Psalm 100 says to enter God’s presence with thanksgiving and singing. Here are some easy songs for children to to do just that:
Click on this linkSoMuch to hear a fun, thankful song that the children love. I couldn’t remember exactly how it went so I called our good friend and minister of music, Scott Eaton, and got him to sing it over the phone. Start with your hands together and as you sing the song pull them further and further apart until your arms are wide open. Bring your hands back together in a big clap before the last phrase.
You can sing this next song to the tune of :”Frere Jacques” also known as “Are You Sleeping?” Sing it with hands folded in prayer and head bowed:
We are thankful
We are thankful
Yes we are
Yes we are
Thankful for our food
Thankful for our family
Give God thanks
Give God thanks
(This is another lesson from Here a Little, There a Little, a compilation of Bible activities I created years ago to use with my preschool children. It was designed to spend a week memorizing the verse and reinforcing it through 5 Bible lessons and 5 activities.)
Self-Worth
(a sense of your personal worth and value to God and others)
Bible Verse:I will praise God for I am wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
Bible Stories:
Psalm 139:14 Did you know that God made you? He made you when you were in Mommy’s tummy. He made your arms and legs, your eyes, nose, ears, hands, feet. He made your inner parts too- your heart, your stomach, your lungs that help you breathe. God did such a wonderful work when he took all these parts and knit them together into you. I’m glad God made you. I praise God that you are wonderfully made.
Proverbs 16:4 God has made everything for His own purposes. He made you for His purpose. He made Mom and Dad and brother for his purpose. We must ask God what he wants us to do. God will show us why He made us and what He wants us to do with our lives. Let’s ask God to help us know why He made us. We need to remember that God has a special plan for us.
Psalm 150 The Bible says we were made to praise God. We should praise Him for His wonderful works. We should praise Him for being so great. We should praise Him with music. Everything alive should praise God. Let’s praise Him right now with words and singing.
Genesis 1:26-28 In the very beginning God made the world. He made plants and animals to live in His world but He wanted someone to take care of His world. So God made man and woman. He made them like Himself. He told them to take care of the plants and animals. He also told them to have children. That is how we all began. God made Adam and Eve and they had children. Then their children had children and on and on until your Mom and Dad had you.
Job 33:4-6 The Bible says that God has made me. God has breathed life into me. Because of God I live – I run – I eat – I sleep – I play – I grow. The Bible also says I belong to God. Since God made me, I belong to Him. We should always remember we belong to God and try to act like we are His children. God wouldn’t like one of His to act unkind. That would make Him unhappy. God made us wonderful. Let’s make God happy that He made us.
Prayer: Thank you God for making me wonderful. Help me to act like I am your wonderful creation.
Activities for baby:
Let him look in a mirror as you repeat the verse
Listen to music and say, “Thank you God for ears”
Let him smell a flower and say, “Thank you God for my nose”
While feeding say, “Thank you God for my mouth”
Clap hands and sing, “Thank you God for hands”
Activities for older preschoolers:
Look at baby pictures and foot print when he was a baby
Trace his hands and sing, “Thank you God for hands”
Let him smell different spices and say, “Thank you God for my nose”
Let him look in a mirror and thank God for making him so wonderful as he points out his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, chin, etc.
If you haven’t already, hang a growth chart on the wall and measure his height.
Have him color, run, jump, help in some way. Talk about how God made him so wonderful that he can do all these things.
Look at pictures of the inside of our bodies and repeat the Bible verse.
Video
This is a great video for teaching your little one how special God made them.
Songs:
You Are Special cd with several self-esteem building songs by Mister Rogers
Because He Lives mp3 download (second verse is a favorite I have always sung to babies.)
(This is another lesson from Here a Little, There a Little, a compilation of Bible activities I created years ago to use with my preschool children. It was designed to spend a week memorizing the verse and reinforcing it through 5 Bible lessons and 5 activities.)
Begin by cutting out the shape of a Bible and paste on it one of the following verses. Then place it on the fridge all week. Read the suggested passages for Bible stories or thoughts and tell them in your own words. I have given you suggested things to share about each. 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.
The Bible – God’s Word
Bible Verse:
Psalm 119:97 O How I Love Your Word Psalm 119:6 I will not forget God’s Word
Bible Stories:
1 Samuel 1 & 2 A long time ago Hannah and Elkanah prayed for God to give them a little boy. God answered their prayer and sentthem Samuel. Hannah wanted Samuel to belong to God and do all God wanted him to. So Hannah spent about 5 years with Samuel teaching him God’s Word. Because Samuel learned God’s Word, he knew how to love God, and do all that God wanted him to do. Do you want to be good and do all God wants you to do? Then learn God’s word, the Bible.
II Timothy 1:5 and 3:15 When Timothy was a little boy, his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice would teach him the Bible. Timothy’s grandmother and mother loved the Bible and wanted Timothy to love it too. When Timothy grew up he did love the Bible like his mother and grandmother because he had known about it since he was a little child.
Acts 8:27-35 Philip was one of Jesus’ helpers. He went to different cities teaching about God’s Word. One time he was walking to another city to preach and he saw a man from Ethiopia reading his Bible. Philip went to the man and helped him to know more about God’s Word. The man began to love God because Philip had taught him the Bible.
Psalm 119 David loved God’s Word the Bible. He knew the Bible was a special book that God had written so we would know how to be good. One night as David took care of God”
Job 1, 23 Job was a man that loved God and did what was right. God was very pleased with Job. Do you know why Job was so good and pleased God so much? Because he read the Bible. He said that he loved to the read the Bible more than he loved to eat. That’s a lot, isn’t it. Do you love to eat? Do you love the Bible?
Prayer: May we never forget Your Word and always love and obey it.
Activities for baby:
Put Bible or picture of Bible in crib for baby to look at.
Read Bible while feeding
Quote verses while rocking to sleep
Show verses on wall or fridge
Show the Bible while you sing about it
Activities for older preschoolers:
Look at the Bible together while singing about it and treating it special.
Make a scroll (what books looked like before there was binding) and paste Bible verses or pictures on it.
Paste a Bible verse on a favorite toy (ex – You could put Psalm 100:1 “Make a joyful noise” on a musical instrument
Make a picture with a Bible verse on it. Hang it on the wall. Share Deuteronomy 11:20 “Write God’s Word on your doors & gates”
This is definitely something you want to nip in the bud!
Here are a few things you might try:
Talk to your child about the fact that God gave us hands to love, help, pray, etc.
Sing “Be Careful What You Do Little Hands.”
Share 2 Timothy 2:24 – “Be gentle to all”. Make up a song using the verse and naming who or what we should be gentle with: be gentle to your friends, your pets, your books, etc.
Demonstrate a gentle touch.
Find pictures of children hugging or touching an animal gently.
Pray with your child, asking God to help him be gentle to all.
You might try putting him in his crib to isolate him. Tell him he can come out when he learns to control his hands and be gentle.
cd with several self-esteem building songs by Mister Rogers
mp3 download (second verse is a favorite I have always sung to babies.)
I highly recommend this whole cd
