Jesus at the Temple Bible Story Matthew 2:19-23; Luke 2:41-52 Teacher Challenge When they found Jesus amazing the religious leaders, Mary and Joseph realized that Jesus hadn t considered Himself lost His Father was with Him. He was at home! Imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt trying to raise Jesus! They knew God had called them to care for Him and protect Him. But at times, they must have wondered, Are we teaching Him anything at all? Who is teaching whom? What is something you ve been amazed to learn through a child? How has God used that understanding in your life? and Me Remember that God is with you! In whatever situation causing worry, you can choose to be at home in Him. Whenever you feel alone, remember that your Father is in control, ready to hold you. Share specific instances of God s care in your life with your class. Thank God together for His loving ways! Teacher s Planning 1. Choose which centers you will provide and the order in which children will participate in them. For tips on schedule planning, see page 9. 2. Plan who will lead each center, making sure to have one adult for approximately every six children. For staffing tips and ideas, see page 12. 2010 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Growing with God Leader s Guide 169
Play to Learn Active Game Center: Musical Verse Bible, Musical Verse Papers 1-5 on Growing with God CD-ROM, Preschool Music #2 CD and player, chairs. Prepare Place chairs in a circle facing out, one for each child. Place Musical Verse Papers under random chairs in the circle. and Me 1. Children play a game like Musical Chairs. As you play How Good It Is (track 17 on CD), children walk around the circle of chairs. When you stop the music, children sit in the nearest seat. 2. Ask one volunteer with a Musical Verse Paper under their chair to stand up and hand you their paper. Children repeat the verse after you as you say verse aloud. Child places paper back under chair. Play another round. Read a different verse each round. Talk About In today s Bible story, Mary, Joseph and Jesus went on a trip. In Bible times, people usually walked when they went on trips. Let s play a game where we walk in a circle. Nathan, let s read the verse on your paper. These words come from the Bible. God gives us the Bible to teach us how to live. God wants us to (be kind to one another). The Bible says, Teach me your way, O Lord. Lord is another name for God. God helps us learn about Him. Pray briefly, Dear God, thank You for loving us. Help us learn about You. For Younger Children Place a Musical Verse Paper under only one chair. The child who sits in the chair with the verse stands up and holds the verse for you to read aloud. Replace the paper with a different verse each round. For Older Children Instead of walking while music plays, children count as they move a specific number of chairs around the circle. Everyone move four chairs to your right. Specify a number between one and five. 170 2010 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Growing with God Leader s Guide
Play to Learn Art Center: Our Church Bible, Our Church Circle Pattern from Growing with God CD-ROM, a large sheet of butcher paper, markers, tape, scissors, glue sticks. Prepare Draw a simple outline of a room or building on butcher paper (see sketch). (Optional: If your church building or classroom has a recognizable feature, add that to the outline.) Print verse on top of butcher paper. Tape butcher paper to wall. Print several copies of Our Church Circle Pattern and cut out several circles for each child. 1. Children name the people they come to church with. Give them the appropriate number of circles. Children draw on circles the facial features for each person. 2. Children take turns gluing their circle faces in the building outline on butcher paper. Talk About In our Bible story today, Mary, Joseph and Jesus walked to the Temple. The Temple was like a big church. We come to church with our families. Let s fill this church building with people! Taylor, what do we learn at church? That s right, we learn about God! We learn that God loves us. Mason, who reads the Bible to you? Your dad is helping you learn about God. The Bible tells us about God. The Bible says, Teach me your way, O Lord. Lord is another name for God. We come to church to learn about God. Pray briefly, Dear God, thank You for the Bible. Thank You that we can learn about You at church. and Me For Younger Children Draw a small room or building outline on sheets of construction paper, one for each child. Each child glues circle faces onto his or her own sheet of construction paper. For Older Children Children complete additional circle faces representing other people at church they know Sunday School teachers, pastors, extended family members, friends. Help children label faces as desired. 2010 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Growing with God Leader s Guide 171
Play to Learn Construction Center: Block Temple Bible, blocks, several cardboard paper towel tubes, a sheet of poster board, toy people. 1. Children build a big building with blocks. Children use paper towel rolls as columns and place the poster board on top as a roof. and Me 2. Children use toy people to show Mary, Joseph and Jesus walking to the Temple, Mary and Joseph walking away from the Temple, searching for Jesus, and then finding Jesus in the Temple. Talk About Our Bible story today tells about the time that Mary and Joseph and Jesus went to a place like a church to pray to God. It was a big building in the city of Jerusalem. The building was called the Temple. Let s build a big building with blocks. On their way home from the Temple, Mary and Joseph couldn t find Jesus. They looked for Him everywhere! Finally they went back to the Temple and found Jesus there. Mary and Joseph cared for Jesus as He grew bigger and stronger. The Bible says, Teach me your way, O Lord. God gives us the Bible. He also gives us people who teach us what the Bible says. We can thank God for teaching us His ways. Pray, Dear God, thank You for our parents and Sunday School teachers who teach us what the Bible says. Thank You for loving us. For Younger Children Children simply play with blocks and toy people as you talk about the Bible story. Build a block Temple as you talk. For Older Children Children stack chin-high block pillars in front of their buildings. 172 2010 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Growing with God Leader s Guide
