We give thanks to God
key words
bible reference
Psalm 136:19, 26
lesson objective
To help the children learn to give God thanks when they pray.
memory verse
“Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
In its purest form, prayer is communicating with God. We are encouraged to consider the highest desire of our heart. Our most ardent desire should be a longing for God alone. We realize that true happiness is found only in the One who created us out of love, and who continually inviting us into the joy of that infinite love of the Holy Trinity. We are called to fervent prayer, which is active prayer.
The Psalms allow us to know how people in the Old Testament worshiped God. In them we find historical aspects that help us better understand the biblical stories. Psalms contain a high variety of emotions and feelings.
Psalm 136 is an interactive prayer of thanksgiving. Through the direction of a Levite or a choir, the congregation responded in worship to God for his kindness. The praise leader thanked God for his creation and his great power. People responded with affirmations about the great love of God.
While preparing this lesson, enjoy reading these Psalms that have been a blessing for so many generations. Allow them to speak the Word of God to your heart. Reflect on the wonderful love of God and his infinite goodness.
adaptation
Praise and worship can be expressed personally or collectively. It is likely that your classroom will be one of the first places where your children experience worship.
Use this lesson to create an atmosphere of worship in your room. Invite your children to pray together and individually, thanking God for his blessings.
Most preschoolers are able to recite songs and poems by heart. Teach them songs that they can memorize easily, and guide them to give thanks to God through their prayers, songs, verses and actions.
Normally preschoolers volunteer to pray. They enjoy giving thanks for the food, for their family, for their friends and even for their toys and pets. Invite them to pray during class; God will surely be blessed by their simple and genuine faith in speaking with Him.
introduce the lesson
I thank God for...
For this activity you will need a large piece of paper or cardboard, glue, drawings or magazine clippings of houses, food, people, toys, animals, landscapes, etc. You will also need a figure of Jesus and another of a Bible.
Attach the paper or cardboard to the wall to create a mural. At the top write: “I am grateful for...” Glue or tape the figures of Jesus and the Bible, emphasizing that we should thank God for sending his Son, Jesus, and for his Word.
Then, place the rest of the clippings on a table and allow the children to glue or tape on the ones that represent reasons to give thanks to God.
For this activity you will need a large Bible opened to the book of Psalms, and the gratitude circles made previously.
teach the lesson
Use the following activity to focus the attention of the children on the topic you are teaching.
Thank you Lord
Many years ago in biblical times, people came together to worship and praise God. Together they sang songs of praise and thanksgiving. Some of these songs can be found in our Bible. Psalms is a book that is in the Old Testament, the first part of the Bible (show the Bible). The psalms are songs of praises written for God. When we meet in the church, we do it to praise and worship the Lord. Many times we also use the psalms to give thanks and praise God.
There are many psalms that speak of giving thanks to God for his wonderful creation, for example, Psalm 136. Today we will have a time of thanksgiving for all the blessings we have received from God.
Tell them that after you mention a reason for gratitude, they should raise their circles and say, “We thank you, Lord.”
Use the following examples:
Because your love is endless,
We thank you, Lord (lift the circle).
For your beautiful creation,
We thank you, Lord (lift the circle).
Because you sent your Son, Jesus,
We thank you, Lord (lift the circle).
Because your Word is a light,
We thank you, Lord (lift the circle).
Repeat this exercise by saying many things you are thankful for.
connect the lesson
I can thank God!
Hand out Student Activity Sheet #70-A and #70-B, along with pencils. Allow time for the children to write their name and trace the word of faith of this unit (prayer), while you say, “Prayer is talking to God. We know that God listens and responds to our prayers because he is always close to us.”
Ask the children to color the figures on Student Activity Sheet #70-A. Then they must circle what they can thank God for. When they finish, they can turn to Student Activity Sheet #70-B and draw something for which they are grateful to God.
Encourage the children to take home the activity sheets to share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Walk with your children around the room repeating the memory verse several times and in different ways; for example, jumping, in a low voice, shouting, walking backwards, etc.
wrap-up
Pray
Conclude the class by singing a song about prayer and intercede for the needs of your children.
Encourage
Emphasize the importance of always giving thanks to God.
Invite
Invite the group to the next session. Tell them that they will learn about a woman who prayed for a child. If the children has expressed thanks for something special happening in their families, try to phone or visit them and pray a prayer of thanksgiving with them.
* 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.™