If you have a QR code reader on your smartphone or computer: load the reader, point your camera at this graphic, and visit our site. Leader/Teacher Guide A Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for Kindergarten Children www.gracelink.net GraceLink® Sabbath School Curriculum Year B, Fourth Quarter EDITOR FALVO FOWLER ASSOCIATE EDITOR FAITH A. HUNTER EDITORIAL ASSISTANT KATHLEEN SOWARDS WORLD SABBATH SCHOOL DIRECTORS JONATHAN KUNTARAF, GARY SWANSON SABBATH SCHOOL CURRICULUM SPECIALIST LYNDELLE BROWER CHIOMENTI GENERAL CONFERENCE ADVISERS GEOFFREY GABRIEL MBWANA, ELLA SIMMONS CONSULTING EDITOR ARTUR STELE COPY EDITOR/PROOFREADER IDA CAVIL DESIGN REVIEW AND HERALD DESIGN CENTER DESKTOP TECHNICIAN TONYA BALL ILLUSTRATOR: SABBATH SCHOOL LESSONS DAN SHARP ILLUSTRATOR: DO AND SAY KINCHI MARC LATRIQUE LINE ART ILLUSTRATOR MARY BAUSMAN SUBSCRIBER SERVICES REBECCA HILDE A Publication of the Sabbath School/Personal Ministries Department General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists® 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600, U.S.A. Scriptures credited to ICB are from the International Children’s Bible, New Century Version, copyright © 1983, 1986, 1988 by Word Publishing, Dallas, Texas 75039. Used by permission. Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Kindergarten Sabbath School Leader/Teacher Guide (ISSN 0163-8793). Vol. 39, No. 4, Fourth Quarter 2015. Published four times per year, mailed quarterly spring, summer, fall, and winter by the Review and Herald® Publishing Association, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904, U.S.A. Text copyrighted © 2015 by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®. All rights reserved. No part of the Kindergarten Sabbath School Leader/Teacher Guide may be edited, altered, modi- fied, adapted, translated, reproduced, or published by any person or entity without prior written authorization from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®. The division offices of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists® are authorized to arrange for translation of the Kindergarten Sabbath School Leader/Teacher Guide, under specific guidelines. Copyright of such translations and their publication shall remain with the General Conference. “Seventh-day Adventist,” “Adventist” and the flame logo are registered trademarks of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists® and may not be used without prior autho- rization from the General Conference, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904-6600, U.S.A. Art copyrighted © 2003 by the Review and Herald® Publishing Association. Postmaster: Send address changes to Kindergarten Leader/Teacher Guide, Circulation P.O. 5353, Nampa, ID 83653-5353. Periodicals postage paid at P.O. Box 5353, Nampa, ID 83653. Single copy, US$21.90 plus postage. One year, United States: US$58.40; Canada and foreign: US$65.20. Prices subject to change without notice. Printed in U.S.A. 1 A Letter to Teachers Dear Teachers, Starting the first quarter of 2016, the GraceLink curriculum is receiving an update. Here’s what you can expect: • The lesson will be reviewed in Sabbath School that the children have studied at home during the week. We’ve looked at study patterns and recognize that this method continues to work well around the world. • An opportunity will be provided for children to recite the memory verse that they have been encouraged to learn during the week. • The Sharing the Lesson section of the lesson will be used for children to express their experiences in telling others what they are learning about God’s love. • A new section, Previewing the Next Lesson, will be used to build excitement for the following week’s lesson. • Lessons will be arranged in biblical chronological order. • There will be a new design and layout for the student and teacher guide and new graphics for the student guide that will also be repurposed for other Sabbath School resources. • There will be several new lessons that will provide a wider range of the biblical narrative. Change is sometimes difficult. Rest assured, the new graphics will still be child-friendly and age-appropriate; there will still be a message for each lesson; there will still be cre- ative activities, which will apply to all learning styles; and there will still be an active and interactive approach to conducting Sabbath School. See! Change, with some things still being the same. Please check the teachers guide very closely for further explanation of the new features and effective instruction and management strategies. We pray that that the updates will provide support as our young ones continue to grow