GOD Asks Me to Praise and Worship Featuring: Bible Story The Birth of Jesus Bible Verse Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:6
Experience God with These Tools Teacher Guide Book 24 discussions and activities to engage your children in age-appropriate experiences. Prayer and storytelling suggestions to use throughout the month. Story Cards Fully illustrated story cards with storytelling prompts as well as NIV Bible scripture. Bible Verse Poster Optional Add-ons h Turshneip smusicmforuskidics helcpsdsyour Trutand wo Praise Bible verses throughout children memorize twelve will help your es the year. These catchy tun their hearts. in rd wo children hide God s Optional Child Pack - Call to order 800-523-6933 Family Newsletters Weekly newsletters filled with family games, discussions and memor y verse cutouts to continue growing with God at home. Experience Art Packs Convenient and affordable art supplies are needed to implement the four featured art projects in each Experience God lesson book. Materials are pre-cut, sorted and packaged for each art project. 2
Praise with Song and Words Praise and Worship with My Whole Self GOD Asks Me to Praise and Worship Skill Related Weekly Activities Worship with Adoration and Prayer Worship with Gifts Story Activity Week 1 Praise with Song and Words Week 2 Worship with Adoration and Prayer Week 3 Worship with Gifts Week 4 Praise and Worship with My Whole Self The Nativity Worship Jesus What s Inside Where to Worship? Language Social-Emotional Physical Math Art Project Jump and Shout Overflowing Joy The Three Kings Worship with Our Thoughts Celebrate Jesus Follow the Light Shepherd and Worship with Birthday! His Sheep Our Feelings See the Angel A Clean Heart Mary and Joseph in the Stable Worship with Our Actions Hear His Call Ways to Worship Clap for Jesus Worship All Day A Is for Angel Shine Your Light Trees Happy Birthday Jesus! 3
How to Use Experience God How to Use Experience God Experience God can be used as a daily devotional or as a weekly Sunday school program. Daily Devotional Use one Experience God guidebook and Child Pack per month. 10 Minute Daily Routine: Bible Verse Song Begin each day with the song Sing Praises, track 4 on the Truth Tunes CD. 4 Combine with Mother Goose Time for a Complete Preschool Program. If you homeschool or teach preschool, combine Experience God with Mother Goose Time curriculum for a cohesive and complete early childhood program. Mother Goose Time is a research-based preschool curriculum. The social-emotional, physical and cognitive skills reinforced through your Experience God activities link to the same skills taught in Mother Goose Time Curriculum. Each Experience God Book matches a specific Mother Goose Time Theme Kit. For more information or to order Mother Goose Time visit www.mothergoosetime.com or call 1-800-523-6933. Discuss and Do One Activity per Day Each activity begins with an open-ended discussion. Allow children time to share their ideas. Then, explore the suggested activity or project together. Close with the Explain statement. 1 Pray Use one of the four prayer suggestions in your guidebook or hold hands and invite children to pray to Jesus in their own special ways. 5 If you follow this routine, you will have enough activities to fill six days a week for four weeks. 4
Weekly Sunday School 60 Minute Weekly Routine: Story Activity and Bible Verse Song There are four story-based activities. Do one per week. Sing the Bible verse song and make up your own movements for singing and dancing along. Discuss and Do the First Two Activities Allow plenty of time for children to discuss and share their ideas in response to the open-ended question. Prompt discussion by sharing experiences from your own life. Gather the materials for both activities and have them ready to reduce transition time between activities. 10 Snack Time Give children a small treat. As you eat, encourage children to make believe they are characters from the Bible story. Later in the month, pretend to be other characters from the story. Discuss and Do the Second Two Activities 10 Art Project After children make their art, invite them to show and tell about their projects. This is great practice for when they go home and talk about what they learned at school. Prayer and Bible Verse Song Follow the prayer suggestion to help children learn how to talk to Jesus. Sing the Bible verse song as the parents come to pick up their children. Hand out the Family Newsletter. Send home the art project. 5 5 15 15 Do you have a large group? After the story, set up the five activities in different corners of your room. Invite older children or adult volunteers to facilitate the stations. Split your group into small groups and invite children to rotate from station to station throughout the hour. At the end, come together as a large group and close with prayer and the Bible verse song. See page 2 for information about ordering Truth Tunes and other add-ons. 5
