bible point we can trust god. bible verse growing closer to...

73Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2

Praise Jesus!

Bible Point We can trust God.Abram Moves to a New Land • Lesson 6

Bible Verse“If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is” (2 Timothy 2:13).

Growing Closer to JesusChildren will n learn that they can trust God just as Abram did, n understand that God is trustworthy all the time, and n discover that sometimes it’s risky to trust people but it’s always safe to trust God.

Teacher EnrichmentThe Bible Basisn Abram moves to a new land.

What trust in God it took for Abram to leave his home, his country, and everything familiar and comfortable and set out for an unknown destination, having only God’s command to go on!

Abram had not only the concerns of leaving the familiar behind but also the worries of keeping the things he took with him. We are told nothing about the journey, but the trip from Haran to Bethel was approximately 500 miles, much of it over rough desert land, and probably took several months. Water for all of Abram’s flocks and entourage would have been a constant

concern, and they probably took only food with them. Finally Abram completed the journey in faith. God appeared again before Abram and confirmed the promise

he had made to Abram back at Haran: The fertile land before him would one day belong to his descendants. That meant he would still have descendants! The promises were beginning to come true!

Prayer• Read Romans 4:18-24.• What are you trusting God for?• Pray: Lord, help me believe you with a faith like Abram’s and go wherever you send me, even into the unknown.

Likewise, help me encourage my students to trust you by…

Genesis 12:1-7

Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2

Lesson 6

74

What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies

Welcome Welcome!—Receive a warm welcome from the teacher, and make name tags.

“Leaders Name Tags” (p. 83), scissors, markers, tape

Attention Grabber

Say It’s So—Decide whether they trust you when you say dots will be turned into money.

Bible Exploration &

Application

Building Trust—Build paper bridges that will hold up a Bible, and hear about trusting God from Psalm 62:8.

Bibles, paper, safety scissors, tape, CD player

Time to Trust—Experience the trust Abram had in God.

Bible

A Lighted Path—Follow a lighted path, and compare that to what it’s like to follow God’s directions.

Construction paper, tape

Trick or Treat?—Learn about trust from Proverbs 3:5, and decide whether to try a new snack.

Bible, crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, bowl or plastic bag, small cups

Closing Face It—Explore trustworthiness by making masks and hiding their real expressions.

Paper, markers

Before the Lessonn Collect items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed in

the chart.n Make photocopies of the “Growing Together” handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children.n Pray for your students and for God’s direction in teaching the lesson.

This Lesson at a Glance

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Abram Moves to a New Land

WelcomeSUPPLIES: “Leaders Name Tags” (p. 83), scissors, markers, tape

• Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile.• Thank each child for coming to class today.• As children arrive, ask them about last week’s “Growing

Together” discussion. Use questions such as “What promises did you keep last week?” and “What would happen if God didn’t keep his promises?”

• Say: Today we’re going to learn that we can trust God.• Help children make name tags. Photocopy the “Leaders Name Tags” and follow the

instructions. Help the children attach the name tags to their clothing.• Tell the children that the attention-getting signal you’ll use during this lesson will be

blowing the bird whistle. Ask children to respond by raising their hands. Rehearse the signal with the children, telling them to respond quickly so you’ll have plenty of time for all the fun activities planned for this lesson.

Attention Grabbern Say It’s SoSUPPLIES: none

Gather the children, and have them sit in a circle on the floor. Give each child two small felt dots. Ask children to hold them in closed hands so the dots can’t be seen.

Ask: • Do you think we can turn these felt dots into quarters? Why or why not? (Maybe you’re going to do a trick;

no, we can’t make that happen; I hope so—I’d like to have some quarters.)Count to three, and tell children to open their hands and look. Have children

return the felt dots to you. Then ask:• What did you think when I asked if these felt dots would turn into

quarters? (I didn’t believe you; I hoped you were telling the truth; I thought you were going to do some kind of magic trick.)

