Lesson at a Glance Lesson Objectives The children will identify the Magi and King Herod as people who were searching for. The children will state that God protected from King Herod. The children will state a way in which God protects them. Lesson Text Matthew 2:1-18 Scripture Memory Verse This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Lesson Plan Greeting and Registration Preclass ctivity: Crafty Coloring Welcome and Singing Centers: Bible Story: The Magi and the Life pplication: Letters from God Craft: Star Search NOTE: Be sure to allow sufficient time for a snack. Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International Permission to Photocopy Granted 3-4-1
Pre class CT I V IT Crafty Coloring The children will color pictures to be used on their crafts. Materials For each child: crayons or markers one envelope Reproducible Pages: Page, 1 copy for each child Preparation Cut out the pictures from Reproducible Page and put them in an envelope for each child. Instructions 1. Give each child an envelope with the pictures. 2. Have the children color their pictures. 3. Have the children write their names on their envelopes and put their pictures inside. 4. s the children work, talk to them about the pictures. What do you think this star is for? Who are these men? This looks like a barn or a stable. What baby was placed in a stable? Teacher Tips Encourage them to do their best job coloring. Remind them that they will be using these pictures later for their craft. Y Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International 3-4-2
B ib l e S tor y The Magi and the The children will hear the story of the Magi s visit, Herod s plot, and Joseph s escape to Egypt with his family. Lesson Text Matthew 2:1-18 Materials For each child: 1 packet of stickers For the teacher: gift wrap ribbon tape Preparation Wrap each box of animal crackers with gift wrap and ribbon. Introduction I ve brought these gifts today to remind you that God gave us the most wonderful gift of all his son. Stack the gifts in front of the children. Open your Bible to Matthew 2:1-18. Last week we talked about being born. Where was born? That s right. In Bethlehem. Was born in a hospital? No, he was born and placed in a barn with sheep and cows. God had promised that he would send his son. So for many, many years people were watching and waiting for to be born. They would ask How long will it be before he comes? How will we know that he is the Son of God? On the night was born, there were some wise men who saw a special star. This star was a sign from God that he had sent his son and that he had kept his promise. When the wise men saw the star, they were so excited! They left their country to go search for him (Matthew 2:2). Many other people heard that was born, but not all of them were excited. One of these people was King Herod. He pretended to be excited. Listen as I read from the Bible what King Herod told the wise men. Go and make a careful search for the child. s soon as you find him report to me, so that I too may go and worship him. But King Herod didn t really want to worship, he wanted to hurt him. He had heard that was going to be king instead of him and he was scared (Matthew 2:8). The wise men followed the star to, and they brought him special gifts (Matthew 2:9-11). Why do you think they brought gifts? They wanted to show how thankful they were for. He was a gift to us from God, the best gift that has ever been given. When the wise men left, an angel of God warned them that Herod wanted to hurt. So they never went back to Herod to tell him where was living (Matthew 2:12). God took care of his son,, and protected him from King Herod. n angel spoke to Joseph, too, and told him to take his family and escape so they would not be hurt by King Herod. He told Joseph to take Mary and to a place called Egypt and to stay there until they were told that it was safe to return to their home (Matthew 2:13-15). Conclusion sk the following questions as a review: Who was Herod? (a king) Why was Herod looking for? (to hurt him) How did God take care of? (sent an angel to the wise men and to Joseph) How did the wise men feel when they found? (excited) Why were the wise men excited when was born? (They had been waiting for.) How did the wise men know where was? (a star) Why did the wise men bring presents? (They were thankful for him.) I am thankful for you, just as the wise men were thankful for. So I brought each of you a present! Give each of the children a packet of stickers for a present. Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International 3-4-3
B ib l e S tor y Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International 3-4-4
Life P P L IC T IO N Letters from God This activity will help the children to see that the Bible tells them what God wants them to do. Scripture Memory Verse This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Materials For the teacher: shoe box dark construction paper poster board brass fastener glue or tape bright-colored paper a small Bible Preparation 1. Cover the shoe box with the dark construction paper. 2. Cut out one of the ends of the box to make a mailbox. 3. Write 4 and 5 year-old class on the side of the mailbox. 4. Cut a strip of poster board 1" x 6" as a mailbox flag. Color the top quarter of the flag red. 5. ttach the flag to the side of the mailbox with a brass fastener. 6. Cut the bright-colored paper into 2" x 4" strips. 7. On each strip of paper, write one of the following actions that God wants us to do: Say something nice about the person next to you. Share a happy thought with the class. Give a friend a hug. Give your teacher a hug. Say the memory verse. (Write this on at least two of the strips.) 