March 26, 2017 Week 4 - PDF Free Download

March 26, 2017 Week 4 Basic Truth: Jesus wants to be my friend forever. Key Question: How can you love like Jesus? Bottom Line: I can love everyone. Memory Verse: Love one another. John 13:34, NIV Bible Story Focus: I can love no matter what. Prodigal Son Luke 15:11-24 Make It Fun (Introductory Activities, 10 minutes) Prepare to offer the following activity as Your children arrive. Let one or two teachers lead activities in different areas of the room while another teacher greets parents and kids at the door. Welcome Time Go Back Go Back is an activity that teaches large motor and listening skills while introducing a concept of today s Bible story. What You Need: Masking or floor tape What You Do: Before the Activity: Place a long piece of tape on the floor of one side of the activity area. During the Activity: Have the children line up on the tape in a horizontal line facing you. Ask the children to do movements in different quantities toward you (for example: two hops, three giant steps, etc.). Suggested movements: baby steps, giant steps, kangaroo jumps, hops, skips, and twirls. Once the children are almost to you, shout, Go home, and encourage the children to run back to the taped line. Repeat the activity several times after the children have gone home. Be sure to change the quantities and order or movements. What You Say: Before the Activity: Come and stand on the tape! (Point.) The tape will be home base. When I say, Go home, I want everyone to run back to the tape. During the Activity: Be sure to listen very carefully! I am going to give you movements to do and say how many times I want you to do them. As you do the movements, come toward me. Are you ready? (Pause.) Okay, take three baby steps. (Pause.) Nice work! Now take four kangaroo hops. (Pause.) Great! Now GO HOME! (Pause.) Good listening! (Continue and finish activity.) 2011 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org 22

After the Activity: Great job, everyone! That was so much fun! Our story today is about someone who goes back home too. Are you ready to hear a TRUE story from the Bible? Make It True (Large Group, 15 minutes) After children have participated in Make It Fun, gather them for a large group time that includes interactive worship and Bible story. Worship What You Need: This month s worship song, His Love Never Ends, & Jesus Loves Everyone. WORSHIP LEADER: Hello, hello, friends. I can t wait to sing with you. But first tell me: How can you love like Jesus? CHILDREN and WORSHIP LEADER: [Bottom Line] I can love everyone. WORSHIP LEADER: Yes! [Bottom Line] I can love everyone. You got it! Let s sing this month s song. Lead children in singing His Love Never Ends, this month s worship song. WORSHIP LEADER: Wonderful singing, my friends. Tell me: How can you love like Jesus? CHILDREN and WORSHIP LEADER: [Bottom Line] I can love everyone. WORSHIP LEADER: Yes indeed, [Bottom Line] I can love everyone. Who can help me remember what we do next? We sang our first song. What do we do now? (Pause.) Yes! We say our memory verse. Are you ready to say it with me? Love (hug yourself and twist) one another (point to all your friends), John 13:34. (Open your hands like a book.) Let s do it again. CHILDREN and WORSHIP LEADER: Love (hug yourself and twist) one another (point to all your friends), John 13:34. (Open your hands like a book.) WORSHIP LEADER: Yes! You ve got it totally memorized now! Way to go! Let s sing one more song about Jesus and His love for us. 2011 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org 23

Lead children in singing Jesus Loves Everyone. So great! Remind me one more time: How can you love like Jesus? CHILDREN and WORSHIP LEADER: [Bottom Line] I can love everyone. Bible Story What You Need: Bible STORYTELLER: Hey, friends! (Grab the Bible.) Today I want to share one of my very favorite stories from the Bible! (Hold up Bible.) It s a story Jesus told about a father and a son. One day the son asked the dad if he could have the money he was supposed to get when he was older. The son wanted it now and he didn t want to wait. The dad didn t have to give him the money, but he loved his son, so he did. The son took the money and went far, far away. He had parties and he bought lots of clothes and toys and other stuff he wanted. He had a lot of fun spending all the money until one day the money ran out. He was out of money and all his party friends went away. No more parties. No more money. The son was alone. He didn t have a house, or money, or food. He got so hungry he tried to eat out of a pig trough with the pigs! It was then that he remembered his family back home. He had done so many wrong things. He d run away, taken his dad s money, and spent it all on things he didn t even need. If he went back home, would his dad still love him? What do you guys think? If he goes back, will his dad still love him and welcome him home? Well, let s find out. The son went home. When his dad saw him coming, he raced outside to hug his son! Quick, give yourselves a big hug! Hugs are awesome, aren t they? Of course his dad still loved him! There was nothing his son could do that would change that. Do you know why Jesus told that story? Because that s how much HE loves US. Jesus loves us no matter what! Even if someday you disobey your mom, or break something, or say mean words, Jesus will still love you. And one of the best things we can do for someone else is to love them like Jesus loves us. Tell me: How can you love like Jesus? CHILDREN and STORYTELLER: [Bottom Line] I can love everyone. STORYTELLER: The son messed up, but his dad still loved him no matter what. And Jesus loves you even more. Isn t that awesome? Let s pray. 2011 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org 24