• Would you trust me if I said the dots would turn into quarters? Why or why not? (No, it can’t be done; no, I’d think you were trying to fool us; yes, I’d think you were going to give us some quarters.)

Say: Today we’re going to talk about believing in what people say and do. We call that trusting people. If I said the dots would turn into money, you wouldn’t trust me because we know that’s not possible. But there is someone we can trust all the time. We can trust God because he always does what he says he’ll do, even if it doesn’t seem possible.

It’s important to say the Bible Point just as it’s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point over and over will help children remember it and apply it to their lives.


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Bible Exploration & Applicationn Building TrustSUPPLIES: Bibles, paper, safety scissors, tape, CD player

Say: Let’s pretend these cardboard pieces are raging rivers. We need to build bridges that people can trust to carry them across the river. There will be five groups working on bridges. Each group will get a sheet of paper and a Bible. Use the paper to make a structure that will hold up the Bible and make a bridge over the river. There are scissors and tape for you to use, too. Trust me—there really is a way to do it.

Form five groups. Give each group an 81/2x11 sheet of paper, a Bible, and a cardboard piece from the Learning Lab. Make sure safety scissors and tape are available for the class.

Give children two minutes to experiment. Circulate among the groups, offering suggestions and encouragement. Then get the children’s attention by blowing the bird whistle and waiting for their response. Then, if no one is able to make a bridge that will hold up a Bible, show the class how to build a strong bridge out of one sheet of paper. Gather the children in an area of the room away from all the bridge-building supplies.

Here’s how to make the bridge:Fold the sheet of paper in half lengthwise. Then cut along the fold line. Fold

each of the resulting pieces in half lengthwise and cut on their fold lines. Roll each piece of paper separately into a short, tight tube. Tape the end so it doesn’t unwind. Stand the tubes on end, putting two on each side of the “raging river.” They’ll look like four pillars of a bridge.

Ask: • Do you trust that this bridge will hold up a Bible? Why or why not? (Yes, it looks pretty strong; no, it’s just paper, and the Bible’s too heavy.)

Gently rest a Bible on the paper pillars. Say: Some of you didn’t trust that the paper would be strong enough to hold up the Bible. Sometimes it’s hard to believe if we don’t have real proof like this. But we can always trust in God’s strength. I’ll read Psalm 62:8 to show you what I mean. Read Psalm 62:8 aloud. Then have the children build their own bridges.

Ask: • When you weren’t sure how to build your bridge, what did you do? (Tried a different way; gave up; listened to you.)

• What did you think when you found that the bridge really works? (I was glad I trusted you; I wished I’d trusted you; I was surprised it worked.)

• What can you do when you’re not sure what to do with a problem in real life? (Ask for help; pray about it; trust God to help me.)

Say: When we trust people, we believe what they say. We can trust God because God always tells the truth. Listen to what else the Bible tells us about why we can trust God. This comes from 2 Timothy 2:13, and it’s our Bible verse for today: “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.” If a person is denying himself, that means he is not acting like himself. But God isn’t like that. God never changes, so we can always believe him.

track 6



Play “He Remains Faithful” (2 Timothy 2:13), track 6, on the CD. Play the song a second time, and encourage the children to sing along with the CD. Lyrics are at the back of this book.

Collect the cardboard pieces for use in later lessons.

n Time to TrustSUPPLIES: Bible

Open your Bible to Genesis 12:1-7, and show the passage to the children.

Say: In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, there’s a story about a man named Abram. Today I’d like to tell you what happened to him. I’ll need everyone’s help.

Choose a volunteer to play the part of Abram, and ask him or her to stand by you. Choose another volunteer to play the part of the leader.

Ask the other children to pretend to be Abram’s wife, Sarai; his nephew Lot; and his servants.

Say: Abram and his family and servants lived in a city called Haran (HAY-ran). Let’s imagine Haran is over here. Lead the children to one corner of the room.

