Introduction:
Knowing how to teach a Bible class of young children can be difficult at first for some. There is not a school for the teacher to gain experience and seldom is there material that qualifies as sound Biblical material for usage. What does the Bible school teacher do then? Hopefully, coming to our website is your answer.
Through the curriculum shared we hope you will find quality information and activities that will keep your little ones engaged with God’s Word and coming back every week to learn more about our Father. We also hope that you as the teacher will find peace know you are doing the best job you know how in teaching Bible class. Enjoy!
The Lesson, Jesus Washes His Disciples Feet:
Scripture Text: John 13: 1-17
Objective (What we want the children to learn or do): When asked what Jesus showed His disciples, the children will show a heart and say love.
Before class:
- Prayer and Focus: Today’s lesson is from John 13 that you will need to study. It is a really good text about the Lord’s preparation for His last days. In your prayer, spend time and focus on what He must have been going through as He knew what was to await Him.
This lesson is about Christ rejoicing in love for those close to Him. Take time to rejoice in those you love today. Pray for them and find a way to say you love them. Jesus uses service to tell His disciples of His great love for them.
- Prepare your materials. – Before class: – a. Print a small online picture of Jesus washing His disciples feet from www.freebibleimages.com I print one of the same picture so that each child will have the same picture in their New Testament. Laminate these for re-use. Lightly tape one picture in each of the New Testament Bibles that you are using for the picture hunt so that each child present will have a New Testament to use. Remember these pictures will be used for a picture finding game. See our post about this activity, “I Spy in My Bible“.
– Visit the web-site, Seeds to Strength Bible School for numerous activities that will be used in this lesson. The “Jesus Loves” Box; Jesus Had a Heart of Service Craft and the Activity, as well as the Light Table that explains a sorting activity that will be used during our center time the first part of class.
– For sending home with the children so that they can connect Bible class learning with home: mini book “The Greatest Servant” from New Testament Take-Home Bible Stories Carson Dellosa Education;
c. At the beginning of class today, we will have 20 minutes of centers. Children arrive at 8:50 and we begin class at 9:10 to 9:15. Our centers are going to be decorating a heart doily about Jesus being a servant, light table sorting of hearts and footprints, cleaning hearts with Wet Wipes that have been covered lightly with brown paint, washing the feet of Kewpie dolls, sewing hearts, and painting cardboard hearts.
– For your visuals for the lesson, you may print the illustrations from www.freebibleimages and use the following to add interest to your recitation of the event: clipart that shows different scenes that is laminated and Velcro added to make it a flannel board scene; also a doll that is barefoot with a small cup of water and small cloth towel to act out when Jesus washes the disciples feet. I cut up an old washcloth to use as towels.
c. We create kits of each series of lessons so these lessons may be used again and again. All re-usable resources are sanitized before packing up the lesson, especially with so many little hands in their mouth and nose.
Making the Craft
Sunday Morning- The craft is made as part of the centers. There are two, the children create a heart that says “Jesus had a Heart of Service”. The children glue on a sheet of construction paper a heart doily and on top of that footprints, hearts, and the title label. Stickers of Jesus and hearts can be provided to add to the project.
The second project is letting the children paint with washable paints cardboard hearts. Since our lesson is about love this is a perfect lesson to share. I would suggest wearing paint aprons and putting the hearts on trays that are covered with paper towels.
The centers could still be done if the teacher on Wednesday night opts to do so. Praising each child specifically for their work is a great way to establish a relationship with that child. The craft for Wednesday night is the teacher has the children paint printed feet that are covered with Saran Wrap. The children then remove the wrap and have clean feet. This shows that Jesus started with dirty feet on His disciples and after washing them they were clean.
As the children come into the classroom and do check in, we are usually at the table working with the children as they begin their craft project. Please have everything laid out at each child’s space along with the tools they will need.
We usually have two helpers, so the three of us are able to work with the children helping them put together their project. They help get the children checked in and settled, then they join me. Don’t forget to put the children’s names on their work.
