Jesus died and came back to life.

Jesus Rides Into Jerusalem Lesson 3 Bible Point Jesus died and came back to life. Bible Verse For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son (adapted from John 3:16). Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n hear how the people of Jerusalem praised Jesus, n experience the joy that comes from praising Jesus, and n teach Pockets that Jesus is worthy to be praised. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n Jesus rides into Jerusalem. Matthew 21:1-11 This moment in Jewish history had long been anticipated. Zechariah 9:9 predicted that the Messiah would come humble, riding on a donkey riding on a donkey s colt. Without question, the Jews along Jesus path made this connection and knew what it meant. Their celebration made this clear as they covered Jesus path with their outer robes and with branches a demonstration of honor and submission. The cries of the people were also significant. They shouted, Praise God! As they referred to Jesus as the one who comes in the name of the Lord and spoke plainly of the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David, they were making clear references to the Messiah predicted many times in the Old Testament. When we choose to live for Jesus, everything changes. We honor him in every facet of our lives. We honor him not only through our worship but also through our obedience, service, witness, and gratitude. Prayer Read Zechariah 9:9. What areas of your life do you need to turn over to Jesus rule? Pray: God, help the children I teach to see that you rule in my life, so that they will want you to Before the Lesson n Collect the necessary items for the activities you plan to use. Refer to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies columns to determine what you ll need. n Make photocopies of the Today I Learned handout at the end of this lesson to send home with your children. n Pray for the children in your class and for God s direction in teaching the lesson. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 43

Lesson 3 This Lesson at a Glance Welcome Time Let s Get Started Direct children to one or more of the optional activities until everyone arrives. What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome! Receive name tags, and be greeted by the teacher. Option 1: Handy Palm Fronds Trace their hands and make palm fronds. Option 2: Paper Party Coats Make celebration coats. Option 3: Capital Builders Build a city like Jerusalem. Butterfly Name Tags (p. 26), markers, tape or safety pins Green construction paper, pencils, strips of poster board, scissors, stapler Large paper grocery sacks, crayons, stickers, fabric scraps, glitter glue, glue sticks, scissors Boxes, paper sacks, newspapers, masking tape, markers Bible Story Time Pick Up Our Toys Sing a song as they pick up toys, and gather for Bible Story Time. Setting the Stage Follow clues to find items for a celebration. CD player Handy Palm Frond from Option 1, Paper Party Coat from Option 2 Bible Song and Prayer Time Sing a song, bring out the Bible, and pray together. Bible, construction paper, scissors, CD player, basket or box Hear and Tell the Bible Story Act out Matthew 21:1 11 and learn how Jesus entered Jerusalem. Bible, City of Jerusalem from Option 3, Handy Palm Fronds from Option 1, Paper Party Coats from Option 2 Do the Bible Story Sing a song and praise Jesus. Handy Palm Fronds from Option 1, CD player Closing Praises for Pockets Praise Pockets for receiving a special reward. Praise and Prayer Pals Sing a song, and then pray with a small group. Cookies, napkins Paper Party Coats from Option 2, CD player *See the end of this lesson for extra-time ideas and supplies. 44 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

Jesus Rides Into Jerusalem Welcome Time n Welcome! SUPPLIES: Butterfly Name Tags handout (p. 26), markers, tape or safety pins Bend down and make eye contact with children as they arrive. Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. Thank each child for coming to class today. As children arrive, ask them about last week s Today I Learned... activities. Use questions such as How did you bring glory to God last week? and What reminders did you use to help you bring glory to God? Easter egg messages? Say: Today we re going to learn that Jesus died and came back to life. Hand out the butterfly name tags children made in Lesson 1, and help children attach the name tags to their clothing. If some of the name tags were damaged or if some of the children weren t in class last week, have them make new name tags using the photocopiable patterns. Direct children to the Let s Get Started activities you ve set up. Let s Get Started Set up one or more of the following activities for children to do as they arrive. After you greet each child, invite him or her to choose an activity. Circulate among the children to offer help as needed and direct children s conversation toward today s lesson. Ask questions such as How do you celebrate at a party? or What would you do if someone special came to visit? If you don t choose this option, you ll need to make one palm frond for each child before class. You ll use the fronds during the lesson. n Option 1: Handy Palm Fronds SUPPLIES: green construction paper, pencils, strips of poster board, scissors, stapler Set out scissors, a stapler, green construction paper, and 2x12-inch strips of poster board. Have each child fold a sheet of construction paper into fourths and then lay a hand on the paper and trace around it. Encourage children to trace around their fingertips rather than between each finger. Have each child cut out his or her handprint and staple it to a strip of poster board to make a palm frond. Let children make extra palm fronds for those who don t choose this option. As children work, explain that the people of Jerusalem placed palm fronds on the ground in front of Jesus to praise him. n Option 2: Paper Party Coats SUPPLIES: large paper grocery sacks, crayons, stickers, fabric scraps, glitter glue, glue sticks, scissors Gather enough large paper grocery sacks for each child in your class to have one. To make paper coats, cut each sack up the center, cut a hole in the bottom, and cut armholes on opposite sides of each sack. If you don t choose this option, you ll need to make one paper coat for each child before class. You ll use the coats later in the lesson. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 45

