LESSON TIME
1. Connecting: Play a game about things in creation.
Welcome your children as they come into class. Give each child a high five. This lets them know this class is going to be fun and exciting. Introduce yourself to the class.
Today we will learn about the very first thing that happened in our world—creation! But before we begin, let’s play a quick game to help us get to know one another. I will give each of you a word for something in our world that God created. You will try to get 3 other children to guess what you are, but you cannot tell them! They must ask you questions to try to figure out what you are. The questions cannot ask what the word is. Instead, they must ask questions about the word. Here are some examples: Are you an animal? Are you in the sky? Are you something alive? Are you something we eat?
(All resources, including these cards, are available for download at the end of the lesson.)
Option A: If you are using the Creation cards you prepared before class, give 1 to each child now.
Option B: If you are not using the optional cards, whisper to each child something from creation. You can whisper things such as sun, stars, yams, bananas, maize, grass, trees, water, sand, cows, elephants, people, or anything else from creation.
* Remind the children not to say their word or picture out loud!
Tell the children they will have 5 minutes to ask each other questions. If someone guesses a child’s word, they should hold hands. The object is to see how many children finish the game holding hands. When 5 minutes is over, hold your hand up as a signal that they must all quietly sit down.
You all did a wonderful job guessing things God created! And look at how many of you now have new friends! Everyone sit down in a big circle.
After a minute, quiet the class down and let them know you are going to talk more about Creator God.
2. Teaching: Hear the story of creation (Genesis 1:1–31; Isaiah 40:28; Psalms 139:13; 33:8).
Explain that today, you will review how God created the earth. The circle they are sitting in is to symbolize God’s wonderful globe, the earth.
Optional: If you are using The Action Bible, have the children read the story on pages 17–20.
Teacher Tip: Always read the Bible stories directly from the Bible so the children see they come from the Word of God, not just this Teacher’s Guide.
Bible Story: Creation
Day 1—The Bible tells us that long ago there was no world. No animals. No plants. No seas. No mountains. No sky. No people. There was nothing at all—except God. But God had a plan. He planned a great world. He created that world step by step. Before God began creating, everything was dark.
Have the children close their eyes and cover them with their hands.
Then God said, “Let there be light!” And right away there was light. Then God separated the light from the darkness. He called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” There was evening and there was morning—the first day.
Have the children remove their hands and open their eyes to see the light.
Day 2—Next God saw that water covered everything. God said, “Let there be sky! Let the sky separate the water above from the water below.” So water came together into clouds. Other water came together all over the earth.
There was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
Day 3—Then God said, “Let there be dry ground!” And the water on the earth moved over so dry ground could be seen. God named the ground “land” and the water “seas.”
Next God said, “Let there be plants!” And all kinds of plants started growing on the land. There were trees and bushes, vegetables and flowers, and grass.
There was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
Ask the children to name different kinds of plants and trees. Take a few moments to see how many different kinds they can identify. If you are outside or can see outside, see if the children can name all the different types of plants that they can see.
Day 4—Then God said, “Let there be lights in the sky!” He put the sun in the sky for daytime. He put the moon in the sky for night. He also made the stars. God made sure that day and night would always come. And God used the sun and moon to make the seasons. In many countries, the sun and moon make summer, fall, winter, and spring.
There was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
Day 5—Then God said, “Let there be fish and birds!” So an amazing variety of fish swam in the seas and rivers. All kinds of birds flew in the sky. God told the fish and birds to have baby fish and baby birds. God wanted fish and birds to be all over the world.
There was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
Day 6—Then God said, “Let there be animals!” God made tigers, monkeys, and snakes. He made cows, pigs, and sheep. He made dogs, cats, and elephants. God made so many great animals.
Ask the children to think of their favourite animal. Have 2–3 children share which animal they picked and why it is their favourite.
At last, the world was ready for the most special thing God had planned. Now God created a man and a woman. He told them to take care of the world. He put them in charge of the fish, birds, and animals. He gave them good things to eat from all the plants and trees that grew in the ground.
God was happy. He saw that everything He had made was very good. There was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
What did God do on Day 7? The Bible says He rested.
Memory Verse
Now teach Isaiah 40:28 to the children. Say the verse 3 times to the children. Then divide the children into 3 groups. Group 1 will say the first question of the verse. Group 2 will say the second question. Group 3 will shout out the last line. Change the groups’ assignments several times.
