We can listen to God and talk to God.

God Hears Hannah s Prayer Lesson 1 Bible Point We can listen to God and talk to God. Bible Verse I listen carefully to what God is saying (adapted from Psalm 85:8). Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n discover ways they can listen to God, n hear how Hannah talked to God when she was sad, n teach Whiskers about talking to God, and n talk to God while blowing bubbles and through singing a song. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n God hears Hannah s prayer. 1 Samuel 1:1-20 To understand the pain caused by Hannah s childlessness, one must realize how important it was in Old Testament times that women provide children. A woman who couldn t conceive was an embarrassment, or even a disgrace, to her husband. Adding to Hannah s pain were the taunts of Elkanah s other wife, Peninnah, a situation that illustrates the strife that the practice of polygamy can create. Even Elkanah s love for Hannah and his words of encouragement could not comfort her. Hannah provides a great example of what we should do when we are hurting. Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:10). She poured out her heart even her bitterness to God. Her prayer was so anguished that Eli, the priest, assumed she was drunk! God wants to hear from us when we re hurting, and yes, even when we re bitter or angry at him. Prayer Read Psalm 31:7. When have you felt joy, knowing that God cares about your anguish? Pray: Lord, help me to come to you with all my concerns, even when I m feeling bitter. One concern I want to put into your hands right now is Before the Lesson n Collect the necessary items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed on the chart. n Make photocopies of the Today I Learned handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for the children in your class and for God s direction as you teach the lesson. 11

Lesson 1 This Lesson at a Glance Welcome Time Let s Get Started Direct children to one or more of the optional activities until everyone arrives. What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome! Receive name tags, and be greeted by the teacher. Option 1: Talking Partners Talk to each other with talk tubes, and learn about talking to God. Option 2: That Makes Me Sad Talk about things that make them sad, and hear how Hannah prayed when she was sad. Praying Hands Name Tags (p. 23), scissors, marker, safety pins or tape Construction paper, crayons, tape Paper plates, crayons Option 3: Baby Care Care for dolls and stuffed animal babies, and hear how Hannah prayed for a baby. Pick-Up Time Sing a song as they pick up toys and gather for Bible Story Time. Dolls, stuffed animals, blankets, pillows CD player Bible Story Time Setting the Stage Go on a listening walk, and talk about listening to God. Bible Song and Prayer Time Sing a song, bring out the Bible, and pray together. Bible, CD player Hear and Tell the Bible Story Hear how Hannah prayed for a baby, and participate in the story. Do the Bible Story Send prayers to God. Bible, CD player Bubble solution, bowl Closing Moving Day Help Whiskers understand that he can talk to God when he s sad. Shoe box, small toys We Can Listen Sing a song about prayer. CD player *See the end of this lesson for extra-time ideas and supplies. 12

Welcome Time God Hears Hannah s Prayer SUPPLIES: Praying Hands Name Tags (p. 23), scissors, marker, safety pins or tape Bend down and make eye contact with children as they arrive. Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. Thank each child for coming to class today. Say: Today we re going to learn that we can listen to God and talk to God. Give each child a praying hands name tag. Help children write their names on their name tags and pin or tape them to their clothing. You may want to laminate the name tags or cover them with clear adhesive plastic so they ll last throughout the quarter. Direct children to the Let s Get Started activities you ve set up. Let s Get Started Set up one or more of the following activities for children to do as they arrive. After you greet each child, invite him or her to choose an activity. Circulate among the children to offer help as needed and direct children s conversations toward today s lesson. Ask questions such as What do you do when you re feeling sad? or When do you talk to God? It s important to say the Bible Point just as it s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point again and again will help children remember it and apply it to their lives. n Option 1: Talking Partners SUPPLIES: construction paper, crayons, tape Give each child a sheet of construction paper. Let children color or draw on their papers if they want, and then help them form tubes by rolling and taping their papers. Form pairs and invite children to stand several feet apart and talk to each other through their talk tubes. After two or three minutes, have them gather around the table or work area. Have children tell you what it was like to talk to their partners through the talk tubes. Explain that we have to listen and talk at separate times. When we re talking, others are listening. When someone else is talking, it s our turn to listen. When we pray, we are talking to God. When we read the Bible or listen in church, we re listening to God s Word. Remind children that we can listen to God and talk to God. 13

