God s Unfolding Story - PDF Free Download

Bible Story: God Made People (Genesis 1:1-31, 2:7-8; 15-24) Bible Phrase: God made people (Genesis 1:27). Bible Truth: God made people. Old Testament Unit 1: God s Creation Lesson 4: God Made People God s Unfolding Story 1. God created everything. 2. People disobeyed God. 3. God chose a special people. 4. God sent Jesus to help us. 5. Jesus began the Church. 6. Jesus is preparing heaven for us. Suggested Schedule: Arrival Centers 25 minutes Clean-up Time 5 minutes Bible Story Time 15 minutes Craft Time 10 minutes Snack Time 10 minutes Game Time/Dismissal Hour A Unfolding God s Story for Teachers This week we ll study God s creation of His highest and most precious creatures human beings. Review His creation of the world, plants, and animals, and read about His creating people in Genesis 1:1-31; 2:7-8,15-24. God had prepared the world for His most significant creation. One can envision His making everything ready and perfect, as if He were receiving longawaited guests. Each creative act had been completed in anticipation of this climactic event. We may have our first glimpse of the Trinity in what apparently is a conversation: Let Us make man in Our image (Gen. 1:26). God did not speak man into existence; He reached down and gathered dust and formed the man (see 2:7). In addition to creating animals with His word (see 1:20,24), God also formed animals out of the ground (see 2:19). Yet man was and is unique. The Hebrew word for formed is used of a potter working with his clay (see Jer. 18:1-6). A potter shapes with care and tenderness, and it was with love and care that God shaped man from earth s soil (see also Isa. 44:24). Yet the man was not just of this earth. God breathed into him the very breath of life (see Gen. 2:7). This connected him to the divine. God created man in His image; He did not do this with any other creature. What does this likeness (see 1:26) mean? Possibly it points to our personalities, appreciation of beauty, free will, and moral and spiritual qualities. God created us for relationship with Him, a kind of relationship no other type of creature can have. The rest of Scripture is concerned with the relationship between God and man. God did not want this relationship to be mandatory, and it is not. We can choose to worship and commune with God or to ignore Him and seek our own way, our own gods but every choice brings consequences. Man was accountable to God from the beginning, when God told him to not eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see 2:16-17). Also from the beginning, man was given responsibility and purpose. The words to work it and watch over it (see v. 15) refer to man s care of the garden. As he obeyed, the man would be serving the Lord. We are reminded of the verse, whatever you do, do everything for God s glory (1 Cor. 10:31). Adam, which means man, was the man s name. God gave him the task of naming the animals. How long might it have taken Adam to realize each animal had a partner while he did not? (See Gen. 2:19-20.) God remedied the situation by graciously giving Adam a companion. The word for helper in verses 18 and 20 is the same word God uses to refer to Himself in Psalm 33:20. It refers to one who can supply what is lacking. God s high intention for women is clear. God created the woman as well as the man in His image (see Gen. 1:27). Now with God s blessing, the first couple could Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it (v. 28). Lesson Plan Arrival Greet children at eye level and express how happy you are to see them. Be sure each child has a name tag and the security measures of your church are followed. Label all coats and personal belongings. Strongly encourage children who have brought items from home, such as toys and books, to place them on a shelf while they are working with other materials. Assure children their items will be safe and they can take them home at the end of the session. Help each child make a choice where he or she would like to begin his or her Center Time. God s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers, Copyright 2013 - SundaySchoolZone.com OT01 Lesson 4 Hour A Page 1

Puzzle Center: Work Puzzles wooden or cardboard puzzles for the children to work. What to Do: Encourage each child to finish a puzzle before leaving the center. Offer guidance rather than working the puzzle for the child. Link to the Bible Story: As children work, take advantage of opportunities to say the Bible Phrase or to briefly tell the Bible story. Home Living Center: Role Play unit, small table and chairs; plastic dishes, child pots and pans, plastic food items; and doll items such as baby doll, doll bed, doll bag, blanket, clothes, bottles, and diapers. What to Do: Home living items will encourage children to role play home activities such as cooking, cleaning, and caring for the baby. Link to the Bible Story: As children play, look for opportunities to engage in conversation about the Bible story, Bible Phrase, or Bible truth. Center Time Art Center: Make Handprints child) plate for paint What to Do: Print today s Bible Phrase on each paper. To make handprints, paint a child s palms and fingers and help them press their fingers and palms on the paper. Link to the Bible Story: As children work, say today s Bible Phrase, God made people (Genesis 1:27). Express that God made each person different and that no two people are exactly alike. Comment that even identical twins have different fingerprints. Bible Learning Center: Learn about Myself Me (Reproducible) What to Do: Invite children to draw their features and clothes on the paper doll outline. Talk with each child about his or her hair, eye, and skin color, and write that information on each child s paper. Link to the Bible Story: Read the Bible Phrase and talk about the uniqueness of each child and how special each one of them is to God. Block Center: Build with Blocks What to Do: Provide a small carpet if possible. Blocks are best located in a corner of the room away from the traffic flow. Link to the Bible Story: As children build, listen for opportunities to share the Bible Phrase or to tell a part of the Bible story. God s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers, Copyright 2013 - SundaySchoolZone.com OT01 Lesson 4 Hour A Page 2

