Merdeka Craft for Toddler

A very simple flag making craft for toddler.

Material:
1. Empty toilet roll (the cylinder shape).
2. Measure the height of the toilet roll and prepare the rectangle shape paper.
3. Prepare a star and a crescent.
4. Red and white creep paper.

1. First of all, get the children to colour the rectangle paper in blue using poster colour. After they've done, wait for it to dry. (Remember not to put too much water, it will take time to dry)
2. While waiting the blue one, colour the crescent and star in yellow. Then wait for it to dry.
3. While waiting for the yellow one, stick the blue paper on the empty toilet roll then follow by the crescent and star.
4. Then follow by the red and white creep paper (alternate the colour). We do not need to have exactly 14 strips just around the toilet roll. Just to let them know the colour of our flag.
5. Finally, punch a hole and put a string on it.
There you go... you can hang it up and celebrate the National Day! ;)

Church School Lesson: God First

Matthew 6:33
but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.

Objective:
To lead our children to have the right attitude towards things, so they will love and trust God rather than money or anything else.

Lesson:
Jesus warned about being greedy. A rich farmer had good crops, he planned to keep everything for himself. He foolishly thought only of this life. Christian should not worry about food and clothes. God provides for birds and flowers. We should think of ways to please God and our treasure stored in Heaven. Those who put God first know true happiness.

Craft:
1. Get the children to trace their hand print.
2. Write down GOD FIRST in big font in the middle.
3. You can use creep paper (roll it) or any form of decorative items and stick on the word to make GOD FIRST stand out.
Suggestion: For younger toddler (e.g. 3) I suggest to use creep paper (roll it, small one) as their hand print is small, the wording cannot be too big. Not enough place.

When they complete the craft, Hi-5 with them and shout "GOD FIRST" :)

They like it! and whenever they Hi-5, they will remember "GOD FIRST"!

Church School Lesson: Shine For Christ

Matthew 5:16

let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven

Objective:

To teach that by doing good things to others we can show them we belong to Jesus, and we might also lead them to trust in Jesus too.

Lesson:

I first get them to taste the salt. Every children get to taste it. I use organic salt. The children were excited. :) I then tell them the use of salt in olden days when they have no fridge, it helps to preserve food, it gives flavour to food. Just a little bit and the food will taste good. Salt is important; but it the salt is not salty, then it's no use already. Then I continue ask them about light. Is light important? Light to help us see, we can hide light, it shines in the darkness. I then get each child to hold a candle, off the light and light up the candle. Children were excited. When we're in darkness, the light shine, people around can see. (Story based on Matthew 5:13-16)

Craft:

Props/Materials:

For each child, two star shapes and a stick, different yellow poster colour, glittering decorative items, glue/double sided tape.

1. Before the class started, cut out all the stars and get your props ready.

2. First, let the children colour the two stars with different yellow colour. Brighter yellow, darker yellow, etc. (you may want to place some old newspaper on the table if you don't want the children to dirty it.) After finishing one let it dry then continue with the other. By the time you completed both, the first one should be dry by then. (tips: do not put too much of water, it will takes longer time to dry)

3. The children can start decorating the star with those glittering items. Put some glue on the star and start decorating. (tips: do not put too much glue, it will takes longer time to dry)

4. After decorating both stars, wait for it to dry. While waiting, you can usher the children to wash their hands.

5. After both stars are dried. You can either put double sided tape or glue behind the star, put the stick in between the stars and stick them together.

The children loves this. They feel they're like a fairy, some feel they're like a magician :) but I told them this one is to remind them to do good things for God and shine for Christ.

I find this craft is suitable for children from 2+ and above. Abigail was 2 years 9 months when she did this craft. She is able to colour the star by herself and put the decorative items herself. She only need help when she need to put the two stars together.

Church School Lesson: Alive After Dying

John 11:25
I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.

Objective:
To teach that there is life after death; that some time the bodies of all the dead will be raised, and Christians will go to be with Jesus forever.

