55. John Baptizing Matthew 3:1-17

You should select some activities to use first before printing!

Start your lesson planning by reading the "Lesson Prep" section about 5 days before you are scheduled to teach.

Background Scripture

While we provide a summary of the story, we strongly encourage you to read the story directly from the Bible from yourself. God's word is powerful (much more powerful than our summary is!) and you should know the story well before you teach it. We encourage you to read the background scripture 2-3 times during the week before teaching.

Story Summary

We provide a "Cliff's Notes" version of the story to help you see the big picture. Also, if you are not using a storybook Bible, you can use this summary as an outline for your own teaching in class.

What You Will Need

We place everything you might need to prepare for the actual story telling here (this doesn't include Reinforcement Activity supplies, because we don't know which ones you will choose!). This may include a snack suggestion if there is one that goes well with the story, props you might use in teaching the lesson, and the coloring sheet that goes with each lesson.

This section helps you structure your teaching time.

1. Warm Up

This is a question that goes along with the story for the day. This is designed to get your kids talking and to build a connection with them.

2. Teach the Story

This is the most important part of the lesson. Use all the creativity you have to tell the story in an engaging, and interesting way. Use props. Be sensitive to the age of your children and tell the story in a way they can understand.

We always encourage you to use a Bible storybook if you have one available (here is a list of ones we know about)

3. Bible Mastery

If you would like to have your students read out of the Bible themselves, these are good verses to do it. We recommend they do this after you teach the story, however, and certainly not as a substitute for you teaching a holistic story. While it is a good thing that kids get used to reading out loud and reading the Bible for themselves, elementary-aged children do not typically have the reading skills necessary to be able both read out loud and comprehend at the same time. Also, it is difficult for the other students to really understand what they are hearing. So teach the lesson first, then let them read the Scripture out loud.

4. Comprehension Questions

These questions can help you ensure your students understood the story. Also, use this time to take the topic where the students want to go. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal to them what truths he wants them to learn from the story, and help them understand how this story can be applied to their lives. Keep in mind that elementary school children are rarely capable of abstract thought, so don't boil it all down to a simplified principle for them. But let the Scripture and the Holy Spirit speak to them and be sensitive to where the conversation can go.

5. Faith Questions

These questions help the children think about how this story applies to their own life today. Keep in mind that only your oldest elementary school children will be able to think in abstract terms, but you can ask some basic questions that will hopefully open up a conversation about what the children believe. By the prompting of the Holy Spirit in response to His Word, you can encourage your children to surrender their lives to God and present the Gospel to them. Also, feel free to share your own faith experiences with them (being careful not to delve into "adult" struggles, like marriage, sexual sin, etc).

6. Memory Verse

We typically include a memory verse every 4 or 5 lessons, so you can work for several weeks on the same verse. Feel free to give out rewards to the students who successfully memorize the Scripture.

Use reinforcement activities to help your students remember the story. These activities are not just crafts and games.

Age Groups

Each activity is geared towards either Early Elementary, Late Elementary, or All Ages. Of course, use your discretion as you know your students.

Preparation

Several days before you teach, choose the activities you want to do with your class. Take note of any supplies that are needed. You can place a check next to the name of the activity so that you can easily see which ones you are planning to use when you come back to Teach Us the Bible.

Scripture

Every activity has a Scripture that helps you see the tie-in from the activity to the story. Make sure to help the students see the tie-in so they don't think you are just playing a random game.

Children naturally have questions. And sometimes, we don't know the answer! Here's what to do*:

1. Ask the child to say more about their question.
2. Ask them what they think the answer may be. Perhaps they have the right answer and they just need confirmation.
3. Pose the question to the whole class and see what discussion ensues.
4. If all else fails, tell them that you don't know the answer (this is okay!) and that you will get back to them next week, but only if they will also think about it and do some research during the week as well. For younger students, you might write down their question on a piece of paper and send it home with them. But above all, follow up with the student the next week or at the next opportunity and continue your discussion with your newfound information.

(* Adapted from "Children's Ministry in the Way of Jesus", by David M. Csinos and Ivy Beckwith)