Lesson 3 Set out crayons, the paper coats, and your choice of decorating items, such as stickers, markers, fabric scraps, glitter glue, glue sticks, or pieces of shiny wrapping paper. Encourage children to decorate colorful celebration coats. As children work, explain that today they ll hear about a time when people placed their nice coats in the road ahead of Jesus for his donkey to walk on. Let children make extra coats for those who don t choose this option. n Option 3: Capital Builders SUPPLIES: boxes, paper sacks, newspapers, masking tape, markers Set out a variety of building materials including boxes, paper grocery sacks, paper lunch sacks, newspapers, masking tape, and markers. Encourage children to use these items to build a city like Jerusalem. Have children use markers to draw windows, doors, and bricks or stones on the buildings. Explain that today s story is about the time Jesus entered Jerusalem in a very special way. Leave the city standing for the Hear and Tell the Bible Story activity. When everyone has arrived and you re ready to move on to the Bible Story Time, encourage the children to finish what they re doing and get ready to clean up. n Pick Up Our Toys SUPPLIES: CD player Lead children in singing Pick Up Our Toys (track 2) with the track 2 CD to the tune of Skip to My Lou. Encourage the children to sing along as they help clean up the room. You ll be using this song each week to alert children to start picking up. At first they may need a little encouragement. But after a few weeks, picking up and singing along will become a familiar routine. If you want to include the names of all the children in your class, sing the song without the CD and repeat the naming section. If you choose to use the CD, vary the names you use each week. Make sure to return Learning Lab items back to the box when you re done using them so they can be used in future lessons! We will pick up our toys. We will pick up our toys. We will pick up our toys And put them all away. There s [name] picking up toys. There s [name] picking up toys. There s [name] picking up toys, Putting them all away. (Repeat.) 46 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

Jesus Rides Into Jerusalem Bible Story Time n Setting the Stage SUPPLIES: Handy Palm Frond from Option 1, Paper Party Coat from Option 2 Before this activity, hide a Handy Palm Frond from Option 1, a Paper Party Coat from Option 2, and the Jesus Death and Resurrection book in different places in your classroom. Tell children you ll clap your hands to get their attention. Explain that when you clap your hands, children are to stop what they re doing, raise their hands, and focus on you. Encourage children to respond quickly so you ll have time for all the fun activities you ve planned. Have the children stand around you. Say: Raise your hand if you like to go to parties. Let the children respond with a show of hands. It looks like just about everyone likes to go to parties. Ask: What do you celebrate at parties? (Birthdays; Christmas; Easter.) What kinds of things do you do at a celebration? (Play games; eat cake; sing songs.) Say: Parties are fun! Today we ll hear about a big celebration in the city of Jerusalem. But first we ll have a treasure hunt to find things we ll need for our own celebration. Form three groups. Say: Group 1 will look for a Handy Palm Frond, Group 2 will look for a Paper Party Coat, and Group 3 will look for our book. Give children in each group a simple clue as to where you ve hidden their item. Encourage groups to walk, not run, as they search for the items. Instruct children to bring the items to you and then sit in a circle. Say: Everyone did a super job following my clues. This palm frond, coat, and book will help us celebrate a very special story! Jesus friends followed directions to help prepare for the celebration, just like you followed my clues to find these items. Today we ll learn that we can celebrate because Jesus died and came back to life. It s important to say the Bible Point just as it s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point over and over throughout the lesson will help kids remember it and apply it to their lives. n Bible Song and Prayer Time SUPPLIES: Bible, construction paper, scissors, basket or box, CD player Before class, make surprise cards for this activity by track 3 cutting construction paper into 2x6-inch slips. Prepare a surprise card for each child plus a few extras for visitors. Fold the cards in half, and then stamp the butterfly stamp inside one of the surprise cards. Bookmark Matthew 21:1-11 in the Bible you ll be using. Have the children sit in a circle. Say: Each week when we come to our circle for our Bible story, I ll choose someone to be the Bible person. The Bible person will bring me the Bible marked with our Bible story for that week. Before I choose today s Bible person, let s learn our Bible song. As we sing, I ll pass out surprise cards. Don t look inside your surprise card until the song is over. Lead the children in singing Read God s Book (track 3) with the CD to the tune of The Muffin Man. As you sing, pass out the folded surprise cards. Choose a Bible you ll use for this section of the lesson each week. A children s Bible, such as the Hands-On Bible in the easy-tounderstand New Living Translation, works best. Some of the children in your class may be learning to read. If children can understand the words in the Bible, they ll have more interest in reading it and they ll learn more from it. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 47