Explore More or Take Home Activities: Parent Letter, Match Game with four matches (8 cards total) from Sunday School Zone, and from 10 Minutes of Quality Time a simple craft that children can put together showing children Jesus washing His disciple’s feet.
Beginning of Class: As the children arrive:
- Wash hands with Wet Wipes.
- Move picture to present on Check in Chart.
- Put sticker on Attendance chart.
- Begin handiwork: Take up picture and let child play quietly on the floor until clean up if there is time.
Main Class Time:
Do the parts of the beginning of the lesson below that you wish to do and you believe you have time to do. (Numbers 1-4) I would suggest you welcome children each time to class though.
- It’s Time for Bible Class
Tune: The Farmer in the Dell
It’s time for Bible School. It’s time for Bible School.
Heigh HO the Dairy O.
It’s time for Bible School.
- Welcome each child to Bible Class by singing “Who’s at Bible School Today?” (Use heart cut out to welcome each child as you look at them and say their name and sing the verse.)
Welcome Song
Tune: “Are You Sleeping?”
I see _____________. (Repeat)
He is here. (Repeat)
I love he comes to class. (Repeat)
He’s so dear. (Repeat.)
Change pronoun if girl. Move on to the next child after singing this verse about the child.
Say a Prayer for class. I like to tell the children what we are going to pray for together and then ask them to pray with me. “Thank You God for Jesus, for our friends and for loving one another. Amen”
- Who is missing? Name friends missing and that Susie is too. Susie flashcard song is a Palma Smiley song (Optional piece from Palma Smiley)
4. Bible Time (choose which parts below you want to do)
a. Hold up a Bible, “What is this? It is a Bible”
b. “Whose word is it?” It is God’s Word.”
c. Sing “Pat the Bible” (Large Bible passed and each child pats the Bible.) This is a great song for your younger children.
Tune: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat“
Pat, pat, pat the Bible
Pat it now with me.
Pat, Pat, pat the Bible
Pat it now with me.
d. “Do we read the Bible? Yes”
“Do we love the Bible? Yes”
e. Sing “Oh I love to love my Bible”
Tune: “Have You Ever Seen a Lassie”
Oh, I love to love My Bible, my Bible, my Bible. (Wrap arms around self.)
Oh, I love to love my Bible. It’s God’s Word to me.
Oh, I love to read My Bible, my Bible, my Bible.
(Pretend to read book.)Oh, I love to read my Bible. It’s God’s Word to me
f. How many parts are in the Bible? Two parts stretch.
How many books are in the Bible? 66 chant
66, 66, 66 books in the Bible
66, 66, 66 books in the Bible. Choo, Choo
h. How should I treat my Bible? Flipchart
5. I Spy in My Bible: Cut out parts of this as needed for time’s sake. a. Hold up the Bible. Ask: “Whose word is the Bible? God’s word. Today we will continue learning from the part of the Bible called the New Testament. REVIEW: Our lessons have been about Jesus calling His Disciples or Apostles. (Use a picture from the last three lessons to review what they were about.) Lesson 1: Jesus called the fishermen to follow Him. Lesson 2: Jesus had 12 Disciples follow Him. Lesson 3: Jesus helped a paralyzed man to walk when his four friends followed Him to a crowded house and let him down through a roof. Lesson 4: Jesus calmed a storm and reminded His followers to have Faith in Him.
Today, we are going to learn about how Jesus not only has great power to do great things but we must keep our eyes on Him to keep our faith.”
b. I will give you a New Testament Bible. I want you to look through your New Testaments and find a picture of Jesus. (Let everyone look.) State: “This is Jesus. He is God’s Son. Can you say that with me? This is Jesus. Jesus is God’s Son. Let’s say it again. This is Jesus. He is God’s Son.”
“Now I want you to find this picture. This is Jesus and His Disciples. They were His helpers. They followed Jesus. Can you say Disciple? Let’s look for Jesus and His Disciples.”
“This is a picture of Jesus waiting to see the paralyzed man who is coming down through the hole in the roof. Can you find this picture in your Bible? This is showing Jesus before He does the special miracle of healing the man. Can you say miracle?”
