God is Grr-eat! Praise (prayz): Words or actions that give God honor for his greatness. Telling God we think he s great! From "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" to "Humpty Dumpty," nursery rhymes are part of the rhythm of life for young children. By the time they re ready for preschool, they delight in playing "London Bridge," "Ring-Around-the-Rosy" and countless other childhood games. Again and again they stand up, sit down and sing along at the tops of their lungs, not wanting the fun to end. Praising God is fun, too! For young children, praising God means telling God how great he is by cheering and jumping and shouting, "Hurray!" As children learn new praise words to the familiar songs and games presented in this lesson, they ll discover that praising God is as natural as playing. Bible Song: LORD, I will praise you with all of my heart (Psalm 9:1). Bible Words: We are your people. We are your very own sheep. We will praise you forever (Psalm 79:13). Bible Story: God is Our Shepherd, Psalm 23 Bible Truth: God wants us to praise him. God is Grr-eat! ~ 7
Wiggleworms PRAISE Get List: Copy of "With All of My Heart" (p. 13) Various rhythm instruments (one per child) Child-sized chair decorated with ribbons, streamers or a balloon Gather children in a circle on the floor. Say: Today we re going to learn about praising God. To help us understand what that means, we ll start out by praising each other. When we praise another person, we say good things. Can you think of a time when someone said good things about you? What kinds of good things could you say about your friends here in our class? Let children respond, then set the decorated chair in the center of the circle and invite one child to sit in it. Right now (name of child in center) is in the "Praise Pot." If you have something good you d like to say about (name), please stand up. Have children stand to indicate they re ready to share, then sit down as they offer their praise. Invite the last child standing to be the next person in the Praise Pot. Be sure to praise him or her for waiting patiently! Play the game until everyone has had a chance to be in the Praise Pot, or for as long as children s attention allows. (If you don t get to all the children, let them know you ll play again at a later time then be sure you do!) We re happy when our friends and family praise us by saying nice things about us. God wants us to say nice things about him, too. We can tell him how great he is, and how glad we are that he made us and takes care of us every single day. God is happy to hear our praises. What are some good things we can say to God? In the Book of Psalms, the Bible says that everything that has breath should praise God (Psalm 150:6). Take a deep breath, then let it out. Pause to breathe deeply. Did you breathe in lots of good fresh air? If you can breathe, you can praise God. One great way you can use your breath to praise God is by singing to him. Let s learn a song about praising God now. I ll sing the words, then you can sing them after me. Teach children "With All of My Heart." Have them repeat the words and actions after you, then join you on the last line. With my head (point to head), (With my head) With my hands (clap twice), (With my hands) With my feet (stomp feet), Every part! (Every part!) Oh After children have learned the words, distribute the rhythm instruments. Invite children to play along as you sing the song once or twice, then try one or both of the following variations. Wiggleworms Learn the Psalms ~ 8
Have all of the children use their instruments as you sing, "Lord, I will praise you with all of my heart." Then designate specific instruments for the next three lines. For example, "with my shaker," "with my sticks," "with my drum," or other instruments you have available. Invite everyone to join in as you sing "Every part!" Add more action to the song by changing the words: When I jump, When I hop, When I run, When I stop. Wiggleworms SQUIRM Choose one or both of these activities depending on the time and supplies you have available. Praise Porridge Get List: Large pot or bucket Copy of "Praise Pictures" (p. 14) Before class, photocopy the "Praise Pictures" page and cut apart the pictures. If you have a large class you might want to make more than one copy. Put the pictures in the pot or bucket. Ask children if they know the nursery rhyme, "Peas Porridge Hot." If they do, let them say it for you. If not, have them repeat the lines after you: Peas porridge hot, Peas porridge cold, Peas porridge in the pot, Nine days old. Teach the children a slap-slap-clap rhythm. Have them slap their knees twice as they say the words, "peas porridge," then clap the hands of the children next to them as they say the last word of each line. (They can clap twice for "in the pot.") Have them slap their knees as they say "nine days," then clap their own hands together as they