Praise with Song and Words Week 1 - Story Time Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:6 The Nativity Ask: How do you think it looks to praise the Lord? Show the children the Story Cards and invite them to share with you what they see. Who do they see praising God? Read the story aloud and show the picture cards. Supplies Story Cards Explain out a baby is story is ab th t a th in la p x E s born, When He wa named Jesus. their ised Him with ra p le p o e p many Him. Praise e to worship m ca d n a s e voic rds and e use our wo w t a th s n a e m celebrate e thanks and actions to giv reat. that God is g 7
Fine Motor 5.2 See the Angel Ask: What do you think an angel looks like? Sounds like? Invite the children to describe how they envision an angel. Ask them if they think an angel is big or small. Invite the children to mimic the voice of an angel. Is it a loud or soft voice? Explain Supplies Scissors Glue Paper Tape Markers Collage materials Discuss how an angel came to Mary. Mary was afraid of the angel at first. Why? The angel said, Do not be afraid, Mary. Luke 1:30. Later, an angel came to the shepherds. They were very frightened. Do not be afraid, said the angel. Luke 2:10. Tape 6-8 pieces of paper together lengthwise to create a sheet of paper big enough to make a large angel. Work together to draw and decorate your angel. When you are finished, hang it on your wall. According to the Bible, angels are very big and shine the amazing glory of God. They bring us good news and they also protect us. 8
Number Concepts 15.2 Hear His Call Ask: How many angels appeared to announce the birth of Jesus? Invite the children to count as high as possible. Explain that there were a multitude of angels. That means there were many, many angels! Give each child a half sheet of paper and invite him to draw an angel. Number the angels 1-10. (If you have less than ten children, draw extra angels for the children.) Hang the numbered angels around the room. On large sheets of paper put dots. Draw one dot on one paper. Draw two dots on the next paper. Continue until you have ten dots on the last sheet of paper. Have the children sit while you hold up a paper with dots. Ask them to quietly count the dots and then run to the angel with the matching number. After everyone is at the angel, count loudly to that same number together. Cheer and celebrate! There were too many angels to count on the night Jesus was born. They praised Jesus with their glorious sounds. 1 1 2 3 2 9 3 Supplies Paper Markers Tape
Emergent Writing 14.1 Jump and Shout Ask: How high can you jump? Explain that the angels made a beautiful choir and sang Glory to God in the Highest! Invite the children to repeat this phrase while shouting and jumping up and down. Show the children how they can draw a big letter G in the air by moving their arm in a circular motion. Make two large Gs in the air as you say, Glory to God! Demonstrate how to make your body into an H shape by standing with feet apart and raising arms. Stand in the H position as you say, in the highest. Encourage everyone to jump as high as possible. Explain Repeat the entire phrase while doing the G and H motions. On the night Jesus was born, the angels praised Him with their songs from heaven. They sang Glory to God in the Highest. Jesus wants us get up and sing praise to Him every day! 10
Social Relationships 3.2 Celebrate Jesus Birthday! Ask: How do you celebrate a birthday in your family? Take time for children to share about special family traditions for birthdays or holidays. Remind the children that when Jesus was born He had many visitors. They all came to give Him praise and it was like a big party. We are going to have our own celebration and enjoy a special birthday treat. Give a piece of cake or cookie to each child and invite them to help you decorate it for Jesus. Sing the Happy Birthday song to Jesus. We can praise Jesus by celebrating His birth. During Christmas we have parties and celebrations to help us remember that Jesus was born. God gave us Jesus so that we could know Him and His love. 11 Supplies Cake or cookies Various toppings
Visual Arts 32.2 A Is for Angel Ask: What would you do if an angel asked you to sing praises to God? Explain Supplies Door hanger Paper A Handprint paper Glitter Feathers Scissors Glue Markers Invite the children to clap their hands and sing a favorite Christmas carol. Trace hands and help the children cut them out. Use these as the wings for the angel craft. Cut a circle from the remaining paper to use as a head. Glue the head and wings to the paper A. Attach the angel to the door hanger. Decorate the angel with glitter and feathers. Write A Is for Angel on the door hanger. A Is for Angel A Jesus wants us to sing like the Angels and praise Him with our hands and voices. PRAY Pray Invite the children to gather in a circle. Lead them in a short prayer thanking God for sending His special angels to teach us how to sing praises to His son. Close by singing the Bible verse song (track 4 on the Truth Tunes CD). Invite the children to dance while holding the angel door hangers. 12