Craft: Copy and cut apart the verses on the first page of the handout so each child will have one. Fold the verses and place them inside the paper lunch bags. Fold over and tape the top of each bag closed. Also, make a paper bag piñata for the leader to show kids at the beginning of the activity.
Prayer: Draw a heart, about 3×3 feet, on the bulletin board paper. Make a few copies of the Bible verses on the handout for kids to share.
Elementary Opener
Introduce the topic of Jesus’ love.
Say: I’ll hum a tune, and you try to put words to it. Hum a couple different, well-known tunes and see if kids catch onto them, such as “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Old MacDonald.” Reveal each song after about a minute.
Hum “Jesus Loves Me,” and encourage children to sing the entire first verse. Sing it for them if they don’t know it.
Ask:
- Which parts of “Jesus Loves Me” are easiest for you to believe? Why?
Quickly repeat the words of the song.
Say: The Bible says that Jesus loves us. He said this: Read John 15:9.
Say: Today, we’ll think about the song’s line “for the Bible tells me so.”
Elementary Craft
You’ll need:
- paper lunch bags (1 per child)
- tape
- hole punch
- yarn
- tissue paper in several colors
- scissors
- glue sticks
- handouts
Show the completed craft. Say: Piñatas have exciting surprises in them. Invite kids to tell about their experiences with piñatas, if they’ve had them.
Say: The Bible is like that. It might seem like just an old book, but when we read it, God talks to us. God surprises us by speaking to our hearts. The “Jesus Loves Me” song even says the Bible is proof of Jesus’ love. Explain that kids will be making piñatas that are filled with verses from the Bible that can encourage them to remember Jesus’ love.
Give each child a prepared small paper lunch bag. Have them use the tissue paper to cut small pieces and glue them all over the paper bags, except the bottom and the top where it’s taped closed. They can cut squares, pinch them and glue them to the bag, or they can overlay strips of tissue paper, starting from the bottom and working up. Help them make two hole punches across the top of each bag and thread yarn through so they can hang their bags in their rooms.
Say: There are verses already in your bags, you can pull them out anytime you need a reminder that Jesus loves you.
Elementary Game
You’ll need one chair per child.
Have kids sit in a circle in chairs, and have one child stand in the center. The child in the center will try to get a seat by getting another child to smile. The child in the center will act silly and say, “Honey, if you love me, will you please, please smile?” or other kind and loving words. When a child smiles, he or she gives up the seat and becomes the new child in the center. Play for about 10 minutes, or until kids tire of the game.
Say: What words or actions in the game made you smile most? What kind words do people use that show you their love for you?
Say: In our game, the more loving words that were said, the harder it was to not smile. The Bible is filled with words about Jesus’ love, and the more we dig into Jesus’ love the more that love can spill over to others.
Ask:
- What do you know about Jesus’ love?
- Tell about a time Jesus’ love spilled over from you to another person.
Elementary Prayer
You’ll need:
- bulletin board paper
- sticky notes
- a marker
- pencils
Give each child four sticky notes and a pencil.
Say: We can be sure of Jesus’ love for us. Write or draw a prayer, asking Jesus to show you his love clearly. Allow time, and help kids if needed. They might ask Jesus to help them see his love by the way he provides or his love by the way people love them. When kids finish, let them place their sticky notes on the heart.
Say: Jesus hears you and he’ll always take care of you because he loves you so much. Let’s thank Jesus for his love. Have kids write or draw a thankful prayer to Jesus, then have them add their sticky notes to the heart.
Say: The Bible tells us how much Jesus loves us. Let’s ask Jesus to remind us of his love through the Bible. Have kids choose their favorite verse from the handout and write it on a sticky note, then have them add their sticky notes to the heart.
Say: When we experience Jesus’ great big love, it can spill over into how we love others. Let’s ask Jesus to help us love others well. Read 1 John 4:19. Have kids write or draw a prayer, then have them add their sticky notes to the heart. Close in prayer and end with a group hug.
Preteen: They are weak, but he is strong
Supplies
- a box or bag to hold all the supplies
- the Preteen lesson
- a Bible
- safety pins
- a 1-foot piece of red yarn, 1-foot piece of yellow yarn, 1-foot piece of blue yarn, and 1-foot piece of green yarn per child
- the handout
- 6 paper cups
- 1 rubber band
- 4 two-foot pieces of yarn for every 4 kids
- 2 equal-size cups
- construction paper
- coins
- items you’ve prepped ahead of time
- any other information or supplies specific to your ministry
Supplies
Craft: Print one handout per child. Also, mark a Bible with Romans 5:8, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, and Philippians 4:13.
