MEMORY VERSE/SCRIPTURE
“Let your light shine.” Matthew 5:16, NIV
SAY THIS
Who can do what Jesus says?
I can do what Jesus says.
CRAFT/ACTIVITY
- Jump and Shine
ACTIVITY
What You Need:
Jump and Shine activity page, crayons
What You Do:
“Gather with me. I have a fun game for us to play together.”
“I have cards here with different movements on them. You will have a chance to draw a card and show us the movement on your card. [Child’s name], choose a card. (Pause.) Your card says to [movement]. Show us how to [movement] and we’ll do what you do. (Pause.) Great job. Now it’s my turn. Wow! Er did a great job doing what the cards said.”
“Today we are going to hear a Bible Story about doing what Jesus says! I can’t wait to hear it!” Move to Worship and Story by jumping, clapping, or re-creating whatever the favorite
movement was.
PRAYER
“Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to be the light of the world. Help us do what Jesus says, so we can let our light shine too. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
MEMORY VERSE/SCRIPTURE
“I have called you friends.” John 15:15, NIV
SAY THIS
Who wants to be your friend forever?
Jesus wants to be my friend forever.
CRAFT/ACTIVITY
- I Spy Jesus!
ACTIVITY
What You Need:
“I Spy Jesus!” activity page, washable markers
What You Do:
Encourage your child to search their pages to find Jesus hidden in the picture. Encourage your child to circle Jesus when they find Him.
“There are lots and lots of things on your paper! But somewhere, hidden among all these pictures, is a picture of Jesus! Can you find Jesus? When you find Jesus, circle Him with the marker. (Pause.) Hooray! You found Jesus in the picture! Way to go!”
“When Jesus’ friends went to the tomb, the stone had been rolled away and Jesus wasn’t there. Jesus came back, just like He said He would! Jesus is alive. He came to be our friend forever. Who wants to be your friend forever? [Bottom Line] Jesus wants to be my friend forever!” Review the Bible story.
PRAYER
“Dear God, we want everyone to hear the good news that Jesus is alive and He wants to be their friend forever. Please help us tell others about Jesus. Thank You for giving us Jesus. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
MEMORY VERSE/SCRIPTURE
“I have called you friends.” John 15:15, NIV
SAY THIS
Who wants to be your friend forever?
Jesus wants to be my friend forever.
CRAFT/ACTIVITY
- Go Team Jersey
ACTIVITY
What You Need:
Craft page, strings
What You Do:
Punch a hole in the top corners of each Activity Page. Write the child’s name on their jersey, above the statement, “Jesus wants to be my friend forever. Cut yarn/ribbon 18”, 2 pieces. Create a wearable sandwich board by running one piece of yarn/ribbon through the holes on the left side of the jersey front and the right side of the jersey back. Knot to secure and then repeat on the other side.
Encourage your child to decorate their jersey, then wear it. Review the Bible
What You Say:
“Decorate your team jersey with the markers, stickers, and stamps. (Pause.) Great job! Jesus loves you and wants you to be part of His team! Let’s put your jersey on and you can wear them while we review today’s Bible Story.”
“Today we learned about the very first Palm Sunday. Jesus was going to the town of Jerusalem and the people were so excited! They wanted to celebrate and cheer for Jesus because they knew He was special, and they had heard about all the amazing things Jesus had done. The whole town lined up on the street to see Jesus. They took their coats off and laid them on the ground to make a special path for Jesus, then waved palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna! Hosanna! Yay,
Jesus!”
The people waved their palm branches and celebrated Jesus! We can celebrate Jesus today and every day because Jesus wants to be our friend forever. Who wants to be your friend forever? [Bottom Line] Jesus wants to be my friend forever!”
PRAYER
“Dear God, thank You for giving us Jesus! We love Jesus so much! We love Jesus because (read the list the children made). Please help us to cheer for Jesus every day because Jesus is AMAZING! We love You, God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
MEMORY VERSE/SCRIPTURE
“I have called you friends.” John 15:15, NIV
SAY THIS
Who wants to be your friend forever?
Jesus wants to be my friend forever.
CRAFT/ACTIVITY
- My Friend Forever
- Clean Feet
ACTIVITY
What You Need:
My Friend Forever” Activity Page, cardstock, mirror board sheets, dot markers, stamps, washable ink pads, glue sticks, baby wipes, and a permanent marker
What You Do/Say:
Encourage your child to decorate their frame with markers and stamps and rub glue on the back of their mirror board. Place it in the center of their paper. Have your child look into their mirror and say the Memory Verse.
Say and do the motions of the Memory Verse one more time and review the Bottom Line.