Play to Learn Dramatic Play Center: Story Time Bible, one or more Bible storybooks, dolls. Children read Bible storybooks to dolls. (Optional: Children pretend to get dolls ready for bed and then read a Bible storybook as a bedtime story.) and Me Talk About The Bible says, Teach me your way, O Lord. Lord is another name for God. Stephanie, who tells you stories from the Bible? We can thank God for your grandma. Thomas, what story are you reading your baby? You are teaching your baby how God loved us and sent Jesus as a baby! Pray briefly, Dear God, thank You for the Bible that tells us about You. And thank You for moms and dads and teachers who read the Bible to us. For Younger Children Children pretend to go to bed while teacher reads books. For Older Children Children pretend to be Sunday School teachers and tell Bible stories to dolls or to each other. 2010 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Growing with God Leader s Guide 173
Listen to Learn Matthew 2:19-23; Luke 2:41-52 Bible, Bible Story 31 pictures from God s Story for Me Poster Pack #2, Preschool Music #2 DVD or CD and player. Greet Each Other To help children welcome each other, lead children in doing the motions and saying these words: Where are the boys? Where are the boys? (Shade eyes with one hand and look around the circle.) Here they are. Here they are. (Point to the boys.) We are glad to see you. (Circle hands around eyes like glasses.) We are glad to see you. Hello to you! Hello to you! (Wave to each of the boys.) Repeat poem, greeting the girls. and Me Tell the Story Open your Bible to Matthew 2. Tell the story using the pictured motions (keywords in bold) or show Bible Story 31 pictures. Ask children to tell their ages. Every year you grow taller and stronger! Let s hear what happened when Jesus was growing up. Mary, Joseph and Jesus were living in Egypt. One night, God told Joseph, It is safe to take Mary and Jesus home now. They packed their things and walked to their own town of Nazareth. Joseph was a carpenter. Carpenters use tools and nails to make chairs, tables and other things from wood. As Jesus grew, He probably learned to use a hammer. He probably cut wood with a saw. Jesus helped Joseph make things out of wood. Every year many people traveled to worship God at the Temple in Jerusalem. When Jesus was 12 years old, His family traveled to the Temple, too. Many families walked together to go to the Temple. Mary, Joseph and Jesus could see the beautiful Temple. They were glad! Many people prayed and sang glad songs to God at the Temple. They listened to. They ate special meals and talked to their friends. Then the visit was over. Many people were walking home with Jesus family. Joseph and Mary thought Jesus was walking with their friends. But Jesus wasn t! Jesus was still in Jerusalem! When everyone stopped for the night, Joseph and Mary looked for Jesus. They couldn t find Him! Joseph and Mary began to worry. They asked everyone, Where s Jesus? No one knew where Jesus was. Mary and Joseph hurried back to Jerusalem. They asked everyone they saw if they had seen Jesus! 174 2010 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Growing with God Leader s Guide
Mary and Joseph went to the big Temple. There was Jesus! He was talking with the Bible teachers! He wasn t afraid. He knew God loved Him. Joseph and Mary were glad to find Jesus! They took Jesus back home. They took care of Him. Jesus grew and learned, just as God had planned. Talk About the Story Where did Mary and Joseph find Jesus in Jerusalem? (In the Temple.) Jesus was growing up. He went to the Temple to talk with the teachers about God. We can learn about God as we grow, too. What are some ways we can learn about God? (Listen to Bible stories. Sing songs about God.) God will help us learn about Him as we grow. God loves us! Sing to God Let s sing a song about Jesus love. Lead children in singing Jesus Loves Me (on DVD or track 7 on CD). Jesus was just a little baby when He was born, but He didn t stay a baby. Every day, He grew bigger and bigger just like you do! God loves you as you grow and He will help you learn about Him. Option: Invite a musician from your church to play Jesus Loves Me on a guitar, flute, trumpet, etc. Hear and Say Holding your Bible open to Psalm 86:11, say verse aloud. I m glad God loves me and helps me to learn about Him. Listening to and saying the words in the Bible is one way to learn about God. Lead children in repeating the Bible verse several times. Pray to God Pray the following prayer, inserting the names of children into the prayer: Dear God, thank You for loving Nina and Ian. Repeat as needed, naming each child in your class. If you have a large class, pray, Thank You for loving all the boys and all the girls in our class. End the prayer by saying, Help us all to learn about You. In Jesus name, amen. Praise to God Children line up and follow the first child in the line, walking in a circle or around the classroom. Say verse aloud, replacing the word me with the name of the line leader. Teach Mandy your way, O Lord. After his or her name is said, that child moves to the end of the line and the next child becomes the line leader. Repeat verse until every child has had a chance to be the line leader. (If you have a large class, say the names of the first three or four children in line for each round of the game.) 2010 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Growing with God Leader s Guide 175
Talk to Learn Bible Story Activity Pages Center A copy of Activity 31 from The Big Book of Bible Story Activity Pages #2 for yourself and each child, crayons or markers, scissors, tape. Lead children to complete pages following the instructions. Use the conversation suggestions as children complete their pages and retell the story. Preschool Puzzle Center Copies of Bible Story Puzzle 18, Bible Verse Puzzle 18 and/or Challenge Puzzle 18 from The Big Book of Preschool Puzzles #2 for each child; pencils, crayons or markers. Name fold Who did God give to care for Jesus as He grew? Who did God give to care for you as you grow? Bible Story Activity 31 fold Child colors page. Child cuts page and cuts off figures, then folds figures and Temple sections. Child tapes sections to form a story square (see sketch on back of this page). Child moves figures around story square to show story action. Teach me your way oh Lord. Psalm 86:11 2010 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to the original purchaser only. The Big Book of Bible Story Activity Pages #2 131 Children complete the puzzles and color pages. Use the conversation suggestions on the pages. Read-Aloud Story Center A copy of Story Picture 18 from The Big Book of Read- Aloud Stories #2 for yourself and each child, crayons or markers. Read the story and distribute pictures. Use the conversation suggestions as children complete their pages. 2010 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. The Big Book of Read-Aloud Stories #2 41 Teach me your way, O Lord. Psalm 86:11 Find the owl. Color the picture. Glue fabric to bed for blanket. Story Picture 18 176 2010 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Growing with God Leader s Guide