Lesson 1 Hiding behind a paper-plate face may make it easier for children to open up and talk about what makes them sad. Be ready to cheer and comfort children after they ve talked about sad things. n Option 2: That Makes Me Sad SUPPLIES: paper plates, crayons Give each child a paper plate. Set out crayons, and have children draw sad faces on their paper plates. When children finish their sad faces, help them form pairs. Have partners take turns holding their sad faces in front of their faces. As children hold up their sad faces, have them complete this sentence: It makes me sad when After both partners have shared things that make them sad, ask children to join you in a group. Explain that we can listen to God and talk to God when we re sad. Tell them that today s Bible story is about a woman who prayed when she was sad. n Option 3: Baby Care SUPPLIES: dolls, stuffed animals, blankets, pillows Set out dolls, stuffed animals, blankets, and pillows. Encourage children to hold the dolls or stuffed-animal babies, rock them, and feed them from pretend bottles. They can even use the pillows and blankets to put the babies to bed. As children play, tell them that today s Bible story is about a woman who prayed for a baby. When everyone has arrived and you re ready to move on to Bible Story Time, encourage the children to finish what they re doing and get ready to clean up. n Pick-Up Time SUPPLIES: CD player Lead children in singing Come Along With Me with the track 2 CD (track 2) to the tune of Come and Go With Me. Encourage children to sing along as they help clean up the room. You ll be using this song each week to alert children to start picking up. At first, they may need a little encouragement. But after a few weeks, picking up and singing along will become a familiar routine. Come along with me and pick up all our things, Pick up all our things, Pick up all our things. Come along with me and pick up all our things So our room will be clean. (Repeat 2x.) 14

Bible Story Time n Setting the Stage SUPPLIES: none Tell children that when they hear you clap your hands two times, they re to stop what they re doing and clap their hands two times. Practice this signal a few times. Encourage children to respond quickly so you ll have time for all the fun activities you ve planned. Ask: What did you make or do when you came to class today? (Made a tube to talk in; took care of babies; talked about things that make me sad.) Say: Some of you took care of dolls and stuffed animals, some of you told a partner about things that make you sad, and some of you talked through tubes. You were all learning important things about our Bible story. Today we re going to learn that we can listen to God and talk to God. One way we can listen and learn about God is by listening to the things he s made. When we hear birds chirping or the wind blowing in the trees, those noises remind us that God made our world and everything in it. Let s go on a listening walk together and see what we can hear in God s world. Form pairs, and have them line up at the door. Then hold up the listening ears. Say: We ll take turns leading our listening walk. The partners who are leading will each wear one of these listening ears. We ll want to stay together in a straight line so we can pass the ears to the next leaders. We ll also need to walk quietly so we can hear things. Give the listening ears to the children in the front of the line, and then lead children on a walk around your church building. Listen for sounds such as bees buzzing, dogs barking, and people talking or playing. If you are unable to take children outdoors because of weather or safety issues, take them on a walk in your building s hallways. Encourage children to ask the leading pair what they hear. Have children take turns leading and wearing the listening ears. When everyone s had a turn wearing an ear, return to your classroom. Collect the listening ears and return them to the Learning Lab. Ask: What did you hear on our listening walk? (Birds; cars driving by; flies buzzing; people talking; music.) Who made all those things? (God; people made the cars; people were singing.) Say: It s fun to listen to all the things God made. Another way we can listen to God is by coming to church. Here in our class we hear stories from God s Word, the Bible. Let s bring out our Bible and hear a story about what happened when a woman named Hannah went to the house of the Lord to worship God. God Hears Hannah s Prayer If you re concerned about children wandering away or getting lost in halls, have children link elbows or hold hands as they walk. Or provide a length of rope or cord that children can hold onto as they walk so everyone stays together. Bring in a cell phone, a piece of mail or stationery, a memo pad, a Bible, and a songbook. If you have a tablet or laptop, bring this in to demonstrate electronic communication. Talk about the things we use to communicate today and how they re similar to or different from the way people communicated in Hannah and Samuel s time. Show children the Bible and explain that God still talks to us through his Word. Remind them that we can talk to God by praying and singing. 15