say "old." After they ve mastered the slap-slap-clap rhythm, say: Instead of "peas porridge," we re going to have some "praise porridge" today. In my pot are some pictures of things we can praise God for. Let s slap our knees and clap our hands to get ready for some praise porridge. Have children repeat the slap-slap-clap rhythm as you lead them in the following praise rhyme. As they say the rhyme, walk around the outside of the circle with the pot. When children finish the rhyme, let the child standing nearest to you take a picture out of the pot. Hold up the picture and have all the children name the item. Encourage them to clap and shout "Hurray!" to praise God for each pictured item. Repeat the game and let the child who chose the picture carry the pot around the circle. God is Grr-eat! ~ 9
Praise porridge hot, Praise porridge cold, Praise porridge in the pot, Ready, set, go! God, you re great! God, you re good! And we praise you For our. It s great to praise God for the good things he gives us. We can also praise God for being such a great God. Let s give God three cheers now. Hip, hip, hurray! Hip, hip, hurray! Hip, hip, hurray! Hot Potato Praise Get List: Several beanbags CD or cassette player and a selection of lively music Gather children in a circle. Give one child a beanbag. Say: When I start the music, we re going to pass the beanbag around the circle. If you re holding the beanbag when the music stops, you get to stand up and tell God how great he is. You could say, "Thanks, God, for loving me," "You made a great world, God," or just "God, you re great." You can use any words you want to use to praise God. Ready? Here we go! Start the music and pass the beanbag around the circle. Pause the music at random intervals. When the music stops, invite the child holding the beanbag to stand and offer words of praise. Add another beanbag to the circle, then restart the music. Each time you stop the music, have children with beanbags offer praises. Keep adding beanbags until you run out. Make sure each child has at least one turn to offer praise. When you re finished, collect the beanbags and put them away. God loves to hear those words of praise. Let s all jump up and tell him one more time how great he is. When I count to three, jump up and shout, "God, you re grrr-eat!" Wiggleworms LEARN Get List: Yarn or string Small jingle bells (available at craft and discount stores) Small cup of water for each child Snack for each child Optional: pillows Set out yarn or string and small jingle bells. Help children cut a length of yarn, then thread a bell onto it. Tie the yarn into a necklace. When children finish their bell necklaces, have them join you in the circle area. Invite children to ring their bells. Your bells sound beautiful! Do you know why we ve made these ringly-tingly bell necklaces? We re going to pretend to be sheep. Sometimes sheep and other animals wear bells around their necks to help people know where they are. The Bible says we re all like a bunch of sheep. What do sheep say? What do sheet like to eat? Who takes care of sheep? Let children respond, then ask: If we re like the sheep, who s our shepherd? God is! Just like a Wiggleworms Learn the Psalms ~ 10
shepherd takes care of sheep, God always takes care of us. Psalm 79:13 says, "We are your people. We are your very own sheep. We will praise you forever." We can praise God for being such a good shepherd. Let s pretend for a minute that we re really sheep. I ll be the shepherd. Sheep, make sure you have your sheep bells on so I ll know where you are. First we ll need a sheepfold. That s where the sheep live when they re not out in the fields munching on grass. Let s use some chairs to build a sheepfold for our flock. Have children help you line up the chairs to create a closed-in area for a sheepfold. Be sure to leave a space for a door. While children are setting up the sheepfold, set a cup of water for each child on a table or counter. If you have pillows, set them on the floor in an open area. When everything is set up, gather children in the sheepfold. Say: In Psalm 23, the Bible says, "The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need." What do sheep need? What do people need? Let children respond. Both sheep and people need food to eat and water to drink. They also need a warm, safe place to live like our sheepfold. Follow me and we ll find out where God our Good Shepherd leads his sheep. Lead children around the room. "The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. He lets me lie down in fields of green grass." Look, over there! I see a beautiful field full of green grass. Sheep, why don t you lie down and rest a little. You look tired. Let children rest in an open area of the room. Have them lie on the pillows or the floor. After a few moments, gently "wake" your sheep. Time to wake up, sheep. "The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. He