April 11 - Blast Off

BigIdea2Square_BlastOff_Grow.jpg

Welcome!

We’re so excited that you stopped over to see what’s happening in kids ministry! Each week we’ll have all information and links you need to stay up-to-date right here in one convenient place.

We have options for you to work through the lesson with your family or set your kids up to watch one of our virtual lessons.

What we’re studying this month

BLAST OFF: A SERIES ON SPIRITUAL HABITS

If you’re a grown-up and you’ve been following Jesus for a while, you’ve probably figured out a few ways to grow spiritually. The kids you’re parenting or leading, on the other hand, aren’t grown-ups, so they might need a little help from you to figure out how, exactly, to grow spiritually. So what should spiritual growth look like for a kid? We like to think about it in terms of four spiritual habits. To help a kid grow spiritually, teach them to spend time with God, spend time with others, use their gifts, and share their story.


DOWNLOAD THE PRESCHOOL PARENT GUIDE
DOWNLOAD THE ELEMENTARY PARENT GUIDE

How to Study at Home

  1. Get your Child a snack

  2. Read the Bible Story to your child and/or

  3. Click on the link to the YouTube Playlist for that week and watch the videos. Lessons each week brought to you by our Children’s Director Melissa. “in-person” lessons complete with worship music, videos, games, memory work, and more.

  4. Review Memory work and Pray with your kids when they are done

  5. If you have time or the desire - choose one of the follow-up activities to help the kids engage with the lesson

Weekly Lesson Plan -

INSTRUCTIONS: Look up the story in your Bible. See if your kids can guess the Big Idea.

THE BIBLE: Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man: Mark 2:1-12; Galatians 6:2

BIG IDEA: People can help our faith grow.

INSTRUCTIONS: Look up the story in your Bible and read it to your preschoolers.

  • In this Bible story, the paralyzed man needed to get to Jesus, but he couldn’t get there on his own. He needed his friends to help him get there.

  • The man's friends carried him to Jesus, but the place was so busy that they couldn't get inside. So they took him up to the roof! Can you point to where the roof is?

  • The friends lowered the man down in front of Jesus. And Jesus healed him! The man could walk now!

  • Just like the man in this story, we have people we know that help us get closer to Jesus. They can pray for us and show us God's love.

  • Just like the four friends, you can help your friends get closer to Jesus by praying for them and showing them God's love.

Additional SCRIPTURE| Galatians 6:2

A man named Paul (who we call the Apostle Paul) once wrote a letter to help some followers of Jesus figure out how to grow closer to Jesus together. Here's one thing he wrote . . .

  • INSTRUCTIONS: Read the passage together.

  • In today's story, the man's friends carried him — literally! But they also carried his "burdens," or "heavy load," by being with him, encouraging him, and helping him meet Jesus. He never would have met Jesus without his friends!

    • Just like the friends in this story, we can help the people we love get closer to Jesus.

    • And just like the man in this story, we need other people to help us get closer to Jesus.

PRAYER

Toddler Tips: A toddler needs may have trouble understanding the concept of prayer because they cannot see God. Echo Prayer is a good strategy to encourage and teach kids how to talk to God. The teacher or parent speaks aloud a short segment of the prayer, and the children echo back the same sentence or phrase.

Dear God, thank you for our family, our friends, all the people in our lives who help us know you. Help us to notice the people who need our help, too!

April 4 - JESUS’ CRUCIFIXION & RESURRECTION

BigIdea3Square_Clue_GrowKids.jpg

Welcome!

We’re so excited that you stopped over to see what’s happening in kids ministry! Each week we’ll have all information and links you need to stay up-to-date right here in one convenient place.

We have options for you to work through the lesson with your family or set your kids up to watch one of our virtual lessons.

What we’re studying this month

LEVEL UP: A 4-WEEK SERIES ON EASTER

When we think of Easter, we may think of dying eggs, egg hunts, the Easter bunny, and dressing up in your Sunday best on Easter Sunday. But there’s so much more to Easter than that. What really happened to Jesus over 2,000 years ago, and how does it affect us today? In this series, kids will become detectives to look for clues and discover the true meaning of Easter. Kids will learn about Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus celebrating a special meal with His disciples, the crucifixion and resurrection, and Jesus ascending to heaven and giving His followers a special mission.