Lesson 1 n Bible Song and Prayer Time SUPPLIES: Bible, CD player Say: Each week when we come to our circle for our Bible tracks 3 & 4 story, I ll choose someone to be the Bible person. The Bible person will bring me the Bible marked with our Bible story for that week. Before I choose today s Bible person, let s learn our Bible song. As we sing, we ll pass around our special Bible. The person who s holding the Bible when the music stops will be our Bible person today. Lead children in singing I m So Glad for the Bible with the CD (track 3) to the tune of Give Me Oil in My Lamp. As you sing, pass around the special Bible. If the ink pad is dry, moisten it with three to five drops of water. I m so glad for the Bible, Keep me learnin, learnin, learnin. I m so glad for God s book today. I m so glad for the Bible, Keep me learnin, learnin, learnin Keep me learnin all about his way. Let me hear bout God s love Keep me learnin, learnin, learnin. Let me hear bout God s love for me. Let me hear bout God s love Keep me learnin, learnin, learnin. Let s shine the light for all to see. (Repeat first verse.) When the music stops, invite the child who s holding the Bible to bring it to you. Stamp the child s hand with the listening stamp, and thank the child for bringing you the Bible. Then stamp the other children s hands. Return the listening stamp and ink pad to the Learning Lab. Say: I m thankful for [name of child who brought the Bible], and I m thankful for everyone in our class today. Let s thank God together for all our friends in this class. Lead children in singing I m So Glad We re Together with the CD (track 4) to the tune of Give Me Oil in My Lamp. You can also choose children to be the Bible-Replacer (to put the Bible away) and the Cheerleader. Just be sure to keep track of who fills your roles each week, so each child gets a chance to feel special. I m so glad we re together. Keep us prayin, prayin, prayin. I m so glad we re all here today. I m so glad we re together. Keep us prayin, prayin, prayin Prayin for each other every day. Lead children in folding their hands and bowing their heads as you continue to sing. 16

God Hears Hannah s Prayer Thank you, Lord, for each one. Keep me thankful, thankful, thankful. Thank you for everyone who s here. Thank you, Lord, for each one. Keep me thankful, thankful, thankful Thankful for our friends both far and near. n Hear and Tell the Bible Story SUPPLIES: Bible, CD player Open the Bible to 1 Samuel 1, and show it to the children. Say: track 6 Our Bible story comes from the Bible, God s special book. I m going to read a story that comes from the Bible, and you ll become a part of the Bible story. Each time I say Hannah, you can make your face look like Hannah s face might have looked depending on what s happening in the story. Read the following story. Pause after each Hannah phrase to allow time for the children to respond. Hannah and Elkanah lived in the mountains. Every year they left their town to go worship at the house of the Lord. Many other families came, too, and they all thanked God for the good things he had done. It was a happy time, but Hannah felt sad inside. She loved God, and she loved her husband, Elkanah, but she was sad that she couldn t have a baby. Sometimes she got so sad that she couldn t even eat. Hannah knew that God could help her, so she prayed and asked God to give her a baby. She cried as she told God how sad she was. Then she promised God that if he gave her a baby son, she d bring him to live at the house of the Lord so he could serve God all his life. Eli, the priest, noticed Hannah praying. Most of the other people who had come to worship were praying out loud, but Hannah was praying quietly in her heart. Eli came over and talked to Hannah. Hannah said, I have been praying because I m very sad. Eli replied, Go! I wish you well. May God give you what you asked of him. Hannah didn t feel sad anymore. She started eating again, and she was glad to worship God the next day. When Hannah and Elkanah returned home, Hannah discovered she was going to have a baby! Hannah s prayers were answered! God gave her a beautiful baby boy just what she had prayed for. She named the baby Samuel, which in her language meant God heard. Hannah was so happy! But she didn t forget her promise to God. She told Elkanah, As soon as Samuel is big enough, I ll take him to the house of the Lord where he can serve God all his life. Ask: What do you think Hannah s face looked like when she was sad? (Let children show you sad expressions.) What did she do about being sad? (She went to the house of the Lord; she prayed to God.) How did God help Hannah to stop feeling sad? (God listened to her; God heard her prayer.) Be sure to emphasize to children that the story comes from the Bible, God s Word. 17

