Elementary | Week of March 14, 2021

Welcome to GrowKids Online!
God has great plans and this month we are going to learn how we get to be a part of His great plans!

DISCUSSION: God So Loved the World
Read: John 3:14-21

  • What was the name of the man who came to talk to Jesus in John 3?
  • In John 3, what did God do because God loved us so much?
  • What can you do to receive God’s gift of salvation?
  • Read Ephesians 2:10. What is something you’ve noticed God teaching you?
  • How does the fact that love is the foundation of God’s plans change the way you think about the Bible stories you’ve heard?
  • What is most exciting to you about God having a plan for you?
  • Read Jeremiah 29:11. What do we usually put as the foundation of our plans? Is it love? Is it something else?

ACTIVITIES

MEMORIZE IT | Memory Verse
INSTRUCTIONS: Write Jeremiah 29:11 on construction paper and cut it into two-to three-word sections. Scramble the pieces of the verse. Put the verse together in order. Time yourself using a stopwatch and see if you can beat your own time!

DO IT | Pyramid Plans
INSTRUCTIONS: Grab a stack of plastic cups to build a tower. When you are done, make a paper fan by folding a piece of paper like an accordion. Try to knock down the tower by waving hand-held fan.
Why did the pyramid fall over so easily? There was not a firm foundation! What would you do differently to make your tower stronger?
It was so important to make sure your foundation was as strong as possible.
The foundation of God’s plan is LOVE, which is the strongest foundation possible!

READ IT | Ephesians 2:4-10
INSTRUCTIONS: Read Ephesians 2:4-10
What makes someone “rich?”
The Bible says God is “rich in mercy,” which means God has a never-ending supply of forgiveness and love.
But there isn’t anything we could do to earn it from God –not even all the money in the world. We can’t earn it because God gives it to us for free.
God’s love gave us a way to trust in Jesus to rescue us from sin and to give us purpose.
God has a big plan, andit’s a plan to give us big hope. Not just for our day-to-day lives but the biggest hope of all –we can look forward to life with Jesus in heaven! We can trust in God’s love for us. Love is the foundation of God’s plans.

PRAYER

Dear God,
You knew your plan would need a strong foundation. We are so happy that you love us, and that Jesus came to Earth for us. Help us to see how the way you made us uniquely is also a part of Your plan.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen!

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Early Childhood | Week of March 14

Hi GrowKids! The biggest love we can ever imagine is STILL not big enough to describe God’s love for the world. Let’s dive in to our third lesson for our Blueprint series.

Bible Story

SCRIPTURE | John 3:14-21

INSTRUCTIONS: Open a Bible in front of you to John 3:14-21, then show this video.
This is a true story about a man named Nicodemus who we can read about in the book of John in the Bible. Nicodemus had lots of questions about Jesus and what God’s plan was. Do you have any questions? For example:

Why did God send Jesus?

Jesus explains that love was the reason why God sent Jesus to Earth to save us from our sins. Love is also the reason why Jesus rose again. God’s love is what the whole plan is built on.
Who is God’s love for?

God’s plan was to save everyone from their sins. All they had to do is believe!
God’s amazing love is for you, too! Everything God does for you is done out of love.

Prayer

Dear God, you knew that your plan would need a strong foundation. We are so happy that foundation is your love! Thank you for loving us so much that you sent Jesus to us. Help us to show our love for you, too. Amen.

Memory Verse

MEMORY VERSE | Jeremiah 29:11

INSTRUCTIONS: Follow along in the video below.

Big Idea

THE BIG IDEA | Love is the Foundation of God’s Plan

INSTRUCTIONS: Print or write the Big Idea on a piece of blueprint paper , roll it up and put it in the blueprint tube from last week. Ask the same or a different volunteer to dress up as a construction worker to reveal today’s Big Idea. Ask one of the kids to come up to the front to open the tube and take the paper out to reveal the Big Idea.

This week’s Big Idea is: Love is the foundation of God’s plans.

Let’s try it together: Love (Cross your arms over your chest.)
is the foundation (Stomp your feet on the ground.)

of God’s (Point up to the sky.)

Plans (Hold your hands out together in front of you with your palms up so your hands look like an open book.)

Activities

Activity: THINGS YOU LOVE THE MOST

INSTRUCTIONS: Give each kid some Play-Doh and their lap desk. Ask them to think about something in their life that they love and sculpt it out of Play-Doh. Allow the kids to talk about why they chose that specific thing and what they love about it.

TODDLER HACK: Consider having the toddlers roll out Play-Doh and stamp heart shapes onto the Play-Doh using plastic, heart-shaped cookie cutters. As they roll and stamp, talk about things they love.

What is the thing you love the most?
How do you treat the things you love?
When you love something, you look out for it and do everything you can to love and protect it. God’s love is why God decided to take care of everything we needed and more.
You’ll never love something as much as God loves you! Love is the foundation of God’s plans.

Activity: BUILT ON LOVE

BUILT ON LOVEDownload

INSTRUCTIONS: Give each kid all the pages of the Built on Love printable and twelve popsicle sticks. Have kids arrange the popsicle sticks on each page to form the letters for the word “LOVE” and glue them to the pages.

L-O-V-E . . . what word did you make? Love! Love is the foundation of God’s plans!
We heard in our story today that God loves the whole world.
Does that mean God loves you?

Does that mean God loves me?
Does that mean God loves our families?
Does that mean God loves the people who are nice to us?

Does that mean God loves the people who are mean to us? Is there anyone God doesn’t love?
Who can you tell this week about God’s love?

Activity: BUILT ON LOVE – REMODEL

INSTRUCTIONS: Write the word “LOVE” in big letters on the floor using masking tape. Have kids take LEGO or wood blocks and place them over each letter. Encourage them to say the Big Idea as they do this –
Love is the foundation of God’s plans.

SNACK-tivity

Snack Time: CONSTRUCT YOUR OWN SNACK

INSTRUCTIONS: Give each kid jumbo marshmallows and pretzel sticks and help them build a variety of structures (e.g. cube, house, person, pyramid, etc.) While they munch on their construction masterpieces, ask them these questions:

Do you remember what a foundation is?
Where does a foundation go?

What is the foundation of God’s plans for us?