Rt. 252
3- through -K, January, Week 2
January 11, 2015
Basic Truth: Jesus wants to be my friend forever.
Key Question: Who do you need?
Bottom Line: I need Jesus!
Memory Verse: “You are everything I need.” Psalm 119:57, NIrV
Bible Story: Jesus has the power to help my friends.
The Four Friends • Mark 2:1-12
Make It Fun (Introductory Activities, 10 minutes)
Prepare to offer the following activity as your 3-, 4-, or 5-year-olds arrive.
1. Carry Me
“Carry Me” is an activity that incorporates the use of cooperation, large motor,
balancing, and communication skills to introduce the Bible story idea of carrying a
friend.
What You Need: Beach towels and stuffed animals (1 towel and animal for every 3-4
children)
What You Do:
During the activity: Divide the children into teams of three or four. Give each team a
beach towel and an animal. Show them how to carry the towel with the animal on top of
it. You can have them carry the animal from one end of the room and back or make an
obstacle course with chairs and wooden blocks. Switch the teams around so the
children get to play with different friends. The goal is to make it around the room without
dropping your animal. Continue playing as long as the children are having fun.
What You Say:
Before the activity: “I have lots of friends for us to play with today. This is … (introduce
all of the stuffed animals). We’re going to put our friends on big beach towels and carry
them around the room. Let’s see if we can do this without dropping any of them!”
During the activity: “Now hold the corner of your towel. When I say go, I want you to go
to the end of the room, touch the wall, and come back. On your mark! Get set! Go!”
At the end of the activity: “In our Bible story today, some guys carry one of their friends
to see Jesus. Their friend needs Jesus!”
Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds • ©2014 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
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Rt. 252
3- through -K, January, Week 2
January 11, 2015
Basic Truth: Jesus wants to be my friend forever.
Key Question: Who do you need?
Bottom Line: I need Jesus!
Memory Verse: “You are everything I need.” Psalm 119:57, NIrV
Bible Story: Jesus has the power to help my friends.
The Four Friends • Mark 2:1-12
Make It Stick (Application Activities, 35 minutes)
These activities are designed to help preschoolers understand and remember today’s
Bible story and Bottom Line.
1. Say and Jump
“Say and Jump” is an activity that incorporates movement and repetition to teach the
children the memory verse.
What You Need: No supplies needed
What You Do:
Before the activity: Have the children stand in a circle and hold hands. Practice saying
the verse together.
During the activity: Explain that everyone will say the verse four times together and then
jump four times. Repeat this several times.
At the end of the activity: Challenge the children to keep doing the activity, and try to get
faster each time.
What You Say:
Before the activity: “Let’s all stand in a circle and hold hands. Do you remember our
memory verse from last week? (Pause.) Great! Let’s practice it one time together. ‘You
are everything I need,’ Psalm 119:57. Awesome!”
During the activity: “Now, while we are holding hands, let’s say our verse FOUR times,
and then we are going to jump FOUR times! Are you ready? (Pause.) ‘You are
everything I need,’ Psalm 119:57. (Repeat three times.) Now JUMP! (Jump four times
with the children). Perfect! Let’s do it again!”
At the end of the activity: “Let’s do it again, but this time let’s see how fast we can do it.
Are you ready? (Pause.) Whew! You sure are fast! Our verse tells us that Jesus is
Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds • ©2014 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
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Rt. 252
3- through -K, January, Week 2
EVERYTHING that we need! We all NEED Jesus! Who do you need? (Pause.)
[Bottom Line] I need Jesus!”
2. Man on a Mat
“Man on a Mat” is an activity that allows the children to create a craft that can be used
as a visual to retell the Bible story.
What You Need: “Mat” and “Man”, crayons, and glue sticks
What You Do:
During the activity: Give children a man figure and allow them to color them. Help the
children glue the figure onto the mat.
What You Say:
Before the activity: “Today in our story, we learned that four friends carried a man who
couldn’t walk to Jesus so that Jesus could help him. We are going to make the man on
the mat so that you can show them to your families and tell them our story.”
During the activity: (Give each child a mat and a man.) “Use your crayons to color the
man and then glue him on the mat.”
At the end of the activity: “Great job! The man needed help and his friends helped him.
They took him to Jesus because they knew that Jesus helps EVERYONE! Everyone
needs Jesus! Who do you need? (Pause.) [Bottom Line] I need Jesus!”
Make It Real (Small Groups, 5 minutes)
Make It Real is designed to help preschoolers understand how the Bottom Line applies
to them. They’ll discuss real-life experiences and share prayer requests.
Divide kids into small groups of about five to eight children with each leader. Ideally,
assign the same small group leader to the same group of preschoolers for the entire
year.
Small Group Time
What you Need: Paperclip “Memory Verse Card” in your Bible at Psalm 119:57.
SMALL GROUP LEADER (SGL): “Friends are the best! Clap your hands with me if you
love your friends. (Clap.) Yes! I’m so glad God gave us friends. Today we learned that
not only does Jesus have the power to help us, but He has the power to help our
Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds • ©2014 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
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Rt. 252
3- through -K, January, Week 2
friends, too! That’s awesome! I love how the friends in our story cared so much for their
friend who couldn’t walk that they carried him to Jesus. They knew Jesus could help
their friend and nothing was going to stop them from getting their friend to Jesus.
“Our Bible verse says, ‘You are everything I need,’ Psalm 119:57. Jesus is everything
our friends need, too! Let’s practice our verse so we can tell all our friends that Jesus is
everything they need. Say it with me and do the motions.”
CHILDREN and SGL: “‘You are everything I need,’ Psalm 119:57.”
SGL: “One more time!”
CHILDREN and SGL: “‘You are everything I need,’ Psalm 119:57.”
SGL: “Now you can tell all your friends that Jesus is everything they need. Then when
they need help, they can ask Jesus to help them, just like we do. I think we should make
a list of some friends we can tell that Jesus is all they need. So tell me, who are some of
your good friends?” (Pause.)
SGL: “There! We have our list of friends. Now we can pray. Would anyone like to say
your own prayer before I pray?” (Pause.)
(Give each child who wants to pray the opportunity to do so and then close with a
prayer that includes the names of friends the children mentioned.)
Prayer
SGL: “Dear God, you are so good to us. You have given us so many special friends.
Please help us to tell them about Jesus and how He has the power to help them. Help
(child’s name) tell (friends listed). (Repeat for each child.) We want all of our friends to
know that You love them and have the power to help them with anything. We love You,
God. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Get Ready to Dismiss
Clip any take-home creations and the Parent CUE on the wire outside the classroom
where you can get them easily. Greet parents at the door and tell them that this month
preschoolers are learning that [Bottom Line] I need Jesus. Encourage parents to
repeat the bottom line at home and help their child understand that [Bottom Line] I
need Jesus.
Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds • ©2014 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
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