Kindergarten & 1 st Grade (Norfolk Campus) Week 2, June 11 The Matchmaker Bible Story: The Matchmaker (Creation Story Part 2: Adam and Eve) Genesis 1:26 2:1-25 Bottom Line: God made you. Memory Verse: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14, NIV Life App: Creativity imagining what you could do because you re made in God s image. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Children Arrive; Social: (9:00) (10:45) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s story. 1. Early Arriver Idea Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes What You Need: No supplies needed Lead each child to find a partner. If there are an odd number of kids in your group, pair yourself with a child. Call out a series of commands like the ones below, guiding the kids to quickly assume each position. Maintain interest by keeping a quick, yet varied, pace. o Head to head o Hand to hand o Hand to foot o Shoulder to shoulder o Ear to ear o Ear to knee o Elbow to knee o Elbow to ear o Knee to knee o Back to back o Toe to toe Great job! [Transition] From your head to your shoulders to your knees to your toes, God made every part of you, and He made every part of you for a very special reason. Let s go to Large Group to learn more. Lead your group to the Large Group area. Story and Worship: (9:15) (11:00) After large group, gather children in their small groups. Lead them in prayer focusing on The Bottom Line. Groups: (9:50) (11:35) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. * 1. God Made You (application activity / review the Bible story) What You Need: Butcher paper, markers/pencils Lie down on a large piece of butcher paper and let kids trace an outline of you on the paper. At the top of the paper, write God is Then let kids write words describing God around the tracing (good, kind, nice, loving, powerful, etc.) Make sure one of the words describing God is creative. Review the bible story with the kids. 1. What did God create on the sixth day? 2. How did God make Adam and Eve? (Emphasize that God made Adam and Eve in His own image.) 3. What did God say when He was done creating Adam and Eve? 1
On the bottom of the butcher paper write, God made you in His image. Discuss the word the kids wrote to describe God and challenge them to think of how the words also describe them. 1. For example: God is nice. How can you be nice? God is good. What are some ways you can be good? 2. There may be adjectives that only describe God, but challenge kids to think of ways they can strive to be like God. For example: God is all knowing. We may know a lot of stuff, but we are not all knowing like God. However, we were made in His image so we have the ability to learn and God made us inquisitive with the desire to know more. Finish the discussion with God is creative and therefore, since you were created in God s image, you are creative too. Challenge kids to come up with ways they are creative. 1. Do you like to draw or paint? 2. Do you like to write? 3. Do you seem to be able to find quick solutions to most problems? 4. Do you sing or make up songs with friends? 5. Do you come up with ways to entertain your brothers or sisters or your friends? 6. Do you make up dance moves? 7. Do you have creative ways to be kind or give gifts to your friends? 8. Do you make up games that others like to play? [Bottom Line] God made you, and He made you in His image. So, when you think of who God is, imagine what you could do because you re made in God s image; imagine what you can do with what God has given you. He gave you eyes to see how you can help people. He gave you ears to listen to music or to listen to a friend who needs to talk. He gave you a mouth to sing or to speak kindly or to smile. He gave you a brain to learn and to think. You are God s masterpiece and when [Bottom Line] God made you, He made you to be creative. 2. In His Image (application activity) What You Need: No supplies needed. What You Do Pair up kids and instruct pairs to stand about three feet apart facing each other. One kid moves slowly and their partner mirrors their movement. Be sure to remind kids to mirror movement and facial expressions. Explain that if they do a good job you shouldn t be able to tell who is the leader and who is the mirror image. Let kids switch roles. Another options for large groups: Divide the group into two, forming two lines. Each line holds hands and one line moves slowly and the other mirrors them What you say: You did a great job reflecting each other s movements and facial expressions. In order to mirror your partner s movements, you had to really watch them and focus on what they were doing so you could reflect their image. That is how it is with God.[Bottom Line] God made you, and He made you in His image to reflect He is to the world. When you focus on God and how He made you, when you use your creativity to make wise who choices or to treat others the way you want to be treated, the people around you see God s image through you; they see God s creativity shine through your actions and your words. 2
Kindergarten & 1 st Grade (Norfolk Campus) Week 3, June 18 The Namer Bible Story: The Namer (Adam s First Job) Genesis 2:19-20 Bottom Line: God made you to imagine. Memory Verse: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14, NIV Life App: Creativity imagining what you could do because you re made in God s image. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Children Arrive; Social: (9:00) (10:45) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s story. 1. Early Arriver Idea What You Need: Offering container Show the kids where to put their offerings as they arrive. Invite kids to share their favorite: o kind of pet o farm animal o wild animal o animal that lives in the water o animal that flies o of ALL the animals Lead your group to the Large Group area. Story and Worship: (9:15) (11:00) After large group, gather children in their small groups. Lead them in prayer focusing on The Bottom Line. Groups: (9:50) (11:35) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 1. Zoo Who? (application activity / review the Bible story) What You Need: No supplies needed Lead kids in a Duck Duck Goose / London Bridge -esque mash-up game. Guide kids to stand in a large circle. Ask prompting questions to briefly review the Bible story. Stand beside a child. Guide the kids to move in a circle, passing by you like the animals passed before Adam. At various times, tap a child on the head and name an animal. That child will then move as that animal until you tap them again. (Possible animals to name are: horse, rabbit, frog, crab, snake, fish, shark, alligator, cat, dog, kangaroo, mouse, butterfly, tiger, monkey, elephant, turtle, eagle, and bumblebee.) Keep interest (and suspense!) high by tapping the kids at random. Adam certainly used a lot of imagination to name the animals. You can use your imagination, too! If you could give a new name to an animal, what would it be? [Make It Personal](You can jumpstart the kids creativity by telling how you would rename an animal. You might suggest changing mosquito to don t-bite-me bug, whale to ocean elephant, or monkey to banana vacuum. Whatever you choose, use your creativity and imagination. A little silliness won t hurt, either!) Wow! You guys are so creative and imaginative. Who made you able to imagine? Yes! [Bottom Line] God made you to imagine. 3
