This project is a modification of a brainstorm from our planning team. The story is a compilation from the texts in several translations and stories here on the exchange board. We have not decided exactly where, but we will use the life-size mural as decoration in our church for a while.

Jesus and the Children

Art Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children are asked to bring their own clothes to decorate life-size cutouts of themselves. Cutouts are added to a picture of Jesus to make a large mural depicting Jesus blessing the children.

Lesson Objectives:

• Children learn that Jesus loves them and wants them to come to him to be blessed.
• Children will choose to come to Jesus like the children in the story.
• Older children will discuss how the church today compares to the disciples.

Supplies List:

• Large sheets of cardboard (cardboard boxes can be obtained from Wal-Mart, furniture, appliances, etc.)
• Craft knife to cut cardboard
• Markers for tracing outline
• Children of various shapes and sizes :-)
• Opaque projector, adult or artist to make life-size Jesus. Possibly sitting? Standing with arms extended down?
• Life-size cutout of Jesus
• Life-size cutouts of children of various sizes
• Extra clothing for visitors and children who forget to bring clothes
• Tape to hold clothing in place
• Strong, non-toxic glue that will hold clothing to cardboard (We have not done our sample yet, but I'm leaning to Aleene's craft glue right now.)
• Scissors to cut clothing as needed
• Markers, yarn, large googly eyes, etc. to decorate “children’s” face, hair, etc.

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture ahead of time.
• Gather the materials.

Room Set-up:
Because of the size of the cutouts, it is best to work on the floor. Room should have one small table or counter space for supplies, but no chairs. Room needs to have space for each child to work on their cutout without overlapping a friend’s cutout.

Presentation

Opening - Welcome and Lesson Introduction:

Greet the children and introduce yourself. Have the children sit on the floor. Pray with children.

Dig - Main Content and Reflection:

Today’s story is told in three of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke.

(Children will get deeper into the story in other workshops. This workshop deals mainly with the life application of the story.)

As Jesus traveled from city to city, he taught people about God’s love and kindness. Many times his special helpers, called disciples, traveled with him. Everywhere he went people listened to Jesus as he told them about God. Thousands and thousands of people came to see Jesus. Poor people, rich people, sick people, old people and young people went to listen to him. Important and powerful people came to Jesus. Religious leaders came, too. Often the people asked Jesus questions about God’s laws.

One day, many people were gathered around Jesus, asking him questions like who will be the greatest in heaven. Jesus was very busy giving God's answers to questions, when suddenly, he stopped. Something was happening that Jesus believed was more important at that moment than answering their questions or telling the people about God.

Some parents had brought their children to see Jesus. They wanted Jesus to bless their children and pray for them. Jesus’ special helpers, the disciples thought Jesus had more important things to do, like answer the hard questions from the adults. They told the parents to take the children away and not to bother Jesus.

When Jesus saw what was going on, He told his disciples to let the children come to him and not to stop them! Jesus called for the children. The children ran to Jesus. He showed them he loved them by taking them into His arms and blessing them.

Then Jesus told all the people that they needed to become like children to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Discussion questions. These topics can also be discussed while working on the project, or at the end of class.

• What did Jesus mean when he said we must become like little children? Is Jesus saying we should never grow up?
• What attributes do children have?
• How should people be like children in our relationship to God?
• Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me.” How do we go to Jesus today?
• The children knew Jesus loved them. How do you know Jesus loves you?

Today we are making a large picture, or mural of children with Jesus. Each of you will decorate a life-size child to make it look like you. If you brought clothes, you will dress your person in the clothes you brought. If you did not bring clothes we have some here for you to choose from.

Pass out cut outs. We made some cutouts at our Open House. Check the back for names. Use the blank ones for children who do not have one. Try to get it close to the same size as the child if possible. Encourage the children to use the cutouts we have available. Extra cardboard is available, but if you have to trace and cut that child may not finish.

Help the children glue on or color hair, clothes, etc. Finished “children” need to be left to dry before placing in the mural. Children do not take projects home!

If children finish early they can work on one of the extra activity pages, coloring page, crossword puzzle, etc. in their journals.

