****************************************************************************** Title: Kindergarten Sabbath School Program, October 9, 1999 From: NAD Children’s Ministries (author: Lisa Seeders) Date Completed: September 15, 1999 Abstract: Activities to use as a supplement to help teach the lesson, JESUS TEACHES US HOW TO PRAY ****************************************************************************** Lesson Aim: Prayer is how we talk to Jesus. Memory Verse: “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name......” Matt. 6:9-13, KJV GETTING THEIR ATTENTION - PONY EXPRESS PRAYERS (A multi-sensory activity) Materials needed: Hobby horse (horse head on a stick) OR make your own horse with a broomstick, paper bag and yarn WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) If you can’t locate a hobby horse, make one by tying a paper bag over the whisk end of a broom. Decorate the bag with eyes, nose and a yarn fringe mane. WHAT THE CHILDREN DO: Ask the children if they know what a pony express is? It was a way of communicating with people back before telephones or computers were invented. People could tell or write messages to other people and someone would deliver the message for them by riding from place to place on a horse. Do you think it took a short or a long time to get a message? Let’s try giving messages to one another using the pony express method. Position the children in different locations in the room. Explain that you have a message for one certain child in the room. You may ride to any child other than the one you have the message for and whisper it into their ear. They then ride to another child in the room and whisper it in their ear. This continues until the only child left to hear the message is the one for whom it was originally intended for. After receiving the message he then tells you what your message was. Tell the children what your original message was and compare the two. Do this several times with different children being the last to receive the message. Follow-up this game with these discussion questions that will lead into the Bible story. 1. What do you like about the pony express way of delivering messages? What do you not like? 2. Why do you think prayer is a better way to give and receive messages than the pony express way? In our Bible story today Jesus teaches his friends how to use prayer as a way to deliver and receive messages with Heaven. GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BIBLE STORY. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - PRAYER SONG (A primarily auditory activity) Materials needed: Cassette tape player and pre-recorded song, Three Blind Mice OR a piano player and music WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) There are no advance preparations necessary except to practice the song WHAT THE CHILDREN DO: Have the children join hands in a circle. Sing the following verses together. The tune is “Three Blind Mice”. Whenever the teacher sings the children walk counter-clockwise around in a circle. Whenever they sing, they turn and walk clockwise in a circle. 1. (Teacher) Why do we pray (Children) Why do we pray (Teacher) Why do we pray (Children) Why do we pray (Teacher) We pray because we love Jesus dear We know when we talk to Him he will hear It’s just one way that to Him we draw near So that’s why we pray (Children) That’s why we pray 2. (Teacher) When do we pray (Children) When do we pray (Teacher) When do we pray (Children) When do we pray (Teacher) We pray at night and during the day We pray when Satan gets in our way There’s never a time when we cannot pray Oh, that’s when we pray (Children) That’s when we pray 3. (Teacher) How do we pray (Children) How do we pray (Teacher) How do we pray (Children) How do we pray (Teacher) We can pray on our knees with our eyes shut tight Walking or riding or at a stop light However you do it with God it’s alright Cause that’s how we pray (Children) That’s how we pray 4. (Teacher) Where do we pray (Children) Where do we pray (Teacher) Where do we pray (Children) Where do we pray (Teacher) The closet, the kitchen, the bedroom is fine Inside or outside, beside the clothes line It doesn’t matter if it’s your place or mine That’s where you pray (Children) That’s where we pray. GETTING INTO SCRIPTURE - PRAYER CHARADES (A multi-sensory activity) Materials needed: None WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) There are no advance preparations necessary. WHAT THE CHILDREN DO: Act out the following scenarios with the children. Pick one or two children to help you in each charade. The rest guess who is praying in the charade. 1. Daniel in the lion’s den. 2. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane with Peter, James & John. 3. Noah at the altar after coming out of the ark. 4. Hannah in the temple praying for a baby. 5. Esther and her maids praying before she goes in to see the king. ACTING ON SCRIPTURE - PRAYER PALS (A multi-sensory activity) Materials needed: Colored pom-poms (Large size) Construction paper Markers Wiggly eyes Hot glue gun (for teacher use only) WHAT THE TEACHER DOES: (To prepare ahead) Cut out arms and legs from the construction paper for each child’s pom-pom. Make each arm and leg about 6" long. On one arm write the word, praise. On the other arm write the word, repent. On one leg write the word, ask and on the other leg write the word, yield. Fold the arms and legs up accordian style so when they are glued to the pom-pom they can be stretched out and the words read. WHAT THE CHILDREN DO: Have each child make a praying pom-pom pal. Glue the wiggly eyes on the pom-pom. Glue the arms and legs to the pom-pom. Show the children how to extend the arms and legs. Explain to the children that their praying pal will help them remember what to include in their prayers. P is for praise. They should thank God each time they pray for all His goodness and love to them. They should thank Him specifically for things He has done for them. R is for repent. That means feeling sorry for your sins and asking for forgiveness. A is for ask. God wants us to tell Him what we need. Y is for yield. Yield means giving God permission to do whatever He thinks is best for us. Encourage them to put their pal somewhere where they can be reminded of what he stand for when they pray.