Lesson 1 Say: Just as Hannah did, we can listen to God and talk to God. Whenever we re sad, scared, or happy, God wants us to tell him about it. God listens to us, and we can listen to God, too! Our Bible verse says, I listen carefully to what God is saying (adapted from Psalm 85:8). Let s learn a song to help us remember this verse. Lead the children in singing Listen (Psalm 85:8) with the CD (track 6) to the tune of Yankee Doodle. I listen carefully to what the Lord is saying. I want to hear him talk to me, And I want to obey him. I will listen with my ears. I will listen with my heart. I will listen as I grow Because I know God loves me. (Repeat.) If weather permits, do this activity outside. n Do the Bible Story SUPPLIES: bubble solution, bowl Pour bubble solution into a bowl. Have the children sit in a circle on the floor with you. Say: The Bible tells us that Hannah listened to God and talked to God. We can listen to God and talk to God, too. We can talk to God anytime and anyplace. Let s talk to God right now in a fun and special way. Pick up a bubble wand. These bubbles will help us send our special prayers to God. Demonstrate how to dip the a large bubble wand into the bubble solution and gently blow a bubble. Say: Let s pretend that we can put a prayer into this bubble and send it to God. What prayer should we put in this bubble? (Allow the children to make suggestions.) Say: That s a good prayer to put into this bubble. I m going to blow a bubble, and we ll use this bubble to send our prayer to God. While I blow the bubble, say together we can listen to God and talk to God. Let s practice that together. Practice saying the Bible Point together with the class a few times. Then blow and release a bubble into the air. Say: Now I am going to let each of you put a prayer in a bubble and give it to God. Hand the bubble wand to the child to your right. Let the child say what his or her prayer is. Then help the child dip the wand into the bubble mixture, blow a bubble, and release the bubble into the air. Repeat the process for every child in the class. 18

God Hears Hannah s Prayer Say: This was a fun way to talk to God, wasn t it? But do you think we need bubbles to talk to God? What are other ways we can talk to God? (Silently; bedtime prayers; praying before dinner; talking to him when I m alone in my room; singing a song.) Say: God wants us to talk to him because he loves us. God loves us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to be our friend. Let s say a prayer together to thank God for loving us enough to send Jesus as our friend and for listening to us. Pray: Dear God, thank you for loving us so much that you gave us Jesus as a friend. Thank you that we can listen to you and talk to you. Thank you for hearing our prayers and taking special care of each of us. In Jesus name, amen. At this stage in their spiritual development, 3- and 4-year-olds understand that prayer is talking to God and can pray simple, spontaneous prayers. Say: Let s see if our friend Whiskers will come out and see us today. We can tell him about listening to God and talking to God. Closing n Moving Day SUPPLIES: shoe box, small toys Bring out Whiskers the Mouse and a shoe box of small toys, and go through the following script. When you are through with the script, put Whiskers and the box away and out of sight. Whiskers: (Sounding sad) Oh hi, everybody. I hope you haven t been waiting for me long. I ve been busy packing. (Shuffles toys around in the box.) Teacher: Packing? What for? Are you going on a trip? Whiskers: No, my family is moving to a new house. Teacher: Is your new house very far? Whiskers: No, it s just across town. I ll still be coming to church with you. But I just don t want to move! I m scared of moving to a new place. Teacher: Whiskers, have you told anyone how you re feeling? Sometimes it helps to talk to someone when you re feeling sad or scared. Whiskers: Well, I did tell my brother, but I don t think he was listening. Everyone in my family is so busy packing! Teacher: I think your friends here know someone you could talk to about your problem. Our Bible story was about a woman who felt sad, just as you re feeling sad. Children, let s tell Whiskers about Hannah. (Lead children in telling Whiskers how Hannah talked to God when she was sad.) 19

