Hobbies And Interests
Gift Bags
Help the children make gift bags for upcoming special occasions such as Father's Day. Buy brown or white paper lunch sacks from a local variety or grocery store. Have the children draw a picture or make a simple, age-appropriate craft for a Father's Day gift. Then, create the gift bags. Provide the children with stickers, glue, crayons, fabric swatches, tissue paper, buttons, stickers and anything else they can easily manage to decorate their bags. Provide a color sheet of an animal such as a dog, cat or bear. Allow the children to color the page. While the children decorate the gift bags, cut out the animal or help older preschoolers with the task. Glue the animal to the top of the bag so that its face and arms stick up over the top. Place the gift inside and help the children stuff the top with tissue paper. The children can make similar gift bags to hold their handmade creations for Mother's Day, Easter and Christmas.
Sing Sripture Verses to Familiar Tunes
Choose Bible verses that reinforce the planned lesson. Ask the children to sing the verses to tunes like "London Bridge," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and other familiar Sunday school songs. Add body movements to encourage participation. Singing to the tune of "London Bridge," the teacher and teacher's helper form the bridge while the children circle around and move underneath the bridge. When the children get to the end of the verse, capture a student as the children repeat the Bible verse location such as "John 3:16." Singing to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," have the children reach way up high as if reaching for the stars. Add other body movements as needed. Singing and movement encourage children to engage in the lesson and memorize Bible verses without realizing it.
Gifts From God
Plan a Bible lesson to emphasize the gifts that God has given, such as a home in which to live, the sun to provide heat, flowers and animals. Before the lesson, obtain objects to represent the gifts. For example, a stuffed dog might represent God's gift of animals, plastic food might represent the gift of food, a bottle of paint might represent the gift of art. Provide several examples. Wrap the gift examples in a gift box. On the day of the Bible lesson, place the wrapped gifts on a table inside the classroom. As the children come in, ask them to choose a gift. Tell the children that inside each gift box is an item that represents a gift that God has given. Instruct the children to open the gift boxes to reveal a gift from God. Ask the children to guess the gift the item represents. Give hints and help as needed.