Kindergarten-2nd

February 8-9, 2014

Matthew 6:25-34

The Sermon on the Mount

We Are Valuable to God

Connect Time (15 minutes): Five minutes after the service begins, split kids into groups and begin their activity. Large Group (30 minutes): Begin 20 minutes after the service starts. Model what it looks like to be engaged in large group. Small Group (15 minutes): Keep kids in small groups until parents arrive. If you all have extra time at the end, you can review the video and songs together.

Engage kids in a specific activity from the moment they walk into the door. Help them find something to color, build, or pretend. This will help each kid feel valued and included...especially, if they are a little nervous.

As kids leave, remind them to tell their parents about their picture—and, more importantly, why they are wearing a heart sticker!

Today, we’re looking at a couple parts of the Sermon on the Mount. While we’re focusing on Matthew 6:25-34, we’re not talking as much about worry as how we’re absolutely treasured by God.

                                                                                                               

GOAL: Connect Time is all about engaging kids in an activity that allows them to connect with each other right away while simultaneously piquing their curiosity for Large Group and preparing their minds for what they’re going to hear. CHOOSE THE MOST VALUABLE

• Sit in a circle • Bring out the bag • Ask kids what it means if something is valuable. Discuss briefly. (Steer kids

toward realizing it’s not just something worth a lot of money, it’s something they really, really love.)

• Tell kids you are going to dump it out and they need to choose the thing that they think is the MOST valuable, the thing that they like the best.

• Dump it out; let kids choose • Have kids pair up and tell each other why they thought a particular item was the

most valuable. • Set the item on the table—they can get it later!

Then ask kids about their week. Remind them of the expectations you have for Large Group behavior: (1) be kind, (2) listen when somebody speaks, and (3) follow the leader’s instructions.

   

Goal: Kids will (1) retell today’s story and (2) recognize that we are God’s most valuable and treasured creation. Why? We want kids to understand how much God values them, even at a young age. Tip: Make today’s activity into 2 activities. Focus on coloring food and “feeding” the bird first. Then “dress” the flowers.

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REVIEW THE STORY 1. Did anybody hear God say anything while we talked to him in Large Group? 2. What kinds of people were coming to Jesus? (sad, happy, old, young, sick, healthy,

short, tall, scared, worried… anybody!) 3. What kinds of things were the people worried about? (food and clothes) What kind of

things do you worry about? 4. Jesus taught the worried people to stop being scared. Which two things did Jesus

talk about? (Give hints if you want: birds and flowers) 5. How does God take care of birds? (they always have food) 6. How does God take care of flowers? (they always look pretty; are dressed) 7. How do we know God will take care of us too? (we are more valuable)

ACTIVITY: ACT OUT THE STORY • Give kids paper with a bird and flower. • Let them choose 3 food stickers and color the food and birds (God gives food to

birds—and us!) • Give clothes stickers and let them “dress” and color the flowers (God makes flowers

beautiful—and us!) • Give each kid a heart sticker to wear: God loves them the MOST!

*Pray together, thanking God that he loves us SO much! Extra time? Play Simon Says: Line the kids up in a row. Stand a few feet away, facing them. Explain that you will give them a command It should be fun and silly like “touch your nose,” “spin around,” “jump on one foot,” or “quack like a duck.” Before most commands, you will say, “Simon Says.” (“Simon says spin around!”) If Simon says it, the kids should do it.

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But…if Simon doesn’t say it (“Spin around!”) the kids should stand still. To mix it up, let kids take turns playing Simon. Or turn it into “_________(kid’s name) Says.”

                                                                                                               

This video is not our original content and therefore cannot be previewed online. However, the script follows pages 228-235 in the Jesus Storybook Bible.

A room full of listening and actively engaged kids is a sign of an awesome presenter. Feel like you're losing 'em? Change things up a bit! Spin around, change the volume of your voice, or sit down and start whispering. Change up your tone and posture to keep 'em guessing!    