Lesson 1 Whiskers: God? I can really talk to God? And he ll really listen? Teacher: Certainly, Whiskers. Whiskers: That s great! Do you know his telephone number? Because I d really like to talk to him. Teacher: Whiskers, you don t have to call God on the telephone. We talk to God by praying. We ve been learning that we can listen to God and talk to God. Why don t you say that with us? (Lead Whiskers and the children in repeating the Bible Point.) Whiskers: Thanks, friends. I already feel better. I m going to remember to pray whenever I start feeling sad or scared about moving. Maybe my brother will even pray with me. I m going to go ask him right now. See you later! Permission to photocopy this script from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Preschool granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com n We Can Listen SUPPLIES: CD player track 5 Say: We can listen to God and talk to God. Let s talk to God by singing a song to him as we close our class. Lead children in singing We Can Listen with the CD (track 5) to the tune of Old MacDonald Had a Farm. We can listen to God s Word And talk to God each day. When we hear stories from God s Word, We ll listen and obey. If we open up our ears, God s Word is loud and clear. We can listen to God s Word And talk to God each day. We can listen to God s Word And talk to God each day. When we hear stories from God s Word, We ll listen and obey. If we open up our ears, God s Word is loud and clear. We can listen to God s Word And talk to God each day. When you finish singing, say: Let s pray right now and thank God for listening to us. Let any children who want to pray aloud do so. Then pray: Dear God, thank you for loving us so much and for listening to us anytime we need to talk to you. In Jesus name, amen. 20

God Hears Hannah s Prayer Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Today I Learned handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with the children. Encourage parents to use the handout to plan meaningful family activities to reinforce this week s topic. 21

Lesson 1 For Extra Time If you have a long class time or want to add additional elements to your lesson, try one of the following activities. n Lively Learning: Listening Review Say: If I say something that really happened in our Bible story, stand up and say, I can listen. If I say something that didn t happen in our Bible story, shake your head and say, That s not right. Read the following statements, one at a time. Pause after you read each one to allow time for children to respond. Hannah was sad because she couldn t have a baby. Hannah was sad because she couldn t get an ice-cream cone. Hannah talked to her dog about her sadness. Hannah talked to God about her sadness. God gave Hannah a baby girl. God gave Hannah a baby boy. After you ve read all the statements, invite children to tell you other things they remember from Hannah s story. Remind them that we can listen to God and talk to God. n Make to Take: Listen-Up Ears Before class, photocopy the Listen-Up Ears pattern on page 24. You ll need one set of ears for each child in your class. Give each child a set of listen-up ears. Help children cut out and color the ears. When children finish coloring the ears, help each child tape the ears to a 12-inch piece of chenille wire, as shown at left. Encourage children to wear their listen-up ears to remind them that we can listen to God and talk to God. n Treat to Eat: Banana Ears Cut several bananas into slices, and then cut each slice in half to make half circles. Since bananas turn brown quickly, do this just before your snack. Have children clean their hands with wet wipes or at a nearby sink. Give each child a napkin, a round cracker, two chocolate chips, and two banana half circles. Show children how to make cracker faces with chocolate-chip eyes and banana ears. Point out that we can use our ears to listen to God. Remind them that we can listen to God and talk to God. n Story Picture: Hannah Prays Give each child a copy of the Today I Learned handout. Set out crayons, soft fabric scraps, and glue sticks. Help children glue the fabric to Hannah s head covering, and then have them color the rest of the picture. As they work, review the story of Hannah. Remind children that we can listen to God and talk to God. 22

Praying Hands Name Tags Permission to photocopy this page from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Preschool granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com 23

Listen-Up Ears Photocopy the ears pattern. You ll need one set of ears for each child. 24 Permission to photocopy this page from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Preschool granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com

We can listen to God and talk to God. Lesson 1 Today your child learned that WE CAN LISTEN TO GOD AND TALK TO GOD. Children heard how Hannah prayed when she was sad. They took a listening walk and discovered ways they can listen to God. Help me learn this: I listen carefully to what God is saying (adapted from Psalm 85:8). Ask me: n What did Hannah pray for? How did God answer her prayer? n What would you like to talk to God about this week? n What can our family pray about together? Family Fun n Ask your child to tell you why Hannah is sad in the picture below. Talk about sad times you ve experienced. Thank God for hearing your prayers during those times. n Sing this song with your child to the tune of Old MacDonald Had a Farm. We can listen to God s Word And talk to God each day. When we hear stories from God s Word, We ll listen and obey. If we open up our ears, God s Word is loud and clear. We can listen to God s Word And talk to God each day. Hannah Talks to God (1 Samuel 1:1-20) Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Preschool granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com 25