2 nd /3 rd Grade Oct 28 Moses and the Ten Commandments Bible Verse God said to the people of Israel: I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves. Do not worship any god except me. (Exodus 20:1-3) Teacher Enrichment This is the ninth lesson in the Old School: Lessons from the Old Testament series which examines many well-known stories from the Old Testament. Each week will explore how God is revealed through the events and characters of a Bible story. This series will build a base of Old Testament Bible knowledge for children. After Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they found themselves living in a new land and falling into bad habits, poor choices and unhealthy relationships. After all that God had done to gain their freedom, they were even worshipping other gods. In response to their unfavorable behavior, God presented Moses with the Ten Commandments. These commandments spelled out how the Israelites were to worship and obey God, but are just as relevant to our obedience today. The first four commandments address our relationship with God. The last six address our relationship with each other. When we follow these commandments, or rules, we create a life that honors God and includes respectful relationships with others. In this lesson children will learn why we have rules and specifically why God has given us rules. They will begin to understand that following the Ten Commandments brings us closer to God and closer to each other. Older children will also explore the impact of not following rules. In preparation for this lesson, refresh your memory by reading the Ten Commandments: Exodus 20:1-17. The Israelites were not living a life in accordance with these commandments. Consider which commandments are hardest for you to follow and which would be hardest for children to follow.
Before Class Begins Place the Sign In sheet and a pen where parents can see it upon arrival. Place the Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards and pens where students can see them upon arrival. Check that you have supplies for this lesson: Arrival Activity, Moses activity sheet 1 per child Moses Board Game sets (board game, buttons, dice) 4 sets Place an arrival activity at each place on the table. Welcome SUPPLIES: Sign In sheet, Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards, Attendance chart, stickers, pens, Ten Commandments activity sheet, pencils, markers Greet each child individually as they arrive. Introduce yourself by name. Help children find or add their name on the attendance chart. Provide each child with a sticker to place in today s column on the attendance chart. Encourage children to complete a Joy or Concern card if they have a particular joy or concern they would like to express. Collect completed Joy & Concern cards. Encourage children to complete a Time or Talent offering card if they gave their time to God or used their talents to serve God or others during the previous week. Children should keep their own completed Time and Talent cards. If children bring monetary offering, they should keep it with them. Direct children to complete Ten Commandments activity sheet. Encourage conversation among the children and with you! Get to know the children in your classroom by asking about their week including school, activities and families. Introduce new children to each other and encourage friendships. Children s Worship SUPPLIES: Sign In sheet, Joy & Concern cards, Time & Talent cards The Children s Worship Leader will direct your class to come to Ruth Hall at 9:20 or 11:05.
Bring the Sign In sheet and completed Joy & Concern cards to Ruth Hall. Hand the Joy & Concern cards to the Children s Worship leader as you arrive. Have children bring their completed Time & Talent cards and any monetary offering. If additional children arrive while in Ruth Hall, have parents complete the Sign In sheet and remind parents that pickup is in Room 105. Encourage children to participate in Children s Worship and provide re-direction if necessary. Assist the Children s Worship leader as needed. At the conclusion of Children s Worship, have children line up and return to Room 105. The Lesson SUPPLIES: Ten Commandments Sign, God Sign, Ten Commandment fortune teller templates, scissors Gather all the children in a circle on the carpet. As you are able, sit on the floor with them or use a chair as part of the circle. ASK: Today we learned about rules. Why do we need rules? (To keep us safe and happy) ASK: Lots of places have rules school, home, parks. We even have rules here. What are some rules we have in our Sunday school classroom? (Pay attention, raise your hand, be kind to each other, no running, share) SAY: God gave us some special rules that He wants us to follow. God s rules tell us how we should live. They help us make good choices. ASK: What are those rules called? (The Ten Commandments) Who did God give the Ten Commandments to? (Moses) SAY: If God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, was Moses the only person who needed to follow those rules? (No!) The Ten Commandments are for everyone. God wants everyone to follow His rules. The Ten Commandments are rules for loving each other how we treat other people and rules for loving God how we treat God. We are going to find out exactly how that works.
Have the children stand up in a large, spread out circle on the carpet. Place the God sign in the center of the circle. Stand at the center of the circle. SAY: Take one step toward me if you have ever followed commandment 4 (Point to Ten Commandments Sign), to keep the Sabbath (Sunday) holy. This means taking time out to spend with God. For example, coming to church this morning! Everyone should take one step in towards you. Since you have limited room, make sure the steps aren t too big. SAY: Take one step toward me if you have ever followed commandment number 5 and obeyed your parents. Allow children to take one stop towards you. SAY: Take one step toward me if you have ever followed commandment number 6 and you didn t hit or pinch someone, even when you wanted to. Allow children to take one stop towards you. SAY: Take one step toward me if you have ever followed commandment number 9 and told the truth about something, even when it was difficult. SAY: Now, take a look around you. Are we closer to each other than when we started? Are we closer to God in the middle? When we follow the Ten Commandments, we show love to each other and that brings us closer together! When we follow the Ten Commandments, we show love to God and that brings us closer to God! ASK: Do you want to show love to each other? (Yes) Do you want to show love to God? (Yes) Then we should all choose to follow the Ten Commandments! Have children sit on the carpet. SAY: Today we are going to make a craft to help us remember the Ten Commandments. Show children the sample craft. Demonstrate how the fortune teller works. Have children move from the carpet to seats at the table. Give each child a Ten Commandment Fortune Teller template and direct them to cut out the outer square. Direct children in folding the Fortune Teller (see below).
SAY: Once you have created your Ten Commandment Fortune Teller, play with a partner. When you reveal your commandment, give an example of how you can follow that commandment. Take turns playing with different partners Closing Lead the children in a closing prayer. You may say your own prayer, ask one of the children to say a prayer or use the one below. God, Thank you for giving us rules to keep us safe and happy. Help us to follow your commandments. Amen If time remains before parents arrive, encourage children to return to their Ten Commandments activity sheet if they did not complete it. Also encourage conversation between children and with you. This is another opportunity to build relationships with the children in your classroom.
Ten Commandments Fortune Teller 1. Begin with flat fortune teller cut into a square. 2. Fold in half 3. Open back up and then fold in half the other direction. 4. Open back up, turn over (to the white side) and then fold in each corner to the middle point. 5. Turn over and fold in each corner to the middle point.
6. Fold in half. 7. Place fingers in pockets to create the fortune teller.