Two and Three Year Olds Fall Lesson 3 Bible Passage: Genesis 1:26 31; 2:4 25 (Adam and Eve) LESSON OVERVIEW God Made People 8:15-8:45 8:45-9:05 9:05-9:25 9:25-9:45 9:45 - end 10:30-11:00 11:00-11:25 11:25-11:40 11:40-12:00 12:00 - end Be in class for CONNECT/ CHECK-INS - playtime - coloring pages GATHER: - Welcome - God s Big Story RESPOND - 2-3 prepared crafts/activities WORSHIP BLESS and Snack - playtime until end *see Resources 2018 David C Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children s ministry leaders. All rights reserved. Reproducible for church use only.
LEADER PREP Each week you ll find encouraging articles that help you prepare your heart to present the lesson. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives During my first week of college, I received an email from home written by four of my friends with this subject line: You re a terrible friend. This group of friends outlined all the ways they felt I fell short over the past six years. I was hurt and broken inside. During the evening, I wasn t my talkative self, and my two roommates asked if I was all right. I told them that everything was fine, and I continued studying. When they asked again, I responded with the same. Then they walked over to me and sat down. Kit, they said, we love you, and we care about what s going on in your life. Let us know what s going on. This conversation started relationships that transformed my life. That day, two men pushed through my defenses. They broke through a barrier I tried to create in order to hide my true self, and allowed me to feel known and loved. Through these men, I have learned about God s unconditional love and the way He views us. Through relationships like these, we re often transformed to look more like Christ. We are designed for relationship with God and others. Kit Rae ROCKHARBOR Church Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson s Bible passage Genesis chapter one tells of creation from the beginning of the universe to mankind being formed in God s image. God is described in chapter one as Elohim, powerful, or as some scholars say, the plural of the word translated to mean majesty. Elohim powerful and majestic created everything from nothing only through His infinite power. Genesis chapter two retells the creation of man and woman, as well as their relationships with one another, the earth, and the Lord. Here, God is called Yahweh, the great I AM, who breathed into Adam and formed him from the dust. The name Elohim establishes a positional relationship with all of God s creation; in proximity to mankind, God still maintains power and position. Added to this is the dimension of personality in relationship to humans by being referred to as Yahweh. From the beginning, God was weaving a story that is all about relationship. God created man and woman in His image mankind would bear the likeness of God, the Creator. He established the authority we would have over all created things upon the earth, in the skies, and in the waters. After God created man and woman, He blessed them. They were to have children and fill the earth. They were to maintain order to keep creation under control. Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh mankind was created in the likeness of God and one from another. We were designed to care for one another as we would care for our own flesh. Later, Jesus said, The most important [commandment] is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these (Mark 12:29 31). Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God s Word God has created us to be in relationship with Him and others. Oftentimes, we don t realize the significance of the relationships we have with others until we take time to look back and reflect. This week, find a quiet place to journal about an instance where being in relationship with God or another person had a significant impact on your life. What were the circumstances of your story? How did you feel? What were you in need of or unsure of? What were you celebrating or mourning? After you journal, consider sharing it with others. Maybe you regularly gather with friends or family to share a meal. In that time, storytell about God s provision of relationships for us and how He changes us through them. Tell (or read) your own story and then encourage others to join in. Share the ways you ve experienced God together. As you interact with the children in your ministry this weekend, remember that the story of God is the story of relationship. The relationships you re creating with each of them are a vital part of the story God created you to live in.
!! Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters. - Playtime - Coloring Pages Transition Song: The Cleanup Song Children experience and learn more about God through traditions, song, and storytelling from The Big God Story. Welcome Bible Story Spots Hamilton puppet Potting soil Bucket Shovel Ponder Point: God Made People Hi, friends! Welcome! I m so excited to be here with you today. It s time to hear a part of The Big God Story. Do you know who else wants to hear The Big God Story? Invite responses. That s right! Hamilton the Hedgehog! Should we call him and ask him to join us? Children will answer. On the count of three, let s call him together. Are you ready? One, two, three. Hamilton, where are you? Encourage the kids to call for Hamilton. Hamilton comes out of his house carrying a bucket filled with soil and holding a shovel. Hi, Hamilton, you sure popped out of your house quickly today! Hamilton nods up and down. You re a little dirty. What do you have there? A shovel and potting soil? Hamilton nods up and down. I wonder if this is a clue for The Big God Story today. Are you ready to hear this part of The Big God Story? Hamilton nods excitedly. Me too! But before we get started, do you know where we can find The Big God Story? Hamilton nods his head and gestures to the Bible. That s right the Bible. God gave us the Bible so we can learn about Him. It s full of things that help us get to know God. We read the Bible to learn about God and about His Son, Jesus. And I know that you love to dig, dig, dig into God s Word to find out what He has to say to us. Isn t that right, Hamilton? Hamilton nods his head. Let s all stand up and sing our Bible Song together. Bible Song (sung to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb ) Now it s time to hear God s Word Hear God s Word Hear God s Word Now it s time to hear God s Word So let s look in the Bible As the song ends, have the children return to their Story Spots. Hamilton can model this for the children by sitting quietly as he listens to The Big God Story. The Big God Story The Big God Story is written for a three-year-old audience. It can be told in its entirety or shortened if the class is on the