One day God spoke to Abram and said, “Pack up all your belongings, leave your home, and travel to a new country. I’ll show you where to go, and I’ll bless you.” Some people might’ve told God they were too scared and didn’t want to go, but Abram had something that helped him obey God. He had trust in God.

Bring out the glow-in-the-dark shoelace. Hand one end to the leader and the other end to Abram. Tell Abram to go where the leader goes. Tell the household—the rest of the children—to follow Abram. Have Abram and all the household members hold hands. Tell them they must trust the leader to lead them on a safe path. Have the leader guide Abram and the rest of his household along a winding path to a different place in the room.

While the children are traveling, say: Abram trusted God and followed him to the land of Canaan. He and his wife, Sarai; his nephew Lot; and his servants traveled a long way. It took many days of walking. There were no motels or cars or maps to help them if they got lost. When they got to a place called Shechem (SHEK-uhm), they stopped near a big tree and worshipped God. Let’s pretend we’re worshipping as they did.

Ask: • How do you think Abram and his household worshipped God? (Maybe they got down on their hands and knees and bowed; I think they sang and clapped their hands.)

• What do you think Abram and his household thanked God for? (A safe trip; food; protection from wild animals; water; showing them the way to a new home.)

Have the leader lead the group to the center of the room.Say: God led Abram past a mountain and on to the southern part of a

land called Canaan. All along the way, Abram trusted God, so God kept his promise and blessed Abram.

Have the children sit down.

Pantomime these events throughout the story to actively engage the children:

• Pack up belongings,• say goodbye to family and

friends,• go through a sandstorm,• experience a camel wreck,• take a wrong turn in the desert,• put up a tent for the night,• feed and water the animals,• cook a meal over a campfire, and• shake the sand out of your

sandals.

Bible InsightAll of the promises God made to Abraham have been or are being fulfilled. God promised to make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation. Today both Jewish and Arab peoples can trace their ancestry back to Abraham. God promised to bless Abraham, and this was fulfilled through Abraham’s long life, wealth, and intimate relationship with God. God promised that he would bless those who blessed Abraham and curse those who cursed Abraham. Throughout history, God has judged nations that were hostile to Abraham’s descendants, the Jewish people.


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Ask: • What was it like to trust that the leader would lead you safely? (It was easy; sometimes it was hard; I wished I could’ve known where we were going.)

• Did you worry about tripping over things or getting lost on the journey? Why or why not? (Yes, I was afraid I’d trip over someone; no, I knew I couldn’t get hurt.)

• In what way did the leader in our skit remind you or not remind you of God? (He wasn’t like God because I wasn’t sure our leader knew what he was doing; I trust God more than I trusted our leader; I knew our leader was just part of a game.)

• When do you trust God? (When I’m scared; when I don’t know what’s going to happen.)

Say: We can trust God just as Abram did. When we trust God, we don’t have to worry, because God will help us get through dangerous or scary or sad times.

Return the glow-in-the-dark shoelace to the Learning Lab.

n A Lighted PathSUPPLIES: construction paper, tape

Before class, use the glow-in-the-dark paint pen to draw arrows on pieces of dark construction paper. Designate a starting point and a stopping point (you may want to write the words start and stop on separate sheets). Hang the construction paper

on a wall or place it on the floor, arrows showing, in a path from the starting point to the stopping point. Be sure kids can easily follow the path when the lights are out.

Say: Today we are learning that we can trust God and follow his direction for us, just as Abram and Sarai trusted God and followed God’s directions for them to go to Canaan. Sometimes, though, it might seem hard to see what direction God wants us to go in.

Ask: • Have you ever had a hard time knowing what God wanted you to do? Tell us about that. (Yes, sometimes when my friends tell me to do something wrong, I don’t know what God wants me to do; no, I always know what God wants me to do.)

• How can you know what God wants? (By praying; by reading the Bible; by talking to God.)