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
Isaiah 40:28
Reminder: All resources, including this Memory Verse poster, are available for download at the end of this lesson.
The following questions will help you to know if the children understand the story.
- According to this Bible verse and the Bible story we just heard, who is the Creator and what did He create?
- Why do you think God separated the water from the land before He put plants, animals, and people on the earth?
- Why do you think God created people last?
- What special job did God give to people?
- The first thing that we learn about God is that He is the Creator. What does that tell you about Him?
Allow the children to share their thoughts. Add the following ideas if they do not mention them: He wants us to stand in awe of Him—right from the beginning. We learn a lot about God through Creation. We see His authority, power, wisdom, creativity, and compassion. We also learn we can trust Him as we see He has a plan for His world.
Optional, if you have a longer meeting time:
Number the children from 1 to 6, with each number representing a day of creation. Explain you will read through the story again. When you call their number, they will enter the centre of the circle and act out what God created. They are to use full-body motions. Give them some examples. To represent what existed before creation, the children might pretend to float in weightless, empty space. For creation of light on the first day, the children might curl into a little ball (that is “dark” inside) and then jump up to “explode into light.” To show the creation of water on the second day, the children might pretend to swim. If you have a big class, divide the children into 2 or 3 groups.
End of Option
3. Responding: Create fingerprint pictures as reminders of how special God’s creation is.
Isn’t it awesome that God created such an amazing world? Sometimes when we look around at this world, we may not think we see anything good. We may feel that we are not important. But we need to remember that the God who made the sun, water, sky, plants, and animals made us too. We are His most important creation.
Do you ever think that you are not as important to God as other children? Wrong! He made you and totally loves you. You are special to Him.
Maybe you think that because you are young, you are not as important to God as adults. Wrong! He made you and totally loves you. You are special to Him.
Maybe you think that because you experienced hard things that you are not as important to God as other children. Wrong! He made you and totally loves you. You are special to Him, and He hurts when you are hurt.
Everyone look at your finger. Do you see those tiny lines on your finger? Those lines are called a fingerprint. You have those lines on every finger, and they are all different. Every one of you has different fingerprints. In fact, everyone in the world has different fingerprints. You are so special to God that He gave you your very own fingerprints. Listen to this verse from the Bible:
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Psalm 139:13
This means that God loves us so much that He made every one of us very special, just the way He wanted us. Just like when He created our world with great care, He created each of us with great care too. He took the time to make us all different and cares about every detail of you—even your fingerprints.
Set out the mud. Explain that each person’s fingerprint is special and unique, just like they are. The fingerprints help people remember that God loves each special person completely. Ask the children to put their fingers in the mud and then press their fingerprints on the palm of another child’s hand. Allow the children to clean off their fingers and palms. Then they should pray to God together. They should thank God for how special the other person is to each of them—and to God.
Optional Supplies:
Set out the mud, ink, or watercolours and give each child a slip of paper. Let the children put their fingers in the mud, ink, or watercolours and then press their fingerprints on their papers to create fun pictures. After making the prints, have the children clean off their fingers.
If you are using Student Pages, give each child a page to use instead of the slip of paper. The child will create a fingerprint picture on the page. They can take this home, as a reminder that God created each one special!
Reminder: All resources, including this Student Page, are available for download at the end of this lesson.
End of Option
Teacher Tip: Be sure to celebrate your children’s individuality. You might give each a high five or a pat on the back, expressing that each is unique and wonderful, created by God, who loves them.
Listen to these verses about how great Creator God is:
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
Isaiah 40:28
Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him.
Psalm 33:8, NLT
God is great and awesome. He is the Creator, and we should stand in awe of Him! Standing in awe means, we are saying, “Wow! God, You are great and we honour You.” If you want to say that now, stand up as I close in prayer.
Explain that you are going to pray some unfinished sentences. The children should quietly finish them in their minds. Tell them to fill in their name in the first sentence. Allow about 10 seconds after each sentence.
Dear Creator God,
Thank You for making … (your name)
I stand in awe of You because … (reason)
And I know that You love me because … (reason)
I love You because … (reason)
Then finish your time by praying this blessing over the children:
Blessing: May you come to know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. The awesome Creator formed you and knew you before you were born. He loves you and has made you special.
If you have time, share this song with your children to celebrate how great God is! Use this as your worship theme this quarter.
“How Great Is Our God” – https://youtu.be/vg5qDljEw7Q
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook. [email protected]. All rights reserved.