Modifications/Suggestions for Older Children:
Some of these projects can get very detailed. Keep an eye on time and give older children plenty of reminders. Have them do the clothing and major features (such as hair) first before adding accessories and smaller details (such as logos on tennis shoes).

Discussion:
Jesus told the people that we have to become like the children to get into heaven. Do you think the same traits that make for good/bad children make for good/bad citizens of God's kingdom? Explain.

Jesus told the disciples not to hinder or stop the children from coming to him. How does our church encourage you to go to Jesus? Are there ways you feel hindered or excluded from Jesus?

Modifications/Suggestions for Younger Children:
Younger children will require help to complete this project. If you do not have extra help, have younger children use only markers or crayons (and the clothes they brought) to decorate. Do not put out the eyes, yarn, etc.

Additional Idea:
Attach the cardboard arms and legs with a "hinge" made out of two large washers and a short bolt so that the kids cutouts are "posable".  You can also attach their head this way. Fun!

Closing:

End with a prayer.

A lesson from Jenks Church
Jenks, OK

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Jesus and the Children

Bible Skills and Games

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will be able to find the three passages that tell the story.
Children will be able to find Galilee, Judea and the Jordan River on a map.
Children will play a game to review the story and life applications.

Supplies List:

• Large NT Bible Times map with labels
• Tape or Sticky Tac (for map and labels)
• Bibles (one for each student)
• Tokens, popcicle sticks, etc. (optional, see Special Notes/Tips)
• Index cards
• Basket or Shoe box
• Chair for a throne (optional: draped in sparkly purple or gold material)
• Crown (optional)
• Index cards
• Review questions and answers
• Tape or Sticky Tac
• Whistle or other noise maker (for teacher ONLY)
• Stopwatch

Leader Preparation:

• Gather the materials.
• Read the scripture ahead of time.

Room Set-up:
Large chalkboard, white board or blank section of wall is needed for map work and Find It Fast!game. Tables and chairs should be arranged so each child can see the board/wall.

Presentation

Opening - Welcome and Lesson Introduction:

Greet the children and introduce yourself.

Have the children sit at tables. Pray with the children before you begin.

Dig - Main Content and Reflection:

Today’s story is told in three of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke.

The Bible is the Word of God, but sometimes writers put in different details. Listen closely to the three different accounts. See if you can spot the differences from Matthew’s, Mark’s and Luke’s account.

Read each of the three accounts.

Matthew 19:13-15
Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Luke 18:15-17
People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

What are the differences in the three accounts? What parts of the story are the same?

Journal Entry: (May be done at the end or sent home with children)
Draw a picture of you going to Jesus or write a description of how you would feel if Jesus came to class today. Activity pages are also included in your packet.

Map Work:
Earlier in the chapters, Mark and Matthew tell us that Jesus was travelling. Read Mark 10:1 and Matthew 19:1. Where was Jesus coming from and going to?

Locate Galilee, Judea and the Jordan River on the map. Label it if needed.

Choose a game to play with the children: (If you have time, you can play both.)

We intend to use "Knock, Knock" pretty much as it is written, except I modified the words to be put on the cards to go with our Fruit of the Spirit theme. You can find it here: https://www.kidssundayschool.c...ol/games/knock-knock

I modified Find it Fast! which I found at http://www.educationworld.com/...arninggame004b.shtml to be a timed team game instead of a racing game. I include it below because of the extensive modifications and instructions I added.

Closing:

End with a prayer.

Modifications/Suggestions for Older Children:
The Find It! game is better suited for older children, however they should be able to do both games without issue. Be especially sensitive to children who do not read well.
Activity pages and coloring pages are included in your packet should you finish early and not wish to play again. Students can add the pages to their Fruit of the Spirit journals.

Modifications/Suggestions for Younger Children:
Preschoolers will love the Knock, Knock game. Have them take turns being King or Queen.

Because they cannot read, preschoolers will have trouble with the Find it Fast! game. Modify it to have the runner run to you and tell you the answer.

If the game still seems to be over their head, try songs and games to reinforce the story.

