The Unmerciful Servant

First Look 3- through 5-year-olds, November, Week 1

November 5, 2017

Bible Story Focus: I am thankful for God’s commandments. Ten Commandments • Exodus 20 Memory Verse: “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart.” Psalm 111:1, ESV Key Question: Who can you thank for everything? Bottom Line: I can thank God for everything. Basic Truth: God made me.

Social: Providing Time for Fun Interaction (Small Groups, 15 minutes) Activities that encourage preschoolers to enter the classroom and begin engaging with peers and Small Group Leaders by providing age appropriate and hands on fun while introducing new concepts they will hear in the day’s Bible story.

Prepare to offer one or more of the following activities as Your 3-, 4-, or 5-year-olds arrive. Let one or two teachers lead activities in different areas of the room while another teacher greets parents and kids at the door.

1. Mother, May I? Made to Move: An activity that uses a preschooler’s natural desire to move to help them learn

What You Need: No supplies needed

What You Do: During the Activity: Gather the children in an open area of the room. Ask them to stand up and put their arms out from their sides to make sure they aren’t standing close to another friend.

Give the children a series of commands to follow (using the list below). Explain to the children that when you give a command, they must say, “Mother, may I?” and then you will respond with, “Yes, you may!” before they can follow through with the command.

Example: Leader: “Pat your legs!” Children: “Mother, may I?” Leader: “Yes, you may!” (Children begin patting their legs.)

Commands:

Pat your head Clap your hands Hug a friend Stomp your feet March in place Stand up Sit down Sing “Jesus Loves Me”

What You Say: Before the Activity: “Today I want to play a game called ‘Mother, May I?’ Raise your hand if you’ve played this game before. (Pause.) Great! You can put your hands down. If you haven’t played before, here’s how it works. I will call out a command like ‘clap your hands,’ but BEFORE you can start clapping, you must ask, ‘Mother, may I?’ Then I will say, ‘Yes, you may!’ You have to wait until you hear me say, ‘Yes, you may!’ before you can clap. Are you ready?”

After the Activity: “Great job, friends! The rules were a little tricky. When I first gave a command, I know you were tempted to start doing it right away! But you had to follow the rules and ask, “Mother, may I?” and then wait for me to answer. In our Bible story today, we’ll hear about some important rules that God gave to a group of people. They were very important rules.”

Transition: Move to Worship and Story by playing a simpler version of “Mother, May I” in line. The leader will give a command, and children must ask, “Mother, may I?” The leader responds with, “Yes, you may!” and then the children complete the command. Make sure you give commands that can be completed while walking in a line. (Suggestions: blink your eyes, rub your tummy, tap your shoulders, stretch your arms to the sky, etc.)

3. Playing House Made to Imagine: An activity that lets preschoolers pretend, imagine, and role play to enhance their learning

What You Need: Play kitchen, plastic pots, pans, and utensils, play food, and a “cake recipe” (this can be a printed recipe or one written on a piece of paper)

What You Do: Before the Activity: Set up a play kitchen area with plastic pots, pans, utensils, and play food in an open area of the room.

During the Activity: Encourage the children to pretend to cook with the items in the play kitchen as you introduce this month’s theme.

After the Activity: Encourage the children to clean up the kitchen area when finished, by placing all kitchen items back into the cabinets or bins where they belong.

What You Say: Before the Activity: “Let’s do some baking in our kitchen today!”

During the Activity: “What should we bake? A cake? A pie? Cookies? We need to follow a recipe if we want it to turn out right! Do you know what a recipe is? (Pause and let one or two children respond.) A recipe is a plan that shows you how to cook something. I have a recipe for a cake right here! (Hold up recipe.) Let’s see . . . oh, our recipe calls for eggs. Does anyone have any eggs?” (Continue naming other items from the recipe and encourage the children to “follow” the recipe.)

After the Activity: “If we didn’t have a recipe to follow, our cake wouldn’t turn out right! We have to follow the steps on the recipe carefully! All month long, we’re talking about following a Recipe for Thanks to show God how much we love Him! We have SO much to be thankful for.”

Transition: Move to Worship and Story by calling out different items used to make bread (flour, water, salt, etc.) and the various things we need to do to make the bread (dumping the items in the bowl, stirring them together with a spoon, kneading the bread dough in your hands, shaping it into a loaf, putting it in the oven, etc.). Encourage the children to pantomime making the bread as they move.

November 5, 2017

Bible Story Focus: I am thankful for God’s commandments. Ten Commandments • Exodus 20 Memory Verse: “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart.” Psalm 111:1, ESV Key Question: Who can you thank for everything? Bottom Line: I can thank God for everything. Basic Truth: God made me.

Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Small Groups, 25 minutes) Create a safe place to connect through activities that are written to reach every learning style while reinforcing the Bottom Line that was introduced during the Bible Story and applying it to real life experiences. In addition, these activities provide preschoolers with an opportunity to build relationships with their Small Group Leader.

Offer as many of the following activities as your time, facilities, resources, and leadership allow. You may want to lead one activity at a time. Or, offer two activities at once and allow half the kids to participate in each. Then switch groups and repeat the activities.

1. Memory Verse with Motions Hear from God | Memory Verse Review Made to Move: An activity that uses a preschooler’s natural desire to move to help them learn

What You Do: Before the Activity: Say the memory verse: I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, Psalm 111:1. Then do the following motions in front of the children:

I will give thanks (thumbs to chest) to the Lord (both hands point up) with my whole heart (both hands over heart). Psalm 111:1 (Open hands like a book.)

