First Look TM Curriculum for Preschoolers We want preschoolers to take a first look at who God is and understand... God made me. God loves me. Jesus wants to be my friend forever. Bible Story Focus: The angels tell about Jesus. The Shepherds Luke 2:8-20 Memory Verse: God has given a son to us. Isaiah 9:6, NCV Key Question: How do we know God loves us? Bottom Line: God gave us Jesus. Basic Truth: God loves me. SOCIAL: Providing Time for Fun Interaction 1. Tell Me Made to Play: An activity that encourages preschoolers to follow guidelines while having fun and learning new concepts GROUPS: Creating a Safe Place to Connect 1. Say It Hear from God Memory Verse Review Made to Move: An activity that uses a preschooler s natural desire to move to help them learn 2. For You Live for God Application Activity Made to Think: An advanced activity specifically designed for older preschoolers 3. Special Delivery of an Angel Live for God Application Activity Made to Create: An activity that allows preschoolers to review the Bible story, Bottom Line, or memory verse by creating a craft 4. Journal and Prayer Pray to God Prayer Activity Made to Reflect: An activity that encourages personal application and prayer Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds 2017 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com 1
December 17, 2017 Bible Story Focus: The angels tell about Jesus. The Shepherds Luke 2:8-20 Memory Verse: God has given a son to us. Isaiah 9:6, NCV Key Question: How do we know God loves us? Bottom Line: God gave us Jesus. Basic Truth: God loves me. Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction (Small Groups, 15 minutes) Activities that encourage preschoolers to enter the classroom and begin engaging with peers and Small Group Leaders by providing age appropriate and hands on fun while introducing new concepts they will hear in the day s Bible story. Prepare to offer following activity as your 4-5-year-olds arrive. Let one or two teachers lead activities in different areas of the room while another teacher greets parents and kids at the door. 1. Tell Me Made to Play: An activity that encourages preschoolers to follow guidelines while having fun and learning new concepts What You Need: Large, empty cardboard box, Christmas wrapping paper, scissors, clear tape, 6 note cards, and a permanent marker What You Do: Before the Activity: Tape the box top closed and wrap the box in the wrapping paper. Write one of the following commands on each note card with the marker: Tell me your favorite color. Tell me your favorite animal. Tell me your favorite food. Tell me your favorite movie. Tell me your favorite song. Tell me your favorite game. Tape one note card on each side of the box, including the bottom and top. During the Activity: Allow the children to work together to roll the box across the activity area. Look at the side that is face up when it is finished rolling. Read the command to the children and allow each of them to answer. Continue the activity by rolling the box at Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds 2017 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com 2
least five more times. Try to read every command one time. If a command that you have already read turns up, simply reroll to get an unread command. What You Say: Before the Activity: WOW! Look at that big box! During the Activity: Let s work together to roll the box across the room. (Roll box.) Great job! Let s see what the card on the box says. It says, Tell me your favorite color. Can you tell me your favorite colors? (Pause.) Those are all beautiful colors. Let s roll the box again and see what else it says. (Continue and finish activity.) After the Activity: Great job! Thank you so much for telling all of those things. In our Bible story today, we are going to hear about something AMAZING that people were telling about! I can t wait for you to hear what it was! Transition: Move to Worship and Story by asking the children to tell everyone that they are going to story time by saying, We are going to learn about Jesus! as they walk to the story area. Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Small Groups, 25 minutes) Create a safe place to connect through activities that are written to reach every learning style while reinforcing the Bottom Line that was introduced during the Bible Story and applying it to real life experiences. In addition, these activities provide preschoolers with an opportunity to build relationships with their Small Group Leader. Offer the following activities as your time, facilities, resources, and leadership allow. You may want to lead one activity at a time. Or, offer two activities at once and allow half the kids to participate in each. Then switch groups and repeat the activities. 1. Say It Hear from God Memory Verse Review Made to Move: An activity that uses a preschooler s natural desire to move to help them learn What You Need: No supplies needed What You Do: Before the Activity: Say the memory verse with the children. Tell the children that you can tell about Jesus in different ways. During the Activity: Say the verse again, but this time say it in a whisper. Continue saying the verse, saying it louder and louder each time. Then ask the children to try singing the verse. Invite the children to say the memory verse in their favorite way to tell others about Jesus. Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds 2017 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com 3