“I’m so glad that Jesus wants to be our friend forever! Let’s do the motions as we say our Memory Verse together. ‘I (point up) have called you (two fingers on top of two fingers) friends,’
(hook index fingers twice) John 15:15. (Open hands like a book.) Great job! Come sit with me at the table! I have a special frame for you to decorate today.”
“Look! Who is that on your paper? (Pause.) Jesus! That’s right. Jesus wants to be your friend forever. Use the markers and the stamps to decorate your frame. (Pause.) These look fantastic, but I have something to add to them to make them even more special. (Hold up the mirror board.) Look! It’s a mirror. Can you see yourself? (Pause.) Look, it’s you! Rub some glue on the back of your mirror and press it in the center of your paper. (Pause.) Look in your mirror and let’s say our Memory Verse together. ‘I have called you friends,’ John 15:15. Great job!”
Color the Clean Feet sheet.
PRAYER
“Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to show us how to be a good friend. Help us to love others the way Jesus loves us and do things like (read the list the children made). We want to be a good friend, like Jesus. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
MEMORY VERSE/SCRIPTURE
“I have called you friends.” John 15:15, NIV
SAY THIS
Who wants to be your friend forever?
Jesus wants to be my friend forever.
CRAFT/ACTIVITY
- Jesus and Friends
ACTIVITY
What You Need:
Eyedropper, water with blue food coloring, activity pages
What You Do/Say:
“Come sit at the table with me! Let’s make a picture of today’s Bible Story. Look at your paper and tell me what you see in the middle of your paper. (Pause.) That’s right! It’s a heart with Jesus inside! (Pause.) Color Jesus and the heart. (Pause.) Great! Now look at all the pictures on the side of your paper. Color those too. (Pause.) Take your scissors and cut on the dotted lines. (Help as needed.) Great job, everyone! Now glue the pictures around Jesus. (Pause.) Fantastic! These pictures are of Jesus’ friends, the disciples. Let’s count them together. One, two, three . . . twelve! You have one more thing to add to your picture, and that’s you! Draw a picture of you on your paper. (Pause.) Amazing!”
After the Activity: “In our Bible Story, we learned about these twelve people—they were the first people who followed Jesus. This is Peter and Andrew. (Point.) They were fishermen. One day, while they were fishing, Jesus told them, ‘Follow Me!’ And they did! James and his brother John were fishermen too. (Point.) They were working with their dad when Jesus said, ‘Follow Me!’ And they did! In the next town, Jesus found a man named Philip! (Point.) Philip followed Jesus and brought his friend Nathanael (point) to follow Jesus too! Next, we have Matthew. (Point.) He was a tax collector and made a lot of bad choices. But Jesus still loved Matthew and wanted to be his friend. Jesus said, ‘Come, follow Me.’
And Matthew did! There was also Thomas and James . . . (point) . . . Thaddeus and Simon and Judas! (Point.) These were Jesus’ twelve disciples! That was His first team. Go team! But Jesus isn’t done yet! Jesus wants YOU to be on His team too . . . and your friends . . . and your family . . . because Jesus loves everyone, and Jesus wants everyone to be His friend forever! Yes! EVERYONE!! Yes, Jesus wants to be everyone’s friend forever. Who wants to be your friend forever? [Bottom Line] Jesus wants to be my friend forever!”
PRAYER
“Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to be friends with everyone. We pray that [name of person] will follow Jesus. And I pray that [child’s name] will follow Jesus too. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
MEMORY VERSE/SCRIPTURE
“Be kind and loving to each other.” Ephesians 4:32, NCV
SAY THIS
Who does Jesus love?
Jesus loves everyone.
CRAFT/ACTIVITY
- Jesus and the Children
ACTIVITY
What You Need:
Craft page, crayons or markers
What You Do/Say:
Ask your child to color, cut the pictures along the bottom of the page, and glue them around the picture of Jesus. Encourage your child to draw a picture of themselves around Jesus.
Ask the your child to hold up their completed pictures as you say the Bottom Line together.
“Come sit with me! Let’s make a picture to help us remember what we learned in our Bible Story today. In our Bible Story today, some mommies and daddies brought their children to see Jesus. When the children tried to get close to Jesus, Jesus’ friends, the disciples, told the children to go away. What did Jesus say when His disciples did that? (Pause.) You’re right! Jesus told them to let the children come to Him! Jesus loves all children, because Jesus loves everyone.
Look at the children at the bottom of your picture. Color the children and cut them out. (Pause.) Glue all the children around Jesus because Jesus wants all children to come to Him! (Pause.) And since Jesus loves everyone, and you are a child, you can draw a picture of you by Jesus too! Okay, hold up your picture. (Pause.) All the children are with Jesus, because Jesus loves everyone. Who does Jesus love? Jesus loves everyone!”