Say: Sometimes, it’s hard to see which way God wants us to go. But when we pray, read the Bible, and spend time with God, it becomes easier to see the way to go, just as it can be easy to see a light in the darkness even from far away. We can trust God to show us his way and to help us follow his way—just as Abram trusted God to help him on the path to Canaan. Let’s play a game now to see if we can follow the lighted path.

Have the kids gather at the “start” point that you set up before class. Shut off the lights, and encourage kids to follow the glow-in-the-dark arrows through the classroom to the point marked “stop.” Turn on the lights, and have kids sit down in a circle.

Ask: • Was it easy or hard to follow the arrows? Why? (It was easy to follow the arrows because they showed up bright in the dark; it was sort of hard to see the arrows when the lights were off.)

• Do you think it’s easy or hard to follow God? Why? (It’s usually pretty easy to follow God because he always asks us to do good things; sometimes it’s hard to see what God wants me to do.)

If you don’t have time to set up a path before class, have kids turn around during the activity, and quickly set out the arrows right before you turn out the lights.

You may have some children who are scared of the dark. Be sure to let children know you are about to turn out the lights and tell them they can hold hands with a partner if they’d like. You could also plug in a night light or leave the door to your classroom slightly open when the lights are out.



• How can you trust God to help you do good and right things? (I can ask God to help me; pray with my parents; come to church; practice reading my Bible.)

Say: Even though the room was dark, we were able to follow the special arrows because they glowed, so we could see them. When we are trying hard to follow God, he will make it easier for us to see the way to go, too. Just as God showed Abram the right path and helped Abram follow that path, God will help us follow his ways in our lives. God wants us to do the right thing, and God will always help us know what that right thing is. Just as Abram trusted God, we can trust God, too!

HANDS-ON BIBLEHave the children turn to Genesis 15 in their Hands-On Bibles and

look at the Fun Fact called “Footloose.” Say: Abram, who was later called Abraham, trusted God, even when God told him to leave his home and go far away. Abram walked a very long time to get from his old home to his new home in the land of Canaan. If he walked the whole way, he probably took about 9 million steps! I wonder how many steps that would be? Let’s take a mini-journey of our own and see how many steps we take.

Lead the children around the classroom and, if possible, through other areas of the building or outside. Have them count their steps as they go. Stop periodically and check to make sure everyone is still with you and still counting steps. Keep track if you can of how many steps you take, too—a pedometer works great for this—and how much time has elapsed. After a few minutes, lead children back to the classroom and have them sit down in a circle.

Ask: • How many steps did we take on our little journey? (200; 300; 400.)

• How long do you think we were gone on our little journey? (A couple of minutes; a half hour; a long time.)

• Did you feel tired to walk so long? Explain. (Yes, I thought we wouldn’t ever stop walking; yes, I got tired of counting steps; no, I could have kept going.)

• How long do you think it took Abram to make his journey? (More than a week; a really long time; maybe a whole year!)

• Do you think Abram got tired on his journey? How do you think he kept going? (I think he got tired, so he must have prayed so he could keep going; yes, I’ll bet he was tired and rode a camel sometimes.)

Say: We were gone about [give approximate number] minutes, and that added up to be about [give approximate number] steps. Walking even that short distance made some of us feel a little tired, didn’t it? We can’t know for sure how long it took Abram to complete his journey, but we can be pretty sure it took a very long time, much longer than our little journey took today, and I’ll bet Abram got tired, too. To keep going, he had to really trust God, even when it seemed like the journey would never end. We can trust God, too, like Abram did, and keep on going even if we get a little tired. God loves us, and he will help us!

Children learn to read and write at different speeds, and some of your first- and second-graders may be feeling inferior because they aren’t as proficient in those skills as other children. Stress to kids that everyone learns at his or her own pace, and assure kids that we’re all precious in God’s eyes.


