This week's lesson focuses on God's love for us, and how we should show love to others. Even kids can wrestle with self worth and feelings of instability. It's close to my heart to let them know that no matter one, this one thing is true. God loves you. Explore the story of Jesus washing the disciples' feet, the concept of serving others, and the love God has lavished upon them. Circle Time:  Bible Verse - Discuss 1 John 3:1. "See what great love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" Talk about how families love each other unconditionally, and how God is a Father who cares for us every day. Be careful not to limit the discussion to how our earthly fathers love us, since not every child's family situation is the same and the parents may not be present in their lives. Songs - Choose a few songs to sing about God's love for us. This could be as simple as Jesus Loves Me, but I've st...

Circle Time:  Read and discuss Matthew 5:38-42. This is a mix of The Message and NIV.  "Here's a saying that deserves a second look. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: Don't hit back at all. If someone hits you on your right cheek, turn and give them your left too. If someone asks for the shirt off your back, hand over your coat as well."  If someone hits you should you hit back? No What should you do? Get a grown up to help, ask Jesus to help you treat them gently If we feel angry, how should we react? Should we hit, or scream, or call names? No, we should stop, take a deep breath, and think about how God would want us to react.  An example of a healthy coping strategy I like to use with little ones is "sponge breathing". Hold your arms straight out and squeeze your hands into tight fists, like you're squeezing out a sponge while taking in a big deep breath. Let it ou...

Object Lesson:  God Is Our Rock! I did this lesson around back to school season, where a lot of things may be changing or scary for a kid. This lesson is a good reminder that no matter how much things are changing, God is always constant. Give each child a river rock or pebble. You can find these in your hardware store's lawn care department. Ask them to describe it: How does it feel? Is it soft or hard? Is it crumbly or solid? Do you think you could break it if you tried? If you built a house out of rocks like this, would it last a long time or be easy to break? If a storm came, would it blow them away? Let the children play with a container of sand. I used kinetic beach sand which you can find in toy stores or online, but regular old sand works too. Ask them similar questions about the sand, and explain that God is like the rock. No matter what happens, storms or calm weather, good times or bad, Jesus loves us and cares for us. He will always be with us, even when we are...

I created this website mainly as a place to store and organize my lesson plans and ideas, but also to share them with others. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up." This job is not easy! But I want to encourage you that together we can have a good reward for our labor.