Here a Little, There a Little is a compilation of Bible activities I created years ago to use with my preschool children. It was designed to spend a week memorizing one verse and reinforcing it through 5 Bible lessons and 5 activities. I hope you find this week’s lesson helpful to intentionally notice the ways God is good to us.
Godis Good
Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all.
Bible Stories: (I suggest you read the stories from the Bible and then tell them in your own words with expression. Also find them in your children’s Bible and read them to your children.)
Genesis 2 God made the first man and named him Adam. He was good to Adam. He gave him all kinds of animals to keep him company. But Adam was still lonely so God made Adam a wife to be his best friend, to talk to, and to share the garden with. God made Eve to be Adam’s wife. God was good to Adam (Proverbs 18:22)
Exodus 14 God’s people were being chased by some bad people who didn’t love God and wanted to hurt His people. When they came to a great big sea, they had no way to cross the water, so God parted the water in the center and the people of God walked on dry land right over to the other side of the sea without even getting wet! Then the bad men started to cross over after them, but God caused the waters to go back together and all the bad men were drowned. God protected his people; He was good to them.
I Samuel 1 Hannah was so sad because she wanted a baby very badly. She asked God for a baby and God answered her prayer. He gave her a baby boy named Samuel. God was good to Hannah and wanted her to be happy. God was good to us so He gave us a special gift from Him – He gave us you! The Bible (Psalm 127:3) tells us that children are a gift from God.
Matthew 8:20, Matthew 6:25-34 God is good to the birds; He gives them nests to live in. God is good to the foxes; He gives them holes to live in . God feeds the birds and clothes the flowers and the grass. Jesus said that if God takes care of these, how much more will He take care of you and feed and clothe you too. He is good to all!
God is good to you; The Bible tells us that He thinks about you (Psalm 139:17). He is with you always (Joshua 1:9). He even knows when you are crying and catches your tears (Psalm 56:8). He gives you good things to eat (Psalm 103:5). God is good to you!!
Prayer: Thank You, God, for being so good to us. (Lead your child to thank God for specific things as they come to mind)
Activities for baby:
Sing the songs in the videos below and change the words to fit what you might be doing that reminds you that God is good.
While rocking, name the ways God is good to us.
Let baby look in a mirror and talk about how good God is to have given him to you
Feed the birds and talk about how God takes care of them and us.
Share the verse while he eats.
Activities for older preschoolers:
Creatively write or illustrate the verse. Hang it on the fridge or in a prominent place all week.
Lead him to name ways God is good to us and sing the songs below, fitting the things he named into the songs.
Look at pictures of when he was born and talk about how good God is to have given him to you.
Feed the birds and talk about how God takes care of them and us.
Make cookies and say “God satisfies our mouths with good things to eat (Psalm 103:5).
“Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior,
waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior,
vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!
Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior;
He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!”
Up from the grave He arose;
with a mighty triumph o’er his foes;
He arose a victor from the dark domain,
and He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!”
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me—that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said.
1 Cor. 15:3-4
Rejoice for this validates everything that Jesus did and said! It also grants us a confirmed hope! We who are alive in Christ will one day be reunited with those who are asleep in Christ!
The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over us, but all who receive God’s wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:17
Make Easter a family time of worshiping together and thinking about the risen Lord:
Read the Easter story together from Matthew 27-28, Mark 15 – 16, or Luke 23-24.
Sing praises together. Hooray is one song that children really love about the empty tomb. It is from Every Song a Bible Story from Maranatha Music.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Matthew 28:6
Read about what was happening on Day Seven of Passion Week. It was a dark day for Jesus’ disciples – they thought He was in the tomb, but they could not imagine what He was actually up to during their darkest moments!!
Emphasis all day that when things look dark in our lives, God is busy at work, taking care of the things that concern us, even though we can’t see it.
Make an empty tomb with just a paper plate cut in half. Color back side of one half of the plate brown. Color the top side of the other black which will be the inside of the tomb. Cut a stone out of the brown side. Staple the two sides together. You can crumple a piece of brown paper for the stone.
Get complete instructions here to make an Easter Garden.
Tell the Easter Story with this Easter Cookie recipe. This is complete instructions with scriptures to share as you make the cookies. When done, the cookies are empty just like the tomb.
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me—that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said.
1 Cor. 15:3-4
Day Six of Passion Week is the day that Jesus was put on the cross. It is the most crucial focal point in history. Think with your children about the agony He went through – betrayal, arrest, false accusations, abandonment, beatings, harassment, and finally being nailed to a cross. - all this for someone Else’s sins. It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming is a video that depicts some of what was happening.
Resurrection Eggs is a wonderful teaching aid for helping your children visualize what Jesus was going through. Each egg contains a different symbol such as 3 coins, leather strip, crown of thorns, 3 nails, etc. It comes with a booklet telling the story related to each symbol and can be purchased at most Christian book stores. Click here or here for excellent instructions on making your own! There’s even a video here of making the eggs.
Save your colored egg shells to make a cross like the one in this picture. Cut a cross out of cardboard; cover it in glue; then sprinkle the crushed egg shells on it. Share with your children as you are making this that just as these egg shells are broken to make a beautiful picture, Jesus’ body was broken for us us to make our lives beautiful and free from the punishment for sin.
“If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
Mark 9:35
Read about the full day Jesus had as His impending death was fast approaching on Day Five of Passion Week.
During His Last Supper that evening, His disciples were arguing about who would have the greatest positions. He settled the argument by washing their feet and demonstrating that the greatest among them truly was the Servant of all. (We might use this the next time there’s an argument over who gets to sit where, etc. Say, ‘the one with the servant attitude will have the favor’)
Read the story from a children’s Bible. If you don’t have one yet, I recommend several here. This picture is taken from My Awesome God Bible Storybook .
