Bible Reference:
Mark 10:13-16, Matthew 19:13-15, Luke 18:15-17, and Matthew 18:1-4
Printable Bible Verse Cards:
(Younger children) Print out onto card stock, write the Bible verse on the cards and make copies.
The children can also make file boxes for their cards.
Teaching Concept:
Jesus was a very important person and had a lot to do, but he always made time for children, and he always has time for children today.
Early Arrivals Activity
1. Color “Jesus Always has Time for Me” Activity Sheet
What you will need:
Paper or Card Stock
Black Card Stock
Crayons or Colored Pencils
Hole Punch
How to make:
1. Before class, print the pictures onto card stock (Heavy paper) and make clock hands from cardboard or card stock.
2. In class, have your children color the pictures. Punch holes in the center of the clocks.
3. Fasten the clock hands to the center using brass fasteners so your children can change the time on their clocks. If you don’t have time to make clock hands, just have your children draw in the hands.
2. Make a Clock with Day and Night Fun Foam Shapes
What you will need:
Blue and Black Construction Paper
Yellow and White Printer Paper
Brass Brads
Craft Foam Shapes or Stickers (Or Cut These Shapes from Printer Paper)
Cloud and Moon Shapes (Print on White Paper)
Stars and Sun Shapes (Print on Yellow Paper)
How to make:
1. Before class, print out the clock patterns onto yellow paper and cut them out. Cut the clock hands from black construction paper.
2. Cut the black construction paper in half and glue the half sheets onto the blue construction.
3. Punch holes through the middle of the clock, the background paper, and the clock’s hands. Stick a brad through the hands, the clock, and the background paper, and spread it out on the back of the paper.
4. In class, have your children glue or stick celestial shapes onto the paper. They should glue the stars and moons to the black side, representing night, and the sun and clouds to the blue side, representing day. Remind your children that Jesus has time for us any time, day or night.
3. Make a Fun Foam Watch
What you will need:
Craft Foam Sheets
1/2″ Paper Fastener
Ruler
Scissors
Hole Punch
Markers
Foam Stickers
Card Stock
Velcro Dots
How to make:
1. Before class, print out the “Jesus Has Time for Me” watch patterns.
“Jesus Has Time for Me” Watch Patterns
If you have younger children, you can print the patterns at 75% for their smaller wrists.
2. Cut craft foam into 1″ x 7″ rectangles (or smaller for younger children) to make the watch bands.
3. In class, have your children decorate the watch bands with foam stickers.
4. Punch a hole through the middle of the watch face and through the watchband where you want to attach the face. Push the paper fastener through the back of the band and the watch face to attach. Open up the prongs to make the hands of the watch.
5. Place Velcro dots on the ends of the watchband.
4. “Let the Children Come to Me” Color Sheet
What you will need:
Paper
Crayons
How to make:
1. Before class, print out the pattern and make copies.
2. In class, have your children color the pictures. As they work, ask your children if they ever feel like their parents are too busy to help them or pay attention to them.
5. Jesus Love the Little Children Cut and Paste Activity
What you will need:
Paper
Scissors
Glue Sticks
Construction Paper
Colored Pencils or Crayons
What to do:
1. Before class, print out the patterns and make copies.
Jesus and Heart – Colored Pattern or Black and White Pattern
Children’s Faces – Colored Patterns or Black and White Patterns
Children’s Faces Bigger – Colored Patterns or Black and White Patterns
Earth – Colored Pattern or Black and White Pattern
2. In class, have your children cut out the pictures and glue them to a sheet of construction paper. If you have younger children, cut out the pictures before class.
6. Talking Jesus Paper Doll Craft
What you will need:
Paper or Card Stock
Scissors
Colored Pencils or Crayons
How to make:
1. Before class, print out the patterns and make copies.
2. In class, have your children color the pictures and then cut them out.
7. “Let the Little Children Come to Me” Poster
What you will need:
12″ x 18″ Construction Paper
Paper
Scissors
Paper Glue
Flesh Colored Crayons or Colored Pencils (Optional)
What to do:
1. Before class, print out the Jesus and kid patterns and make copies.
Colored Jesus Pattern or Black and White Jesus Pattern
Colored Kids Patterns or Black and White Kids Patterns
2. Cut out the patterns or let your children cut them out during class.
3. In class, have your children color the pictures and glue them onto a large piece of construction paper to make a poster.
