LEADERS HUB
Year 1, Term 1, Week 7: Ideas for Junior Group
Week 7: Jesus is Here! - Easter Story
Lesson Objective:
Jesus died and rose again to pay the price for our sin and give us life.
Bible Passage:
Mark 15: 33-39, Mark 16:1-7
Memory Verse:
Matthew 3:1 - Sin pays off with death but God’s gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Story Idea: Egg Hunt and Object Lesson!
Before the lesson, hide a heap of little Easter eggs around the room, and find a larger egg that has a hollow center and keep that to tell the story
- Have the kids hunt around and find the eggs
- Ask the kids what time of year we celebrate with chocolate eggs (Easter) and if the know what we are celebrating at Easter
Tell the kids the basic gospel and Easter story, using the egg, covering the following main points:
* God made us all and He loves us very much!
* Sometimes we do the wrong thing, we don't love God like we should and that ruins our friendship with God.
* God sent His only son Jesus to Earth to do something very special for us!
* Jesus spent some time on Earth teaching people about God and doing amazing miracles, so that people would know that He was from God!
* Many people didn't like Jesus because He claimed to be the promised Saviour King, and so they wanted to get rid of Him
* These people took Jesus and they killed Him by hanging Him on a cross
* It sounds like a very sad story, but it doesn't end there, because this was all part of God's plan!
* Jesus was buried in a tomb, with a HUGE rock in front of the door so no one could enter!
* After three days, His friends came to the tomb and were AMAZED!
* The HUGE stone had been rolled away from the door... and what do you think they found inside? (pull apart chocolate egg)
* The tomb was empty, just like this egg!
* An angel told them that He had risen! He was alive!
* This is the MOST exciting news!
* Jesus died to pay the price for the wrong things we have done!
* He was perfect, and He died so that we can be friends with God again, just how God created us to be!
* What an awesome Saviour King!
* When we see an Easter egg, we should remember the empty tomb and the special thing that Jesus did for us, so that we could be friends with God!
Quiz Questions:
.1. Who made us? God
2. Does God want us to love and know Him? Yes
3. Have we all done the wrong thing sometimes? Yes
4. After Jesus died on the cross, His friends came to visit the tomb after three days, what did they find? It was empty!
5. Why did Jesus die for the wrong things we've done? Because He loves us, so we can be friends with God again
6. How does it make you feel that Jesus loves you SO much that He would die for you? Special, loved, cared for
Game Idea: Pass the Parcel
- Before the lesson, prepare a game of pass the parcel by wrapping a prize in layers of newspaper or wrapping paper
- Print some heart shapes on coloured paper and cut them out, wrap a heart cut out and small prize (eg. wrapped lolly) in each layer
- Make enough layers so that each child will get at least one prize
- Have the kids sit in a circle and pass around the parcel while music is played
- The child who has the parcel when you stop the music gets to unwrap one layer to reveal a prize (some help may be needed for little ones)
- Try to stop the music at least once on each child so everyone gets a prize
Remind the kids that God loves EVERYONE and He wants us to be His friends. God sent Jesus to die for the wrong things we have done so that we could be friends with Him!
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Game Idea: Musical Statues
- Play some music and have the kids dance around the room
- When you stop the music, the kids should all freeze!
- The last child to freeze can sit out or continue dancing to one side, until there is one child left dancing
Remind the kids that no matter what we've done or who we are, Jesus loves us just the way we are!
Craft Idea: Heart Threading
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Before the lesson:
- Download and print the heart message template and cut out the hearts
- Gather pipe cleaners, coloured beads, ribbon or string and scissors from the cupboard
- Thread a bead onto the end of a pipe cleaner and twist it around to secure the bead in place, as a starter for the heart threading (one per child)
Help the kids:
- Continue to thread beads onto their pipe cleaner, then shape it into a heart and twist the two ends together as shown (little ones may need help)
- Tape a piece of ribbon to the back of the printed heart, loop the ribbon around the centre of the heart and tape it back onto the back, so that the heart hangs in the middle as shown
Activity Idea: Sing 'Jesus Loves Me'
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Play the following youtube video, sing and do the actions with the kids:
