So I came up with this idea that combines both learning God's Word and practicing "school." The plan is to schedule time twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday mornings during Joshua's nap) to introduce a new letter, Bible topic, and verse. We bought a Scripture of the Week chalkboard to write each week's verse. Here's the structure:
Day 1: Write the new Scripture on the board, read it, and have Isaac repeat. Talk about what it means and come up with motions if that helps to remember. Color the alphabet letter sheet and talk about the topic (ideas for discussion are pre-planned). After discussion, ask what else starts with that letter and spell out different words on the back of the paper. Pray together about what we learned.
Day 2: Repeat the verse (ideally we're finding time to do this every day), review the letter and words, and do the craft or activity. Pray together about what we learned.
So far I have everything planned through the letter I, which gives me a good head start to make sure I'm staying ahead!
Here's my planning page. The word I'm planning to use is in bold while other ideas are listed as well. Some of the words have coloring pages I've found online, but ones without a link next to them I've had to create. I would love to hear your thoughts or ideas for the rest of the alphabet!
A- Angel, Abraham, Adam, Afraid (Psalm 56:3, Isaiah 43:5), Angry
Verse: James 1:19, "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, & slow to become angry."
Color & discuss: What makes you mad? What does God want us to do when we get mad?
Craft/Activity: Act out different emotions (happy, sad, surprised, confused, tired, angry). When you get to angry, talk about things that make you angry (when Mommy asks you to do something you don’t want to do, when Grizzly doesn’t obey you, when you have to share a toy with Joshua, when someone takes a toy from you) and talk about what to do (Stop, breathe (pray), use your words). Explain that God understands how we feel and He will help us do the right thing when we feel angry. Create a "stoplight" using tape on the ground. Jump in the red circle. Talk about something that would make you angry. Jump into the yellow circle. Talk about how when you feel angry, you should slow down, take a deep breath, and pray. Jump into the green circle and talk about how you should then use your words.
Pray
Materials: coloring page & colors, red, yellow & green duct tape
B- Bible http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-alphabet-coloring-pages/
Verse: Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double edged sword."
Color & Discuss: Gather a few different Bibles- study Bible, toddler Bible, etc. Look through them together. The Bible is a book that God wrote for us. He told people what to write and now we get to read what He says. It’s important to read it and understand it, because it’s how God talks to us. Show the different chapters and verses, Old Testament and New, etc. Explain the Bible is very special and the most important book we can read!
Craft: Color a bookmark for your Bible https://www.google.com/search?q=printable+bookmark+to+color&biw=1440&bih=946&tbm=isch&imgil=LYuLs3lybmewLM%253A%253BJ4VX0sLs08FgeM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.etsy.com%25252Flisting%25252F168267285%25252Fbookmarks-to-color-diy-zentangle&source=iu&pf=m&fir=LYuLs3lybmewLM%253A%252CJ4VX0sLs08FgeM%252C_&usg=___kgKZ-OmXgFDdOWL8DC6b6Ukv0A%3D&ved=0CCcQyjc&ei=jd-SVarMCMX7sAWHj4KIAQ#imgrc=_&usg=___kgKZ-OmXgFDdOWL8DC6b6Ukv0A%3D
Materials: Coloring page & colors, bibles, white bookmark, ribbon for bookmark, hole punch for ribbon
C- Creation, Cross
Verse: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1
Color & Discuss: God made the whole world & everything in it! Ask child to name all that God made. Ask, "Did God make…??" naming animals, plants, people, you & me.
Craft: Creation Scavenger Hunt: http://www.ouroutofsynclife.com/2014/06/creation-scavenger-hunt.html
Materials: 7 baggies, white & chocolate chips, white pudding, blue food coloring, M&Ms, pretzel sticks, raisins, cheese cut in a moon shape, starbursts or star-shaped cereal, goldfish, animal crackers, large marshmallows
D- Daniel, Die, Disciple, David
Verse: 1 Samuel 17:37, "The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of Goliath."
Color & Discuss: Review the story of David & Goliath if necessary. Ask questions about the story: "Was Goliath nice or mean? Who was scared of him? Who wasn’t scared? What happened when David & Goliath fought?" etc.
Craft: Read the story of David & Goliath found in 1 Samuel 17. Make a slingshot and act out the story: http://www.livinginlilliput.com/2012/02/david-goliath-marshmallow-slings.html
Materials: Large marshmallows (from last week), felt, leather string, needle & thread
E- Eve, Easter
Verse: Genesis 3:6, "Eve saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it."
