Zechariah & Malachi

10:00-10:15 - Get to know new kids, entertain early arrivals until lesson begins

Lesson Introduction

Recommended Start Time: 10:15AM - 10:35AM


Zechariah was a prophet, and his message to the people of Israel was a lot like what other prophets had to say. But did you know that Zechariah also prophesied about Jesus about 500 years before Jesus was born?


Zechariah describes Jesus as a mighty but humble king. For example, in Zechariah 9:9, he foretells the story of Jesus riding on a donkey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, a week before Easter. Jesus was a King, but he rode a donkey like a normal person. This showed what kind of king Jesus wanted to be.


As we get closer to Christmas and learn more about the story of Jesus’s birth, know that Jesus was mentioned way before the New Testament. Prophets were talking about him hundreds of years before he was born!

Activities

Craft 1 - Crowns for Jesus

Time: 10-20 minutes

Materials needed from the cart:

  • Construction paper

  • Scissors

  • Markers

  • Tape/Glue

Get the details by clicking here!

Directions

  1. Have the kids make crowns for King Jesus! Cut out the shape and decorate with markers, stickers, gems, etc, before taping together to form a complete crown.

Craft 2 - Old Testament Books of the Bible

Time: 10-20 minutes

Materials needed from the cart:

  • Popsicle Sticks

  • Markers

  • Tape

Get the details by clicking here!

Directions (Here is a video showing how to make them)

The craft sticks are taped together so that when the craft sticks are pushed together from the top and bottom of the stack they fan fold up into a compact stack of sticks for storage. This craft is great to use as a memorization tool. Children can test themselves by unfolding one section at a time to reveal the next part


  1. Cut the one-inch masking into 4-inch pieces.

  2. Place two sticks together, side by side, and tape them together covering both the sticks with the tape.

  3. Turn the two sticks over so that they are diagonal to you.

  4. Place another craft stick next to and below the two sticks that you taped together. Use another piece of tape to tape the bottom two sticks together.

  5. Turn all three sticks over diagonally and place another stick at the bottom of the row and tape the last two sticks together. Keep going until you have a whole row of sticks.

  6. You can also cover the first and last stick in the row by placing tape over the stick and then folding it back over the stick. It is easier to write on the tape than the craft stick. The ink soaks into the sticks and blurs.

Children can use permanent markers, pens, or colored pencils to write the books of the Bible on the sticks and then decorate them.


Game 1 - Order the Legos Relay

Time: 10-15 minutes

Materials needed from the cart:

  • two sets of lego blocks with books written on them

  • Bibles (one for each team)


Get the details by clicking here!

Directions

  1. Put all the lego pieces in the middle of the room and divide the kids into two teams.
  2. Give each team a Bible and let them race each other to run down and pick up the first book of the Bible and bring it back to their team. They continue doing this until all the legos are stacked in order and in place. The first team to do that wins.

Game 2 - Shoe Race

Time: 10-15 minutes

Materials needed from the cart:

  • None


Get the details by clicking here!

Directions

  1. Have all of the kids remove their socks and shoes and place them in one large pile.

  2. Divide the kids into two teams.

  3. Have one teammate at a time race down to the pile, put on ONE item (so one sock for the first trip down) and then come back and tag the next teammate. Each child should get 4 turns to race down (one time for each sock and one time for each shoe) and the team that completes the relay first wins!

Activity 1 - Dance It Out

Once you're through the lesson/games use these to fill any remaining time, or the ideas listed below

Materials needed from the cart (varies based on the game you choose):

  • Christian just dance videos below

  • If they don't want to play the Christian Just Dance game they can play follow the leader.

Wrap It Up!

**Snacks can be given at this time, if needed**
  • Come together and sit in a circle to talk about what they learned today. Ask them the same questions that you asked at the beginning of the day. How are their answers different now that they know more? Talk about what they can go home and tell their family. This is also a time they can update their journals (big kids only) or color the pictures (littles).
  • Ask if anyone has a prayer request/praise report. Pray over requests.
  • Worship time - Have the kids go find a spot to themselves and have some time with God (play the song below for around 3/5 minutes).

Worship

Energy Release!

Last Minute Filler Ideas


  • Have them gather around the table and draw a picture or write a letter to their families about what they learned today.
  • Play a game of some sort. (If you have the hula hoops, have them join hands in a circle and pass the hula hoop around the circle without breaking their hands)