Lesson 3 Now it s time to read God s book, Read God s book, read God s book. Now it s time to read God s book. Let s hear a Bible story. Now it s time to read God s book, Read God s book, read God s book. Now it s time to read God s book. Let s hear a Bible story. (Repeat.) After the song, say: You may look inside your surprise cards. The person who finds the butterfly stamped inside his or her card will be our Bible person for today. Identify the Bible person, and then have the rest of the children clap for him or her. Ask the Bible person to bring you the Bible. Help the Bible person open the Bible to the marked place and show children where your story comes from. Then have the Bible person sit down. Say: [Name] was our special Bible person today. Each week, we ll have only one Bible person, but each one of you is a special part of our class! Today we re all learning that Jesus died and came back to life. Let s say a special prayer now and thank God for sending Jesus to us. I ll pass around this basket. When the basket comes to you, put your surprise card in it and say, Thank you, God, for sending Jesus. Pass around the basket or box. When you ve collected everyone s surprise card, set the basket aside and pick up the Bible. Lead the children in this prayer. God, thank you for the Bible and all the stories in it. Teach us today that Jesus died and came back to life. In Jesus name, amen. n Hear and Tell the Bible Story SUPPLIES: Bible, city of Jerusalem from Option 3, Handy Palm Fronds from Option 1, Paper Party Coats from Option 2 Before this activity, give two children each a plastic egg. Show them how to take the egg apart and tap the open ends together to make the sound of hooves walking on cobblestones. Have the children conceal their eggs until you give them the signal to make hoof sounds. Explain that the signal will be when you put your finger on the tip of your nose. Gather children near the city of Jerusalem from Option 3. If you didn t do this option, bring a Bible picture book to show children what the city looked like. Have children bring their Handy Palm Fronds and Paper Party Coats from Let s Get Started to the story area. Open the Bible to the book of Matthew. Point to the Bible and say: Today s story is from the book of Matthew in the Bible. Our book shows pictures of our Bible story. We ll act out part of this story, so I ll need some volunteers. 48 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