Color & Discuss: Read the story of the Fall found in Genesis 3:1-7 (change some of the words to kid language if necessary). Talk about the serpent being Satan (S is for Sin so now would be a good time to talk about Satan). How he tricks us, he is against God, he makes us want to do bad things, he lies to us, he wants us to be bad. He made Adam & Eve do something they knew was wrong. They disobeyed God and that made Him sad. God wants us to obey Him, not Satan.
Craft: Read the story of the Fall again. Make a paper snake (Make sure you talk about the snake being bad, not funny or cute- you could even jump on him or "fight" him when he’s dry if you have a boy like mine who loves to fight bad guys): http://www.littleblots.com/BibleCraftsSneakySnaky.html
Materials: Paper plate, paint & supplies, googly eyes, red felt or pipe cleaner
F- Faithfulness, Forgive
Verse: Luke 11:4, "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us."
Color & Discuss: Forgive means that we aren’t mad at someone for doing something to hurt us. If we do something to hurt someone else, we need to say sorry so they can forgive us. Give examples of times your child has needed to apologize or you have had to apologize to your child. Teach the child that when you need to ask forgiveness, say, "I’m sorry, will you forgive me?" and the other person will say, "I forgive you" and vice versa. *Make sure to talk about how sometimes we do things to disobey God and we can pray and ask forgiveness from God too.
Craft: Simplify this: http://www.ouroutofsynclife.com/2014/06/how-to-teach-your-children-to-apologize.html Using a stuffed animal, we are going to pretend to be mean. Say or do something to hurt the stuffed animal. Make the stuffed animal cry. Go through these steps:
Explain why it was wrong (think Fruits of the Spirit- "Saying a mean thing is not kind," or "I did not show you that I love you," or "Hitting is not gentle"
Ask forgiveness. Put a bandaid on the stuffed animal and give him/her a hug
Repeat with common actions the child does that require forgiveness
Materials: Stuffed animal, bandaids
G- Goliath, Goodness, Gentleness, God
Verse: Deuteronomy 6:5, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
Color & Discuss: God can be hard to understand because we can’t see God. But He is everywhere, even with us right now! God is bigger than the whole world, He is strong & powerful, He created everything! He loves you & me, He takes care of us, He hears us when we pray to Him, He knows what we think about in our heads and all we do. God is the most important thing in our lives! We have to believe He is there, even if we can’t see Him. We are going to learn a little more about God today, but God is so big that we can’t know everything about Him.
Craft: http://ministry-to-children.com/toddlers-knowing-god/ (God is my Shepherd- Following my Shepherd, God is All-Powerful- What is Powerful? & What Does God Control?, God is Everywhere- Hide & Seek)
Materials: Shepherd Staff? Snack, bowl of water (God is my Shepherd), Pictures of train, boat, lion, baby, kitten, fish (God is All-Powerful)
H- Heaven, Holy Spirit http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-alphabet-coloring-pages/
Verse: "In my Father's house are many rooms. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." John 14:2-3
Craft: Heaven mobile http://ministry-to-children.com/heaven-mobile-craft-project/
Materials: Printed letters & phrases, markers or crayons, hole punch, yarn
I- Israelites, Isaac
Verse: Exodus 3:10, "So now go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
Color & Discuss: Read the story of Israel’s oppression & freedom from a child’s Bible if possible. If not, talk about how the Israelites were slaves of Pharaoh, made to work very hard. God wanted to free them from slavery so he sent Moses to talk to Pharaoh. Pharaoh wouldn’t listen, so God sent the 7 plagues and Moses led the people out. The Egyptians tried to catch up to them to bring them back, but God let the Israelites cross a wide sea and wouldn’t let the Egyptians through. Then they could go to their Promised land, a beautiful place to live (very paraphrased).
Craft: Make bricks (From "Bricks Without Straw"), Act out 10 plagues (From "Ten Plagues"), Red Sea craft (From "Through the Red Sea")
Materials: Graham crackers, powdered sugar, peanut butter, Oreos, Gallon Ziploc bags, bowl, spoon & wax paper (For Bricks without Straw, Small plastic rocks or paper wadded into balls (For 10 Plagues), Paper plates, Red Sea pattern, glue, scissors, markers (for Red Sea craft)
J- Jesus, Joy http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-alphabet-coloring-pages/
Verse: John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Craft: Make 2 hearts and a cross on white paper. Let your toddler color one heart black while you talk about the sins that make our hearts black. Then place the cross between the black heart and the white one and say that when Jesus dies, He made a way for our hearts to be clean.