* 2. Me! (memory verse activity) What You Need: Bibles Guide kids to sit in a circle. Lead them to look up the verse using the navigation tips from Week 1. Prompt kids to say the verse together. Choose one child to say the first word of the verse, and the child beside her says the second word, and so on around the circle. After a child says the final word, prompt the entire group to say, Psalm 139:14. Whenever it s a child s turn to say me (or your translation s equivalent), lead that kid to say his or her own name. They can simply sit and say their name, or they can add flair by jumping up, spinning around, waving their arms, doing a brief dance, or making another motion. Play until each child has a turn to be the spotlighted me. You may need to add yourself if there are more words than kids. If you have more kids than words, some won t get to participate every time, so make sure they understand that they ll get their turn eventually. Who is amazingly and wonderfully made? Yes, you are! Who made you amazing and wonderful? Yes, God did! One way God made you amazing and wonderful is that [Bottom Line] God made you to imagine. What are some things that you can imagine? (I can imagine pretend things; I can imagine stories and games; I can imagine pictures in my head when my mom reads me a book; I can think of ways to help people when they re sad or lonely or sick; etc.) Great ideas! So remember: God made you amazing and wonderful, and [Bottom Line] God made you to imagine! 4
Kindergarten & 1 st Grade (Norfolk Campus) Week 4, June 25 The Blamer Bible Story: The Blamer (The Fall) Genesis 3 Bottom Line: God made you to know Him. Memory Verse: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14, NIV Life App: Creativity imagining what you could do because you re made in God s image. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what. Children Arrive; Social: (9:00) (10:45) Welcome kids and spend time engaging in conversation and catching up. Get ready to experience today s story. 1. Early Arriver Idea (Whole Group) Slithery Snake Jump What You Need: Long Ropes Note for Large Groups: One or more ropes can be used for this game. If you have 10 or more kids, or if you want to combine several small groups, use two ropes for this activity. Ask two kids or leaders to hold the ends of the rope. Keeping the rope flat on the ground, have them shake it from left to right in wide swoops so it looks like a wiggly snake. Instruct kids not to shake the rope so quickly that it s impossible to jump over. Tell the other kids to form a line and take turns jumping over the rope as it s moving. If a kid s foot touches it, he switches places with a kid at one end of the rope. To make the game more challenging, try some of these options: o Jump with your back to the rope. o Close your eyes before jumping. o Link arms and jump with two or more other kids. o Jump sideways. What you Say: You guys are great snake stompers. IF those ropes were actually snakes, you wouldn t have been tripped up at all, which is not something I can say about the people in today s Bible story.[transition] Let s go to Large Group and learn about a slithery snake who was determined to make someone fall. Lead your group to the Large Group area. Story and Worship: (9:15) (11:00) After large group, gather children in their small groups. Lead them in prayer focusing on The Bottom Line. Groups: (9:50) (11:35) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 1.. Knowing God (application activity) What You Need: Marked Bible at Psalms 139:14, God Is Activity Pages, tape Post the God is sign on a focal wall or board. Invite volunteers to open the Bible to where marked. Kids can read the strips or point to the words as you read them. Invite kids to post the strips near the God is sign however they choose: horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The result will be an attributes of God word cloud. HINT: Keep a quick pace throughout the activity to maintain the kids interest. God is SO many things. He is... (Read each attribute as you point to it. Choose a few of them and ask if anyone knows what those words mean. Then give a brief definition or explanation of the word.) And the amazing and incredible and mind-blowing thing is that this same God loves you and wants you to know Him! [Bottom 5
Line] God made you to know Him! What are some ways you can know God more? (I can pray; read my Bible; talk to people who know God and ask questions about Him; sing songs to Him; praise Him; listen to stories about Him; etc.) [Make It Personal] (Tell a way you have come to know God more, whether through prayer, worship, a particular verse, a certain friend, by exploring nature, or some other way.) 2. Tricky Tightrope Maneuvers (memory verse activity) What You Need: Bible, rope used in Slithery Snake Jump activity, index cards, pens Invite a volunteer to read Psalm 139:14 aloud and let any kids who know the verse from memory take turns reacting it. Assign each kid a portion of the verse and ask kids to write their portion on their index card. Collect the cards. Place the rope in a straight line on the floor and have kids stand on it. Redistribute the cards in random order. Tell the kids they must arrange themselves in verse order but cannot step off the rope as they do so. If they fall of the tightrope they must start over. Great job with those tricky tightrope maneuvers! Great job learning this month s memory verse, too! Psalm 139:14 is a verse that you will never want to forget it. It reminds you of the fact that your life is no accident. Every freckle, every finger, every toe was designed by God. You are alive right now because.[bottom Line] God made you to know Him. Back in the Garden of Eden, sin got in the way of the perfect relationship God had in mind. But that s not the end of the story. Through Christ, we have a way to come back to God if we choose to believe. Our sin put Jesus on the cross, but His love for us made Him willing to stay there in our place. Admitting your sin, believing Jesus died for you and asking for God s gift of forgiveness opens the way for you to have a friendship with the One who created you. It s what you were made for. 6