Jesus Rides Into Jerusalem Choose one child to be the colt, several children to be Jesus followers, and a group of children to be the people of Jerusalem. Have the colt and Jesus followers stand away from the people of Jerusalem. Say: Now put on your Paper Party Coats and hold your Handy Palm Fronds. Form two lines and face each other. Open the book to the first page. As you tell the story, cue children when to act out their parts. Say: It was almost time for the Passover holiday. At Passover people celebrated the way God protected the Israelites and freed them from the wicked Pharaoh. Like most people, Jesus and his friends were going to the big city of Jerusalem to celebrate. Before they got to the city, Jesus sent two of his friends ahead. He told them to find a donkey and her colt and bring the animals back to him. Jesus followers obeyed and brought the donkey and colt to Jesus. Then Jesus followers laid their coats on the colt s back and Jesus climbed on. Turn to the next picture, and give the egg-holders their special signal. As Jesus rode into town, the people of Jerusalem got very excited. Let s pretend Jesus is riding into Jerusalem on the path between us! Instruct the people of Jerusalem to point and act excited. The people lined the streets as if it were a parade. Some people brought palm fronds to lay on the street in front of Jesus. They wanted to show Jesus that they thought he was wonderful! Let the children place the palm fronds along the path. People also laid their nice coats on the road in front of Jesus for his colt to walk on. That showed Jesus that he was special like a king! Have children lay their paper coats in the path. As Jesus rode through the streets, people shouted, Hosanna, blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! They were praising and worshipping Jesus. Let s praise him like the people did that day. Stand and lead the children in saying hosanna several times. Children may want to clap their hands and stomp their feet with excitement. You may want to lead children in a wave to celebrate the excitement of Jesus arrival! There was a great celebration when Jesus came to Jerusalem. The people were excited and wanted to show Jesus how much they loved him. Let s give a great big Hosanna! and then sit down. Collect the plastic eggs, and put them away and out of sight. Show children the relevant pictures from the book as you ask: What did Jesus ask his friends to get for him? (A donkey and a colt; animals to ride on.) What did the people of Jerusalem do when they saw Jesus riding through town? (They shouted hosanna ; they laid their coats in the street; they praised Jesus; they set palm leaves in the street.) Why did the people do those things? (To show they loved Jesus; to praise Jesus; because they were glad that Jesus was there.) Say: Because Jesus died and came back to life, we can celebrate the joy Jesus brings us every day! Ask: Why is it good to praise Jesus? (Because it makes him feel good; it lets Jesus know we love him; it shows others that we love God.) How can we praise Jesus today? (By coming to church; by singing songs; by obeying Jesus; by telling Jesus how much we love him.) Say: Our Bible verse for today is adapted from John 3:16, and this is what it says: For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 49

Lesson 3 Son. Every time we praise Jesus, we can remember how much God loves us so much that Jesus died and came back to life! Let s put these palm fronds to good use by praising Jesus with a song! Return the Jesus Death and Resurrection book to the Learning Lab. n Do the Bible Story SUPPLIES: Handy Palm Fronds from Option 1, CD player Say: Just like the people of Jerusalem, we can celebrate track 4 and praise Jesus, too! Let s praise him with this song. Lead the children in singing Let s All Sing (track 4) to the tune of Old MacDonald Had a Farm with the CD. Have children march around the room, Follow-the-Leader style, waving their palm fronds in the air. Let s all sing and praise the Lord. Ho-ho-hosanna! Jesus lives forevermore. Ho-ho-hosanna! He s the Son of God, Who showed his love; Praise to God in heaven above! Let s all sing and praise the Lord. Ho-ho-hosanna! (Repeat.) Turn off the CD player, and have the children sit down in a circle. Say: Because Jesus died and came back to life, he s the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That s why we praise him with such joy! And when we put our trust in Jesus, he is our forever friend, too. That s something to get excited about! We ve had such a good time celebrating today. I wonder if Pockets would like to join in the fun. Let s call her and find out. Pockets! Pockets! Closing n Praises for Pockets SUPPLIES: cookies, napkins Before class, wrap a cookie in a napkin and tuck it into Pockets pouch. Bring out Pockets the Kangaroo, and go through the following script. When you finish the script, put Pockets away and out of sight. 50 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

Jesus Rides Into Jerusalem Teacher: Pockets: Teacher: Pockets: Teacher: Pockets: Teacher: Pockets: Teacher: Pockets: Pockets, it looks like you ve got a yummy treat in your pouch! My mommy let me help her bake cookies today. She said I was such a good helper that I deserved a tasty treat. So she gave me this yummy cookie! Your mom probably appreciated your helpfulness. I m proud of you! (Humbly) That s what my mommy said, too. How does it feel to get such a special treat? It feels super! It s great to hear people say such nice things about me. You know, we re just learning about a time when Jesus heard people say nice things to him, too. Who can tell Pockets what happened when Jesus went into Jerusalem? (Allow children to tell Pockets that Jesus was praised as he entered Jerusalem. Encourage them to tell Pockets what the people did and said.) The people knew that Jesus was very special. Wow! They really did all that for Jesus? That s kind of like getting a reward except a bunch of people gave it to him! That s right. The people were celebrating that Jesus was the King they d heard so much about. We can celebrate, too, because we know that Jesus died and came back to life. I want to celebrate right now! I m going to find my friend Sarah and have a cookie party to celebrate how wonderful Jesus is! Permission to photocopy this script from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum, Pre-K & K, granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. HandsOnBible.com Have Pockets help you distribute cookies to everyone before he leaves. Encourage kids to wave goodbye to Pockets. n Praise and Prayer Pals SUPPLIES: Paper Party Coats from Option 2, CD player Say: We ve had such a good time praising and track 4 celebrating Jesus! Let s put on our Paper Party Coats and sing our praise song again to help remind us that Jesus died and came back to life. This time, we ll add some new motions. Lead the children in singing Let s All Sing (track 4) with the CD to the tune of Old MacDonald Had a Farm. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 51

