family n me 1 Noah s Ark Lesson 1 God is Love Sand blocks, maracas, bells, rhythm sticks, scarves, & bean bags Wiggle, giggle, and grow with God through music and movement! Lil Sprouts will learn about the God s love story as they wiggle n giggle to original music. Engaging music and movement activities make learning about God fun! God Is Love 4 8 easy-to-teach music and movement lessons every preschooler will enjoy to help them growing a relationship with Jesus! Every lesson is 45 minutes of moving n grooving with instruments, movement props and body movements. Teaching videos help make every lesson easy-to-teach. Feelings Cards Bible story pages duplicate as coloring pages for additional fun and reinforcement of the Bible story! Feeling Cards for additional movement fun! ANGRY SCARED SAD HAPPY FRUSTRATED ANXIOUS DISAPPOINTED CALM
family n me God is Love
Table of Contents Welcome 1 8 Lesson Overview 12 Lesson 1 14 Lesson 2 20 Lesson 3 25 Lesson 4 30 Lesson 5 36 Lesson 6 41 Lesson 7 46 Lesson 8 51 God s Love story & Coloring Pages 56 Feelings Cards 65 Songbook 69 Crafts & Activity Extensions: Crafts & activity extensions are found on our Pinterest page. Click the link located on our website.
God is Love Welcome Welcome! Welcome to the Sing n Sprout community! God is Love contains eight 35-45 minute lessons of fun and intentional music and movement activities, developing the mind, body and spirit of the young child. God is Love introduces the basic instruments and movement props that will be used in all subsequent Sing n Sprout curricula. Children will use these to learn basic music concepts such as beat, tempo, pitch, dynamics, timbre and pattern. Lil Sprouts will use their ears to hear the story of God s Love and their heart as they grow with God through music and movement. Every lesson is easy-to-understand and, because repetition and familiarity bring comfort to young children, many activities are repeated making each lesson easy to teach! These eight lessons can easily be extended into sixteen 20 minute lessons, simply by teaching half of it. A twenty minute music and movement class is a fantastic way to add value to any Christian childcare program. Go Tell It On A Mountain As a Sing n Sprout teacher, you are fulfilling the greatest of all commissions! Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, says Matthew 28:19, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. As you teach, go with the confidence of God knowing you are making His dream come true. Let the adventure begin! A divine and delightful adventure awaits you as you commit yourself to fulfilling God s dream that all nations will become disciples of His (see Matthew 28:19). By definition, this includes the Lil Sprouts you ll be leading week in and week out, and, on their behalf, I thank you for making the noble choice to invest richly in their lives. Through your efforts, they will begin to understand that God knows them, He loves them, and He has a wonderful plan for their lives. Whether you have led similar efforts before or this is your leadership debut, rest assured that if God has called you to step into this role as a Sing n Sprout teacher, He likewise will equip you to succeed. Equipped for Your Ministry Near the beginning of the book of Exodus, God asked one of his faithful followers, Moses, to take on a leadership role Specifically, God wanted Moses to pay Pharaoh a visit and request that the Israelites who had been held for centuries in slavery be freed. Clearly, God thought this was a good plan. Equally clear, Moses did not. 1
God is Love Welcome It turns out, Moses was terrified of taking on this role. I m slow of speech! he protested. And I ve never done anything like this before! Please, God. Please send someone else. Perhaps you relate a little too well to Moses: here you are, having signed up for a leadership role, and yet something in you still protests, I can barely carry a tune in the shower! How on earth am I going to teach a music and movement curriculum? The unknown can be unnerving, can t it? Yet, our good God is with us every single step of the way. He was with Moses as Moses eventually made his way to Pharaoh s court, and He will be with you as you show up to serve, class after class after class. My encouragement to you is this: rather than focusing on becoming the best Sing n Sprout teacher there ever was, focus on listening to and joyfully obeying God. He is ready to accomplish good works through your life. You need only to say yes. Sustained Through Your Ministry In terms of remaining equipped throughout your entire leadership experience, let me draw your attention to two powerful verses that can serve as useful focal points as you teach. First: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27 And second: Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 These verses remind us that we are to love God and His kingdom activity more than anything else we love, including our Sing n Sprout ministry. Ironically, often when we see God do amazing things in our ministry, we can be tempted to love our ministry more than the God who fueled it. Don t let this happen to you. Far better is to continue to place God first, as the author and perfecter of all things good that come our way. When we seek His glory, His praise, and His kingdom, we find all we re looking for: impact. Fulfillment. Joy. Now, Simply Go with God! 2
God is Love Welcome Sing n Sprout teacher, given it is God s responsibility to equip you, and it is God s responsibility to sustain you, all that is left for you to do is this: simply go with God. Wake up each day and let the first words on your lips be, Father, where are you moving and ministering today, and how can I be a part? Show up. Serve well. And let those Lil Sprouts see you find inexplicable joy in the Lord. Blessings, Jenni Auvenshine Creator and Founder, Sing n Sprout 3
God is Love Curriculum Overview: A handy, easy-to-read reference guide for each lesson. God is Love Curriculum Overview Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 S P I R I T Hello song Stretching God is Love Story Part 1 #1 A Great Big Mess #2 John 3:16 Hello song Stretching God is Love Story Part 2 #1 A Great Big Mess #2 John 3:16 Hello song Stretching God is Love Story Part 3 #1 A Great Big Mess #2 John 3:16 Hello song Stretching God is Love Story Part 4 #1 A Great Big Mess #2 John 3:16 M I N D Beat Rachel s Here Today #7 Psalm 121 Tempo and Beat Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes #3 No It Really Wouldn t Matter Dynamics and Beat I m Gonna Sing, I m Gonna Shout #5 My God I Know Loves Me Timbre and Beat I m Gonna Sing, I m Gonna Shout #3 No It Really Wouldn t Matter B O D Y Teamwork and cross-lateral movements I m a Little Teapot #4 I ve Got a Secret Cross-lateral movements Deep and Wide #8 1 John 4:16 Creative gross motor movements Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes #4 I ve Got a Secret Awareness of body and space I m a Little Teapot #6 Jesus Loves Me Lesson 5 Lesson 6 Lesson 7 Lesson 8 S P I R I T M I N D Hello song Stretching God is Love Story Part 1 #1 A Great Big Mess #2 John 3:16 Pattern Mrs. Jenni Says #8 1 John 4:16 Hello song Stretching God is Love Story Part 2 #1 A Great Big Mess #2 John 3:16 Tempo and Pattern I m a Little Teapot #6 Jesus Loves Me Hello song Stretching God is Love Story Part 3 #1 A Great Big Mess #2 John 3:16 Dynamics and Pattern I m Gonna Sing, I m Gonna Shout #8 1 John 4:16 Hello song Stretching God is Love Story Part 4 #1 A Great Big Mess #2 John 3:16 Timbre and Pattern Mrs. Jenni Says #5 My God I Know Loves Me B O D Y Creative gross motor movements Bluebird Bluebird Through My Window #5 My God I Know Loves Me Cross-lateral movements Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes #7 Psalm 121 Creative gross motor movements Bluebird Bluebird Through My Window #4 I ve Got a Secret Cross-lateral movements Deep and Wide #7 Psalm 121 13
God is Love Lesson 1 Lesson 1 At a Glance Instruments & movement props used in today s lesson: Sand Blocks Maracas Bean Bags Safety First 1 PLEASE NOTE: Musical instruments are not toys. They are intended for use with adult supervision and are not for children under three years of age unless otherwise indicated. It is your responsibility to make sure the musical instruments you use are age appropriate for the participants in your classroom. Objectives: In today s lesson, Lil Sprouts will grow with God through music and movement as they: Spirit -- Learn God made the world and us and He gave us free will. Mind -- Develop an understanding of beat as they get to know Lil Sprout names. Body -- Practice teamwork and gross motor movements. 1: SPIRIT -- Core Lesson Objective -- Today s objective is for children to learn God made the world and us and He gave us free will. Begin each lesson with everyone sitting in a circle with legs in a criss-cross applesauce position. Remember to make sure your space is safe for moving n grooving by removing all items that could potentially pose a safety hazard. Hello Song Instrument: Body Music: A Cappella Stretching Song Position: Standing Instrument: Body Music: A Cappella (Traditional Children s Song) Do the Hokey Pokey to warm up the body and break the ice! Stand up, spread out, and give everyone more room to stretch. Change the words of the chorus to reinforce the Gospel! 14
1 God is Love Lesson 1 You put your right hand in, you put your right hand out, you put your right hand in, and you shake it all about! If you give your heart to Jesus, He will turn your life around! That s what it s all about! Prayer Dear God, thank you for giving us this time to move n groove, shimmy n shake, and grow with God through music and movement. Open our minds, bodies and spirits to learn how Jesus has saved us from our sin and how much you love us. Amen! The B-I-B-L-E Song Teaching Tool: Bible Music: A Cappella Get out your Children s Bible and show it to the children. You might want to write BIBLE in big letters on the front of your Bible and say each letter individually. Say to the children, God has given us a wonderful book. Do you know what this book is called? The BIBLE is God s story written just for us. It s a book we can read over and over again to learn how much God loves us and how he wants us to live for Him. Now, as you sing The B-I-B-L-E, That s the Book for Me, pass the Bible around the circle. As the Bible is passed, have everyone keep the beat of the song by clapping hands, patting knees, drumming the floor, tapping shoulders, etc. Change the movement often to keep everyone engaged. Once it comes back to you, set the Bible to the side and use the illustrated Bible story pages (found at the end of this curriculum) to tell the Bible story. Bible Story Time Teaching Tool: God is Love Bible Story Page #1 Say: The Bible is filled with amazing stories about God and how much he loves us. Show the God is Love Bible Story Page #1 and read (or sing to the tune of Dem Bones) the part of the story written on the back of the card. You can also briefly discuss the story at an age appropriate level. God made the world and you and me, He gave us our own will to be free. He made us all to love each other, Brother, sister, father, mother. 15
God is Love Lesson 1 1 Because He Loves Us Movement Prop: Sand blocks Music: A Cappella (Sung to the tune of Dem Bones. ) Warm up the sand blocks by exploring all of the different ways to play them as you sing the song two or three times. Try clapping them together, scraping them, or tapping them on the floor. Tell the Lil Sprouts that God created each of us and gave us free will, which means we are able to make our own choices. Give everyone an opportunity to choose their own way to play their sand blocks. Just before you are ready to sing, ask the Lil Sprouts to recap what you just talked about during the story time. You might say, What did we just talk about? What did God do? Right! God made the world and you and me. Why did He do that? and go right into the song. He did all that because He loves us, He did all that because He loves us, He did all that because He loves us, He loves everybody. God is Love Bible Story Song and Dance Instrument: Sand Blocks Music: CD Song #1 A Great Big Mess As the song plays, clap, scrape, and tap the sand blocks to the beat. Hold one sand block upright and tap it with the other one to pretend you are building something. Ask each Lil Sprout what he or she is building. As the song ends, encourage the Lil Sprouts to get together in small groups to build a creation out of their sand blocks, a tower, a building, set them up like dominoes, or whatever their imaginations can design. Then, ask them how they would feel if someone came and made a big mess out of their creation? What did God do when His creation was a big mess? He sent Jesus to clean it up! Thank you for the Sand Blocks Music: A Cappella (Sung to the tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie? ) Children will be anxious to help put away their sand blocks, therefore need to be reminded to keep a safe classroom by sitting in their spots and waiting on you to put them away. Bible Verse Song & Dance John 3:16 Position: Standing Instrument: Body Music: CD Song #2 John 3:16 Our key Bible verse is John 3:16. This verse teaches children that God, because He loves us, sent Jesus to save us and bring us to everlasting life with Him. Your children will slowly learn this verse as they use gross motor movements to move with the beat. 16
1 God is Love Lesson 1 For the first few weeks play this song as you walk around in a circle to the beat of the song. FREEZE when the song says, HUH! John 3:16! Finish it off with a big karate kick! As the weeks go on, introduce other gross motor movements such as walking backward, skipping, galloping, marching, hopping and side-stepping! Another option is to use this song to learn beat and body parts. As the song is played, sit while you tap to the beat of the song on your knees. When the song says, HUH! John 3:16! FREEZE call out shoulders. Begin the song again but this time tap your shoulders to the beat. Continue in this way about 2 or 3 more times, each time tapping a new part of the body. 2: MIND -- Music Concept Objective -- The second section of each lesson varies, teaching a music concept. Today s objective is for children to develop their understanding of beat as they shake the maracas to the beat of the names of each Lil Sprout. Rachel s Here Today /Standing Instrument: Maracas Music: A Cappella (Sung to the tune of The Farmer and the Dell ) Have all of the children sit on their caregivers laps and shake their maracas and move to the beat of the song. Go around the circle to review each Lil Sprout s name, and invite each child to come do a twirl in the middle of the circle when his or her name is called. Some may not be comfortable standing and moving in front of a group in a new place, so you may want to start with yourself or a seasoned Lil Sprout you know will be comfortable in front of the group. If some still are not comfortable turning around, invite them to give a wave to the group from the safety of their caregivers laps! Rachel s here today! Rachel s here today! Turn around and then sit down. Rachel s here today! Psalm 121 Position: Standing Instrument: Maracas Music: CD Song #7 Psalm 121 Practice keeping the beat while continuing to get to know the class. For the first part of the song, count the beat aloud, and have the class shake on the first of every four beats. Shake, 2, 3, 4, shake, 2, 3, 4. For the second part of the song, encourage the class to get up, move and groove to the beat a bit, and explore the space to get comfortable in the room. Throughout the song, pause the music three different times. The first time, have each Lil Sprout find and say hello to someone who has 17
