First Look
3- through 5-year-olds, March, Week 1
First Kids/Renovate Kids—PreK
March 1, 2015
Theme: Little or a Lot
Basic Truth: Jesus wants to be my friend forever.
Key Question: How can I love?
Bottom Line: I can love like Jesus.
Memory Verse: “Love one another.” John 13:34, NIV
Bible Story: I can share when I have a lot.
Bigger Barns • Luke 12:16-21
Here’s an overview of what you’ll be teaching in 3s–5s this week.
Make It Fun
• Bigger Barn
Make It True
• Bible Story
Make It Stick
• Memory Verse Motions
• How Many Jelly Beans
• Share Bag
Make It Real
• Small Group Time
• Prayer
• Dismiss
Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds • ©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
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First Look
3- through 5-year-olds, March, Week 1
March 1, 2015
Theme: Little or a Lot
Basic Truth: Jesus wants to be my friend forever.
Key Question: How can I love?
Bottom Line: I can love like Jesus.
Memory Verse: “Love one another.” John 13:34, NIV
Bible Story: I can share when I have a lot.
Bigger Barns • Luke 12:16-21
Make It Fun (Introductory Activities, 10 minutes)
Prepare to offer one or more of the following activities as Your 3-, 4-, or 5-year-olds
arrive. Let one or two teachers lead activities in different areas of the room while
another teacher greets parents and kids at the door.
1. Bigger Barn
“Bigger Barns” is an activity that uses hand-eye coordination and large motor skills to
introduce the Bible story idea of building bigger barns.
What You Need: Wooden blocks or any other building toy you have such as DUPLO®
blocks, cardboard blocks, or boxes; something to measure with such as a ruler,
yardstick, or measuring tape
What You Do: Divide the children into two teams. Challenge the teams to see who can
build the biggest barn using the blocks you provide. Make sure to repeat the words
“bigger barns” as often as possible. Begin the first round with an unlimited amount of
time for he children to build. Set a time for the second round of building and decrease
the amount of building time each round you play. Continue doing this as long as the
children are having fun.
What You Say:
Before the activity: “Our Bible story today is about a man who has so much stuff he
begins building bigger barns to hold it all. Since our Bible story is about building bigger
barns, I thought it would be fun for us to build some big barns, too! I’m going to divide
you into two teams. When I say, ‘GO,’ I want you to use these blocks to build the
biggest barn you can. When I say, ‘STOP,’ we’ll measure them and see who built the
bigger barn!”
Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds • ©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
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First Look
3- through 5-year-olds, March, Week 1
During the activity: “Okay, teams! Get ready to try and build the bigger barn. On your
mark! Get set! Go! Build that barn!”
After the barns are built: “Wow! Your barns are so big! Let me get out my measuring
stick and see which barn is the biggest. (Measure the height and width.) It looks like this
one is the bigger barn. Way to go, teams! You both did a great job building some pretty
big barns. I say we do it again!” (Continue in this way as long as the children are having
fun building with the blocks.)
At the end of the activity: “Now that we’re done building, let’s go hear about the man in
our story who built bigger barns to hold all of his stuff.”
Make It True (Large Group, 15 minutes)
ON DVD
Make It Stick (Application Activities, 35 minutes)
These activities are designed to help preschoolers understand and remember today’s
Bible story and Bottom Line. Offer as many of the following activities as your time,
facilities, resources, and leadership allow. You may want to lead one activity at a time.
Or offer two activities at once and allow half the kids to participate in each, then switch
groups and repeat the activities.
1. Memory Verse Motions
“Memory Verse Motions” is an activity that uses large motor movement, listening, and
reciting skills to help the children memorize the Memory Verse.
What You Need: No supplies needed
What You Do:
During the activity: Lead the children in doing the motions while saying the verse.
What You Say:
During the activity: “We have a new itty-bitty Bible verse today. It is so itty-bitty short
that I think you can learn it before you leave today. I know you can do it, so let’s get
started! Our new verse says, ‘Love (hug yourself and twist) one another’ (point to all
your friends), John 13:34. (Open your hands like a book.) That’s it! That’s all there is to
it! I told you it was itty-bitty. But don’t let its size trick you. It’s still a BIG verse because it
talks about how we should love people. And love is a super, big, important thing to God.
Say it with me this time!” (Repeat the verse together with motions several times.)
Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds • ©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
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First Look
3- through 5-year-olds, March, Week 1
At the end of the activity: “Last month we learned about how much Jesus loves us. Now
it’s time for us to love people the way Jesus loves us. I told you it was a super, big,
important verse! So now when I ask you, ‘How can I love?’ I want you to say, [Bottom
Line] ‘I can love like Jesus!’ So tell me: How can I love? [Bottom Line] I can love
like Jesus!”
2. How Many?
“How Many?” is an activity that uses estimation and communication skills to review the
Bible story idea of having a lot.
What You Need: Large piece of white paper, tape, marker, large jar of jellybeans (Note:
The leader needs to know how many jellybeans are in the jar.)
What You Do: Tape the paper to the wall at the children’s eye level. Write each child’s
name down the left side of the paper. Show the children the jar of jellybeans. Let them
hold the jar and take a good look at it and even shake it if they’d like. Ask them to look
closely and then guess how many jellybeans are in the jar. Write down each child’s
guess on the paper. Once everyone has made his guess, reveal the number on the
bottom of the jar. Check and see who made the closest guess.
What You Say:
During the activity: “Have you ever seen a jar of jelly beans THIS big? (Pause.) I mean,
this is a BIG jar of jellybeans! We’re going to have some fun with it in a minute but first I
need to write down everyone’s name on this piece of paper. Let’s see, we have (name
of child) and (name of child) and (call out each child’s name as you write it down).
There! Now for the jellybeans. I want you to take a good look at this jar. You can pick it
up and shake it a little if you want. Look at it from all sides. While you’re doing that, I
want you to think about how many jellybeans might be in this jar. When I call your
name, I want you to guess how many jellybeans you think are in the jar. I’ll write your
guess beside your name. Once everyone has made a guess, I’ll tell you how many
jellybeans are really in the jar and we’ll see who made the closest guess.”
At the end of the activity: “The man in our Bible story today had A LOT of food. He had
SO much food all of his barns were full, just like this jar of jellybeans. He couldn’t fit any
more food in his barn, so what did the man do? (Pause.) Yep! He built bigger barns.
What could the man have done instead of building bigger barns? (Pause.) You got it. He
could have shared his food with people who needed food. That’s what Jesus would
have done, because Jesus loves people. We can share when we have a lot, too, and
that’s how we can love like Jesus. How can I love? [Bottom Line] I can love like
Jesus.”
3. Share Bag
Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds • ©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
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First Look
3- through 5-year-olds, March, Week 1
“Share Bag” is an activity that uses fine motor and cooperation skills to make a takehome bag that will encourage the children to practice this month’s Bottom Line of loving
like Jesus through sharing.
What You Need: “Parent Note” and “Bottom Line Sticker” from the Activity Pages on
the Website, white cardstock, scissors, Avery® labels #5160 or equivalent, small paper
bag, a sheet of stickers for each child, and things for the children to use to decorate
their bags (crayons, markers, stickers, glitter pens, heart stickers, etc.)
What You Do:
Before the activity: Make enough copies of “Parent Note” on white cardstock so each
child has one card. Cut the cards apart. Copy the “Bottom Line Sticker” Activity Page on
labels so that each child has one sticker.
During the activity: Give each child a paper bag to decorate. Encourage them to use the
supplies you provide to make the bag look happy. As the children finish decorating their
bags, give them each a sheet of stickers and a “Parent Note” to go inside their bags.
What You Say:
During the activity: “How can I love? [Bottom Line] I can love like Jesus. That’s
right! One way we can love like Jesus is by sharing when we have a lot. Today we’re
going to make share bags that will help us love like Jesus. We’re going to fill our share
bags with a lot of stickers. Stickers are a fun way to make your friends and family smile!”
At the end of the activity: “Your share bags look so happy! Good job! You are going to
have fun sharing your stickers and seeing the smiles on people’s faces. Sharing when
we have a lot is a great way to love like Jesus. How can I love? (Pause.) [Bottom
Line] I can love like 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
Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds • ©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
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First Look
3- through 5-year-olds, March, Week 1
What you Need: Paperclip “Memory Verse Card” from the week one Activity Pages on
the Website in your Bible at John 13:34. Provide a journal and a fun-shaped pen for
each small group.
SMALL GROUP LEADER (SGL): “Have you ever been to a barn? (Pause.) Barns can
be a lot of fun. They have hay to jump in and animals to play with. The man in our Bible
story did something else with his barns. He filled them with food. And when those barns
got too full, he built MORE barns to hold MORE food! What else could the man have
done with his extra food instead of building bigger barns to hold it? (Pause.)
“Yes! He could have given it away to people who were hungry and didn’t have any food.
Sometimes God gives us a lot so we can share with others. In fact, one way to love like
Jesus is to share when we have a lot. How can I love?”
CHILDREN and SGL: [Bottom Line] “I can love like Jesus.”
SGL: “That’s right! And our Memory Verse this month will help us remember to love like
Jesus. Let’s say it with the motions. ‘Love (hug yourself and twist) one another’ (point to
all your friends), John 13:34. (Open your hands like a book.)
(Repeat the verse a few times together.)
“Good job! Now it’s time to write in our journal and pray. Today I want us to make a list
of some things we have a lot of that we can share. When we pray, we’ll ask God to help
us love others and share. So tell me, what do you have A LOT of that you can share?
(Pause.)
(Write down the children’s names and what they say in your journal. Remember to print
the words so they can recognize their names and letters.)
“We have a lot of some pretty cool things. Let’s pray and ask God to help us share so
we can love like Jesus. Would anyone like to say your own prayer before I pray?”
(Give each child that wants to pray the opportunity to do so and then close with a prayer
that includes the list the children made.)
Prayer
SGL: “Dear God, thank You for giving us so much! We have a lot of (name things on
the list) and we want to share it. Please help (name each child) to love like Jesus and
share what they have with people who need it. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name,
amen.”
Get Ready to Dismiss
Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds • ©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
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First Look
3- through 5-year-olds, March, Week 1
Set any take-home creations where you or parents can get them easily. Greet parents
at the door and tell them that this month preschoolers are learning that [Bottom Line] I
can love like Jesus! Encourage parents to repeat the Bottom Line at home and help
their child understand that [Bottom Line] I can love like Jesus!
Curriculum Materials for 3- through 5-year-olds • ©2015 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
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