leads me beside quiet waters. He gives me new strength." You must be thirsty. Let s see if we can find some water for you. Lead children to the cups of water and let them drink. Collect the cups, then continue: Wow! God is really a good shepherd to his sheep, isn t he? Before we go on, let s stop and praise him for being such a good shepherd. Let me hear some sheep praise. Baa! Baa! Baa! Lead children around the room again as you continue. Okay, sheep. You re really going to have to trust the shepherd now. Remember, "The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. He guides me in the right paths for the honor of his name." Lead children to a table, and direct them to crawl underneath it. Uh-oh. It looks kind of dark in that deep valley. But don t worry. The Bible says, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid. You are with me. Your shepherd s rod and staff comfort me." I guess that means I m coming with you! Crawl under the table (if you can!), then lead children back to the sheepfold. Whew! This has been a big day, sheep. Let s go home and have some dinner. Listen to the last part of Psalm 23: "You prepare a feast for me right in front of my enemies. You pour oil on my head. My cup runs over. I am sure that your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. And I will live in the house of the Lord forever." God is Grr-eat! ~ 11
I don t think I m going to really pour oil on your heads, but let s do have a special snack to celebrate God s goodness. Isn t it great that he s our good shepherd? Pass out the snack and let children enjoy it. You might wish to say a prayer of thanks for the snack. Wiggleworms PRAY Okay, sheep. You ve rested on soft, green grass. You ve had drinks of cool, refreshing water. You ve had a yummy snack. Are you ready to praise God? If you re ready, ring your bells. Lead children in singing this song, to the tune of "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep." Baa, baa, God s sheep, have you any praise? Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, for all of my days. We ll praise you in the morning when the sun shines bright. We ll praise you at bedtime in the pale moonlight. Baa, baa, God s sheep, have you any praise? Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, for all of my days. If time allows, repeat the song. Sing the first line, then let a designated group of children sing the response, "Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, for all of my days." Have everyone join in for the rest of the song. It s great to praise God with our voices, our smiles and our whole selves! Remember to praise God this week. Close by repeating Psalm 23:1-3. Say each phrase, then have children repeat it after you. The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. He lets me lie down in fields of green grass. He leads me beside quiet waters. He gives me new strength. Pray: Lord, you re great! Thank you for being our shepherd. We praise you for your goodness and love. Help us to follow you every day. In Jesus name, amen. Wiggleworms Learn the Psalms ~ 12
Words and music copyright by Jennifer Root Wilger. Permission to reproduce for local church use. God is Grr-eat! ~ 13
Copyright 2003. Permission to reproduce for local church use. Wiggleworms Learn the Psalms ~ 14
Say-It, Play-It, Pray-It! Praise Today your child learned that God loves to hear our praises! Children learned new praise words to familiar nursery rhymes and praised God for his care and goodness. Say-It Bible Song: LORD, I will praise you with all of my heart (Psalm 9:1). Bible Words: We are your people. We are your very own sheep. We will praise you forever (Psalm 79:13). Encourage your child to teach you the Bible Song, "With All of My Heart." The words appear below. Repeat the Bible Words with your child at mealtime, bedtime or anytime he or she is interested! (Repeat.) With my head (point to head), (With my head) With my hands (clap twice), (With my hands) With my feet (stomp feet), Every part! (Every part!) Oh Lord, I will praises you will all of my heart. Play-It Build a block tower with your child. Place the first block and whisper, "God, you re great." Take turns adding blocks and repeating "God, you re great" or other simple words of praise. Each time you add a block, speak a little louder. When you re ready to knock the tower down, shout your praise to the Lord. "God, you re great!" Have a party to celebrate God s greatness. Prepare your family s favorite treats and invite one or more families from your child s class to join you. Pray-It Gather all of your child s stuffed animals. Point out to your child that all of creation praises God. Talk about how different animals might praise God, then pretend to have each animal praise in its own way. Then sing a favorite praise song and praise God your way! Copyright 2003. Permission to reproduce for local church use. God is Grr-eat! ~ 15