As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we’re starting a new curriculum and the first part focuses on the gospel, or the good news of God. It’s some great content, but I need to find a way to make it easy for preschoolers and the younger group to understand, so I’ll be posting some adaptations each week as well as some coordinating small group activities. (In case you’re interested, here’s an article from the author of our curriculum about whether or not preschoolers can even understand the gospel.) Hope you find it helpful!
Lesson One: Getting a Clear Picture of the Gospel
For this first introductory lesson, we’ll be bringing in a special guest named Whooty. He’s an owl and I picked him up on Amazon this week. Basically, Whooty is asking a bunch of questions about the good news of God (Why did God do it? Can I earn salvation, etc.) and by the end of the puppet skit, Whooty decides to give his life to Christ. It’s in the early editing stages, but you’re welcome to take a look at the Good News Skit for your own inspiration (leave me a comment and I’ll send it your way)
What’s in the Bible
In case you don’t want to fly in any birds of prey for your kidmin lesson, you might want to check out this video from What’s in the Bible. It comes from Volume #10 of the series, which was one of my favorite videos.
Pictures of Good News
This lesson is all about “good news.” Of course, the main focus is about God’s good news, but kids might appreciate sharing some good news of their own. During small group, have kids either verbally share some recent good news in their life or have them draw pictures of “good news” and display it around the room. Write captions for younger kids if they’d like.
Wordless Book (or Bracelet)
The wordless book has been a classic tool for years, designed to share the concept of the gospel in a simple to understand (and easy to replicate) way. Check out the full instructions here. You could create a wordless book for your group or have each kid make their own. You could also create bracelets instead of books for a portable version. They even have nifty cubes called evangecubes (and a kids version!) that can do a great presentation of the gospel.
Set Up Some Centers
There are lots of ways to interact with the concept of the gospel (check out this great resource from Scripture Lady). Establish some stations or centers around the room so kids can experience elements of the gospel in a multi-sensory way. For example, you could set up a mirror and have kids look at it, remembering that God loves them just the way they are. You could make a “good news” post office where kids mail postcards to family or friends telling them about the good news of God. Check out this lesson from Boz the bear for more ideas.
The Gospel on a Page
Here’s a great visual tool over at Truth for Kids that helps explain the gospel to kids with a few simple movements. You could even make kids their own set so they could share the good news with their friends at school. Head on over to Truth for Kids for the templates and instructions.
Coloring Pages
I’ve always been a fan of the coordinating coloring page, and now that adult coloring is hot, you can find even more great patterns to pencil in. Here are a few to get you started!
Find this John 3:16 page at Free Fun Easter
75 cents from Designs by Stacie Lynn on Etsy
Grab this one at Flame Creative Kids (Free)