8. Put the strips in the Bible and put the Bible in the mailbox. Instructions Show the mailbox to the children. sk them if they have ever received something special in the mail. Let them share. What if you knew that God was going to send you a letter? Would you check the mailbox every day to see if the letter was there? When you saw the letter would you be excited? The Bible is just like a letter from God. Open the mailbox and take out the Bible. This is our special letter from God, and he talks to us in this letter. He tells us what he wants us to do. Just as he told the shepherds and the Magi what he wanted them to do. What kinds of things do you think that God wants us to do? (obey, share, love etc.) Let s see what the Bible says! Open the Bible and read one of the strips of paper. Jaime, the Bible says to hug your friend. Let the child do what he was asked and then applaud his effort. Repeat this with each child. Isn t it fun to obey God? Conclusion Talk about how we make God happy when we read the Bible and obey what he says. He loves us very much and it makes him happy when we read our Bibles. Let s thank God for giving us the Bible. Choose a child to pray. I have friends that don t know about the Bible. Do you? What should we do? Yes, we should tell them about it. We should tell them that God loves them so much that he sent them a letter. What is that letter? That s right, it s the Bible. The Bible is God s special letter to us. Teacher Tips You may have other ideas of things to write on the strips of paper. Be sure that the action is something the children can do in class. Save the mailbox. You may find it useful as an extra prop in the future. Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International 3-4-5
Life P P L I C T I O N This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International 3-4-6
C R FT Star Search This craft will remind the children of the wise men who followed a star to find. Materials For each child: envelopes from the Preclass ctivity 1 sheet of black construction paper glue stick For the teacher: poster board colored construction paper ruler crayons scissors glue Reproducible Pages: Page B, 1 copy for the teacher Preparation 1. Cut one piece to 9" x 12" poster board to be used as a background for each child. 2. Glue a sheet of black construction paper to each 9" x 12" piece of poster board. 3. Make the hills as follows:. Cut out the hills stencil from the copy of Reproducible Page B. B. Trace and cut out the hills from the colored construction paper. Cut out one for each child. 4. Cut the white paper into 1" x 8" strips, one for each child. On each strip write When they saw the star they were overjoyed. 5. Make a model of the craft following the instructions. Instructions 1. Show children the model of the craft. Who can tell me what this picture shows? That s right, it s the wise men coming to visit. Do you remember how they were able to find? What did they follow? That s right they followed a star. 2. Give the children each a poster board background and the construction paper hills. Have them glue the hills to the poster board background. 3. Give the children their envelopes from the Preclass ctivity. Have the children glue the figures they colored onto the background. Where should you glue the star? Over the barn? That s right, because the star stopped over the barn where the baby was sleeping. 4. Have the children glue their strips of paper with the scripture on them to the top of background. Conclusion Your paper says that when the Magi saw the star they were overjoyed. What does that mean? Yes, they were very happy. Teacher Tips The star should be placed over the building, otherwise, let the child create. Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International 3-4-7
C R F T Finished Craft Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International 3-4-8
Lesson at a Glance supplement Lesson Objectives The children will identify the Magi and King Herod as people who were searching for. The children will state that God protected from King Herod. The children will state a way in which God protects them. Lesson Text Matthew 2:1-18 Scripture Memory Verse This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Lesson Plan Greeting and Registration Preclass ctivity: Joyful Star Welcome and Singing Centers: Game: Bookmarks Craft: Shield of Faith Life pplication: Letters from God NOTE: Be sure to allow sufficient time for a snack. Pre class CT I V IT Y Joyful Star The children will make a star ornament to remind them of the star that led the Magi to. Materials For each child: 1 piece of tissue paper 1 glue stick glitter or confetti For the teacher: hole punch construction paper yarn scissors Reproducible Pages: Page C, 1 copy for each child Page D, 1 copy for the teacher Preparation 1. Cut out the letters and the memory scripture box from the copies of Reproducible Page C. 2. Punch a hole on an end of each memory scripture box. 3. Cut out the star stencil from the copy of Reproducible Page D. 4. Trace and cut out one star for each child. 5. Punch a hole on one tip of each star. 6. Cut a 10" piece of yarn for each child. Instructions 1. Give each child a star and the three letters: J, O, and Y. 2. Have the children glue the letters to one side of their star to spell the word joy. 3. Give the children each a memory scripture box and have them thread the yarn through the holes in the star and the memory scripture box. 4. Help the children tie the ends of the yarn forming a hanger for the star. 5. Have the children color and decorate their stars. 6. Explain that this star is a Christmas ornament. Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International Permission to Photocopy Granted 3-4-9
supplement G G a a M M e e Bookmarks The children will play a game to help them identify Joseph, Mary,, the shepherds, the Magi and Herod. Materials For the teacher: 1 piece of poster board, 8 1 /2" x 11" glue stick crayons (optional) Reproducible Pages: Page E, 1 copy for the teacher Preparation 1. Glue the copy of Reproducible Page E onto the poster board. 2. Cut out the bookmarks. Instructions 1. Remind the children of the Magi coming to see. lso remind them of King Herod who wanted to find to hurt him. 2. Place the bookmarks randomly throughout your Bible. 3. Have each child take a turn selecting a bookmark from the Bible. 4. Have the child tell the others children who is in the picture and what that person did in the Bible. Mary (mother of ) Joseph (earthly father of ) (God s son, our savior) Magi (looking for ) Shepherds (looking for ) Herod (looking for to hurt him) Conclusion Using the bookmarks, have the children tell the story of birth. Be sure they include each person on the bookmarks. Teacher Tips Color in the bookmarks before class to make a better presentation. Have the children elaborate as much as possible when it is their turn to play. sk questions to get them thinking such as: Why do you think Herod wanted to hurt? ngel Shepherds and Magi Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International 3-4-10
