just needs to be duplicated, but cannot be altered. (We recommend using this one.) The one in Word format can be changed so that you can add your church name, logo or anything else you would like before duplication. (Note: This format does not include the color artwork for the background, so you would need to use this along with the artwork template.) If you have questions here, please feel free to call Empowering Kids at 1-866-EMPOWER (USA only) or 949-855-0512 (International) or email us at Mary@empoweringkids.net, and we will be happy to help you with this. Photocopy Activity Booklets (provided on CD or purchase ahead of time from ) Coloring Pages: Photocopy coloring pages (provided on CD) that correspond with this lesson; age-appropriate crayons Learning Center Materials (games, art supplies, puzzles, etc.) Note: Blue text in the Leader Guide indicates words to be spoken 2
Provide: (10 minutes) This is a time when children are checked into a classroom. They are provided with a choice of three-to-four learning center activities to participate in. Time is allowed at the end of this segment for classroom clean-up. Promote: (25 minutes) This process includes 15-minute story/lesson (3 segments), 10-minute craft, and a 5-minute snack. Story: (Use the Classroom Storybook as a Visual Aid) Have children stay seated on the story rug while the story is taught live by the teacher. Have the kids repeat sentences, add motions, make faces to show emotions, etc. to make the lesson come alive. Before the story starts, remind the students how to be good listeners. (Encourage the children to raise their hands before speaking.) Here s a great way to remind them. Say this and have them join you by saying the words and doing the motions together. Try it a couple of times through to teach them. Eyes are watching. (Point to eyes.) Ears are listening. (Cup hands around both ears.) Hands are quiet. (Hands folded in lap.) Feet are still. (Fold legs criss cross, make a pretzel with your legs.) Wait until you have everyone doing this to start the story! Praise the students for being good listeners. (You may even want to have a special set of stamps, called Story Time Stamps, that are used to stamp the top of the hands of those good listeners at the end of the story and verse time.) You may tell the story in your own words or use the story below. Object Lesson: (Holding Nightlight) Who knows what this is? That s right, it s a nightlight! Well, you know what? Most of us, if not all of us, have a little bit of a fear of the dark. Even me! (Leader can interject a personal story of being in the mountains when it was pitch black or a personal childhood story to help kids relate better to the Leader and to the lesson.) The great part of this lesson is that we are going to learn that God is with us no matter what. Story: (Use the Classroom Storybook as a Visual Aid) 3
Moses Helps Joshua be Brave When Moses was very old, he spoke to the children of Israel and told them he was no longer able to lead them. Moses was not going to go into the promised land with them, so Moses reminded the Israelites that God was going to cross over before them, and the Lord would take care of all their enemies. There were many scary enemies in the new land, and Moses told the people that they must be strong and brave. He told them not to be afraid, because God would never leave them. Moses had appointed Joshua the new leader of the children of Israel, and he also told Joshua to be strong and brave. Moses wanted the people to know that they didn t have to be afraid of anything, for God was with them. (Source: Deuteronomy 31:1-8) Memory Verse: Introduce today s verse to the children by saying it with them several times. Make it a competition between the girls and boys if you want. Add hand motions and changing inflection to make the verse come alive. Explain what the verse means to the kids. Don t be afraid. I am with you. Isaiah 41:10a CEV Review: Use the following questions to review the lesson with the children. 1. What did Moses tell Joshua to do? (Be strong) 2. Who helped Joshua to be strong and brave? (God) 3. Who is ready to help you when you are afraid? (God.) 4. Show me thumbs up for yes, and thumbs down for no. When you are scared, you are all alone. (Thumbs down for no!) Everyone tell me who is with you when you are afraid! GOD!! Pass out Story Time Stamps to all the good listeners and give them lots of praise! (It s hard to sit when you are a preschooler!) 4
Craft: Light Switch Cover Lesson Tie-In: Who likes the dark? Tell me some things in your house that help you see in the dark. That s right--a light helps you see in the dark. Today we are going to make a Light Switch Cover that will help you remember God is always with you. You don t have to be afraid of the dark because you are not alone! Materials: Light switch cover pattern (photocopied on card stock), scissors, star stickers, glue and paper punch, crayons or markers. Directions: 1. Give each child a light switch cover to color. Have the children write name on back of paper. 2. Next give them stickers to decorate their light switch cover. 3. Students or leaders can cut out the light switch. 4. While they are working on the cover, go around and punch the two holes into the cover for the screws. Finished Craft: Snack: This is a time for a class snack where leaders can reinforce the Bible story, memory verse or encourage a personal application among the kids. Be sure to pray before the kids eat their snack and thank Jesus for the food. If you would like, ask the children if any of them want to pray for the class. Or lead them in a prayer, stopping after each short sentence for the children to repeat after you. That way they will learn to pray to God also. After snack, encourage the children to clean up after themselves by throwing away their trash. Give lots of praise for good manners and following directions. 5
