WELCOME TO WEEK 4

PreK (Y1)

This is the final week of our series! We have learned that God is love and that he wants us to love others as well. We should love our neighbors and even our enemies! This week we will learn what Jesus says is the Greatest Commandment.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

SONG OF THE WEEK

BIBLE STORY

Let’s practice choosing which thing you think is the greatest. I’m going to say two things, I want you to choose between the two, which one you think is greater. (There is not necessarily a right and wrong answer to all of them, just opportunities to think and discuss)

Love- - - - hate

$100- - - -$50.

Obeying- - - - - - humbleness.

Self control- - - - - politeness.

Working- - - - - -playing.

bullying- - - - - sharing

swings- - - - - - slides

Chocolate - - - - - - -vanilla

Do homework- - - - - - - -help a friend

Cleanliness- - - - - - - - - - sympathizing

Respectfulness- - - - - - - - - kindnes

This week we are learning that we can choose to love. God is love and He loves us because we are his children. We don’t have to be anything other than ourselves for God to love us. When we know how much God loves us we can also choose to love those around us. Let’s play a game. Listen to the short stories and decide if the person in the story chose to love or chose not to love. If they chose to love hold up your heart card, if they chose not to love, hold up your Do Not sign. Use these printed cards, read the scenario cards and have your child raise their card that shows if the person in the scenario chose to love or chose not to love. Let’s Read or listen to the scripture for today and see what Jesus said about the greatest thing we can do.

Materials: printed answer signs, scenario cards

Read or listen to the scripture Mark 12:28-34

Who was asking Jesus questions about the commandments? (one of the teachers of the law)
What commandment did Jesus say was the most important? (the Lord God is one. Love the lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength)
What was the second commandment that was important? (Love your neighbor as yourself)
What do both of these commandments have in common? (to Love, first God then Man)
What did the teacher say loving God and your neighbor is more important than? (burnt offerings and sacrifices)
Why do you think loving God and loving your neighbor is the most important commandment?
Materials: Computer to play video, Bible or online bible

BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY

The greatest commandment Jesus gave first says that the Lord our God is one and then he says how we are to love him. There is one true God and we should love only him with all of our self. Things we love with our heart are usually dear to us like our family, pets or close friends. We love things with our mind by thinking about them often and for a long time. We may spend a lot of time thinking about the next time we get to play video games or our next big vacation, or the toys at the store we really want to get. We love things with our strength by how much effort we use to get or keep something. We may work really hard to get good grades in school, or work hard to please our friends. God wants us to use our heart, mind and strength to do lots of things but He also wants us to remember that we should love him more than all of those things. Choose one or more activities below to complete.

ACTIVITY

The greatest commandment also said we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. In the attachment, on one half of the sheet are a list of ways we treat ourselves. On the other side of the paper think of a way you could treat a neighbor with the same love, then write the action you can do to show love to a neighbor.

Materials: Neighbor as self printable, pen/pencil

ALTERNATIVE:

Divide a sheet of paper into 3 parts, or use this printable. In each section write Heart, mind, strength at the top. Draw a picture or write things that we love under each section of the paper. For example with our hearts we love our family, with our minds we love to think about our next big trip or toy, with our strength we love to show others how good we are at sports. Think of other things you “love” using your heart, mind and strength. Discuss how those things may sometimes get in the way of God.

Materials: White sheet of paper, pen/pencil, crayons/markers

CREATE:

Color and cut out the Greatest Commandment bookmark. Fold in half and glue the back together to make a front and back bookmark.

Materials: Greatest commandment bookmark, crayons, stickers (optional)

ARTS & CAFTS

CRAFT 1

Cut out a heart from white paper. In the heart write “Love the Lord your God with all your heart”. Using different colored tissue paper, cut out small hearts and the glue them on top of the scriptures heart until all the white is covered.

Materials: 2 pieces of paper, Scissors, Glue, colored tissue paper, Crayons or coloring utensil

Craft 1

CRAFT 2

Coloring page.

CRAFT 2

FOLLOW-UP

We love and take care of ourselves each day. The greatest Commandment Jesus gave said we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. In week 2 we learned that our neighbor is anyone we meet.

How can you love someone you do not know?

In what ways can you love others the same way you love yourself?

Do you sometimes treat others in a way you would never treat yourself?

Do you call others unkind names?

Would you ever call yourself a bad name?

God wants us to treat ourselves as the treasure he sees us as, and he wants us to treat others in the same way because he sees them as his treasures too.

Practical Application at Home

This week look for ways to treat others the same way you treat yourself. Here are a few examples:
Taking care of your physical body (brushing teeth, combing hair etc.) —-Donate hygiene products to a shelter.
Playing a sport —-Invite someone to play a game with you who may be standing on the sidelines.
We dress ourselves in nice clothes. —donate new or gently used clothes/uniforms to a persons in need or to a a local school.
We eat 3 healthy meals a day. —--Invite a neighbor to your house for a meal. Or bring some of your family’s meal in a disposable container to someone homeless that you may always see near your neighborhood or school.
We visit with friends and family. —-visit a person who is shut-in or at a nursing home. Maybe someone you haven’t seen at church in awhile or someone who is in the hospital.