God created the heavens and the earth
key words
biblical reference
Genesis 1:1-10, 14-19
memory verse
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, NIV*).
lesson objective
To help children know and recognize that God made all that exists in the universe.
prepare yourself to teach
In chapter 1 of Genesis, we find the word “God” 30 times. This shows that it was he who founded the universe and everything there is.
The creation is narrated in this book, and it should be read as a revelation of the nature and character of God the Creator. The expression: “God said,” indicates that God willed the universe into existence, eliminating the possibility of a pre-existing universe. God consciously transformed the chaos and put it into order, what was empty became filled with life.
The words: “In the beginning” describe what the book of Genesis is all about. Everything we see in our world today began through the creative power of God. Genesis is our basis for understanding the rest of the Bible because it talks about the relationship between God and nature, between God and man, and between men.
Genesis 1:2 describes the earth without form and void. God began the creation of the universe by only expressing his will for it to be, that is, by his word. First he shaped the world; then he filled it with creation. Once he had finished, he was satisfied with what he had done.
adaptation
Children always want to know the why. They often believe everything adults tell them. These two features make this an ideal place to teach that God is the one who did everything in the universe.
Children are developing a concept of God and need to understand that he is more powerful than any other being in the world, and that he does what no one else can do. Help your children discover the power of the Lord through watching the way he reveals his creation.
Children still have difficulty with the concepts and relationships between time, space and distance. Explain creation using simple terms and give them the opportunity to ask questions.
It would be helpful if you find out what they have learned in school regarding creation. To do this, talk to some of the teachers or parents. Prepare your lesson regarding what children already know about the topic. For example, they know that the earth is essentially round and consists of land and water. We also have night and day and the seasons. At this age, they should already know the names of the days and months.
introduce the lesson
The security that the children should have about the creation of this world and themselves is very important. They may have already been exposed to ideas contrary to biblical teachings such as theories on naturalistic evolution. So this is a critical stage. You as a teacher have a great responsibility to make the connection between biblical truth and the children.
Pray to God for wisdom, and prepare the lessons well. Do not underestimate your children; they are no longer children who believe all of what they hear. Possibly, they will ask you profound and difficult questions to answer.
Ask the group: “What do the words ‘In the beginning’ mean to you?” (listen to their responses) Then say: “These are the first words of the Bible and describe what the book of Genesis – the first book of the Bible – is all about. Everything we see in our world today began through the creative power of God. Genesis is our basis for understanding the rest of the Bible because it talks about the relationship between God and nature, between God and man, and between men.”
teach the lesson
Prior to the session read Genesis 1:1-10 and 14-19 and be prepared to tell the story.
Take to this session some element of creation that is small (e.g. a grain of sand, a bean, a grain of rice, etc.). Then, introduce it to the children, and tell them that with all the modern technology, man is not capable of creating or making something as small as what you have brought them. Explain that what man can do is transform what was already created. (If you brought sand, tell them that with this and cement you can build a building; if you brought a bean or grain of rice, tell what food you might prepare with it.)
Emphasize that God’s creation is not transformation; God did not take something that already existed. He created it and made it from nothing, only with the power of his word. God said it and it was done. Do not go into details; limit yourself to say there were “days” (for some are stages, perhaps indefinite periods of time as we experience it), since the concept of “day” they understand better.
Emphasize the order and purpose of each of the forms God created. God did not do something by chance, or without knowing or having a purpose for it. On the contrary, everything he created has an order or purpose.
Explain to them that before creating the plants, trees, and vegetation, God first made what they would need, such as air, sun, and water. You can take photos where they can see the sun, moon, stars, the sea (where neither plants nor animals appear). You can use calendars from other years or magazine photos. Show the children the pictures and use them as support material for this lesson. Save the photos or place them on a wall. (If you want, you can split the wallboard into different days of creation.) Under each day put the name of what God created and some pictures to illustrate.
Remember to include songs with rhythm and movement, preferably before telling the Bible lesson. Thus, your children have already spent energy and will be ready to sit still for a moment and listen to the Bible lesson.
Look for songs that relate to the lesson. If you cannot find them, use choruses that speak of God’s power. If it is possible, find CDs of music for children, or get songs online.
connect the lesson
God created the seasons
You will need Student Activity Sheet #128-A for each child, plus scissors, glue, and crayons.
Each child will need to cut out the pictures of children dressed according to different seasons and the names of the seasons in Student Activity Sheet #128-A. Help them glue the pictures of the children in the correct season picture, and then glue the season names below the corresponding picture of that season. Remember there are differing seasons in different parts of the world. Talk about how everything God has created works together. God is so wise and powerful that he made the sun and the moon to work together, and also the different seasons. Let children discuss what they know about the seasons. Give them time to color their worksheets.
God created
Give everyone Student Activity Sheet #128-B. Read the instructions and be sure that everyone understands what to do. Then let your children do the word search. Help them if they need help.
practice the memory verse
If you chose to place photos of each day of creation on a wall, a blackboard, or elsewhere, you can put the memory verse underneath the pictures. If you do, place it somewhere where your children can see it. Try to make it large.
Draw a picture of something in creation or take a picture (include all you can). Be creative. If you use pictures, do not cut them in square shapes, but cut them out and stick them next to the verse. If you have a computer, type the verse in large letters; then cut out each letter and glue them on cardboard.
Place the verse where it can easily be seen and leave it for future classes. Repeat the verse with your children several times. Perhaps it will seem like a lot of work, but remember that children learn best with visual aids.
wrap-up
Pray
Conclude with a prayer. Do not forget to thank God for his creation. Ask if they have prayer requests and include them in the final prayer. We recommend keeping record of all the prayer requests. At the end of the unit mention them all, and thank God for those that received a positive answer.
Encourage
Help your children not to forget what to take home. Thank everyone for attending today’s session.
Invite
Give the group a hint about what the next session will be, trying to make a connection and creating interest so they will not want to miss it. Challenge them to also invite their friends.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™