Find It Fast!
http://www.educationworld.com/...arninggame004b.shtml

Materials:

• Index cards
• Review questions and answers
• Large chalkboard or blank wall space
• Tape
• Whistle or other noise maker (for teacher ONLY)
• Stopwatch

What to do:
In preparation for this game, create a list of review questions with one- or two-word answers. (Use as large a font as possible to) write the answers to review questions on index cards, one on each card.
Tape the cards to the wall or chalkboard in random order with answers facing out.
Write the question and the answer on index cards for the game’s MC (teacher or helper).

When you are ready to play, divide the students into two teams. Have the teams choose someone who can read well to be the “runner”. Read a question from your list. Teams discuss the answer. At your signal (whistle), the first team’s “runner” runs to the board/wall and points to what they believe is the index card with the correct answer to the question. If the person points to the correct answer, that team earns a point. If the incorrect answer is chosen, the other team gets to run to the answer. If they are correct, they get the point. If neither team chooses the correct answer, put the card to the back of the deck and go to the next question. Runners return to the team. Continue until all answers are chosen.

What to say:
In this game, you will be working as a team. It is called Find It Fast! because you must find the answers among the many possibilities on the board. I will read the question, then give you a few seconds to discuss your answer quietly among your team members. When I blow the whistle your team runner has 10 seconds to run to the board/wall and find the correct answer on the index cards. If your runner points to the correct answer, your team earns a point and the other team gets the next question. If the incorrect answer is chosen, the other team gets to run to the answer. If they are correct, they get the point and the next question. If neither team chooses the correct answer, I’ll put the card to the back of the deck and go to the next question. Runners return to the team.

Modifications:
Shorten or lengthen the time as needed.

Review Questions:

• How did Jesus show love to the children?
• What does it mean to "bless" someone?
• What does “hinder” mean?
• What does “gospel” mean?
• What did the disciples do about the parents bringing their children to Jesus?
• What were the parents bringing to Jesus?
• Where was Jesus coming from?
• What was Jesus doing when the parents brought their children?
• What did Jesus say to the disciples?
• Who brought the children to Jesus?
• What were the disciples arguing about?
• The 4 books that tell the story of Jesus’ life are called _______.

Other questions for discussion:

• Tell the story in your own words.
• How should we be like children in relation to God?
• Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me.” How do we go to Jesus today?
• The children knew Jesus loved them. How do you know Jesus loves you?
• How do you think the parents felt when the disciples turned them away?
• How would you have felt if someone tried to keep you from Jesus?
• How would you have felt when Jesus called you to him and blessed you?
• How do you think the children felt when Jesus said everyone should be like them?
• Name 1 of the 3 Bible books that tell this story.
• How can we be like Jesus and show love to others?

A lesson written by Staci Woodruff from: Jenks Church
Jenks, OK

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

We are making the caterpillar books described here: http://blog.creativekismet.com...11/caterpillar-book/

Below in this post is an attached screenshot of this type of book I'm talking about. Photos are from the above blog.

We are adding a cover graphic I made in Word and decorated the insides to show blessings from God. We are giving them to friends we visit regularly from a nearby nursing home.

Jesus and the Children

Mission Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will be like Jesus and bless others by making blessing books for widows, widowers or elderly people in nursing homes.

Supplies List:

• Paint smocks
• Paint
• Paint brushes
• Markers (that will write on dry paint)
• Cover sheet (one per child)
• Glue sticks
• Stickers (optional)

Leader Preparation:

• Read the scripture ahead of time.
• Gather the materials.

Moderator adds: watch this video by Live and Learn Press which shows how to make a caterpillar book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1_P4gdxMdA).

 

Here is a tutorial on the technique of creating the caterpillar book:  http://blog.creativekismet.com...inspiration-booklet/

Presentation

Opening - Welcome and Lesson Activities:

Greet the children and introduce yourself.

Pray with children before you begin.

Dig - Main Content and Reflection:

Today’s story is told in three of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke.