in Jesus and in His grace. Contact us through our website at www.gracelink.net. With Affection, The Editors 2 The Kindergarten Writers Audrey Boyle Andersson—Sweden Vikki Montgomery—Maryland Jackie Bishop—California Rebecca Gibbs O’Ffill—Maryland DeeAnn Bragaw—Colorado Evelyn Omaña—Venezuela Linda Porter Carlyle—Oregon Denise Pereyra—California Helga Eiteneir—Germany Dawn Reynolds—Maryland René Alexenko Evans—Tennessee Janet Rieger—Australia Adriana Itin Femopase—Argentina Judi Rogers—Maryland René Garrigues-Goodwin—Washington Denise Ropka-Kasischke—California Feryl Harris—West Virginia Eileen Dahl Vermeer—Canada Donna Meador—Washington Special thanks to . Special thanks to Bailey Gillespie and Stuart Tyner of the John Hancock Center for Youth Ministry at La Sierra University for initial work in planning the GraceLink curriculum, and to Patricia A. Habada for coordinating the GraceLink project and seeing it to completion. Contents COMMUNITY We treat each other with love. 1 New Friends (October 3-9)* ------------------10 2 Seven Special Helpers (October 10-16)-----------20 3 Two Men and a Strange Message (October 17-23) --30 4 In and Out of Prison (October 24-30)------------40 SERVICE We serve by giving to others. 5 Helping Hands (October 31-November 6) --------50 6 A Blind Man Learns to Lead (November 7-13)------60 7 Come to My House (November 14-20) ----------70 8 Prison Praises (November 21-27) ---------------80 9 Shipwrecked (November 28-December 4) - - - - 90 GRACE God’s grace is His gift to us. 10 God’s Messengers (December 5-11)------------100 11 The Best Gift (December 12-18) --------------110 12 Dedicated to God (December 19-25) -----------120 13 He’s Coming Again (December 26-January 1) -----130 *Lesson dates correspond with the GraceLink curriculum’s recommended method of presenting the lesson first in Sabbath School and encouraging families to continue their study of the material during the week ahead. (See www.gracelink.net for a thorough discussion.) If your church is not presenting the material first in Sabbath School, but rather reviewing it on Sabbath after it has been introduced at home, you will need to adjust Our Little Friend distribution by one week. Basic Needs of Children* All children have certain basic needs as well as needs that are specific to their age and stage of development. The basic needs of children are: Physical • Approval and recognition • Food • Freedom within defined boundaries • Warmth • Humor—a chance to laugh • Shelter Spiritual Mental • An all-knowing, loving, caring God • Power—to make choices and follow plans • Forgiveness of wrongs and a chance to start over Emotional • Assurance of acceptance with God • A sense of belonging • Experience in prayer, answers to prayer • Expressions of unconditional love and • A chance to grow in grace and in the acceptance knowledge of God The Kindergarten Child In the Seventh-day Adventist Church we advocate kindergarten for children ages 3-5. However, the development of children varies from child to child. Therefore, a knowledge of each child in your Sabbath School is important. Generally, the description below is true of children ages 3-5. Physical • Play alone in the presence of their friends, • Start developing large muscle coordination rather than playing with their friends • Lack a sure sense of balance • Like to make friends and be with friends • Are extremely active • Tire easily, but revive soon after resting Developmental Needs • Lack fine muscle coordination In addition to the basic needs mentioned • Are curious and like to explore their earlier, kindergarten children need: environment • Freedom—to choose and to explore within • Learn by exploring limits • Power—to have some autonomy in learn- Mental ing situations • Are capable of limited listening and under- • Limits—safe boundaries that are set by standing without the help of a visual cue, parents and teachers such as seeing the object being discussed • Fun—learning through play, enjoying suc- • Have quick memory cess • Memorize things they don’t understand • Discipline and training—to provide safety and structure in their lives Emotional • Cry easily Spiritual Needs • Are capable of verbalizing emotional Kindergarten children need to know: responses • God loves them and cares for them • Learn to delay gratification of needs with- • How to show respect for God out losing equilibrium • God made them, knows them, and • Learn ways to express negative emotions values them • The difference between right and wrong Social/Relational • How to choose the right with God’s help • Are self-centered—the world revolves around them 4 General Rules A child’s attention span, in minutes,