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n Trick or Treat?SUPPLIES: Bible, crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, bowl or plastic bag, small cups

Before class, make edible “dirt” by grinding a package of chocolate sandwich cookies in a blender or food processor. (Or put the cookies in a bag and use a hammer or rolling pin to crush them.) The mixture will look like potting soil. (You may want to sprinkle the mixture with powdered sugar to give it a more realistic look.) Put the mixture in a bowl or a plastic bag. You’ll also need small cups.

In class, show children the bowl of “dirt,” and say: I’d like you all to try a fantastic snack. Take a small pinch of the snack and eat it. Don’t give children any clues about what the snack is. This activity should test their trust in you.

Find a partner. With your partner, decide if you want some of my snack.Give pairs a few seconds to decide whether or not they want some of the snack. Then

give small cupfuls of the dirt to all the children who’ve decided they want to try it.When everyone who wants to try it has been served, have the children dig in.

Then, when the children discover that the snack is really cookie crumbs, serve it to any children who didn’t want it earlier.

While the children are eating their snack, ask:• Did you believe me when I said this was a good snack? Why or why not?

(Yes, you’re the teacher, so I knew you were telling the truth; no, I thought you were trying to trick us.)

• How did you feel when you found out you were eating crushed cookies? (I was glad; I was surprised; I knew it was cookies all along.)

Say: Since I’m your teacher, you need to know that you can trust me all the time. I’ll never do anything to hurt you. You may have doubted that I was telling the truth about the cookies, but you found out I really did tell the truth. Think about times you need to know you can trust someone. Tell your partner about one of those times.

Give children a minute to share, and then have volunteers share their answers with the rest of the class. They might mention people such as teachers, parents, police officers, or an older sibling. Or they might mention situations such as when they’re scared, when they’re asked to do something new, or when they have to make new friends.

Say: Those are good answers. Let me read Proverbs 3:5 to show you how we can trust God. Read Proverbs 3:5 aloud, and then ask:

• Why is it better to trust God more than anyone or anything else? (Because God knows everything; God knows what’s going to happen; God can keep us safe.)

• In what situation this week can you trust God? (I can trust God when my parents fight; I can trust God when my best friend moves away; I can trust God during storms.)

Because keeping kids safe is such an urgent issue in today’s society, first- and second-graders have probably been told many times to be careful of who they trust and believe. Help kids know that although we have to be very careful about which people we put our trust in, we can always trust and believe in God, no matter what.



Say: Sometimes it’s hard to trust people. We think we understand them, but then we don’t know if we can always believe them. It’s great to find people you can trust because then you can count on them to do good things. All the time, we can trust God, and we can always count on God.

The most important thing we can count on from God is that he loves us. The greatest sign of God’s love was

when he sent us Jesus, who died for our sins. Because Jesus died on the cross, he took the punishment for the wrong things we do—for our sins. Do you know what that means? If we believe in Jesus and ask him to forgive us, we can live forever with Jesus in heaven someday.

God is trustworthy and will not make a promise to us that he won’t keep. So we can believe him for this great promise!

Now let’s play a game to find out if we can tell when people are trustworthy or not. Ready? Let’s start!

Closingn Face ItSUPPLIES: paper, markers

Ask: • What kinds of things did you learn today? (I learned that I can trust God; I learned to trust my friends; I learned that I can trust you [the teacher].)

Give each child an 81/2x11 sheet of paper and a marker. Ask each child to draw a circle that fills the whole page. Then have each child make a mask by drawing eyes, a nose, and a mouth showing happiness, sadness, or anger. Be sure to make a mask for yourself. Have children bring their masks to the middle of the room and sit in a circle.

Say: Let’s play a game to show each other our masks. When it’s your turn, hold your mask in front of your face, and the rest of us will guess whether the face you’re making under your mask is the same as your mask or different. See if you can fool us.

Start the game by holding your mask in front of your face and wearing a different expression under the mask. For example, your mask might show an angry person, but you could grin while the mask covers your face. Have the children guess your expression under the mask. After they’ve all guessed, show them your expression.