Jesus went to Judea and into the area east of the Jordan River. As always there were crowds of people around, and as usual he taught them. One day while Jesus was teaching, people brought their children to Jesus. The parents wanted Jesus to touch their children and bless them. The disciples told the parents to take the children away. But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

(You may remember from other classes that) Ancient people believed that blessings had power. Especially if it came from a respected prophet or man of God, a blessing was thought to carry the power of God’s favor. So it is not hard to understand why parents wanted their children to be blessed by Jesus.

The problem was that at the time the parents wanted to bring their children to Jesus, he was having theological discussions with important people and his disciples. The children were not the important leaders and religious people of the town. Children were not supposed to be the center of attention. In fact they were basically kept out of the way.

As the disciples were trying to turn away the parents with their children, Jesus intervened. He showed the disciples how important children were to him. Jesus didn't just put up with children—he WANTED them there. That was very surprising, and very special.

The Bible says Jesus took the children into his arms and blessed them. Dictionary.com defines "blessing" as "the invoking of God's favor upon a person." That means a blessing is like saying a prayer for good things to happen to a person. It is a great way to show someone you love them.

Today we are going to show love to people who may not feel very important. Just like Jesus showed love to the children. He gave them a blessing, and we are going to make some blessing booklets to give away.

Let’s talk about some of the ways God shows us he loves us. What are some of the good gifts of God? (Nature, sunshine, flowers, beautiful days, friends, family, etc.) (Allow children to tell you some of God’s blessings for mankind until you are confident the children understand the concept.)On your pages, I want you to draw some of the ways God shows his love for us or blessings God gives to all of us.

(Pass out supplies. Guide the children in making the books.)

(Use paint smocks or plastic bags over the children’s clothes if you will be using paint.)

While the children are working, discuss real, concrete ways we show love for each other. Ask questions like, "When your brother barges in your room when you are talking with your friends, how can you show him love?"

Closing:

End with a prayer.

Modifications/Suggestions for Younger Children:
Younger children and preschoolers may need extra help folding and gluing the books. You may want to have backgrounds painted and allow the children to create pages with stickers or markers.

A lesson by Staci Woodruff from: Jenks Church
Jenks, OK

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Jesus and the Children

Drama/Storytelling Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Children will be able to tell the story in their own words.
Children will demonstrate understanding of the story by acting it out during the closing time.

Supplies List:

• Bible-times Costumes
• Bench or other prop for Jesus to sit on (optional)

Leader Preparation:

• Read the story ahead of time.
• Gather the materials.

Room Set-up: Set the scene: Bible times outdoor scene.

• Outdoor backdrop
• Place bench in middle of stage area.

Presentation

Opening - Welcome and Lesson Introduction:

Greet the children and introduce yourself.

Have the children sit on the floor, not on the stage at first. Pray with the children before you begin.

Dig - Main Content and Reflection:

Today you are going to get to act out the story. Our story is told in three of the four gospels: Matthew (19:13-15), Mark (10:13-16) and Luke (18:15-17). You need to pay very close attention to the story so you can act it out with all the wonderful details. After I tell the story we will choose parts.

People were bringing their little children to Jesus to have him place his hands on them and pray for them. When the disciples saw this, they scolded them. But Jesus called the children to him and told the disciples, "Let the little children come to me, and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Then he took the children in his arms, and blessed them.

(Ask questions like these to make sure the children know the story.)

Review Questions:

• What were Jesus and the disciples doing when the children came up to them?
• Who brought the children to Jesus?
• What did Jesus say to the disciples?
• How did Jesus show love to the children?
• What does it mean to "bless" someone?

Other questions for discussion and understanding:

• Tell the story in your own words.
• What attributes of children should we keep in relationship to God?
• Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me.” How do we go to Jesus today?
• The children knew Jesus loved them. How do you know Jesus loves you?
• How can we be like Jesus and show love to others?

Before you begin the drama, explain the importance of being safe and taking care of the costumes, stage, curtains, backdrops and props.
Decide who will do each part.
The lines do not have to be exact, as long as the story gets told. This is supposed to be fun.
Practice a few times if you have time.

Special Notes/Tips:
A special thanks to Jeff Johns for our script.

Modifications/Suggestions for Older Children:
Older children can make up their own script or a modern version of the story.

Modifications/Suggestions for Younger Children:
Have younger children act it out as you tell the story.