K- Kindness, King
Verse: Ephesians 4:32, "Be kind and compassionate to each other"
Craft: Talk about ways to be kind to others. For every way you come up with to be kind, add ingredients to cookies that you make for neighbors & deliver
L- Love, Lord http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-alphabet-coloring-pages/
Verse: Matthew 22:39, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Craft: Sing Jesus loves me, Sing again & each time change the first three words to Jesus sees me, Jesus heals me, Jesus hears me, etc.
M- Miracle
Verse: Psalm 77:14, "You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples."
Craft: Have goldfish & bread and read the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Start with 2 goldfish, and 5 small pieces of bread. Invite stuffed animals to listen to the story and place a bunch around the table (or in a circle) with you. Put the 2 goldfish and 5 pieces of bread in the middle of everyone. Pretend to get really hungry and act confused as to how everyone will be able to eat since there is only a small amount of food. Pray over the food, thanking God for what you have, before you eat and while the child’s eyes are closed during prayer (hopefully), pull a large basket of goldfish & bread out from under the table. Give thanks to God and have a meal!
N- Noah
Verse: Genesis 6:9, "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God."
Craft: Read the story of Noah. Rainbow craft: http://raisingmytwogirls.blogspot.com/2012/06/preschool-at-home-week-8-noahs-ark.html and make rainbow sprinkle cookies!
O- Obey
Verse: Colossians 3:20, "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."
Activity/Craft: Simon ("Mommy") Says, Make an "Obedience Chart"- simple tasks such as picking up toys or taking a nap. Reward for completed tasks (or maybe when all tasks are completed in one day)
P- Prayer, Peace (Matthew 5:9), Patience, Praise (Psalm 150:6, 139:14) http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-alphabet-coloring-pages/
Verse: Proverbs 15:8, "…the prayer of the upright pleases him."
Craft: http://www.littleblots.com/BibleCraftsPrayerChain.html or make a prayer book of people to pray for, or M&M prayers- Pinterest
Q- Quiet time http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-alphabet-coloring-pages/
Verse: Mark 6:31, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
R- Rainbow, Resurrection http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-alphabet-coloring-pages/
Verse: Matthew 28:5-6, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen."
Craft: Act out Jesus’ resurrection- cry when he died, wrap him & bury him, go away for "3" days, come back & rejoice! http://meaningfulmama.com/2014/04/resurrection-craft-easter.html
S- Self-control, Serve, Satan, Sin (Romans 3:23), Sheep (Luke 15:3-7), Sabbath/Sunday (Exo 20:8)
Verse: Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
T- Thankful, Trust
Verse: Psalm 136:1, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."
Craft: http://www.orientaltrading.com/color-your-own-i-am-thankful-for-wheels-a2-13604481.fltr?prodCatId=550175+1967+1613
U- Unity http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-alphabet-coloring-pages/
Verse: Romans 12:16, "Live in harmony with one another."
Craft: Work together to… paint? Build a tower? Keep a balloon up in the air?
V- Victory http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-alphabet-coloring-pages/
Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:57, "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
W- Wise men, Walk with Jesus, Worship (Psalm 147:1), Work, Words (Psalm 34:13) http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-alphabet-coloring-pages/
Verse: Romans 12:1, "…offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship."
Craft: http://www.littleblots.com/BibleCraftsPraiseShaker.html
X- eXalted, eXcellent http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-alphabet-coloring-pages/
Y- Yahweh http://ministry-to-children.com/bible-alphabet-coloring-pages/
Z- Zaccheus
Verse: Luke 19
Craft: Read the story of Zacchaeus and act out the opposites- up/down, short/tall, walk/stop.
Other Craft Ideas: balloons, soccer/sports related, paint, bean bags
http://meaningfulmama.com/2014/06/100-best-bible-crafts-activities-kids-mega-cash-giveaway.html#_a5y_p=1870788
If you're interested in having any of these documents, I'd love to share, just comment with your email address and I'll send them to you!
All for God's glory!
Sara