Travel to Large Group: (5 Minutes) Praise: (10 minutes) This is a time of corporate worship through singing and music. Turn on DVD and play Sing This here. Then, plug in your own worship session here. We suggest Jana Alayra, Hillsongs Kids, or Saddleback Kids Praise Music which are available for purchase at Process: (20 minutes) This segment is designated to reinforce the lesson and teach application with ageappropriate props, puppets and video during a large group time. On DVD player, select Lesson 1 and this will play Hear This, Picture This and Do This portions of the video. Hear This: (5 minutes) Sharkey the Puppet hosts this portion of the video that teaches this week s Memory Verse in a fun way that includes a little song and a corny joke! Encourage the kids to say the verse along with Sharkey and sing the Sharkey song. (For fun, you can even teach them to make a shark fin, by putting their hands together and resting them on the top of their head as they sing along with the Sharkey song.) Don t be afraid. I am with you. Isaiah 41:10a CEV Picture This: (5 minutes) Puppet friends, Cassie, Spencer and Baxter return in this series to tell the Bible Story, listed below with kid drawn pictures. Gideon Sees an Angel When Moses was very old, he spoke to the children of Israel and told them he was no longer able to lead them. Moses was not going to go into the promised land with them, so Moses reminded the Israelites that God was going to cross over before them, and the Lord would take care of all their enemies. There were many scary enemies in the new land, and Moses told the people that they must be strong and brave. He told them not to be afraid, because God would never leave them. Moses had appointed Joshua the new leader of the children of Israel, and he also told Joshua to be strong and brave. Moses wanted the people to know that they didn t have to be afraid of anything, for God was with them. (From Deuteronomy 31:1-8 NLT) 6
Do This: (5 minutes) Curt Carrot and Brock Broccoli are puppets that star in this section of the video and remind the kids how to apply this lesson to their lives! It s easy to be afraid of the dark, especially if you think you are all alone. But did you know that you are not alone? When you are lying in your bed at night with your teddy bear or favorite blanket, God is there and He is watching over you. If you feel scared, say a little prayer to God and thank Him for being with you! You can also turn on a night light if that helps you feel better! Our word for the week is TOGETHER because you are together with God wherever you go. (Myron sings a reprise of the Theme Song to end this part of the video.) Travel back to classroom: (5 minutes) Practice: (15 minutes) 1. Group Activity: (10 minutes) This section includes a circle time activity or classroom game that can be played with 3 or 30 in the classroom. In the Dark Guess What? Supplies Needed: 2 buckets or bins 2 sleeping masks or blindfolds Multiple objects of different shapes and sizes (get creative!) For the objects, you can use anything you have available, but some examples of different objects might be: A softball A golf ball A Lego A Frisbee A shoe Blank piece of paper, pen and a clipboard Preparation: Prepare two buckets full of objects in each of them (they do not have to be the same). 7
Choose two leaders for each team in advance to keep score and help with putting on and taking off the sleeping masks or blindfolds. How to Play Split the group up into two teams. Each team will have one-to-two leaders that represent their team, and a team bucket filled with different types of objects. The children, one at a time, will take turns being blindfolded. Their leader will hand the child that is blindfolded an object from the bucket. They will have 10 seconds to guess what the object is. If they get it right, their leader will give their team 1 point. If they get it wrong, they get 0 points. If they have not guessed by 10 seconds, their answer is considered wrong. Each child will receive 1 object from their leader to guess what it is. After one guess, they will go sit down and the next person on their team will go. The children waiting for their turn are NOT allowed to help their teammate by giving hints or shouting out the answer. They can only cheer their teammates on. The team with the most correct answers at the end of the game wins. Lesson Tie In Great job you guys! That was a lot of fun! Today when you were blindfolded you were in the dark as you tried to guess what the different objects were. How many of you are, were, or know someone who is afraid of the dark? I have to admit that I don t like the dark much either! The thing is, God is always with us no matter what and when we partner with Him, He sheds His light on the situation! God promises us that He will never leave us and there is no reason to fear when we are with Him. 2. Pray: (2 minutes) Dear Jesus, you already know everything about me and you know that I am afraid of the dark sometimes. Please help me to trust in you and not be so afraid the next time I am in the dark. Thank You that you promise to always be with me. And thank You for my night light that helps me to see in the dark. I love You, Jesus. Amen Check Out: (10-15 minutes) When parents are returning to check out their children, provide a variety of classroom activities to keep the kids busy. We recommend having age-appropriate books out on the story rug and a leader there reading stories to the kids who are interested. Also, provide the same three-to-four learning center activities that were out at the beginning of the class, and have the lesson s Coloring Pages out at a table with crayons. Student Handouts: Be sure each student went home with an Activity Booklet the first week. Explain to the parents that there are five coloring and activity pages for the students to do each week that go along with the Bible Lesson they learned at church. 8
Provide each student with a Student Handout for the week. Be sure they take home their craft and the Coloring Page as well. Things to Do at Home: Activity 1: Play a game with your family by seeing how many lights you have in your house. Go around and count all the ceiling lights, table lamps, night lights, candles and even the flashlights! How many did you count? Why do you need all these lights? Activity 2: Before you go to bed each night, practice saying your verse a few times with your parents. Then say a prayer to Jesus asking Him to help you not to be afraid of the dark. Remember He is with you. You are not alone! Optional Activity: Did you make a light switch cover at church this week? Put it up in your room to remind you not to be afraid of the dark. 9