Act out the story.
Follow Jesus’ example. Wash each other’s feet. All day long talk about and look for ways to serve one another.
Color Eggs. Tell your children you are serving them by boiling the eggs for them to color. Then as you color them, talk about why eggs are colored at Easter time.
Eggs represent new life which can remind us of the new life Christ Jesus gives us by what He did on the Cross for us. Share this scripture: When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! – 2 Cor. 5:17 (Living)
The colored eggs remind us of how beautiful our world is as the earth comes back to life again with colorful flowers, new leaves, and green grass in the Spring as all creation seems to rejoice thatJesus is alive (Matt. 28:6)! Share these scripture:
Jesus makes all things new. Revelation 21:5
God gives us all things to enjoy. 1 Tim. 6:17 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord . . . Psalm 145:10
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
John 15:13
Jesus talked a lot about giving on Day Four of Passion Week. Of course He had every right to do that since He was about to give the ultimate gift of His life on the cross for the sins of the world.
Encourage your children to give today as you talk about how much Jesus gave. Bake Easter cookies (see recipe below) in the shape of a cross to share with neighbors. As you make them, talk about Jesus’ gift to us. Say:
Everybody has done wrong things such as disobeying, lying, being unkind, etc. God calls this sin and there must be punishment for it. But Jesus loved us so much that He took the punishment for all the wrong things that were done or would ever be done. He died on the cross so we would not have to. We can now have a happy life forever with God.
In your giving today, don’t forget to give thanks to Jesus for His gift of life to us. Here’s a simple song to sing to Him - Jesus, Jesus, Thank You Jesus. Make up your own songs together.
My mother’s old-fashioned tea cookies recipe:
3/4 cup crisco or butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 & 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 & 1/2 cup Self-rising flour
Mix all together, roll out, and cut into shapes
(If you don’t have a cross cookie cutter, roll out 2 small ropes & lay one across the other to make a cross.)
Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.
Ice with butter cream frosting:
1 box confectioner sugar
dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
Read here about Day Three of Passion Week. Jesus had a busy day, having his authority challenged 4 different times and spending time teaching. In your personal reading, read chapters 11 – 16 in Mark to become very familiar with the account of Jesus’ last week on earth. Be prepared to tell some of the parables with enthusiasm. Read to your children from their children’s Bible some of these stories that Jesus told. Click here for books of various parables by Arch Publications. Click here for books and videos related to Easter. Click here or here for a good children’s Bible.
Jesus often taught in parables. Follow His example in teaching and use visuals or stories to get the point across:
Plant a seed as a visual to illustrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. Talk about when we put seeds in the ground we can’t see them anymore, but after awhile they will push their way out of the ground. Just like when Jesus died and friends put him in the tomb, they couldn’t see Him anymore, but after three days, the first Easter morning, Jesus came out of the tomb alive! (marigolds or zinnias sprout within three days!)
Take a family walk and notice any new growth as you talk about the fact that Easter comes at springtime when seeds begin to sprout after being dead all winter. The plants come out to praise God and remind us that Jesus is alive!(Psalm 145:10 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,)
What happened on Day Two of Passion Week? Click to find out. Tell your children the events of this day some 2000 years ago. You can be very animated as you tell of Jesus cleansing the temple because He loved God’s house so much and people were not respecting it. Talk of ways to respect your church (keep it clean, don’t run inside, listen to your teachers, etc.)
Emphasize that your bodies are now the temple of God and we must take care of them. Plan and prepare a healthy meal together and have a family exercise night. Check out the Train Up the Child store to the left for books on nutrition. The Adventures of Junk Food Dude is an excellent book for children to learn about healthy food choices.
Make a cross out of twigs or craft sticks and keep it in a prominent place during the Easter season. Point out that it is empty because Jesus didn’t stay on the cross or in the tomb . . . He is alive!!
Read all about Palm Sunday at Day One of Passion Week. Tell the story with enthusiasm to your children.
Make palm leaves out of green construction paper or white paper and paint green. Let children cut into the edges to make the leaves.
Act out the story: use a stick horse or a broom as the donkey or even let dad be the donkey Let one child be Jesus and as he rides into the city, the rest of the family can wave the leaves.
Have fun teaching the Greatest Story ever told this Passion Week!! Follow Train Up The Child for information and ideas all week.
Greet each other in Christian love. 1 Peter 5:14 (NLT)
Have you walked past someone on the street or in a store and just went on by as if no one was there? This scripture points out we should greet everyone with love. My Dad thought this was just plain good manners; he would never walk past a person without saying ‘Hello’ or ‘How are you?’ You never know when a simple smile and friendly greeting from you will be the encouragement a troubled person needs at that moment.
I feel we should train our children to greet others with love. Now to a stranger that can be just a ‘hello’ accompanied with a smile. But to friends – children and adults – it could also be a handshake or a hug. However, we have to set the example.
Make an effort to speak to those you come in contact with. In so doing you teach your children that each person is important to God and shouldn’t be ignored by us.
“realize that all human beings are really members of the same family and that being members of the same family they owe each other some measure of warmth and solace.” (Scrooge’s nephew in the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol)
Here’s a song adapted from “Hello” on the album Especially for Children…of all ages by Bill Gaither you might sing with your children to get them in the habit of saying ‘Hello’.
is an excellent book for children to learn about healthy food choices.
Let one child be Jesus and as he rides into the city, the rest of the family can wave the leaves.
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by Bill Gaither you might sing with your children to get them in the habit of saying ‘Hello’.