As your children work, talk about how Jesus accepts everyone no matter their color, how much money they have, or if they are a girl or a boy.
The Lesson
Do you know anyone famous and important? (Let your children talk about someone famous people they know.)
Did you ever get to talk to this famous or important person, shake their hand, or maybe get an autograph? (Let your children share their experiences.)
It can be very hard to meet a very famous or important person. They usually have people all around them, or they might have bodyguards to keep people away. The president of the United States is a very famous and important man. He is very busy and has to meet very important people all the time. Important people often get lots of mail; sometimes, they even hire people to answer their mail because they don’t have time to answer it themselves.
Our story today is about a very famous man. He was a very busy man. He had a lot to do in a very short time. He was always busy teaching people new things and healing people who were sick or hurt. There were so many people who needed him. Thousands of people would follow him around all day long everywhere he went.
Can you guess whom I am talking about? Yes, I’m talking about Jesus. Jesus was famous because he taught people a new way to live. He talked about forgiving others when they do mean things instead of getting back at them. He talked about treating others as if they were better than you, not just treating them well because you want something from them. Thousands of people would follow Jesus everywhere he went just to hear what he had to say.
Jesus was also famous because he did all kinds of miracles. He healed people who were blind and deaf and people who were sick. One day he even turned ordinary water into wine; another day, he fed five thousand people with only five loaves of bread.
In our story, today was a day just like many other days. (Open your Bible to Mark 10:13-16.) Jesus spent the day teaching crowds of people and healing anyone who came to him that was sick. People crowded around him all day long. Many people just wanted to touch Jesus or have him touch and bless them. The disciples helped by keeping things organized and in order. Some parents in the crowd were so excited to be with Jesus that they wanted Jesus to touch their children, bless them, or hold them and pray for them. But the disciples thought Jesus was much too busy to be bothered by a bunch of kids. The disciples told the parents, “Take your children and go away. Jesus is much too busy to be bothered by a bunch of little kids who aren’t even sick”. But when Jesus heard what the disciples were doing, he said, “No, leave them alone, and don’t stop them from coming to me because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Then Jesus took the children in his arms, placed his hand on each of them and blessed them.
Children were very important to Jesus. He loved them very much. He was never too busy or important to make time for them. He loved them very much, and he loves you very much and will always be there for you.
Prayer
Father, thank you for caring for little children. Help these children here today to know that you love them very much, and they can come to you any time of the day, and you will be there for them. Amen.
Crafts and Activities
1. Play Bible Verse Review Clock Game
This game can also be used as a craft. Each child can make their own game, take it home, and play with their family and friends.
What you will need:
Card Stock
Crayons or Markers
Glue
Brad
Box or Foam Core Board
Make the Game:
1. Before class, print out the colored clock pattern onto card stock. Glue it to a box or foam core board.
2. Make a spinner using a large paper clip and pushpin. Put the paper clip in the center of the clock and keep it in place with a push pin.
3. Print out the black and white patterns, one for each child.
To play:
In class, give each child a black and white printout and provide green, yellow, purple, blue, orange, red, and green crayons. Children take turns spinning the clock spinner on the game board and coloring the corresponding shape on their papers. If they already have that shape colored on their printout, they do nothing on that turn. The child who colors the entire clock printout first wins.
Instead of having your children color the black-and-white patterns, you can have them use colored game pieces like a puzzle. They will pick up the corresponding game piece when they spin the spinner. The child who collects all the pieces first wins. Have the winner repeat the Bible verse.
KJV Game Pieces in Color – Print at least one page for each child.
NIV Game Pieces in Color – Print at least one page for each child.
2. Twister Bible Verse Review Game
1. Before class, label a Twister game as follows: Green circles – “Let the,” Yellow circles – “Little children,” Blue circles – “come,” and Red circles – “to me.” (If you want to use the KJV, change to words to fit the verse.)
2. Write the words on two-inch masking tape or address labels and stick them to the circles.
3. In class, have four or five children stand around the twister game. Play like Twister, except when you call out a color, say the word that is on that color.
4. If a child falls or touches the Twister game with a part of his body besides his hands or feet, he is out and must say the whole verse.