God is Love Lesson 1 1 the same color maraca, the second time, have them find and say hello to someone who has a different color maraca, and the third time have them find and say hello to someone they have not said hello to yet! Thank you for the Maracas Music: A Cappella (Sung to the tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie? ) Children will be anxious to help put away their maracas, therefore need to be reminded to keep a safe classroom by sitting in their spots and waiting on you to put them away. 3: BODY -- Movement Activity Objective -- The third section of each lesson varies, using gross motor movement activities to develop body awareness. Today s objective is for children to practice teamwork, gross motor movements, and isolating one hand. I m a Little Teapot Position: Standing Movement Prop: Bean Bag Music: A Cappella (Traditional children s song) Warm up with the bean bags by having the Lil Sprouts stand and their caregivers sit next to them, criss cross applesauce on the floor. The children will be the teapots, and the caregivers are the teacups. Holding the bean bag in the hand that will be the spout, sing I m a Little Teapot and pour some love into the teacup (drop the bean bag into the caregiver s lap). For the Wee Sprouts, who may not be able to do the motions themselves, have the caregivers hold the children, pretending the child is the spout and their other arm is the handle. Then, tip them over (being sure to support their heads and necks) at the end of the song. I m a little teapot, short and stout. Here is my handle, here is my spout. God will fill me up, up, up, no doubt! Tip me over and love pours out! I ve Got a Secret Movement Prop: Bean Bag Music: CD Song #3 I ve Got a Secret Have the class sit in a circle close enough to each other to be able to pass bean bags around the circle. Set all but two or three of the bean bags aside to play a game of hot potato. While the music plays pass the bean bags, and when the music pauses, call out as a group, God loves Mary and 18
1 God is Love Lesson 1 Johnny! using the names of the children who have the bean bags when the music stops. The song is short, so you can run through it three or four times, pausing it several times each play. Try passing to both the right and the left, and try passing using only the left and then only the right hand. Isolating one hand forces crossing of the midline, which is great for brain development. Thank You for the Bean Bags Music: A Cappella (Sung to the tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie? ) Children will be anxious to help put away their bean bags, therefore need to be reminded to keep a safe classroom by sitting in their spots and waiting on you to put them away. Closing Goodbye Song Music: A Cappella Lil Sprouts love to celebrate with a stamp on the hand! Hobby and craft stores carry a wide assortment of stamps and washable inks. As you are giving your Lil Sprout their stamp, take the opportunity to say something individually to each child or even say a prayer over them. It can be as simple as, God loves you, Sara! 19
God is Love Bible Story & Coloring Pages During the Core Lesson of each lesson, use these pages to tell the God is Love Bible story. Using the same Bible Story pages as coloring pages will reinforce the Bible story. Directions God is Love Bible Story Pages - 4 pages (front & back) The God is Love Bible story is told in 4 pages. Each page is used twice - two lessons in a row, in order to reinforce the lesson. 1) Print: Front - God is Love illustration Back - God is Love story If you are printing these pages individually, and not back-to-back, make sure to match the illustration page to the correct story page. 2) Color each illustration, if desired. 3) Laminate or place in individual clear sheet protectors. 4) Also print enough for coloring pages for your Lil Sprouts. 56
God Is Love: 1(Lessons 1 & 5) Copyright 2016 by Sing n Sprout, LLC. 57
God is Love: 1 (Lessons 1 & 5) God made the world and you and me, He gave us our own will to be free. He made us all to love each other, Brother, sister, father, mother. He did all that because He loves us, He did all that because He loves us, He did all that because He loves us, He loves everybody. 58 Copyright 2016 by Sing n Sprout, LLC.
Expressing Feelings Cards Preschoolers need direction to help them recognize and understand their own feelings and emotions as well as others. Helping children learn how to communicate their feelings and emotions appropriately, you give them the emotional and social tools needed to understand themselves better and talk things through. Directions 1) Color each illustration, if desired. 2) Laminate and 3) Cut
Feelings Cards Copyright 2016 by Sing n Sprout, LLC. ANGRY SCARED FRUSTRATED ANXIOUS SAD DISAPPOINTED HAPPY CALM