Lesson:
Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick. His sister expected Jesus to come quickly. Jesus said the sickness wouldn't end in death and waited two days. He told the disciple Lazarus was dead and they went to see him. Martha and Mary wondered why Jesus didn't come immediately to save Lazarus. Jesus said Lazarus would rise again. He said Christians never really die. Jesus wept as He went to the grave He told them to take away the stone Lazarus came out when Jesus called him. All Christians' bodies will be raised and face judgement when Jesus returned.

Craft:
1. Prepare two circles (different colour) and one ice-cream stick for each child. I chose yellow as happy face and blue for sad face. You can have your own choice of colour.
2. First let the children roll the creep paper and stick on the circle paper as eyes, then let them colour it using poster colour.
3. I use red foam for my mouth. You can cut any shapes you like, as long as it shows happy or sad expression.
4. Then get the children to stick both side of faces together. You can use glue or double sided tape.
That's it! Another simple craft for toddler.

Whether we're happy or sad, Jesus knew and understand us. He can help us no matter what situation we're in. Trust in HIM.

Church School Lesson: Good Shepherd

John 10:11
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Objective:
To show that Jesus loves and leads and looks after His own people, like a shepherd caring for his sheep.

Lesson:
The shepherd stayed in the fields with the sheep. He risked his life to protect them from harm. He took them to shelter, as the door of the fold. Jesus will care for His sheep always. A shepherd protected his sheep because he loved them. Jesus died on the cross out of love for us. Jesus now lives to be our Good Shepherd. We should trust and follow Him.

Craft:
1. Prepare a green colour paper as a meadow/field
2. Let the children trace their hand print on another colour paper. Then cut it out.
3. Let the children stick the cotton ball on the hand print palm, then draw an eye.
That's it! It's a very simple craft for toddler.

Church School Lesson: Creation

God, the Creator, knows everything and can do anything. He is powerful enough to create all things. No one is wiser or more powerful than God. The Bible tells us how God created the world. In Genesis 1:1 says, In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.

God created the world in six days. The Bible tells what God created on each day. When God first created the earth, it was dark and not in any shape. The Bible also says the earth was wet. I then ask the children to close their eyes... what do you sees? They answered me "NOTHING". Yes! Darkness is when you cannot see anything. Just like at night when there is no light! Then God says, "Let there be light and there was light." (Genesis 1:3) God just say and things will happened. Isn't God is so powerful? The light God called it day and darkness called it night. This was first day.

And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky." This was second day.

And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. This was third day.

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. This was fourth day.

And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." This was fifth day.

And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. This was sixth day.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Summary:
Day 1 - Light
Day 2 - Sky
Day 3 - Land, Seas & Plants
Day 4 - Sun, Moon, Stars
Day 5 - Sea Animals & Birds
Day 6 - Land Animals & Human beings

The lesson takes about 15mins. After the lesson, I thought them a simple verse from the Bible.
Hebrews 11:3 - the worlds were framed by the word of God (KJV)

I conclude the lesson with a simple craft and again, the idea I got it from my all time favourite site - Merryn's blog. I modified the craft to suit my children... very simple and the toddler enjoy doing it.

Get the children trace their hand print on a yellow colour paper, then cut it out (some with teacher's help). Then paste the hand print at the paper plate. It looks like a sun.

the Preschool Class with their craft,

the verse was written on top of the paper plate.

Father's Day Craft

I use Exodus 20:12 for the children memory verses "Honour your father and your mother". I help the toddler to understand what it means to honour our parents. Honour means respect and obey, it's an action, we need to listen to our parents to what they say. No one is always right, everyone make mistake along the way, but no matter what, we still need to respect our parents by listen to them.

In conjunction with Father's Day, I get them to think what can they do for their fathers. Some said make a card, some said give him a kiss, etc. I then challenge them to make the whole next week a special week for their father by giving them a book of coupon with a special treat written in it. E.g. This coupon entitle daddy to enjoy a bible story, big hug, big kiss, massage, etc. On top of that, they need obey their parents.

I end the lesson by getting them to make a card for their father. I get the idea from Merryn's blog.

Children doing their craft work