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Hi everybody! Welcome to Kids’ Club. It’s great to see you here today. You were just choosing some stuff that you thought was valuable. I need three people to come up here (choose three volunteers). INTRO: TODAY’S DEFINITION OF “VALUABLE” OK (address the first volunteer): What item did you choose? (Let kid respond.) Why? (Let kid respond; let all volunteers share, then address the group): You know what? None of these things are valuable because of money. They all cost the same! The ______ (one kid’s choice) is valuable because _______ (kid who chose it) liked it the best! It’s more special than anything else. Well, today, we’re going to find out what’s most valuable to GOD. You guys have any guesses as to what God thinks is the BEST? (Let kids guess. Don’t confirm or deny, just continue): Great guess….let’s see who’s right! JESUS PREACHES TO PEOPLE When Jesus was on earth, many people came to see him. Tall people, short people, happy people, sad people, funny people, hurting people, people who got bullied…all SORTS of people! Think of what kind of person YOU are (give kids a second to think). Anybody want to share? (Let kids share. After each person shares, say, “Yes! ________ people came to see him!”) And Jesus was telling them that no matter who they were, it was good to feel like they needed Jesus and couldn’t handle life on their own. It was good to act kindly and make right choices, like Jesus. He gave a whole message about acting like him, even when it’s hard…called the Beatitudes. Can you say “Beatitudes”? (Let kids say it.)

                                                                                                               

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GOD TAKES CARE OF BIRDS AND FLOWERS Well, Jesus told ALL these people that God loves them so much, and takes care of them. Whenever we’re scared or sad or left out or hurt it’s OK because Jesus understands. Another thing a lot of these people were feeling…was WORRIED. Jesus reminded them that God takes care of birds and flowers, which actually shows US that God will take care of us. Now, that might seem a little strange…. What do birds and flowers have to do with us? Well, we’re going to watch a video and find out. As you watch, see if you can figure out why we can trust that God will take care of us. Video: Jesus Storybook Bible / The Singer Wow, Jesus is right, isn’t he?! Has anybody seen a bird pushing a cart at the grocery store? (Let kids respond.) No! That’s silly! How about flowers? Has anybody seen a flower wearing a dress? (Let kids respond.) Of course not! WE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN BIRDS OR FLOWERS So, how can we be sure that God will take care of us too? (Let kids respond.) Yes, God loves us WAY more than birds and flowers. We are more valuable to him. The video we watched is a story from the Bible. Here’s one of the verses of Jesus talking about the birds: SLIDE: Matthew 6:26: Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Isn’t that great news?! God loves us and thinks we’re the BEST part of his creation. Each and every one of you is valuable to God. No matter who you are or how you feel, he loves you. PRAY Before we worship today, let’s talk to God. Then we’re going to listen to him quietly for a minute. Ready? Pray something like: Hi God, thanks for telling us how valuable we are to you. We love you so much and want to listen to you. Will you please tell us how much you love us? (Sit quietly for a moment.) Thanks, Jesus! A-men. WORSHIP Let’s stand and show God that we love him back by singing praises to him. Song: Jesus Loves Me (with hand motions) Song: I’m Yours (music video) You’ve already prayed, so go ahead and dismiss kids to small groups.

                                                                                                               

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THIS PAGE LEFT BLANK INTENTIONALLY

                                                                                                               

                                                   

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1 bag per small group (any kind) 1 assorted item per kid: OT: IN-5/715

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Markers/crayons Per kid:

• 1 paper with a bird and flower on it (template provided)

• 3 food stickers printed on Avery 5294 labels • 1 outfit’s worth of clothes stickers (OT: IN-

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48/9695; please separate the clothes and human stickers; use clothes only)

• 1 heart sticker (something like OT: IN-12/1885)

Coloring Page: Birds

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1. Video: Jesus Storybook Bible “The Singer” (please pull from LB’s DVD copy and cut off the first 44 seconds of the segment)

2. SLIDE: Matthew 6:26: Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly

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Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

3. Song: Jesus Loves Me (with hand motions) 4. Music Video: I’m Yours

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How does God take care of birds and flowers? Why does God take care of me?

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Once, Jesus taught people about how much God loves us and how valuable we are to him. In fact, we can trust God to take care of us because of the way he takes care of birds and flowers, which aren’t nearly as valuable to him as we are! Ask your kid to tell you about it. You can also read about it together in Matthew 6:25-34 in the Bible.

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Bible

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