Closing:

End with a prayer.

Jesus Blesses the Children
Script for 4 or more younger children to act out.

Characters:
Jesus (Could be an adult helper such as Teacher or Shepherd)
Disciples (At least 1, less than 3)
City Leaders (Optional, 1-2)
Little Children (Can be any number, should be more than 1)
Parents (Optional, 1-2)
Narrator (Teacher or Shepherd)

Scene Set Up:
Outdoor setting. Jesus is sitting or standing in the center of the stage area.

Narrator:
One day, some disciples were hanging out with Jesus.
[Disciples and City Leaders go stand around Jesus.]
They were talking to each other and the city leaders about really important things like the weather and politics.
They were there for a while when some people came up to them that they had not seen before.
[Parents and Little Children walk toward Jesus.]
The people did not appear to be bad people. In fact, they looked like rather nice people.
[Disciples go toward parents, between parents and Jesus.]
The disciples went out to meet these people before they got to Jesus and noticed that there were children with them. They asked the people why they were there and why they had all of the children with them. One of them replied “We would like Jesus to lay hands on our children and bless them.” This did not make the disciples very happy. They did not think this was a very good use of Jesus’ time.
[Disciples look angry and shake their heads “no.”]
They thought he should be more concerned about other things. So, the disciples told the people to go away.
[Disciples shoo away parents and children. Sad parents and children turn to leave.]
But, as the people were walking away, Jesus came up to the disciples and asked “What did they want?”
[Jesus goes to disciples.]
Jesus asked the disciples why they were going away, so they filled Jesus in on the situation. Jesus became very angry and said, “I always have time for children.”
[Jesus goes to children.]
Then Jesus went to the children, gave them all hugs and blessed them.
[Jesus hugs children.]
Then Jesus told his disciples and the town leaders, “To enter the kingdom of heaven, you must have a faith similar to that of a child.”

Jesus Blesses the Children
Script for 4 or more older children to act out.
Could also be a puppet script.

Characters:
Jesus (Could be an adult helper such as Teacher or Shepherd)
Disciples (At least 1, less than 3) (Speaking part can be split as needed.)
City Leaders (Optional, 1-2)
Children (Can be any number, should be more than 1)
Parents (Optional, 1-2) (Speaking part can be split as needed.)
Narrator (Could be an adult helper such as Teacher or Shepherd)

Scene Set Up:
Outdoor setting. Jesus is sitting or standing in the center of the stage area.

Narrator: One day, some disciples were hanging out with Jesus.
[Disciples and city leaders go stand around Jesus.]
Narrator: They were talking to each other and the city leaders about really important things like the weather and politics. They were there for a while when some people came up to them that they had not seen before.
[Parents and children walk toward Jesus.]
Disciple: [Notices parents.] Hey who are they? They look like rather nice people.
[Disciples go toward parents, between parents and Jesus.]
Narrator: The disciples went out to meet these people before they got to Jesus and noticed that there were children with them.
Disciple: [Notices children. To other disciples or himself:] Hey, are those children? [To parents:] Why are you here and why do you have all of these children with you?
Parent: We would like Jesus to lay hands on our children and bless them.
Narrator: This did not make the disciples very happy. They did not think this was a very good use of Jesus’ time.
[Disciples look angry and shake their heads “no.”]
Narrator: They thought Jesus should be more concerned about other things. So, the disciples told the people to go away.
[Disciples shoo away parents and children. Sad parents and children turn to leave, but do not exit.]
Jesus: [Jesus goes to disciples.] What did they want? Why are they going away?
Narrator: The disciples filled Jesus in on the situation. They figured he’d be happy they saved him from having to talk with the children, but Jesus became very angry.
Jesus: I always have time for children. Let the little children come to me.
[Jesus beckons to children who come to him. Jesus hugs the children.]
Jesus: To enter the kingdom of heaven, you must have faith similar to that of a child.

A lesson written by Staci Woodruff from: Jenks Church
Jenks, OK

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Love this lesson. I have made these tiny books using just 3 pieces of paper, but used photos from the families.  I never considered making anything other than a book. We also make a prayer journal books. The children loved them.