PRAYER
“God, thank You for Jesus! Thank You that Jesus loves everyone, including all the children in the world. Help us to remember that we are ALL special to You. We love You and we pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
MEMORY VERSE/SCRIPTURE
“Be kind and loving to each other.” Ephesians 4:32, NCV
SAY THIS
Who does Jesus love?
Jesus loves everyone.
CRAFT/ACTIVITY
- Fries Verse
ACTIVITY
What You Need:
Paper, yellow crayon/marker, bag
What You Do/Say:
“Come join me over here near the table. Before we sit down, let’s say our Memory Verse and do the motions together. Ready? ‘Be kind and loving (cross hands over chest) to each other,’ (spread arms out) Ephesians 4:32. (Open hands like a book.) Great job!’”
I have a fun way for us to work on our Memory Verse! Look! French fries! How fun! Put this sticker on your French fry bag. (Pause.) Now glue your bag to your paper. (Pause.) Okay. These French fries have the words to our Memory Verse on them. Let’s say our verse together and I’ll pass you a fry to put in your fry bag. ‘Be kind (pass a fry to your child) and loving (pass a fry to your child) to each other,’ (pass a fry to your child) Ephesians 4:32. (Pass a fry to your child.) Look how fun! Great job!”
Let’s say and do the motions to our verse one more time. Ready, everyone? ‘Be kind and loving (cross hands over chest) to each other,’ (spread arms out) Ephesians 4:32. (Open hands like a book.) Super-duper, friend! Jesus loves each and every one of us! Who does Jesus love? [Bottom Line] Jesus loves everyone!’”
PRAYER
“Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to love us no matter what and to show us how to love others. Please forgive us when we do wrong things. And help us forgive others too. You’re the best, God, and we love You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
MEMORY VERSE/SCRIPTURE
“Be kind and loving to each other.” Ephesians 4:32, NCV
SAY THIS
Who does Jesus love?
Jesus loves everyone.
CRAFT/ACTIVITY
- Splatter Art
ACTIVITY
What You Need:
Heart paper, paint
What You Do/Say:
“We’re learning that Jesus loves everyone! Hearts make me think of love, so let’s do something super-cool with these hearts today.
To get started, I need you to pick two or three paint colors you want to use to decorate your heart. [Child’s name], what paint colors did you pick? (Squirt shaving cream and a squirt or two of child’s chosen paint colors, then seal their bags.) Lay your bags on the table. You can pat, rub, and draw designs on your bag to move the paint around. (Remove each heart and pat them between two paper towels to help remove excess shaving cream and paint.) Look how amazing your hearts turned out! Let’s set them aside to dry.
In our Bible Story, Jesus was kind and loving to the sad woman. Jesus didn’t punish the woman like the people wanted. Jesus told her to go and make good choices. Jesus was kind and loving to the woman when no one else was. Friends, Jesus still loves us even when we make a mistake! Jesus will always love us, and Jesus wants to be our friend forever. Who does Jesus love? Jesus
loves everyone!”
PRAYER
“Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to be a friend to everyone. Please help us be a friend like Jesus. Jesus loves everyone, and so should we. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
MEMORY VERSE/SCRIPTURE
“The people were amazed at his teaching.” Matthew 7:28, NCV
SAY THIS
Who teachers you important things? Jesus teaches me important things.
CRAFT/ACTIVITY
- Roll a Heart: See below
ACTIVITY
What You Need:
Craft sheet, die
What You Do/Say:
“What do you see on your paper?
Yes, hearts! Lots and lots of hearts! Hearts remind me of love!”
I’m going to roll this die and tell you what it lands on. When I do, I want you to use a marker to color that many hearts on your page. Are you ready? Let’s roll. (Roll the die.) I rolled a [number], so color [number] hearts! Fantastic! Let’s roll again! (Continue until all or almost all of the hearts are colored in.) Look at these colorful hearts! Great job. Hearts remind me of love.
In our Bible Story today, we learn that Jesus teaches us that God loves us no matter what. (Point to the hearts on the page.) He does! Come with me and let’s go hear our story.
PRAYER
“Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to teach us important things. We want to do the things Jesus teaches us to do, like share. Please help us share things like (read the list the children made). We love You, God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
MEMORY VERSE/SCRIPTURE
“The people were amazed at his teaching.” Matthew 7:28, NCV
SAY THIS
Who teachers you important things? Jesus teaches me important things.