During the Activity: Say the verse again with the motions and invite the children to do it with you. Repeat several times.

What You Say:

Before the Activity: “I am going to say our new memory verse: I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, Psalm 111:1. Now everyone watch me! I will give thanks (thumbs to chest) to the Lord (both hands point up) with my whole heart (both hands over heart) Psalm 111:1.” (Open hands like a book.)

During the Activity: “Now let's do it all together! Are you ready?” (Say the verse with motions several times.)

After the Activity: “Great job! Our memory verse tells us that we should always thank God for everything! Who can you thank for everything? [Bottom Line] I can thank God for everything!”

3. Rules Live for God | Application Activity Made to Think: An advanced activity specifically designed for older preschoolers

What You Need: Long piece of butcher paper, wall tape, and a permanent marker

What You Do: Before the Activity: Hang the butcher paper vertically on a wall at preschool level. Use the marker to write RULES on the top of the paper.

During the Activity: Have the children sit in front of the paper. Ask the children to help you come up with 10 classroom rules. Write down the rules in list form on the butcher paper and number each one 1-10. Allow the children to be creative with the rules. If the children have trouble thinking of 10 rules, suggest rules from the list below.

Examples: 1. Always walk inside the church 2. Be kind to others 3. Use inside voices 4. Always take turns 5. Always clean up the classroom 6. Be respectful 7. Always listen during Bible time 8. Wash hands after using the potty 9. Always pray before eating snack 10.Always bow heads and close hands at prayer time

After the Activity: Once all of the rules are written down, read them to the children.

What You Say:

Before the Activity: “We heard a Bible story today about how God made 10 rules for us.”

During the Activity: “Let’s make rules for our classroom together. If you can think of a rule for our classroom, please raise your hand. I will write them down on the chart.” (Point to butcher paper. Do activity.)

After the Activity: “Great job! We came up with 10 awesome rules! Let’s read them again. (Read rules.) God gave us rules too so that we would know what to do and to be safe. He loves us so much! We need to be thankful for everything that God does for us. Who can you thank for everything? [Bottom Line] I can thank God for everything!”

4. Thankful Motions Live for God | Application Activity Made to Move: An activity that uses a preschooler’s natural desire to move to help them learn

What You Do: During the Activity: Gather the children in an open area of the room. Call out an if/then statement like, “If you’re thankful for your mom, then jump three times.” Give the children time to follow your command. Below are some suggestions.

If you’re thankful for your dad, then spin in a circle. If you’re thankful for your pet, then hug your pet. If you’re thankful for your amazing body, then run in place. If you’re thankful for yummy food to eat, then rub your tummy. If you’re thankful for a comfy bed to sleep in, then snore really loud! If you’re thankful for toys to play with, then build with blocks. If you’re thankful for books to read, then read a book. If you’re thankful for God’s love, then point to the sky.

What You Say: Before the Activity: “We have so much to be thankful for! Let’s say some things we are thankful for while doing fun motions! I’m going to say something like, ‘If you’re thankful for your mom, jump three times,’ and I want you to jump three times. Got it? (Pause.) Great! Let’s play!” (Do activity.)

After the Activity: “Wow! We have a lot to be thankful for, don’t we? I know I could think of many, many more things. Who gives us all these things to be thankful for? (Pause.) Yes, God! Who can you thank for everything? [Bottom Line] I can thank God for

everything! We sure can. I’m so thankful to God for all the wonderful things He’s given to us!”

5. Making Cookies Live for God | Application Activity Made to Create: An activity that allows preschoolers to review the Bible story, Bottom Line, or memory verse by creating a craft

What You Need: “Cookie Sheet” and “Cookies” Activity Pages, white cardstock, tan cardstock, scissors, aluminum foil, glue sticks, and cookie stickers (optional)

What You Do: Before the Activity: Copy the “Cookie Sheet” Activity Page onto the white cardstock. Copy the “Cookies” Activity Page onto the tan cardstock and cut along the dotted lines. Each child will need one cookie. Cut the foil into pieces that will fit inside the cookie sheet on the Activity Page. Each child will need one piece of foil.

During the Activity: Give each child a “Cookie Sheet” Activity Page and a cookie. Encourage the children to glue the foil inside the cookie sheet on the Activity Page. Help the children glue the cookie on top of the foil. If desired, allow the children to place cookie stickers around the large cookie.

What You Say: Before the Activity: “Let’s pretend to make cookies!”

During the Activity: (Give each child a “Cookie Sheet” Activity Page.) “This is our pan that our cookies go on (hold up), and here is our cookie (hold up the large cookie). First, we need to line our pan with foil. (Give each child a piece of foil.) Glue the foil inside the pan. (Pause.) Great job! (Pass out a cookie to each child.) Now glue the big cookie onto the pan. (Pause.) Great job! (Optional addition) Finally, you can add these cookies to your pan. (Pass out the cookie stickers.) Perfect!”

After the Activity: “Your cookie sheets look great! Our cookies say, ‘Love God.’ We do love God, and God loves us! God gives us everything that we need because He LOVES us so much! We should always be thankful to God for everything. Who can you thank for everything? [Bottom Line] I can thank God for everything!”

Prayer SGL: “Dear God, thank You for loving us and wanting to help us do what is best. Thank You for giving us the Ten Commandments and other rules to help us know what to do and not do. Please help us do what You say and (read the list the children made). We

know Your way is always best, and we want to follow You. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name, amen.”