If you have very small children, just let them try to place their hands and feet on the board. Don’t worry about them touching other parts of their bodies. Give all the children a certain amount of time to play.
1. Busy Bees
Written Carolyn Warvel
(Sing to the tune of “Buzzy Bee”)
Busy, Busy as a bee,
People have so much to do,
Busy, Busy, it is true,
God always has time for you.
Busy, Busy, as a bee.
Who has time to play with me?
When you don’t know what to do,
Just remember God loves you.
2. Jesus Loves His Little Children
4. Jesus Loves the Little Children
5. Jesus Has Time For Me
Written by Carolyn Warvel
Sing to the tune of “Ten Little Indians“)
One o’clock, two o’clock,
Even early in the morning,
Three o’clock, four o’clock,
Late in the afternoon,
Five o’clock, six o’clock,
Or anytime I need him
Jesus has time for me.
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 Carolyn Warvel
Danielle’s Place of Crafts and Activities
http://www.daniellesplace.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information or storage retrieval system, except for local church or school use only. This copyright notice must be included in all copies. Requests for permission to copy this material for any other uses should be addressed to Carolyn Warvel, 588 Duran Street, Henderson, NV 89015, or e-mail me at
Comments
I used the “Lesson Jesus Has Time For Me.” I showed the children how Jesus made time for the little children. Then I told them that he makes time for them too. I gave them the little clocks and asked them what time they had for Jesus. They loved the lesson. Thanks, Chasity
I just did the lesson “Jesus Has Time for Me.” I added something that the kids really liked. I got a Jesus puppet and asked the kids if they wanted to come up and hug Jesus. When they started coming up, I had another puppet jump up and tell them they couldn’t, just like in the story. Then I had Jesus, just like the story, have the children come up anyway, and one by one, as they hugged Jesus, he would tell them he loved them. If you don’t have a Jesus puppet, you can get an adult to dress up, or you can order one from www.letusteachkids.com for around $40. That is an excellent investment because so many stories can be told using him. For disciples, just any puppet with a towel around his head and an old scarf to tie it on will do. Thanks for your site. Ricky
I just did the Jesus Has Time For Me activity and craft for my 4-6-year-old toddler Sunday school class, and everyone loved this project!! I prepared much of the project ahead of time to reduce the amount of time it would take to complete it, but there was still plenty of fun with the project to do! I prepared the two-tone background and clock, and the children did the rest. Since I have a younger group, I bought celestial stickers to place all over their pictures; this made it a lot easier for the children to complete. I can always tell when the project is a hit because parents comment on how much they love the end result, too!! Thank you for all of your great ideas!! Kelly Haynes
Reminder Watch – Find pictures of watches in jewelry store circular ads and catalogs. Let your children pick one of the watch pictures, cut it out, and glue it to a construction paper band. Use velcro at the ends of the watchband, or punch holes and run yarn through the holes so the band can be tied to the wrist. Tell your children that the watch can remind them that God always has time for them. Sent in by Narita Roady
I did the clock game where the younger kids had to match up the Bible verses. I have been using the clock game to review their Bible verse for the last couple of weeks. The older children colored the clock that had the Bible verse underneath the clock, and then they decided to divide the clock up into sections like the younger children’s clock and colored each different section, and they drew the star, moon, sun, smiley face, etc. Marilyn King
Your website is fabulous, and I am so glad I subscribed to it. It enhances my already planned out Sunday School lesson and gives me more options, and my class is having a wonderful time. I have a lot of young children, as I have e-mailed you in my letters before. It is very difficult sometimes to keep their attention long enough to tell a story, but with the extra things I get from your site, it is working better. I just finished the Jesus Has Time For Me lesson. I read the story of how the disciples were telling the little children to go away, that Jesus was too busy for them, and Jesus replied&, “Let the little children come to me.” I made the clock game for each child. I found some plastic watches at Walmart that had candy in the face of the watch. I opened it up and poured out the candy. I typed “Anytime Is Jesus Time” and cut the words out in a circle the same size as the watch face. I glued the words on the inside of the face of the watch, and the terms could be read when the face was closed. It was adorable. The children loved the lesson, and the watch was just a little something extra. Thanks again, Vicki