“This is a picture of Jesus standing to calm a storm on a lake. Did you know Jesus could do that? He can. Jesus is powerful. Can you find the picture of Jesus being powerful? Let’s say Jesus is powerful.”
This is a picture of Jesus pulling one of His Disciples, Peter, out of the water. Jesus is standing on top of the water and is not falling in. Wow! How is He doing that? Jesus has power!!!” Let’s learn about this Bible event today.”
This is a picture of Jesus washing His Disciples feet. I wonder why He is doing this. Let’s look for the picture and then let’s find out.
Praise the children for their great work.
- Introducing the Lesson
- Introduce the lesson by using the ”Jesus Loves” red heart box. Tell the children that the box you are holding contains the names of some very important people that Jesus loves. Bible words tell us that Jesus loves them. Do you want to see who they are?
Open the box and carefully remove the felt hearts that have written on them the names of the 12 Disciples/Apostles. Explain that in John 13:1, the Bible says that Jesus loved these men until the very end. Do you remember when we talked about the names of all of Jesus’ 12 helpers? (Use pictures from Bible Fun for Kids that are hanging on the wall if you want.)
There was one who was very bad. His name was Judas Iscariot. (Use picture on the wall if you want.) He showed bad men who Jesus was so that Jesus would be arrested and taken to jail. Jesus even loved him. Can you believe it?
Oh, look there is one more name in here. I wonder who it could be. It says you. I think that means that Jesus loves all of us. Jesus loves each one of us very much. I like knowing that because I love Him very much, too.
I want to tell you about a time when Jesus showed His disciples how much He loved them. It is found in John 13 as well. I need everyone to listen because this is a very important Bible story about service and love.
- Tell about the Bible event:
a. Use the cardstock pictures that have been laminated from the website www.freebibleimages.com and use the Kewpie doll, and bowing Jesus figure to tell and act out the story.
b. Read over the scripture texts and the story planner found on www.freebibleimages to help you tell the story. Stress that Jesus loved His apostles so much He wanted to show them. He did so by doing something that only servants would do. He bent down and washed their dirty feet. Remember people back then wore sandals and they walked everywhere so their feet would be very dirty. Jesus knew this but He still was willing to clean His apostles’ feet. Jesus loved His friends that much!!!
8. Objective practiced and review- Use flannel board pieces to review what the Bible event was about. Give each child a red sticker heart. Explain that you are giving them the heart as a way to say I love you. Tell them to place it on them someplace. Pass out “The Greatest Servant” from New Testament Take-Home Bible Stories by Carson Dellosa Education. After you have read the booklet with the children, ask why did Jesus wash His apostles’ feet? Tell them to point to their red heart. Now ask the children what does the red heart mean? Would you give Jesus your red heart to say “I love you”?
9. Stressing the Lesson: Jesus had a Heart of Service – Heart Match Game
10. Time to get up and practice the memory verse.
Every quarter we have special memory words that come from God’s Word the Bible. This quarter our special memory words come from the book of Mark chapter 1 verse 17. The whole verse is “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” We at first will learn, “Follow Me”.
To practice the memory verse, we will frame our words using the framing wands from Dollar Tree or their pointers. You must prepare by having the Memory Verse hanging on the wall and buying enough wands for each child.
In class, show the children how the wands work and what you want them to do. They are to walk around the room and look for the memory verse. When they find it, they are to frame the words, and say them out loud. Demonstrate this. You can do this as a class or let children do this as they find the verses at random times.
Afterwards, sing the memory verse together.
Sing: “Follow Me”
Tune: “London Bridge”
“Follow Me” Jesus said,
Jesus said, Jesus said.
“Follow Me” Jesus said.
“Be fishers of men.”
Say: Mark 1:17
10. Closing: Word Wall Words identified while pointing with pointer, Read “The Greatest Servant” from New Testament Take-Home Bible Stories by Carson Dellosa Education on Sunday morning and on Wednesday night. Send home on Wednesday night.
11. Explore More (Take Home) Bags include: Parent Letter, 10 Minutes of Quality Time Coloring Handiwork and Sunday School Zone Match Game Jesus Washes the Apostles’ Feet
