February 23/24th 4.5 Kinder Lesson Plan The Plagues and the Passover Bible Passage: Exodus 5-12 Story Point: God rescued His people. Key Passage: You shall acknowledge no God but me, no saviour except for me. Hosea 13:4 (NIV) Big Picture Question: Is there anything God cannot do? God can do all things. INTRODUCE THE STORY TEACH THE STORY EXPERIENCE THE STORY (15-20 Minutes) (10-15 Minutes) (20-25 Minutes)
The BIBLE Story The Plagues and the Passover Exodus 5 12 God had a plan to rescue His people from slavery in Egypt. He told Moses to be the leader, and Moses brother, Aaron, would help. So Moses and Aaron went to talk to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. They said, This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Let My people go. But Pharaoh did not let the people go. Who is the LORD? he asked. I will not obey him! So God punished the Egyptians. First, God turned the water in the Nile River into blood. No one could drink the water. Moses said, Let My people go! But Pharaoh said, No! So God sent frogs into Egypt. Frogs were everywhere! Moses said, Let My people go! But Pharaoh said, No! God sent gnats into Egypt. Then he sent flies. Moses said, Let My people go! But Pharaoh said, No! God caused all the livestock animals like horses, donkeys, and sheep to die. Then God sent boils, or sore spots, all over the people in Egypt. But Pharaoh said, No! God sent a hailstorm. He sent locusts. Pharaoh said, Go! But then he changed his mind. Then God sent darkness to cover the land. Moses said, Let My people go! Still Pharaoh said, No! God told Moses, I will bring one more punishment. After that, Pharaoh will let you go. Moses warned Pharaoh about what would happen: Around midnight, the firstborn son in every family in Egypt will die. But the Israelites would be safe. Pharaoh did not listen. So God told the Israelites to sprinkle the blood of a lamb on the doorposts of their houses. This would be a special mark that God would see, and He would pass over the house. At midnight, every oldest son in Egypt died. The people cried, and Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh said, Go! The Israelites left quickly. They took bread and their animals with them. They asked the Egyptians for gold, silver, and clothing. The Egyptians gave them what they wanted. God told Moses and Aaron that He was going to bring His people into a land called Canaan (KAY nuhn). Everyone would remember what happened on this special night. God led His people out of Egypt. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years. They were finally free! Christ Connection: God kept the Israelites safe from punishment when they put the blood of a lamb over their doors. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus took the punishment for sin when He died on the cross, and everyone who trusts in Jesus is kept safe from the punishment for sin. 2
INTRODUCE the Story WELCOME TIME: Greet each kid as he or she arrives. Have one leader stand by the door with the clipboard to greet children by name and welcome their parents as they arrive. Use this time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. Prompt kids to discuss a time they met a leader or someone with authority. What was the occasion? Did they ask for anything from that person? SAY Meeting someone with lots of authority or power can be a bit frightening. Today we will hear about the man Moses and Aaron went to speak with. He was a king with lots of authority. Moses and Aaron had a very urgent demand for him. What do you think they might have told him to do? ACTIVITY PAGE Invite preschoolers to draw a line connecting each reptile or insect on the left with its shadow on the right. SAY When Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, would not let God s people leave Egypt, God punished Pharaoh and the Egyptians by sending plagues. The plagues were mighty works of God that showed His power over what He created. Some of the plagues included swarms of flies, gnats, locusts, and even frogs. Listen to today s Bible story to hear how God used the plagues to free His people. ACTIVITY: Pretty please Invite the kids to stand in a line, shoulder-to-shoulder. Choose one kid to be Pharaoh. Her job is to stand at the front of the room and listen to requests made by the other kids. Each kid will have a turn to approach Pharaoh and say, Pretty please, will you and end with a silly request. Pharaoh must say, no without laughing or smiling. If she is successful, the next kid will take a turn. If she smiles or laughs, allow another kid to take her place as Pharaoh. Suggested requests: let me cuddle a porcupine let me kiss the soap dispenser let me snooze through lunch let me sniff dirty socks SAY Today we will hear about a very important request that Moses and Aaron made to Pharaoh. In fact, it was more like a demand! Pharaoh was stubborn and refused to obey God. We will learn more soon. 3
