Nursery Lesson Plan 25: Prayer - 3rd July 2011

FIBC Nursery (0-4 years old)

Date: 3rd July 2011, Time: 1 – 2.15pm

Concept Area: God

Theme: Hannah's Prayer /God hears me, God hears people talk to him when they pray

Key Bible Verse: Psalm 55:17: “I will pray morning, noon and night and He will hear and answer.”

Teachers: Elaine, Allan & Teddy

12.45 – 1pm: Preparation Time

• Teachers to arrive 15 minutes earlier to prepare and set up the room.
• Bring a jug of water.
• Mark Attendance.

1-1.15pm: Craft Time

Craft: Making Prayer Jar

Materials:
1. Empty cleaned jam, nut butter or baby food jars with lid
2. Clipart with a child prayer printed with the words “I Can Pray”
3. Fun stickers such as stars, etc.
4. Pictures of prayer items or 4 small pieces of paper for the child to draw
5. Crayons/pencils
6. A ribbon

Directions:
1. Give each child a jar and tie the ribbon around the neck of the jar.
2. Help him put one of the provided “I Can Pray” clipart labels on it. They can also use other stickers to decorate their jar.
3. Print out pictures as prayer items such as mommy, daddy, grannny, granddad, your church, your country, people who are sick, the poor, a good sleep, etc.
4. Let your child choose approx. 3 pictures of the prayer items he would like to pray for and ask him to put them into the jar.
5. Each morning or evening during bed time prayer, take out each of the picture from the jar and pray together with your child.
6. Suggest that your child to try and pray by telling him that praying is like talking to God.

* If your child is old enough to draw, give him pieces of paper for him to draw the things he would like to pray for and ask him to put his drawings into the prayer jar.

You can also let your child put out the labels and glue it onto the jar.

Tips:
If you print two sets of prayer item pictures, you can use it for a matching game. Turn all the picture face down, and ask the children to each take turn to turn two pictures randomly. If the two pictures match, he gets to keep the pictures. The child with the most set of pictures win.

Contingency Craft: Tracing Hands

Materials:
1. Some blank papers
2. Crayons

Directions:
1. Let the children trace their hands on a sheet of art paper.
2. Tell the children that they can use their fingers to remember how to pray.
3. Over the thumb, write "Praise".
4. Tell the children to start the prayer by praising God in words or song.
5. Over the first finger, write "Thank you".
6. Tell the children that they can thank God for something He has done.
7. Over the second finger, write "Confess".
8. Tell the children that, in prayer, it's good to tell God the things the child has done wrong.
9. Over the third finger, write "Ask".
10. Tell the children they should ask God for the things they need, including food and asking for forgiveness for the things they confess.
11. Over the fourth finger, write "Intercede".
12. Tell the children that they can close the prayer by asking God to help others who need Him.
13. Put the picture up where it can be seen and remembered. When your child has it memorized, she will have the steps in prayer with her all the time.

1.15 – 1.30pm: Snack Time

• Gather the children to sit together in a circle.
• Sing the “Say Grace Song”

1.30 – 1.45pm: Lesson Time with Singing

1. Have the children bring their jars and sit in a circle on the floor or on chairs.
2. Start by singing the song "Read the Bible, Pray Everyday".
3. Explain that praying is about talking with God.
4. Explain to them that God tells us in His Word to pray and that they can pray to God any time.
5. Introduce the key Bible Verses with hand motions.
6. Have each child pull out pictures from his/her prayer jar and pray for what he/she has drawn.
7. Teach them how to fold their hands, bow their heads, and close their eyes while they are listening to the other children, and when they say their prayer. If a child does not want to say anything, do not force him or her.
8. Reassure the children that it's OK to tell God the things they do something wrong.
9. Close with the song “Whisper A Prayer”.

Bible Verses: Psalm 55:17

Introduce the key Bible Verses with hand motions and song (movements are helpful for remembering words to a prayer) as follows:

• Whisper a prayer in the morning (Put your index finger to your mouth to whisper, fold your hands to pray and stretch both hands out high)
• Whisper a prayer at noon (Put your index finger to your mouth to whisper, fold your hands to pray and open wide both hands)
• Whisper a prayer in the evening (Put your index finger to your mouth to whisper, fold your hands to pray and put both palms together to your ears to indicate sleep in the evening)
• To keep your heart in tune (Both thumbs pointing at each other near your heart)
• God answers prayer in the morning (Raise both both hands up to indicate God, fold your hands to pray and stretch both hands out high)
• God answers prayer at noon (Raise both hands up to indicate God, fold your hands to pray and open wide both hands)
• God answers prayer in the evening (Raise both hands up to indicate God, fold your hands to pray and put both palms together to your ears to indicate sleep in the evening)
• So keep your heart in tune (Both thumbs pointing at each other near your heart)

