Q4 Week 11

Bible Point: God is good. 

Key Verse: Jesus is the way to God (adapted from John 14:6). 

Big Picture: Children learn to trust God’s plans because they know God loves and cares for them. 

Note to Parents:

Preschoolers live in the now. They have little context of time passing, or when exactly things happened in the past. Likewise, they may have difficulty understanding when something will take place in the future. Just because they don’t fully understand the concept of time, encompassing past, present, and future, they may still feel fear or anxiety about unknown things, especially if it involves an uncertain future. Preschoolers will be able to understand that Joseph feared the future when Mary told him she was pregnant. But God  

sent an angel, who helped calm Joseph’s fears and remind him that God loved and cared for him, just as God loves and cares for each of us. Young children can learn to trust our good God, who has plans for their  

unknown tomorrows.

Bible Story:

This week’s Scripture (Isaiah 7:13-14; Matthew 1:18- 25) tells us that God is good. Joseph was afraid when he learned that Mary was going to have a baby. But an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him that this baby was God’s miracle—God’s  own Son. Joseph learned that he could trust God’s plans even when he didn’t understand them. 

Play and Pray 

This lesson is about trusting God when we feel  afraid. God sent an angel to help Joseph feel less  afraid. At bedtime, act this out with your child,  using a flashlight to represent the angel. Pretend  to sleep, and let your child shine the flashlight  angel on the back of your head. Have him or her  tell you about the angel visiting Joseph or remind  you of the Key Verse. Then switch roles. Give your  child the flashlight “angel” to keep near their pillow  to help calm the nighttime fears. 

ASK: 

• Why did God send an angel to Joseph?

• What makes you feel afraid? 

• When you turn on the light, what will you remember? 

Outdoor Adventures:

Take your child to a store that sells things for  babies. Look at the baby toys and clothes with  your child. Share with your child about your  excitement when you were waiting for them  to join your family. Tell your child that God  showed you how to love and take care of your  child. Share that you trusted God’s plans for  your family, and your child can always trust  God’s plans, too. 

ASK: 

• Why do we sometimes get afraid?

• What can we do when we feel afraid? 

If you’d like, help your child purchase new  baby clothes or toys to wrap up and give to  a local charity for families or a women’s and  children’s shelter. 

Ready, Set, Grow! 

Your child learned that God is good. He or she committed to one of the following challenges to trust God’s plans in daily life. Help your child follow through on the challenge! 

• WITH your grown-ups, look through your baby pictures. Talk about the good 

plans that God has had for you since you were a little baby. 

• TALK with your friends about what you want to be when you grow up. Remind your friends that GOD IS GOOD. 

• WITH your grown-ups, follow directions to make a snack. Just as you trusted the directions for the snack, you can trust God’s good plans for you.