DOWNLOAD THIS MONTH’S ELEMENTARY PARENT GUIDE
DOWNLOAD THIS MONTH’S PRESCHOOL PARENT GUIDE

How to Study at Home

  1. Get your Child a snack

  2. Read the Bible Story to your child and/or

  3. Click on the link to the YouTube Playlist for that week and watch the videos. Lessons each week brought to you by our Children’s Director Melissa. “in-person” lessons complete with worship music, videos, games, memory work, and more.

  4. Review Memory work and Pray with your kids when they are done

  5. If you have time or the desire - choose one of the follow-up activities to help the kids engage with the lesson

Weekly Lesson Plan -

INSTRUCTIONS: Look up the story in your Bible. See if your kids can guess the Big Idea.

THE BIBLE: The Crucifixion and Resurrection: John 18:28-20:18

BIG IDEA: Every Easter, we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.

INSTRUCTIONS: So far, our lessons have told us that, every Easter, we worship Jesus. (Remember the story of the donkey and the people with palm branches?) And every Easter, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice. (Remember the special meal Jesus shared with His disciples?)

  • Our Bible story today is awesome, but it does have some parts that are sad and sometimes hard to hear. I promise that the ending is the most important and best part of God’s story! As we’re listening to the story, think about the clues that help us figure out what Easter is about.

  • Look up the story in your Bible and read it to your preschoolers.

  • Did Jesus ever do anything wrong? No, Jesus never did anything wrong, He was without sin. But Jesus still died on the cross.

  • Why did Jesus die on the cross?He had to die so he could take away all our sins, and he did that because he loves us so much.

  • After He died, Jesus’ body was put inside a tomb. Three days later, what did Mary find at the tomb? An empty tomb! Jesus was alive! The news of Jesus being alive is great news for those who believe in Him! It means we can be forgiven of our sins and have a relationship with Jesus! I think that’s reason to celebrate!

  • When Jesus rose from the dead on the first Easter Sunday, everyone celebrated. Thousands of years later, we still celebrate Easter because we want to continue celebrating that Jesus is alive!

Additional SCRIPTURE| Hosea 13:14; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

INSTRUCTIONS: Read Hosea 13:14; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

  • We’ve been talking about clues from the Old Testament, called prophecies, that point to the story of Easter. First, I want to read you a verse from the Old Testament in the book of Hosea. Then I want to read you a book from the New Testament in the book I Corinthians.

  • What does 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 say about death and the grave? It says death has no power over Christ.

  • How did Jesus overcome death? When He rose from the grave He proved that He could beat death. It had no power over Him!

  • Because Jesus rose from the dead, He gives us that power to beat sin and separation from God. Let’s celebrate Jesus’ resurrection together!

DISCUSSION: Snack and Discussion

INSTRUCTIONS: Pass out a snack to all of your preschoolers and ask them to sit and listen while they eat. Your discussion will be more effective when they're busy sitting and snacking!

  • Did Jesus ever sin?(No, Jesus never sinned)

  • Why did Jesus die on the cross for us?(Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins so we can be forgiven and be best friends with God.)

  • What happened after Jesus died? (They put His body in s tomb and rolled a heavy stone over the entrance.)

  • What did Mary find when she went to the tomb three days later?(The tomb was empty and Jesus was not there.)

  • Is it great news that Jesus came back to life? (Yes!)

PRAYER

Toddler Tips: A toddler needs may have trouble understanding the concept of prayer because they cannot see God. Echo Prayer is a good strategy to encourage and teach kids how to talk to God. The teacher or parent speaks aloud a short segment of the prayer, and the children echo back the same sentence or phrase.

Dear God, thank you that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that He rose from the dead. We are celebrating today that Jesus is alive! We love you, amen.

March 28- Level Up - Week 4

BigIdea2_S_LevelUp_GrowKids.jpg

Welcome!

We’re so excited that you stopped over to see what’s happening in kids ministry! Each week we’ll have all information and links you need to stay up-to-date right here in one convenient place.