1.45 – 2pm: Game Time

Game: The Silence Game with Sound Bag

Objective(s):
1. To quieten down the children to understand the verse “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10.
2. To teach the children that God hears our prayers
3. To train the child’s attention to sound

Materials:
Gather items and place them in a bag. You might choose things such as:
1. Harmonica
2. Whistle
3. Baby crying doll
4. Bell
5. Hour glass

Directions:
1. Gather the children and get their attention.
2. Have the children close their eyes and remain perfectly still and listen. Say the verse, “Be still and know that I am God”.
3. Pick an item from the bag and play it for the children (Be sure to turn your back so that peeking eyes will not wander.)
4. Place the item back in the bag and in a whisper, ask the class if they can guess what they heard. If they were wrong, play it again. If they were right, move on to the next object.
5. Put everything back to the bag.
6. Encourage a child to lead by picking an item from the bag and play it for the other children.

2 – 2.15pm: Clean up Time

• Clean up together and sing the song “Time to Clean Up”
• Sterile toys with wet wipe

2.15pm: Parents pick up kids
• Inform the parents about the prayer jars and have them pray with their child everyday.

References:
http://ministry-to-children.com/i-can-pray-preschool-lesson/
http://www.teachableheartministries.org/files/prayerjarlabel.pdf
http://ezinearticles.com/?Teaching-Your-Preschoolers-to-Pray-Morning,-Noon-and-Night---A-Scripture-Lady-Activity&id=4215623
http://www.allaboutprayer.org/how-to-teach-children-to-pray-faq.htm#ixzz1OcUJDSmi
http://www.suite101.com/content/prayers-for-young-children-a19131
http://www.suite101.com/content/prayer-bible-lesson-plan-ideas-a30027
http://childparenting.about.com/c/ht/03/04/How_Teach_Child_Pray1050364166.htm
http://www.psscentral.com/
http://www.bgct.org/texasbaptists/Page.aspx?pid=662&srcid=459
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7ywmlv8Hu8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH5ajWfdH3g
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Parent Newsletter

July 3, 2011

Dear Parent

Theme

This week’s theme is God Hears People When They Pray.
Your child will bring back a Prayer Jar we make during the class where he/she will draw a picture of something he/she would like to pray for. You can use it at home to help your child to pray.

Bible Verses

The Key Bible Verse used is Psalm 55:17. You can recite this verse to your child at home during this week.

Here are a few more Bible verses on prayer which you can use with your child at home:
• Ephesians 46:10
• Matthew 6:9-13
• Isaiah 58:9

Song

We sing this song "Whisper a Prayer" with hand actions. You can learn it here and sing it together with your child at home:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7ywmlv8Hu8

We hope this helps you to keep up with the education your child received at the nursery this Sunday.

Thank you for entrusting your child with us.

In His Service,
FIBC Nursery

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Songs

Say Grace Song

Thank you for the world so sweet, Ho Hum
Thank you for the the food we eat, Yum Yum
Thank you for the birds that sing a-ling-a-ling
Thank you God for everything, Amen!

Whisper a Prayer

Whisper a Prayer
Whisper a prayer in the morning
Whisper a prayer at noon
Whisper a prayer in the evening
To keep your heart in tune
God answers prayer in the morning
God answers prayer at noon
God answers prayer in the evening
So keep your heart in tune
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scgJzYBEaGY&NR=1

Read Your Bible

Read your Bible, pray everyday,
Pray everyday, pray everyday
Read your Bible, pray everyday
And you will grow, grow, grow
You will grow, grow, grow
You will grow, grow, grow
Read your Bible, pray everyday
And you will grow, grow, grow

Neglect your Bible, forget to pray,
Forget to pray, forget to pray,
Neglect your Bible, forget to pray,
And you will shrink, shrink, shrink
You will shrink, shrink, shrink
You will shrink, shrink, shrink
Neglect your Bible, forget to pray
And you will shrink, shrink, shrink
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfScu505a2o

Time to Clean Up

Time to Clean Up (2X)
Boys and Girls (2X)
When we are good helpers (2X)

God is glad (2X)