Children find it hard to wait and often wonder why they can’t do something when they want to do it. Ecclesiastes 3:1 is an excellent verse to use to help them understand that there is a time for everything.
This is a lesson from Here a Little, There a Little, a compilation of Bible activities I created to use with my preschool children. It was designed to spend a week memorizing the verse and reinforcing it through Bible lessons and activities.
Read the suggested passages for Bible stories and tell them in your own words or find them in a children’s Bible storybook. I have given you suggested things to share about each. Share the verse as you go about your day. Do at least one of the suggested activities each day. I am sure you can come up with better ideas on your own – this is just to get you started.
Bible Verse: Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything
Bible Stories:
Ecclesiastes 3 God says in the Bible that there is a time for everything. God planned it that way. He said that He has planned for a time to plant gardens and a time to pull up the plants. He has made a time for sickness and a time to heal. There is a time to laugh and a time to cry. There is a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones. There is a time to talk and a time to be quiet. There is a time for rain, now, sunshine, wind. God has made a time for everything. Ask God to help you know what is the right time for each thing – when should you be quiet and when should you talk – when should you walk and when should you run. God will help you know the right time for everything.
Luke 10:38-42 Mary and Martha were sisters. Jesus was their friend. One day Jesus went to visit Mary and Martha at their house. Martha was busy working but Mary sat quietly and listened to Jesus. Martha wanted Mary to come help her work, but Jesus said there is a time for working and a time for listening. He said Mary knew that while He was there it was a time for listening not working. Which sister chose the right thing to do at the right time?
1 Samuel 1:21-24 Hannah had a little boy named Samuel. Hannah’s husband was going on a long trip and wanted Hannah to leave Samuel for a while and go with him. But Hannah knew there is a time for everything and she knew that it was not the right time for her to leave her little boy so she stayed with him to take care of him and to teach him the Bible. There is a time when parents leave for a while and there is a time when they stay. God will help them know what is the right time to do the right thing.
Matthew 21:12-13 Jesus went to church one day and there were people in the church selling things and making money for themselves. Jesus was angry with them and told them to get out. Jesus said that the church was to be a place of prayer not a place for selling things. There is a time for everything. There is a time to sell things, but not at church. The church is a time for praying and singing to God and teaching the Bible.
Mark 2:15-20 Jesus and his friends were sitting at a table eating one day and some men came and asked Him why they were eating. They said that the preacher John and his friends did not eat for many days. Jesus said that there is a time to eat and a time not to eat. He said that while He was with them, it was a time to eat. Jesus wants us to eat when it is time to eat.
Prayer: Help us know when is the right time to do something
Activities:
Make a clock out of a paper plate and write the Bible verse on it. If you need instructions, here’s a video showing how to make one
Divide another paper plate into 4 sections and draw or find pictures of the 4 seasons; put hands on it like on the clock.
Find pictures of different activities. As you look at them or mention them, let children point clock hands to appropriate time of day or time of year.
Make up a tune to the Bible verse and sing it during the day
Read with expression Ecclesiastes 3 from Living Bible
