Preschool Lesson: God Planned for Families

Help your preschool students understand that God has a plan for parents to care for their children. 


Download the lesson below. Cut out the visuals of Moses, Basket Lid, Moses in Basket, Miriam, Jochebed, and Pharaoh’s Daughter from Teaching Visuals 45A and 45B. Cut a slit in Jochebed’s arms, as shown. Cut a 5” x 3” piece of construction paper and trim it to look like grass or reeds. Glue flannel or felt to the back of each visual. Bring a flannel board.

Ask the children to name people who help take care of them. Then say, I’m glad God planned for people to care for us. Let’s listen quietly to a Bible story about a boy whose mother loved him very much. Hold your open Bible on your lap. Explain that this is a true story from God's Word, the Bible.

A MOTHER’S LOVE 

Amram [AM-ram] and Jochebed [JOCK-uh-bed] had a secret. Big brother Aaron and big sister Miriam had a secret, too (place Miriam visual on the flannel board). They had a new baby boy in their house, but they couldn’t tell anyone. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, thought there were too many Hebrew people. Pharaoh said that all new Hebrew baby boys had to be killed.

When Jochebed’s baby was born (place Jochebed visual on the board), Jochebed knew God had given her a special child (place Moses visual in Jochebed’s arms, sliding it into the slit). Jochebed loved her baby very much. She did not want her baby to die, so she hid him in the house. She took good care of the baby and he grew bigger and stronger. Soon he could cry loudly, and Jochebed knew it was not safe to hide him in the house any longer.
Jochebed had an idea. She took a strong basket and made sure that no water could get in it — not even one drop. Then Jochebed lovingly wrapped her baby in a blanket. She gently laid the baby in the basket (remove Moses visual and place Moses in Basket in Jochebed’s arms).

“Come, Miriam,” Jochebed said to the baby’s big sister. “I need your help.” (Move Jochebed and Miriam visuals to the middle of the flannel board.) Miriam and Jochebed went to the river, and Jochebed put the basket in the water near some tall grass (place grass visual to the right of Jochebed; place Moses in Basket to the right of the grass; place the Basket Lid on the basket).
Jochebed pointed to a nearby spot. “Now, Miriam,” she said, “stay here. Watch the basket and see what happens to our baby.” (Place Miriam visual slightly behind the grass.)

Soon the princess, Pharaoh’s daughter, came to the river (place Pharaoh’s Daughter on the board). The princess looked out into the river, and saw something strange floating in the water. It was the basket!

When the princess opened the basket, the baby was surprised (remove Basket Lid and move Moses in Basket beside Pharaoh’s Daughter). The baby began to cry.

The princess was surprised, too. “Look,” she said. “This is a Hebrew baby. I feel sorry for him. I want to keep him.”

Just then Miriam came out of her hiding place and ran to the princess (move Miriam next to Pharaoh’s Daughter).

“Would you like for me to find a Hebrew woman to help you feed and care for the baby” she asked.

“Oh, yes,” answered the princess.

Miriam ran home (remove Miriam). She told her mother what had happened and brought her to the princess (place Miriam and Jochebed on the board).

“Here, take the baby,” the princess said to Jochebed. “Feed him and take care of him until he is old enough to live with me. I will pay you.”
Jochebed agreed (remove Moses in Basket; place Moses in Jochebed’s arms). She took her own baby boy home. She did just what the princess told her. God helped her so she was able to care for her own little boy. When the boy was old enough, Jochebed took him to live with the princess. The princess named him “Moses.” Moses grew up to be one of God’s great helpers.

Close by talking about some ways your preschoolers can be helpers at home and church.

Download the full preschool lesson: A Mother's Love.

Giving Thanks At All Times

Before your lesson, print the Mayflower picture from below. Tell your students the following story:

Today we are going to be talking about thanking God. We have an example of some people long ago who thanked God. These people are the Pilgrims. They thanked God in good times and in bad times.

How did the Pilgrims get to the New World? (In a ship called the Mayflower; show the Mayflower picture.) That trip was very hard. Storms tossed the ship. The Pilgrims didn't arrive in the new World until November, too late to plant crops before winter. So that first winter in the New World was very hard. Many people got sick. In fact the captain of the Mayflower stayed through the winter and Mayflower became a hospital ship. But the Pilgrims thought their hard times were God's way of testing to them to see if they had courage and faith. Let's pretend we are Pilgrims. It is winter, and it is cold. You are trying to build little cabins for the people to live in. (Have all the students stand and pretend to build.)

During the middle of winter, many people got sick and died. Many of those were children. Some days, as many as three people died. (Pull out three students and have them stand to one side.)

Now there are fewer of you to work. Some people were sent to the Mayflower because they were so sick. (Pull out three more students and have them stand in another area. Have the remaining students keep working.)

By the end of winter, half the people had died. (Send half of your students to stand with the first three.)

Do you think the Pilgrims gave up after that first year? No, they had a celebration to thank God. They invited their friends from the Wampanoag tribe to celebrate with them. That is how our first Thanksgiving Day started. If the Pilgrims could thank God through their hard times, we certainly should be able to thank God through our hard times, too.

(Have everyone sit down. Let the students share some of the things for which they're thankful.)
We have all felt grateful to God for something at some time. Perhaps you have felt grateful when God allowed something good to happen to your family like a new baby or someone who was sick getting well. Other time, we must thank God even when we don't feel thankful. God wants us to thank him when we're in a hard situation or when we feel depressed or sad. During those times, it's harder to thank God.