Then have children take turns showing their masks to each other.Ask: • Have you ever thought you could trust someone but then found out

you couldn’t? What happened? (Yes, I trusted my little sister, but she told on me; yes, I trusted my big brother to pick me up after school, but then he forgot about me.)

• When we know we can trust people, we call them trustworthy. What do trustworthy people do that lets us know we can trust them? (They keep their promises; they tell the truth; they take care of us; they do good things.)

Say: Think of one trustworthy person in your life. Tell a partner what that person does that lets you know you can trust him or her. Have children share

Children might mention abusive situations during this activity. If you suspect that a child has been abused, contact someone in your church who works with abused children, or talk to your minister.


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their answers with the whole class. Their answers might include “The person always takes care of me” or “The person always helps me fix things when they go wrong.”

Ask: • Some people aren’t trustworthy. What do those people do that lets us know we can’t trust them? (They hurt us; they try to get us to do bad things; they lie.)

Say: We shouldn’t trust some people because they want to hurt us or because they lie to us. But we can trust God. Say that with me: We can trust God. God doesn’t wear a mask that makes him seem different from the way he really is. And God doesn’t say one thing and mean something else. God is always the same, and he loves us enough to be trustworthy.

Put the masks in the center of the circle. Offer this closing prayer: Thank you, God, for being trustworthy. Thank you for not wearing a mask—we know you’re always honest, and we can count on you to help us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Have children take their masks home to help them teach their parents the lesson they learned today.

Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom.Photocopy the “Growing Together” handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage children and parents to use the handout to plan meaningful activities on this week’s topic. Follow up the “Growing Together” activities next week by asking children what their families did together.

83Permission to photocopy this handout from Group’s Hands-On Bible Curriculum® Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use.

Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. group.com

Leaders Name TagsPhotocopy these name tags for your students. When children arrive, have them cut out name tags, decorate them to

look like themselves, and write their names on the blanks. Attach the name tags to children’s clothing with tape.

Future Leader of the Faith Future Leader of the Faith

84Permission to photocopy this handout from Group’s Hands-On Bible Curriculum® Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use.

Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. group.com

Etc.Think of a secret family signal that says, “I trust you.” You could link pinkies to symbolize the link between people who trust each other. Or you could tug on your ear one time for each of the three words. Share your family’s signal whenever you want to communicate the words “I trust you.”

Family FunSecretly prepare your family’s favorite homemade ice cream. Put the unfrozen mixture in a small coffee can, and put the small can inside a larger can. Put ice around the small can, and add some rock salt. Seal the lids of both cans with sturdy tape. Give the cans to your child, and say, “Trust me! If you roll this can around on the floor, you’ll get a fantastic surprise.”

After 15 minutes, take the cans back, pour off the water, stir the ice cream, add more ice and salt, reseal the lids, and ask your child to roll the can around for another 10 minutes. Then share the treat with your child, and talk about the rewards of trusting God.

Talking to GodFind examples of trust in nature. For example, spiders trust that their webs will hold them off the ground, and squirrels trust that they’ll gather enough nuts to last the winter. Take

pictures or make sketches of your finds. Create a trust collage with the pictures as a tribute to God’s trustworthiness. Thank God for being trustworthy to all of creation.

Kids CraftsMake sculptures from toothpicks and marshmallows. Practice trusting each other by passing around the delicate structures for each family member to hold and examine. Tell each other

about your creations, and make sure each one is safely returned to its designer.

Key Verse“No eye has seen, no ear has

heard, and no mind has imagined

what God has prepared for those

who love him”

(1 Corinthians 2:9b).

Leaders of the Faith 6:We can trust God.

Key Verse“If we are unfaithful, he remains

faithful, for he cannot deny who

he is” (2 Timothy 2:13).

This week your child learned that we can trust God. Children discovered that God will never let them down—he always does what he says he’ll do. God is always trustworthy even though people sometimes let each other down.

Bible StoryAbram moves to a new land.

Genesis 12:1-7

bible point we can trust god. bible verse growing closer to...

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