Preteen Craft
You’ll need:
- safety pins
- a 1-foot piece of red yarn, 1-foot piece of yellow yarn, 1-foot piece of blue yarn, and 1-foot piece of green yarn per child
- the handout
Recite the first verse of “Jesus Loves Me.”
Ask:
- What do you think of this song?
Say: Some of us might think it’s only for little kids. But the words help us remember four really important truths. Let’s make something while we think about that. Lead kids through the first two steps on the “Four-Way Braid” handout.
Then have them stop. Ask:
- How do you know Jesus loves you? If you aren’t sure, talk about why.
Say: As we get to know Jesus, our trust in his love becomes stronger. Here’s one way he showed us his love: Read Romans 5:8.
Ask:
- How does this verse show that Jesus loves you?
Have kids follow Step 3. Then have them stop. Ask:
- Why do you think we can trust the Bible to tell us about Jesus’ love?
Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Have kids follow Step 4.
Then have them stop. Ask:
- What does it mean to belong to Jesus?
Say: God created you; so you belong to him. Have kids follow Step 5.
Say: The last line of the song reminds us that Jesus’ love gives us strength. Help kids follow Steps 6-10.
Have kids pull on the ends to feel how strong they are with all four pieces woven together. Say: The four truths in the song tell us about Jesus’ great big love. Today we’ll explore how Jesus’ love brings strength to us. Help kids put on their bracelets.
Preteen Object Lesson
You’ll need:
- 2 equal-size cups
- construction paper
- coins
Ask:
- Tell about at time you felt weak.
Place the two cups upside down and side-by-side, about an inch apart. Put the one sheet of construction paper over them, creating a flat bridge.
Say: Sometimes we might feel weak because of our size or our age. We might feel like we can’t handle something. Place a coin on the center of the paper, and point out how it collapses.
Replace the paper. Say: Without Jesus many things are impossible. Like when Jesus died for us, Satan thought he had won. Satan thought he’d crushed Jesus. Place a handful of coins on the paper.
Say: But nothing could take Jesus down. He showed he was strong, even when people thought he was weak. When we believe in Jesus. Make one 1-inch fold in the paper. When we get to know him. Make another fold in the opposite direction. (You’re making accordion folds.) When we trust Jesus to take care of us like David did. Accordion fold the rest of the paper, then place it “upright” on the cups with the fold lines facing up and down. Say: We may be weak, but he is strong. Let each preteen add a coin to the new bridge.
Say: Silently tell God about an area where you feel weak in your life, and ask him to help you trust him. After praying, lead kids in saying “When we are weak, he is strong.”
Preteen Game
You’ll need:
- 6 paper cups
- 1 rubber band
- 4 two-foot pieces of yarn for every 4 kids
Have kids sit in groups of four with their supplies. Have each group tie the ends of each piece of yarn to their rubber band so the knots are evenly spaced around the rubber band.
Say: Let’s see if your team can stack your cups. Use the string and rubber bands to stack the cups. You may not touch the cups with anything else. Allow time. If needed, explain that all players stand at an equal distance and hold a string. When kids pull on the string, they can expand the rubber band and get it around the cups to pick them up.
Let kids play several times.
Ask:
- What did you do to make this work?
Say: This only worked when we worked with our teams. That reminds me of how we need Jesus’ help in our lives. Read Philippians 4:13.
Ask:
- Tell about a time you relied on Jesus.
Share an example from your life and then let the children share. Tell about a time you relied on your own strength. Share an example from your life and then let the children share.
Ask:
- How can you rely on Jesus?
Share an example from your life and then let the children share.
Preteen Prayer
You’ll need the braided bracelets kids made in the craft activity.
Say: “Jesus Loves Me” isn’t just a song for little kids. It’s for all of us—to remind us that we’re completely loved and we belong to Jesus. We have strength through our friendship with Jesus.
Point to a bracelet. Say: Our bracelets can remind us. When the four truths of this song are woven into our lives, we have strength from Jesus.
Have kids place their hands over the bracelets on their other wrists. Invite kids to pray, using the truths from the song.
Say: You can say these truths to Jesus anytime.
Ask:
- When are times you could remember to say it as a prayer?
Say: Through our friendship with Jesus, we can have strength, hope, and courage to face anything.