CRAFT/ACTIVITY
All Tangled Up: Trace the lines to find which ones go to Jesus and which one goes to barns. Use a marker to trace the line that goes to Jesus.
ACTIVITY
What You Need:
Craft sheets
What You Do/Say:
“Jesus teaches us important things we really need to know! The Bible teaches us that: ‘The people (spread arms out) were amazed (hold hands like binoculars, open and shut) at his teaching,’ (pull O-hands from head) Matthew 7:28. (Open hands like a book.) Let’s learn our Memory verse together. Let’s say it together. (Repeat the memory verse) Jesus’ love will never end. He’s my forever friend. I’m SO glad to have a friend like Jesus who teaches us so many
important things.”
“Look at your paper. There is a picture of two barns and a picture of Jesus at the top. Use your finger to trace the lines to find which line goes to Jesus and which lines go to the barns. When you find the line that goes to Jesus, use a marker or crayon to trace that line. (Pause.) Great job! “Jesus told a story about a farmer. This farmer grew a lot of good food, and he wanted to put all the food into his barns. The barns filled up, but there was still more food. The farmer could have shared his food but he didn’t! He decided he would build BIGGER barns! The farmer could fill them up and keep ALL the food for himself. It would be WAY more food than he needed, but he wanted to keep it all. What did Jesus teach us we can do instead of keeping everything for ourselves? (Pause.) Yes, Jesus teaches us it is important to share what we have. Sharing with others is important. I’m so glad Jesus teaches us important things, like sharing! Who teaches you important things? Jesus teaches me important things!”
PRAYER
“God, thank You SO much for sending Jesus to teach us very important things. Help us to share with others this week! Jesus is the BEST forever friend! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”
MEMORY VERSE/SCRIPTURE
“The people were amazed at his teaching.” Matthew 7:28, NCV
SAY THIS
Who teachers you important things? Jesus teaches me important things.
CRAFT/ACTIVITY
Bird and Flower Puzzles: Color the puzzles and then cut on the dotted lines. Have participants put the puzzle together.
Taking Care: Cut the cards out on the dotted lines. Match the person/animal to what they need to take care.
ACTIVITY
What You Need:
Craft sheets
What You Do/Say:
Explain that the cards from one pile pair with a card from the other pile. Ask your child to turn over two cards, one from each pile. If the cards are a pair, point out how one item is used to care for the other. If they’re not a pair, leave them face up and allow your child to turn over two more cards. Continue until all cards are turned over and all pairs have been made. When all cards have been paired, talk about how they go together (a baby needs a bottle, a dog needs dog food, a thirsty person needs water, a cold person needs a coat, a person with a boo-boo needs a bandage, a person who is sad needs a hug). Shuffle, separate, and repeat as desired.
There are so many colorful puzzle pieces on the table. Let’s put our puzzles together. What do you see? (Pause.) A flower! That’s awesome. What color is your flower? (Pause.) Yes! What do you see? (Pause.) A bird! That’s awesome. What color is your bird? (Pause.) You are so smart. Let’s switch puzzles, mix them up, and start again! (Pause.) Great job working the puzzles to find the different birds and flowers. In our Bible story today, we’ll hear a story that Jesus taught about how God takes care of the birds and the flowers, and how He takes care of us too!
PRAYER
God, thank You for sending Jesus to teach us important things! Help us to remember that just as You take care of the birds and flowers, You take care of us too. What a good God! We love You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
MEMORY VERSE/SCRIPTURE
“The people were amazed at his teaching.” Matthew 7:28, NCV
SAY THIS
Who teachers you important things? Jesus teaches me important things.
ACTIVITY
What You Need:
Plastic toy sheep or white cotton balls, baby doll, blanket, and basket
What You Do/Say:
Copy the “Taking It to the Beach” on cardstock and cut. Use the stamp to press a question mark or use the marker to draw a question mark on the back of each card. Lay the cards face down on the table. Set the beach pail nearby. Ask your child to take turns selecting a card to flip over. If the picture on the card is an item to take to the beach, encourage your child to place it in the beach pail. If not, ask your child to stack it in a separate pile. Repeat until all the cards have been separated. Shuffle and play again if desired.
Copy “Fingerprint People” on cardstock. Pour some paint on the paper plates. Ask your child to put a heart sticker on the picture of Jesus. Encourage them to dip their fingertip in the paint and make dots for people around Jesus. Clean hands as needed and review the Bottom Line together.
CRAFT/ACTIVITY
Taking it to the Beach
Fingerprint People
PRAYER
“Dear God, thank You for loving us so much that You gave us Jesus. I’m so glad that Jesus wants to be our friend forever and He wants to teach us so many important things. In Jesus name,bwe pray, Amen.