We have options for you to work through the lesson with your family or set your kids up to watch one of our virtual lessons.

What we’re studying this month

LEVEL UP: A 4-WEEK SERIES ON EASTER

Video games are something today’s kids are familiar with. . . maybe even too familiar! Games are played on every platform from game consoles to handheld devices/phones, and there are a ton of different games to choose from. But the constant across this diverse gaming universe is that every game has levels of increasing difficulty. When a player “levels up,” they are usually met with more challenges but also with more rewards. Through this series, we are challenging kids to “level up” their faith by examining the events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection. Even though they might be facing difficulties and adversity of their own, kids will find the greatest rewards in their faith when they fix their eyes on Jesus. Because Jesus trusted God, Jesus beat death! When we doubt and have questions about God, Jesus helps me believe, and even during those times, Jesus is always with me.

DOWNLOAD THE PRESCHOOL PARENT GUIDE
DOWNLOAD THE ELEMENTARY PARENT GUIDE

How to Study at Home

  1. Get your Child a snack

  2. Read the Bible Story to your child and/or

  3. Click on the link to the YouTube Playlist for that week and watch the videos. Lessons each week brought to you by our Children’s Director Melissa. “in-person” lessons complete with worship music, videos, games, memory work, and more.

  4. Review Memory work and Pray with your kids when they are done

  5. If you have time or the desire - choose one of the follow-up activities to help the kids engage with the lesson

Weekly Lesson Plan -

INSTRUCTIONS: Look up the story in your Bible. See if your kids can guess the Big Idea.

THE BIBLE: The Road to Emmaus: Luke 24:13-35

BIG IDEA: Jesus is always with me.

INSTRUCTIONS: Enlist someone with the gift of storytelling to tell the story. The storyteller can be dressed in a Biblical costume, or just use a walking stick as a prop.

  • Hi there, kids. My name is Cleopas and I want to tell you about the most exciting thing that happened to my friend and me. You see, we were walking along the road, heading to the town named Emmaus. We were sad because we missed Jesus.

  • Suddenly, a stranger started walking next to us. "What are you talking about?" the stranger asked us. My friend and I were so surprised. Everyone was talking about Jesus these days! How could this stranger not know?

  • So, my friend and I told the stranger all about Jesus. We told the stranger about all the wonderful things Jesus had done and all the things Jesus had taught us. But sadly, some people didn't like what Jesus was teaching so they punished Jesus –even though Jesus didn't do anything wrong! They put Jesus on a cross and then, Jesus died. A few days later, some of our friends went to visit where Jesus' body was... but Jesus wasn't there! But an angel was there, and told my friends that Jesus is alive. More of our friends went back to the tomb and found the same thing — Jesus was gone!

  • We had just finished telling the story when we arrived at our final stop: Emmaus. It was getting dark so we invited the stranger, our new friend, to stay with us. When we arrived at the place we were staying and sat down to eat, the stranger took the bread, broke it in half, and blessed it. Suddenly, we knew who the stranger was! This stranger, who had been walking and talking with us, was none other than our old friend, Jesus! And then Jesus disappeared. My friend and I were so amazed! It was really Jesus! And guess what? Jesus is never truly gone — Jesus is always with us!

Additional SCRIPTURE| Psalm 139:7-10

INSTRUCTIONS: Read Psalm 139:7-10.

  • Where can we go where Jesus can't find us? That's right — nowhere! This Bible verse tells us that no matter where we go, Jesus is always with us.

  • What does verse 10 mean? Did you know the phrase, "right hand" appears more than a hundred times in the Bible? Because most people are right-handed, the right hand usually is stronger and more skilled. So, the verse tells us God's strength and power are with us always, and that we are important to God!

PRAYER

Toddler Tips: A toddler needs may have trouble understanding the concept of prayer because they cannot see God. Echo Prayer is a good strategy to encourage and teach kids how to talk to God. The teacher or parent speaks aloud a short segment of the prayer, and the children echo back the same sentence or phrase.

Jesus, thank You so much for reminding us each and every day that You are always with us and will never leave us.