Lesson 3 Let s all sing and praise the Lord. (Clap hands.) Ho-ho-hosanna! (Hop forward twice, and then raise hands and shake them.) Jesus lives forevermore. (Clap hands.) Ho-ho-hosanna! (Hop forward twice, and then raise hands and shake them.) He s the Son of God (point to heaven), Who showed his love (hug self); Praise to God in heaven above! (Hop back twice, and then raise hands and shake them.) Let s all sing and praise the Lord. (Clap hands.) Ho-ho-hosanna! (Hop forward twice, and then raise hands and shake them.) (Repeat.) Form groups of four. Say: As a closing prayer, have each person in your group tell one thing he or she loves about Jesus. You may think of things like Jesus love, gentleness, kindness, or protection. When each person in your group has told one thing, join hands and shout Amen! Remind children to take their palm fronds and wear their party coats home. Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Today I Learned handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage parents to use the handout to plan meaningful family activities to reinforce this week s topic. 52 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6

Jesus Rides Into Jerusalem For Extra Time If you have a long class time or want to add additional elements to your lesson, try one of the following activities. n Lively Learning: Cobblestone Relay Form teams of four, and have each team line up at one end of the room. Give each team two paper plates. Tell children that the street Jesus rode on was probably made of cobblestones. Explain that cobblestones were fist-sized stones used to make streets and roads. Tell children that the paper plates will be cobblestones in this game. Have the first child in each line begin the race. Show children how to put a plate on the ground and step on it. Then place the other plate a few feet in front of the first one, step on it, and pick up the first plate. Instruct children to continue this process until they reach the opposite wall. Then have them pick up both plates, hop back to their teams, and hand the plates to the next person in line. Continue until everyone has had a chance to race. n Make to Take: Donkey Ears Before class, make enough photocopies of the Donkey Ears handout (p. 54) for each child to have one. Cut a 24-inch strip of construction paper for each child. Let children color and cut out the donkey ears, and then help them tape the ears to the middle of the construction paper strips. Measure the strips around the children s heads, and then cut the ends and tape them so the headbands fit snugly. Children may wear their donkey ears as they trot and prance around the room singing praise songs. n Treat to Eat: Palm Frond Celery Sticks Set out plastic knives, cream cheese, and clean celery stalks with the leaves attached. Let children fill their celery stalks with cream cheese to make tasty palm fronds. As children work, talk about how the people of Jerusalem waved their palm fronds as they praised Jesus. See page 5. n Story Picture: Jesus Triumphal Entry Hand each child a photocopy of the Today I Learned handout. Set out glue and real or paper leaves. Have the children glue the leaves on the road in front of Jesus. Remind them that we can praise Jesus, too, because Jesus died and came back to life. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Pre-K & K, Ages 5 & 6 53

Donkey Ears Photocopy the handout. After children cut out and color the ears, help them attach the ears to a 24-inch strip of construction paper. Wrap the strip around each child s head and secure it with transparent tape. 54 Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum, Pre-K & K, granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. HandsOnBible.com

Today your child learned that Jesus died and came back to life. Children heard how the people of Jerusalem praised Jesus as he rode through the city on a donkey. They talked about why we praise Jesus and how they can praise Jesus, too. Verse to Learn For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son (adapted from John 3:16). Ask Me... l What did people say as Jesus rode through Jerusalem? l Why is it important to praise Jesus? l How can our family worship and praise Jesus today? Jesus died and came back to life. Lesson 3 Family Fun l Have each family member trace his or her hand on green construction paper. Cut out the hands, and have each person finish the sentence I love Jesus because on his or her hand cutout. Staple the hands to a strip of poster board or cardboard. Hang your Praisin Palms palm frond where it will remind you to praise Jesus every day. Jesus Triumphal Entry (Matthew 21:1-11) Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum, Pre-K & K, granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. HandsOnBible.com 55