supplement C Shield R FT of Faith The child will make a shield to remind them that God protected Joseph, Mary and. Materials For each child: 1 piece of card stock or construction paper, glue stick crayons, markers For the teacher: card stock or construction paper bright-colored construction paper scissors marker Reproducible Pages: Page F, 1 copy for every 3 children Preparation 1. Cut out the small shields from the copies of Reproducible Page F. 2. Prepare the large shields as follows:. Measure and cut out 9" x 12" pieces of card stock. Cut one for each child. B. Using the smaller shield as a model, draw a large shield in the same shape as the smaller shield onto the card stock. See Figure. C. Cut out large shields from the card stock. 3. Cut the remaining card stock into 1" x 8" strips to be used as handles. Cut one handle for each child. 4. For each child, prepare the bright-colored construction paper as follows:. Cut one 1" x 12" paper strip. B. Cut one 1" x 9" paper strip. 5. Make a model of the craft following the instructions. Instructions 1. Show the children your model of the craft. Explain to them that their shield will help them to remember that God always protects them. 2. Have each child glue the two strips of paper to form a cross on the large shield. See Figure B. Help them to understand that the longer strip is placed vertically and the shorter strip is placed horizontally. See Teacher Tip. 3. Have the children glue their small shields to the center of their crosses. 4. Have the children draw pictures of different ways that God protects them on their shields. For example, have them draw their houses, moms and dads, brothers, etc. 5. Have the children glue their handles across the backs of their shields, as shown in Figure C. Teacher Tip You might want to trim the edges of the paper strips flush to the edges of the shields. Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International 3-4-11
supplement C R F T card stock large shield front of large shield short paper strip long paper strip Figure back of large shield Figure B handle Figure C Finished Craft Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International 3-4-12
supplement Life PP L IC T IO N Letters from God This activity will help the children to see that the Bible tells them what God wants them to do. Scripture Memory Verse This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Materials For the teacher: shoe box dark construction paper poster board brass fastener glue or tape bright-colored paper a small Bible Preparation 1. Cover the shoe box with the dark construction paper. 2. Cut out one of the ends of the box to make a mailbox. 3. Write 4 and 5 year-old class on the side of the mailbox. 4. Cut a strip of poster board 1" x 6" as a mailbox flag. Color the top quarter of the flag red. 5. ttach the flag to the side of the mailbox with a brass fastener. 6. Cut the bright-colored paper into 2" x 4" strips. 7. On each strip of paper, write one of the following actions that God wants us to do: Say something nice about the person next to you. Share a happy thought with the class. Give a friend a hug. Give your teacher a hug. Say the memory verse. (Write this on at least two of the strips.) 8. Put the strips in the Bible and put the Bible in the mailbox. Instructions Show the mailbox to the children. sk them if they have ever received something special in the mail. Let them share. What if you knew that God was going to send you a letter? Would you check the mailbox every day to see if the letter was there? When you saw the letter would you be excited? The Bible is just like a letter from God. Open the mailbox and take out the Bible. This is our special letter from God, and he talks to us in this letter. He tells us what he wants us to do. Just as he told the shepherds and the Magi what he wanted them to do. What kinds of things do you think that God wants us to do? (obey, share, love etc.) Let s see what the Bible says! Open the Bible and read one of the strips of paper. Jaime, the Bible says to hug your friend. Let the child do what he was asked and then applaud his effort. Repeat this with each child. Isn t it fun to obey God? Conclusion Talk about how we make God happy when we read the Bible and obey what he says. He loves us very much and it makes him happy when we read our Bibles. Let s thank God for giving us the Bible. Choose a child to pray. I have friends that don t know about the Bible. Do you? What should we do? Yes, we should tell them about it. We should tell them that God loves them so much that he sent them a letter. What is that letter? That s right, it s the Bible. The Bible is God s special letter to us. Teacher Tips You may have other ideas of things to write on the strips of paper. Be sure that the action is something the children can do in class. Save the mailbox. You may find it useful as an extra prop in the future. Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International 3-4-13
supplement Life P P L I C T I O N This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International 3-4-14
R epr Core/Preclass 1 copy for each child o d uci star building b le Page Magi Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International Permission to Photocopy Granted 3-4-15
R epr Core/Craft 1 copy for for the teacher o d uci b le Page B hills stencil Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International Permission to Photocopy Granted 3-4-16
R epr Supplement/Preclass 1 copy for each child o d uci J O Y letters b le Page C This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 memory scripture box Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International Permission to Photocopy Granted 3-4-17
R epr Supplement/Preclass 1 copy for the teacher o d uci b le Page D star stencil Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International Permission to Photocopy Granted 3-4-18
R epr Supplement/Game 2 copies for the teacher o d uci Mary Joseph ngel Herod Shepherds and Magi b le Page E Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International Permission to Photocopy Granted 3-4-19
R epr Supplement/Craft 1 copy for every 3 children o d uci b le Page F Winter 1 1998 by Discipleship Publications International Permission to Photocopy Granted 3-4-20