********************************************************* Title: Kindergarten Sabbath School Program, June 10, 2000 From: NAD Children's Ministries (author: Lisa Seeders) Date Completed: April 15, 2,000 Abstract: Activities to use in place of program helps to teach the lesson, THE GREATEST GIFT ********************************************************* Lesson Aim: Jesus wants us to be kind even to those who are not kind to us. Memory Verse: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13, NIV GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - TEARDROP TALES Materials needed: Drawing paper Scissors Pencils Colored pencils or crayons WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) On each sheet of drawing paper draw a large teardrop shape. It should take up most of the page. WHAT THE CHILDREN DO: Give each child a paper with a teardrop on it. Call their attention to the fact that it is a teardrop. Sometimes things happen or we see something that makes us very sad. Ask them to draw a picture in the teardrop of something that happened to them or something they saw that made them feel sad. Color the picture with crayons or colored pencils. Cut the teardrops out. The Bible story today is about the saddest thing that ever happened. There were many teardrops cried on this sad day. GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BIBLE STORY. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - MEMORY VERSE OBJECT LESSON Materials needed: Brown construction paper Scissors Black permanent marker Bibles Ziplock Bags One sheet of white paper WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Cut two pieces of 8" X 1" strips of brown construction paper for each child. Cut one of the pieces in half so you have two 4" strips. On the 8" strips print the words, that he lay down his life for his friends. On one of the 4" strips print the words, Greater love has. On the other 4" strips print the words, no one than this. In a Ziplock bag for each child place an 8" strip and two 4" strips. Each child will then have the complete memory verse. Write the capital letters of the alphabet on the sheet of white paper in big lettering. WHAT THE CHILDREN DO: Give each child a Ziplock bag. Tell them to take the brown pieces out of the bag and lay them in such a way that they will form an alphabet letter. Display the capital letters of the alphabet for them to use as a visual reminder. (Several letters can be formed) Have them make a capital "I". Show them in the Bible where the memory verse is found. Read and repeat it together several times. Read the verse words on the top of the capital "I", then read the words on the 8" strip, then read the words on the bottom of the capital "I". Ask the children if the memory verse sounds right. Now show the children how to take the top of the capital "I" and place it to the left of the 8" strip. Take the bottom of the capital "I" and place it directly across to the right of the 8" strip. You will have formed a cross. Read the left wing, the 8" strip and the right wing in that order. The memory verse will be correct. In our memory verse Jesus tells us that the greatest way to show our love to others is by being willing to not put ourselves or "I" first. Jesus will place His kind of love in our hearts, so we're not always thinking of ourselves first. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - BIBLE STORY DRESS REVIEW Materials needed: Costume for a soldier - shield, sword, helmet Costume for Mary - Piece of material to wrap around; head wrap Costume for King Herod - crown, robe Costume for Simon - 2 boards nailed together for a 3 - 4' cross, robe Costume for a thief - Small cloth to wrap around lower body Costume for John - Robe and head turban WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) There are no advance preparations necessary except for gathering the costumes WHAT THE CHILDREN DO: (If there are more than six children in the group, gather additional costumes and have more than one of the Bible story characters above represented.) Have all the children close their eyes except one. That child selects one of the costumes and puts it on. The children open their eyes and guess who the person is from the story. Ask the child wearing the costume to imagine how that person their representing would have felt. What things might he or she have said? Call on the rest of the children for ideas also. Continue in this same manner until all the characters have been reviewed. (If there is more than one soldier, all soldiers would be reviewed from the front at one time.) ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - Materials needed: Small slips of paper Pen WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Print numbers from one to however many children you have in the group on the small slips of paper. Cut them apart and roll them up. WHAT THE CHILDREN DO: Have each child draw a slip of paper from you. They get in line according to the number that they have drawn. When all the children are in line talk about how people usually want to be first. They want to be at the head. They want their happiness to be first. In our story and in our memory verse today we learn about God's love. It's a very special love that puts others happiness first. That's what the memory verse means when it says if you really love someone you will lay down your life for them. You will consider how to bring happiness and joy to your friends and family instead of always insisting on your own way first. The object of the game is to always try to be at the end of the line. Whoever is first thinks of a way to put others happiness before their own. Then he/she can move to the back of the line. Include yourself in the game and end the game with you being at the front. Some suggestions to prompt the children with are: 1. I can put others happiness first by letting them choose what we are going to play. 2. I can put others happiness first by looking for good things to say about them. 3. I can put others happiness first by offering to do something for them that needs done. 4. I can put others happiness first by forgiving someone as soon as they ask.