What You Say: Before the Activity: Our memory verse gives us GREAT news to tell others. It tells us that [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus. We can tell others about Jesus in different ways. During the Activity: First, let s tell others our verse in a very low voice like a whisper. Are you ready? God has given a son to us, Isaiah 9:6. Great! Tell it again, just a tiny bit louder. God has given a son to us, Isaiah 9:6. Yay! Now just a little bit louder. God has given a son to us, Isaiah 9:6. Perfect! You are doing a great job telling about Jesus. Now let s try it a completely different way. Let s try singing it. (Sing the verse to any tune.) Great job! Now think about your favorite way to tell others about Jesus. (Pause.) Got it? Now when I say, GO! everyone say the verse at the same time in your favorite way. YAY! It is so much fun to tell others about Jesus! After the Activity: We can tell everyone about Jesus, just like the shepherds and the angels did. God gave us Jesus, because He loves us SOOO much! We need to tell EVERYONE! How do we know God loves us? [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus! 2. For You Live for God Application Activity Made to Think: An advanced activity specifically designed for older preschoolers What You Need: For You and For You Label Activity Pages, green cardstock, Avery #5160 labels or equivalent, Christmas stickers, scissors, and a red permanent marker What You Do: Before the Activity: Copy the For You Activity Page onto the green cardstock. Cut along the dotted lines to make cards. Each child will need one card. Copy the For You Labels Activity Page onto the labels. You will need one label per child. During the Activity: Ask the children to think of someone they want to tell about how God gave us Jesus. Help the children write that person s name in the To section on the card. Allow the children to write their name if possible in the From section. Give the children a label and help them place it on the opposite side of the card. After the Activity: Give the children the Christmas stickers and ask them to decorate their card. What You Say: Before the Activity: Let s tell someone about how God gave us Jesus! Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds 2017 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com 4
During the Activity: (Give each child a card.) Think about who you want to tell that God gave us Jesus. I will help you write their name on your card. Then you can write your name, so they will know who is telling them about how God gave us Jesus! (Write names on the cards.) Perfect! Now we can put this label on your card. (Hold up label.) It says, God gave us Jesus! Awesome! Now you can use these Christmas stickers to decorate your card. After the Activity: Way to go! Your cards look awesome. Don t forget to give your card to the person you thought of, so you can tell them about how God gave us Jesus. We should tell everyone about when Jesus was born, just like the angels and the shepherds did. How do we know God loves us? [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus! 3. Special Delivery of an Angel Live for God Application Activity Made to Create: An activity that allows preschoolers to review the Bible story, Bottom Line, or memory verse by creating a craft Visit First Look s December 2017 Pinterest Board to see the inspiration for this activity: https://www.pinterest.com/firstlookcurr/december-2017-special-delivery/ What You Need: Angel Tag and Angel Face Activity Pages, white and red cardstock, coffee filters, white lunch bags, scissors, crinkle-cut scissors, liquid glue, pastel cupcake liners, thin yellow ribbon, yellow dot markers, and clear tape What You Do: Before the Activity: Copy the Angel Tag Activity Page onto the red cardstock and cut along the dotted lines with the crinkle-cut scissors. Each child will need one tag. Copy the Angel Face Activity Page onto the white cardstock and cut along the dotted lines with regular scissors. Lay the coffee filter flat. Fold it in half from top to bottom and make a crease. Then fold it in half again from left to right. It should look like a triangle. Use a piece of tape to secure it. Lay the cupcake liner upside down where the bottom of the liner is facing up. Push down on the bottom of the liner to flatten it out. Fold the flat liner in half from top to bottom. Be sure the color of the liner is showing after the fold. Cut the ribbon into eight-inch sections, and tie each section into a circle with a knot. Each child will need one circle. During the Activity: Tell the children to choose someone they love that they can make a gift for. Give the children suggestions of who they should choose: parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or friend. Give each child a coffee filter triangle and a yellow dot marker. Encourage the children to decorate their coffee filter with the marker. Give each child a folded cupcake liner and help them place it on the center of the coffee filter with the tip of the cupcake liner triangle at the top. Help the children glue the coffee filter onto the cupcake liner. It should look like an angel s body with wings. Give each child an Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds 2017 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com 5