! younger side. Adam and Eve God Made People Genesis 1:26 31; 2:4 25 The Big God Story images #1 5 (see Resources) Bible Bowl Hamilton puppet Hamilton s bucket of dirt PREPARE AHEAD Print The Big God Story images. SET UP Place The Big God Story images near the Storyteller. Okay, friends, before we get started, let s all pray together and ask God to teach us. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. Show image #1. Friends, who made the day and night? Pause for responses. God did! Show image #2. Who made the water and land? Encourage answers. God did! Show image #3. Who made the sun and moon and all of the stars? Invite responses. God did! Show image #4. Who made all of the fish in the ocean and the birds in the sky? Pause. God did! Show image #5. Who made all of the animals? Kids answer. God did! And who made you and me? Encourage responses. God did! Yes, God made people too. He didn t use His words to make people; He used His breath. Can you hold up your hand in front of your mouth and breathe on it? Demonstrate for the children how to do this. That s what God did. First, He took a handful of dirt (take some dirt from the bucket Hamilton is holding, and show the children the dirt), and He then molded it together and formed a man. Hamilton, your clue for us was some dirt. But God wasn t finished. He breathed into what He had made, and the man came to life. Isn t that amazing! Only God can give life! God named the first man Adam. Each of you has a special name that your mommy and daddy gave you. What is your name? Go around the room and tap each child on the head and have the children say their names. If you have a large group, have the children all say their names at the same time when you point at all of them. Those are great names! Well, God didn t want Adam to be all alone he needed a helper. Guess what God did next! Invite responses. God made Adam go to sleep. Let s pretend we re asleep just like Adam. Pretend to sleep with children. Then God took a rib bone from Adam and made a woman. Her name was Eve. God looked at Adam and Eve and said they were very good. Friends, where did Adam and Eve live? Kids respond. They lived in a beautiful garden. God walked and talked with Adam and Eve in the garden He had made. Sometimes they could hear God s footsteps. What do you think God s footsteps sounded like? Invite responses. I wonder if it sounded like this? Pat your hands on your legs to mimic the sound of walking. Let s all do this together. We can pretend to make the sound of someone walking. That may have been what Adam and Eve heard when God was coming to spend time with them. Adam and Eve are a part of The Big God Story, just like you and me. God made people to love Him and one another. Whom do you love? Encourage the children to share. Possible answers: Mommy, Daddy, grandparents. Oh, those are very special people. I love my family and my friends, and I love God too! Interact with children if they respond. I m so glad that God made you and me. Have the children say good-bye to Hamilton as he goes back into his house. Thank him for coming and being a part of The Big God Story. Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond through worship, creative activities, and games.
Option 1: Adam and Eve Puppets To help remind them of the first people God created, children color and glue Adam and Eve figures on to craft sticks. Adam and Eve template (see Resources) Card stock (1 sheet per child, white) Scissors Crayons Craft sticks (2 per child) Tape or glue dots PREPARE AHEAD Print the Adam and Eve template onto the sheets of card stock. Cut out one Adam and one Eve for each child. SET UP Place one Adam and one Eve and two craft sticks at each child s seat. Place the crayons in the middle of the table. Invite the children to join you at the table. God made the first man. What was his name? Allow answers. That s right Adam. Then He made the first woman. What was her name? Invite responses. Yes, it was Eve. We re going to color each of them, and then put them on two sticks. You can take them home and tell your family about The Big God Story and how God made the first two people. When the children are finished, you can attach Adam and Eve to the craft sticks with tape or glue dots. Option 2: I m in Pieces God made Adam and Eve as well as all people. Children will color and piece together a puzzle made from an outline of a child. Butcher paper Pen Scissors Markers PREPARE AHEAD Trace the outline of a child onto butcher paper before the activity. (You will need to do this if you want to do this activity) SET UP Lay the butcher paper with the child outline on the floor and place the markers next to it. Invite the children to join you around the butcher paper. God made Adam and Eve and you and me. We have a person picture that we re going to make into a puzzle. But first we need to color it. Then we can cut it up, mix it up, and then put the pieces together. Assist the children in coloring the person. Once it s done, cut the paper into a couple of pieces to make a puzzle. You can make the puzzle as simple or difficult as you choose. For a simple puzzle, cut the body shape into quadrants. To make the puzzle more difficult, consider cutting the figure into a variety of shapes. Gather everyone and all of the pieces and help the children put the puzzle together. Option 3: Hokey Pokey To celebrate how God made different body parts that do different things, children sing and dance to the Hokey Pokey. Invite the children to join you in an open area. Today, we re going to sing the Hokey Pokey. Have the children get in a circle. God made each of us very special. He gave us different body parts that do different things. We re going to sing and dance to a song where we get to shake and spin. Are you ready? Sing: You put your leg in; you put your leg out; you put your leg in and you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and you turn
! yourself around. That s what it s all about! Sing about different body parts to shake: arm, foot, head, hand. When it s time to put the toys away, cue the kids with The Cleanup Song. WORSHIP// 9:25 and 11:40 2 s - In your classroom 3 s - in the worship room, unless combined with 2 s Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. Invite children to hold out their hands, palms together as if cupping water, as you speak the blessing over them. This posture indicates they are ready to receive the blessing. Children, may you remember that God made each of us and He loves us so much. Open a Bible and read Psalm 139:14a: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Send home the At Home Weekly 1.1 1.4 with any families who may need one.