WORSHIP: While the children finish playing or coloring, get the worship DVD ready. Choose 3 or 4 songs to sing today. SAY It s large group time! Come sit on the rug with us! We re going to sing some fun songs together that worship God! Why do we sing to God? (Answer: To honor Him with our worship!) TEACH the Story TRANSITION TO THE STORY: To gain the attention of all the kids to move them to Bible study, flip off the lights or clap a simple rhythm for the children to copy. Place a bookmark at Exodus 5-12 in your Bible. Invite a kid to open it and reverently display the open Bible. SAY Today s Bible story is from Exodus, the second book in the Bible. The Book of Exodus is the second book in the Old Testament. What is the first book called? (Genesis) Exodus tells about how God helped His people, the Israelites, escape from Egypt. Today s Bible story happened in real life. The Bible is God s Word, and God s Word is true! TELL THE BIBLE STORY: Show the Bible Story Video and then recap the Bible story by reading the words below. SAY God rescued His people. They believed God and put the blood of a lamb over their doors. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus took the punishment for sin when He died on the cross. Everyone who trusts in Him is safe from the punishment for sin. PRACTICE THE KEY PASSAGE: Cut out the key passage marker and place it at Hosea 13:4. Invite a volunteer to come up and open your Bible to the key passage. Read the key passage aloud. Create motions for preschoolers to use as they say the key passage. Use the key passage song video for inspiration. SAY The Israelites trusted God s words and put the blood of a lamb over their doors, and God kept them safe. Whenever God wanted His people to remember His goodness, He reminded them that He rescued them from Egypt. He is the only Savior! 4
MISSIONS MOMENT: Mountain Tops missions video Say The Bagbys* are missionaries in Nepal. They want the Tibetan people living high in the mountains of Nepal to know that God is the only Savior. An earthquake came through Nepal. Because the Bagbys obeyed God when He led them to Nepal, they were there to share His love after the earthquake. Watch this video to see how God used the Bagbys to help the people of Nepal in a difficult situation. Show the When the Mountains Shake video. SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION: Break into smaller groups with one leader in each group. Ask the question and open up for discussion. Display the Bible story picture as you ask the following questions. Retell portions of the Bible story as needed. Remind boys and girls of the punishments where insects came into Egypt and suggest the raisins resemble bugs. Remind preschoolers that God rescued His people. Display the Bible story picture as you ask the following questions. Retell portions of the Bible story as needed. -What was Pharaoh s answer to God s command to let the Israelites go? (no) -Name a few of the plagues. (Answers will vary.) -What did God want the Israelites to do so their homes would be passed over by the last plague? (sprinkle a lamb s blood on their doorposts) -Who rescued the Israelites? (God rescued His people.) -Is there anything God cannot do? God can do all things. PRAY TO CLOSE: SAY Why do we pray? (Answer: To open our hearts to God and talk to Him!) Ask the group if anyone has any prayer requests and pray together as a group. If there are a lot of children, break into smaller groups and have leaders pray for the children s requests. SNACK: Gather preschoolers for snack time and have them wipe their hands with a sanitizing wipe. Pray, thanking God for the snack. Pray, thanking God for the snack. Remind children that God can do all things. 5
EXPERIENCE the Story ACTIVITY 1: Swarm pictures Give a child a sheet of paper and markers. Show how to touch the tip of a marker to the paper to make small dots. As children add more and more dots, the picture will begin to look like a swarm of insects. Open the Bible to Exodus 8 and show a child the place where this real story is found. Consider printing and showing the Plague Insects printable. Show preschoolers the pictures. Point to the picture of the swarm of flying insects. Talk about how it would feel to be in the middle of it. SAY God sent swarms of insects to the Egyptian people as a punishment because the king would not let the Israelites go. God kept His people safe from the last plague, and God rescued His people. Many years later, God s Son, Jesus, took the punishment for sin when He died on the cross. Everyone who trusts in Jesus is kept safe from the punishment of sin. ACTIVITY 2: Sing and move Cut out and have kids Color all the pieces of the craft. Glue on the googly eyes or color the frog s eyes. Attach a large craft stick at the bottom of the frog face. SAY God sent frogs into Egypt. Frogs were everywhere! Moses said, Let My people go! But Pharaoh said, No! Pharaoh would not let God s people go, but God showed He is more powerful than anyone. God sent troubles to Egypt, but God kept His people safe from the last trouble. GOD CAN DO ANYTHING! TRANSITION AND DISMISSAL: For the remainder of the time, kids may color the Bible story coloring page, play a simple game to practice the key passage, or sing another song together. CHECKOUT PROCEDURE: As parents begin to arrive, open the door and have one leader stand just outside the classroom door with the attendance sheet. Take the parent s security sticker and call loudly for the child to come. While you wait for the child to come, tell the parents something that their child enjoyed doing or did well during the service and distribute the preschool big picture cards for families. Before you let the child leave the classroom, look to see that the parent and child security codes match and remove the sticker from the child s shirt as they leave. Note: If a parent lost their security sticker, send them to the check-in desk for approval; never allow a child to go to a parent unless they have the security sticker. 6