(Talk with the students about some of the hard times they or their friends have gone through. Share a time in your own life when you thanked God during a difficult situation.)

For most of us, thanking God is hard because we can't think of things to say. We forget about all the wonderful things God has done for us. Or, if we do notice them, we often forget to thank God for them. Let's talk about some things for which we can thank God right now. (Mention a few of your own praises, too.) 

(Encourage the students to pray brief prayers of thanks for each thing mentioned by the others. Thank God for each student. Ask that each child will remember to give God thanks on a regular basis. Remember to pray for each child during the week.)

 

Click the image above to print the Mayflower

Build a Bible Verse

Play a verse builders game to help your students memorize the Bible verse for your lesson. Have the children sit in a circle. (If you have a large class, divide into several small groups.) Have a child read the verse aloud from the Bible. Pronounce any difficult words before he starts reading. Review the memory verse together several times. Begin and end with the reference since it's often the hardest part for children to remember.

Then designate a child to begin. That child places his  hand (palm down) in the center of the floor (or table) while saying the first word of the verse. Proceeding clockwise, each child takes a turn saying the next word in the verse while placing his hand on top of the previous player's hand.

Proceed clockwise. Each child takes a turn saying the next word in the verse while placing his hand on top of the previous player's hand. After everyone has his hand in the pile, the bottom hand is removed and placed on top as that player says the next word of the verse. Continue in this manner until the verse is complete. The next three children say the book, chapter, and verse. Then have everyone say the verse together as they lift their hands together. Repeat, using different children to start.

National Day of Prayer 2011

This year the National Day of Prayer will be held on Thursday, May 5, 2011. The theme is "a mighty fortress is our God."  Here's the prayer written by Joni Eareckson Tada for this year's National Day of Prayer (used by permission, National Day of Prayer). For more resources, visit the National Day of Prayer website.

2011 National Prayer
by Joni Eareckson Tada, Honorary Chairman
National Day of Prayer
 
Almighty God, you are our Mighty Fortress, our refuge and the God in whom we place our trust.  As our nation faces great distress and uncertainty, we ask your Holy Spirit to fall afresh upon your people — convict us of sin and inflame within us a passion to pray for our land and its people.  Grant the leaders of our country an awareness of their desperate need of wisdom and salvation in You until sin becomes a reproach to all and righteousness exalts this nation.

Protect and defend us against our enemies and may the cause of Christ always prevail in our schools, courts, homes, and churches.  Lord God, send a spirit of revival and may it begin in our own hearts.

Remember America, we pray.  Remember the foundations on which this country was built.  Remember the prayers of our nation’s fathers and mothers, and do not forget us in our time of need.

In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.


You can do things to remind yourself and your students to pray each day of the year. Whether you give your students “God Bless the USA” Wristbands to wear, decorate your classroom with patriotic décor, place a flag at the front of your room, or anything else you may think of—just PRAY!

You can use this God Says Bulletin Board Set (#CD210008) to remind your students to pray regularly. Encourage your students to pray for people in different countries. Post a world map on the bulletin board. Surround it with the bulletin board set. Each week choose a different country. Find out a few fun facts about the country and the people who live there to share with your students. Let everyone take turns praying for the various needs of that country. (Do not force any child to pray.) Cut out heart shapes from construction paper. Let each child write a simple prayer or prayer request on a heart and add it to the bulletin board. You can use a different color of construction paper for each country's hearts, if you wish.

Print out the coloring page below for your students. Feel free to copy it and pass it on to  your coworkers and friends. Younger children can memorize the simplified verse from Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the LORD." Older children can learn Psalm 91:2, the theme verse for the National Day of Prayer 2011. You may want to cut out the child's head and let each of your students draw a self-portrait and print "Pray every day" under the Bible verse. Let the students say the verse in unison a few times. Close with a song such as "Jesus Loves the Little Children."

THEME VERSE:
"I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'"— Psalm 91:2

Click on the image above for a larger view.

Bulletin Board Basics

When preparing a display for your classroom, you don't actually need a bulletin board. Just frame a large area of one wall with bulletin board borders or trims. However, backgrounds are vital. Besides colored construction paper, use textured fabrics, felt or flannel, crepe paper, newpapers, aluminum foil, sandpaper, colored cellophane, or maps.

Borders make the bulletin board. Use corrugated paper, twisted crepe paper, yarn or rope, pictures strung together, paper muffin cups, scalloped strips of poster board, wallpaper samples, and designs printed from your computer.

Lettering conveys the message. Make your letters big, and keep the message short and simple. Mounting the same letters in two colors, one on top of the other, gives a shadow effect. Cut your letters from corrugated paper, sticky-backed felt, patterned paper (such as that used for scrapbooking), textured paper,  Form letters from colored feathers, and drinking straws bent into letter shapes. You can add a short Bible verse or your lesson theme to the bulletin board.

Variety adds spice to your display. Add a third dimension to your bulletin board by placing a thick piece of cardboard or foam core behind the lettering. You can also glue cotton balls, twigs, feathers, yarn, rope, colored paper plates, holiday trims, or an old lampshade cut in half to your board. Make sure you take a photo of your completed board so you can easily recreate your artistic masterpiece in the future.

For pre-made bulletin board sets and lots of fun bulletin board ideas, visit our Classroom Decorations Store. You'll also find attendance charts, posters, borders, lettering, stickers, and lots more—many items 30% to 50% off.