angel s face and encourage them to glue it on the tip of the triangle of the filter. Tape the circle of ribbon to the back of the angel to create a hanger. Give each child a white bag and encourage the children to place the angel ornament inside the bag. Roll the top of the bag down to close the bag. Secure it with tape. Give each child a tag and help them tape the tag to the front of their bag. What You Say: Before the Activity: God gave us the BEST gift of all: Jesus! The angels told the shepherds to tell EVERYONE all about how God gave us Jesus. During the Activity: Everyone think of someone you love that you can make a very special gift for. It can be anyone that is special to you. It can be your mom or dad, brother or sister, a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, or a friend. Or it can be anyone else you may choose! (Pause.) Awesome! Now we can make our gift. We are going to make an angel to hang on the Christmas tree. (Hold up a finished ornament to show them.) This is the angel s body. (Hold up filter.) It is all white. We are going to use the yellow dot marker to put some gold on the angel s robe. (Allow the children to work.) Great job! Now let s glue on the angel s wings and face. (Finish activity.) Your someone special can hang this angel on their tree and be reminded of how the angels told everyone that God gave us Jesus. Great job, friends. Your angels are beautiful! Now let s place them in a bag and put a tag on it. (Finish the activity.) After the Activity: Your gifts are beautiful! Your someone special is going to be so excited to get this gift. This is a great way for you to tell them how the angels told everyone that [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus. We are so grateful for the AMAZING gift that God gave us: JESUS! How do we know God loves us? [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus! 4. Journal and Prayer Pray to God Prayer Activity Made to Reflect: An activity that encourages personal application and prayer What You Need: Memory Verse Card paper clipped in your Bible at Isaiah 9:6, journal, and a fun-shaped pen SMALL GROUP LEADER (SGL): It s Small Group time! If you re in my small group, follow me! I ll pretend I m a shepherd, and you pretend you are my sheep. Just baa-baabaa and follow me this way! (Lead children to your small group spot.) Great job, little sheep. (Pat each child on the head.) When I count to three, let s all sit down together so we can talk about the Bible story. One, two, three, sit down with me! Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds 2017 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com 6
Today s story was amazing! REAL angels went to the fields where the shepherds were taking care of their sheep and told them the most wonderful GOOD NEWS! Do you remember what the good news is? (Pause for response.) The good news is [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus! That s how we know God loves us. God gave us the most special gift He could ever give us: His Son, Jesus. How do we know God loves us? CHILDREN and SGL: [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus! SGL: Sing it loud like the angels! (Say in a singing voice) How do we know God loves us? CHILDREN and SGL: [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus! SGL: Let s say the Bible verse that will help us remember that [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus. (Open Bible to verse.) The verse says: God has given a son to us, Isaiah 9:6. (Close Bible and lay it down.) Stand up with me and say that verse together with the motions. Just say what I say and do what I do. CHILDREN and SGL: God (point arms straight up) has given (cup both hands in front of you like you are giving something) a son (rock your arms like you re holding a baby) to us (point your thumbs to your chest), Isaiah 9:6. (Hold hands open like a book.) (Repeat several times.) SGL: Perfect! High-fives for everyone! (Give each child a high-five.) Okay, friends, it s time to write in our journal and pray. Let s sit back down real close to each other so we can hear each other. (Hold journal and fun-shaped pen.) When the angels told the shepherds the good news that [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus, they ran to see baby Jesus. And then they ran to tell everyone else the good news! Now that we know the good news that [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus, who can we run and tell? When I say your name, tell me one person you can tell the good news that [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus. Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds 2017 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com 7
(Write each child s name and what they say beside their name. Remember to print the words they say so the children can recognize their names and the letters.) Look at all of these people we can tell the good news to. (Show them the list.) They need to hear the good news, and we can tell them! Let s close our eyes and put our hands together so we can pray. Would anyone like to pray before I pray? (Give each child who wants to pray the opportunity to do so.) Prayer SGL: Dear God, we have the best news ever to tell people. Please help (name each child) tell (read the list the children made) the good news that [Bottom Line] God gave us Jesus. We want everyone to know that You love us so much that You gave us Your Son, Jesus, to be our friend forever. We love You! In Jesus name, amen. Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds 2017 The rethink Group. All rights reserved. www.thinkorange.com 8