Stuff You Should Know About This Lesson
Age: Preschoolers-Kindergarten
Time: Each activity is designed to take about 10 minutes. In real life, some take 5 and some take 20. It evens out.
Active/Quiet: Whenever possible, the lesson alternates between a quiet activity and an active activity. Free play centers can be either, depending on the personality of the child.
Repetition: Preschoolers aren’t bothered by repetition and a routine, in fact, they thrive on it. Therefore, this is a 3-in-1 lesson plan. It has been kid-tested and used for three weeks in a row.
Bible Story: This is the most important part of the lesson. For this reason, you will notice the Bible story is told more than once each session.
Books
Activity Type: Controlled and Quiet
Use this activity with early arrivals. I find it’s important to gain control of the classroom at the very beginning. If kids come in and start playing, there is difficulty convincing them it is time for a structured activity. Also, new kids can be overwhelmed coming into a classroom full of strange kids running around wildly. Reading books gives the new kid an easy way to join in — she just has to sit down next to the teacher.
This portion of the lesson also provides the opportunity to review previous stories. All that’s needed is a picture book of a story you taught earlier in the year.
Game
Activity Type: Controlled and Active
Pick one of the games. Three games are included because this lesson is designed to cover three weeks. But don’t be afraid to do the same game twice.
Start the game at the time class is supposed to start. Because the games are open-ended, latecomers can easily join in without disrupting the flow of class.
Video
Activity Type: Controlled and Quiet
We watched the same DVD three weeks running. Since the Bible story is the most important part of the lesson, my goal is to tell the Bible story at least twice every Sunday. This DVD marks the first time the Bible Story is told this session.
- Six Days. A 4:40 clip on a DVD from Answers in Genesis.
Bible Story
Activity Type: Controlled and Quiet
This now becomes the second time the Bible story is told this session. You may want to play another game between the video and the Bible story, depending on how antsy the kids are.
Strive to make this the most intense portion of the lesson. Above all else, the Bible is what you want kids to remember. If they don’t remember it, how can they possibly apply it to their lives? With that in mind, choose a different way of telling the story each week. Pick a boring game and a boring craft if you must, but this portion of the lesson needs to sparkle.
- 12 Familiar Objects. Put objects into Easter eggs and open at appropriate moments in the story.
- Whiteboard and Marker. Have a large whiteboard up at the front of the class. Simply draw each object that God created as you tell the story.
- Creation Globes. Definitely a different way to tell the story. Each nesting globe represents one day of creation.
Craft
Activity Type: Uncontrolled and Quiet
This overlaps with the free play centers. Sometimes a kid will get halfway through the project, wander around the room for a while, play at another center, then come back to their project. Each kid starts the art or craft project at the same time, but they finish at variable rates and move on to other centers. Each week we did a different project.
- Stencils. Draw animals and plants and such.
- Mini-Book. Each page covers one day of creation. Have the kid “read” the completed book to you, and the Bible story will be told for the third time.
- Nature-Oriented. Any foam or paper plate craft that’s of an object found in nature.
Free Play Centers
Activity Type: Uncontrolled and Active
- Puzzles. Have a variety of nature-oriented puzzles available.
- Blocks. Provide plastic or wooden animals and plants along with the blocks.
- Kitchen. Talk about God creating plants we eat.