Clean-up Time Encourage preschoolers to help at clean-up time. Assign specific tasks for preschoolers to do such as placing all the crayons in the basket, throwing away the trash, gathering all the glue sticks, etc. Guide children to the Bible Story Time area. Bible Story Time People (Reproducible) (Reproducible/Cardstock) Introduction Express to boys and girls even though there are many different stories in the Bible all true these come together to form one big story we can call God s Unfolding Story. Tell the children that each picture on the cube represents a part of God s Unfolding Story. Turn the cube and talk about each point of the story. (Refer to page 1.) Express that every story in the Bible is from one of these main points in God s Unfolding Story. Today s story is from the first point: God Created Everything. We have learned from our Bible stories that God made the world, the plants, and the animals. What did God say about all He had created? Yes, He said it was good. Still, God was not through creating. God wanted to make a man. A man would be able to talk with God and be a friend of God. Also, God could be his friend. Listen to hear how this happened. Bible Story God Made the People (Genesis 1:1-31; 2:7-8,15-24) God had made a beautiful world. He had created the sun, moon and stars. God had made the water, the dry land, and all the plants. He had created all kinds of animals as well, but God was not finished with His work. The last creatures He would make would be special and different from all the rest. God reached down and took some dust from the earth, and He formed a man. God breathed life into the man, and He named the man Adam. God put Adam in a beautiful garden and gave him work to do. One thing He told Adam to do was to name every animal He had created. He also asked Adam to take care of the garden. These were important jobs, so Adam got busy and named all the animals. He named the tame animals such as the cows, sheep, and rabbits. He named the wild animals such as the tigers, elephants, apes, and bears. Adam also named every bird that flew in the air and that walked on the ground. But for Adam something someone was missing. There was no one like Adam, no other human being. God wanted Adam to have a helper, so He created a woman. The woman was like Adam because she was a person, but she was different from Adam because she was a woman and Adam was a man. She was just what he needed! The woman was very beautiful, and Adam named her Eve. God looked at everything He had made and said, It is very good! Adam and Eve were the first family. They enjoyed being together working in the garden and watching all the animals God had created. God loved Adam and Eve, and Adam and Eve loved God. It was a perfect world. Talk Time 1. Show the teaching picture for today s Bible story. Ask questions like these. Who created people? What jobs did God give to Adam? What did God say about all He had created? 2. Say today s Bible Phrase together, God made people (Genesis 1:27). Tell the boys and girls that people were, and are, God s greatest creation. Comment that God created people to have a relationship with Him. Animals can t know God in the special way people can know Him. 3. Close the Bible Story Time in prayer, thanking God for His beautiful world, the animals in it, and the people He made, including each boy and girl. 4. Direct children to Craft Time. God s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers, Copyright 2013 - SundaySchoolZone.com OT01 Lesson 4 Hour A Page 3

Craft Time Bird Feeder What to Do: Cut lengths of yarn approximately 20 long. String a cereal piece to one end of each string. Tie it to prevent the other stringed cereal pieces from coming off the string. Wrap a small amount of tape on the other end of each string to help with threading. Invite boys and girls to string the O-shaped cereal to their strings. When the children have finished putting the cereal on the yarn, assist them in tying. Link to Bible Story: As children work, remind them of the Bible Phrase God made people (Genesis 1:27). Comment to boys and girls that in addition to naming the animals, God wanted Adam to care for the garden and the animals. We can help take care of the animals as well by providing feeders that make food available for birds. Ask boys and girls to take their feeders home and hang them in the trees for the birds. Snack Time Be sure to wash hands or use hand sanitizer. Say a thank-you prayer to God for the snack. When snack time has ended, encourage preschoolers to help with cleaning up. Game Time/Dismissal What Do I Do! Ask the children to join you in a circle in the Game Time area. Explain to children you will do a certain motion or say something special, and they are to do what you do. Some suggestions for actions and commands are: (Genesis 1:27). God made people (Genesis 1:27). Phrase, God made people Genesis 1:27. Talk to boys and girls about how wonderful human bodies are because God made them that way. Dismiss children when parents arrive. Be sure to follow your church s security guidelines. God s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers, Copyright 2013 - SundaySchoolZone.com OT01 Lesson 4 Hour A Page 4

Resources and Supplies Old Testament Unit 1: God s Creation Lesson 4: God Made People Hour A Standard Art Supplies (Supplies that are generally in the room) Washable markers Crayons Child scissors Playdough and accessories Drawing paper Easel (optional) Glue/glue sticks Tempera paint, 4 colors Tape/masking tape Pencils/colored pencils Hole punch Teacher scissors Stapler/staples Permanent markers Watercolors Paintbrushes Yarn Standard Equipment (Equipment that is generally in the room) Bible Small beanbag for Bible Story Time Assorted wooden/cardboard puzzles Set of wooden blocks Small cars and trucks Doll bed Baby doll (soft plastic) Stove/sink unit Play dishes/pots and pans Small table and chairs Small carpet for block area Play food items Storage shelf for blocks Tables and chairs for art, puzzles, and Bible Learning Center CD player/children s Worship CDs Reproducibles (Included with the lesson plan downloads) Activity Page, God Made Me (1 copy per child) Teaching Picture, God Made People (1 copy per class) God s Unfolding Story Cube (Cardstock 1 copy per class) Parent Page (1 copy per child) Additional Art and Bible Learning Materials White construction paper (1 sheet per child) Additional Craft Materials O-shaped cereal Additional Block Materials Plastic animals God s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers, Copyright 2013 - SundaySchoolZone.com OT01 Lesson 4 Hour A

God Made Me! My eyes are. My hair color is. My skin color is. God made people. Genesis 1:27 Activity Page: God Made Me Instructions: Copy one sheet per child. Color add facial features and clothes for a self portrait. Teachers help with filling in the blanks. OT01 Lesson 4 Hour A Center Time: Bible Learning Center God s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers, Copyright 2013 - SundaySchoolZone.com

Coloring Page, God Made People Instructions: One copy per child. Paint the Bible story picture with water colors. God made people. Genesis 1:27 OT01 Lesson 4 Hour B Center Time: Art Center God s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers, Copyright 2013 - SundaySchoolZone.com