Dear God, thank You for the story of this son and his forgiving father. Help us to forgive and love others too, because You love us! We can love like Jesus by loving everyone! Help us to do that this week. In Jesus name, amen. Make It Stick (Application Activities, 35 minutes) This activity is designed to help preschoolers understand and remember today s Bible story and Bottom Line. Activity- Connect the Heart Connect the Heart is an activity that uses fine motor skills and ordering to review today s Bible story. What You Need: Story Pictures and Heart Outline Activity Pages, white cardstock, scissors, crayons, and glue sticks ***Attention Craft Team- Please cut apart the story pictures. You ll need one set of Story Pictures per child. Please place a set of numbers 1, 2, 3, & 4 in a snack size resealable bag. You should have multiple sets. What You Do: Before the Activity: Copy the Story Pictures Activity Page onto white cardstock. Copy the Heart Outline Activity Page onto white cardstock. Provide one per child. Set the crayons and glue sticks in the center of the table. During the Activity: Point out each of the pictures, talk about what you see in each picture, and encourage the children to color them. When finished, pass out the Heart Outline Activity Page to each child and help them glue the pictures on the page in the order below: 1. Father and son 2. Money 3. Pig 4. Sad face Encourage the children to draw lines to connect the dots and reveal the heart on the page, connecting all the pictures from the story in the correct order. What You Say: During the Activity: These pictures will help us remember what happened in our Bible story today. In the first picture, there is a father and son. Remember how the son in our story today 2011 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org 25

asked his dad for some money so he could leave home? (Pause.) The father agreed. What s in the next picture? (Hold up picture and pause.) Yes, it s the money his father gave to him. The son left home and spent ALL the money he had been given. Soon there was nothing left and he was hungry! In this picture what do you see? (Hold up picture and pause.) Yes, pigs! The son was so hungry that he went to work for a farmer feeding the pigs. But he was so sad and lonely. Then he decided to go home and apologize to his dad. He was worried about whether or not his father would forgive him. See this face? (Hold up sad face picture.) This shows how sad he was about what he d done. But what did the father do when he saw his son on the road? (Pause.) He RAN out to meet him, gave him a big hug, and forgave his son because he loved him! The father loved his son no matter what. Great job, everyone! Now I want you to connect the dots on your page and tell me what you see. (Pause.) A heart! The lines and pictures connect to make a heart! How cool is that? After the Activity: We connected all these pictures with a heart to remind us that God loves us no matter what, just like the father loved his son in our story today. And God wants us to love others that way too. You can love and I can love no matter what. That s a BIG way to show love to everyone. How can you love like Jesus? [Bottom Line] I can love everyone. Let s take these pictures home and you can tell your parents about our Bible story this week and remember that [Bottom Line] I can love everyone. Dismissal - Name That Emoji Name That Emoji is an activity that uses sight recognition to help name different emotions as you review today s Bible story. What You Need: Emojis Activity Page, white cardstock, craft sticks, scissors, and glue ***Attention Craft Team- Please locate the Emojis Activity Page and cut out each emoji. Please place each set (1 happy, 1 sad, & 1 angry) in a Ziploc bag. What You Do: Before the Activity: Copy the Emojis Activity Page onto yellow cardstock and cut out. Each child will need one of each emoji nad 3 craft sticks. Have the children glue their emojis onto their craft sticks. During the Activity: Read the scenarios below and ask the children to choose an emoji to represent how they feel would feel in that situation and hold it up. What You Say: During the Activity: Do you see these faces? Let s talk about each one. (Hold up each emoji and identify the emotion for the children: happy, sad, or angry.) I want to give you a few 2011 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org 26

examples and I want you to hold up the face that shows the way you would feel in that situation. For example: Your mom tells you to go to time out because you disobeyed. Hold up the face that would show how you feel. (Pause.) Yes, I would be sad about that too. Okay, here are some other examples. When I read each one, I want you to hold up the face to show how you would feel in that situation. Scenarios: 1. Your brother breaks your brand new toy. 2. You dropped your ice cream cone. 3. You can t find your new stuffed animal. 4. You fight with your sister. 5. Your friend cuts in front of you in line. 6. Your brother eats the last cookie. 7. You want to play outside but it s raining. 8. Your ball rolls into the storm drain. 9. Your mom accidentally stepped on your new LEGO creation. 10. Your mom will not let you have another treat. After the Activity: Sometimes things happen that make us sad or angry. But God loves you all the time, no matter how you feel. He loves you when you re really, really mad and when you re super, super sad. And because He loves you, you can love others too, even when you re sad or angry. How can you love like Jesus? [Bottom Line] I can love everyone. 2011 Orange. All rights reserved. www.whatisorange.org 27