Materials Needed for Today: • Painter’s Tape (1) • Journal (1) • Fun-shaped pen (1) • “Glasses” activity page (1) • Crayons (1 pack) • Stickers (1 strip) • Scissors (1) • Paper (2) • Pen (1) • Bible (1) *home item • Dress-up Clothes (assortment) *home item • Baskets (2) *home item • Smartphone timer (1) *home item • Baking Pan/Tray (1) *home item • Small items - office/craft supplies, candy, toys (10) *home item

PRESCHOOL DAY 4

D A Y

F O C U S V B S

FOUR P R E S C H O O L S M A L L G R O U P

B I B L E S T O R Y

Look at how we can talk to God, anytime, anywhere,

about anything. Prayer

Matthew 6:5-13; Jeremiah 29:12

M E M O R Y V E R S E

“Let us keep looking to Jesus.”Hebrews 12:2, NIrV

B O T T O M L I N E

Jesus wants to be my friend forever.

©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com 2©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com 2©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com 2©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com 2©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com 2

1. DRESSED UP OR NOT W H AT Y O U N E E D : Dress-up clothes (make sure to have some fancier clothes as well as casual ones, costumes, etc), two baskets, painter’s tape, a timer

W H AT Y O U D O : Place dress-up clothes in two baskets on one side of the room and a line of tape on the floor on the other. Set your timer for 20-30 seconds. (You may need to adjust the time depending on age of child.)

Time children as they go to the basket to put on dress up clothes. When the timer is up, they come back to the tape with whatever they had time to put on. Talk about all the things they found to wear. Ask the children if they need any of the fun dress-up clothes to talk to God. Repeat as long as there is interest.

W H AT Y O U S AY: “I found a lot of fun dress-up clothes for us to play a game with today. Come stand on the tape line. (Pause.) When I say your name, go to the basket and put on whatever you want until the timer dings. When the timer dings, come back to the tape. Let’s get ready to play!

“Okay, (call your child’s name), get ready and go! (Pause.) There’s the timer! Come back to the tape. Wow! Look at you! (Pause.) You look amazing in those special dress-up clothes! Let’s tell God thank you for a fun day today. Thank You, God! But do we need special clothes to talk to God? (Pause.) No! Let’s see if we can put our dress-up clothes back in the basket before the timer sounds. Ready, go! (Pause.) Let’s tell God one more time how much fun we are having. Thank You, God!

“We talked to God when we were wearing special clothes and when we weren’t! Jesus tells us that we don’t have to wear fancy clothes, shout through a megaphone, or talk to God in a special place. We can talk to God anytime, anywhere, about anything! Isn’t that awesome news? Jesus taught us how we can talk to God because He’s a good friend and loves us so much. In fact, Jesus loves us so much He wants to be our friend forever. Who wants to be your friend forever? Jesus wants to be my friend forever!”

D A Y

F O C U S V B S

FOUR P R E S C H O O L S M A L L G R O U P

B I B L E S T O R Y

Look at how we can talk to God, anytime, anywhere,

about anything. Prayer

Matthew 6:5-13; Jeremiah 29:12

M E M O R Y V E R S E

“Let us keep looking to Jesus.”Hebrews 12:2, NIrV

B O T T O M L I N E

Jesus wants to be my friend forever.

©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com 3©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com 3©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com 3©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com 3

JOURNAL AND PRAYERW H AT Y O U N E E D : Bible, journal, fun-shaped pen

W H AT Y O U S AY: (Open the Bible and lay it where the children can see it.)

“Jesus taught us something very special in our Bible story today. Let’s see if you remember.

“Did Jesus teach us how to talk to giraffes? (Pause.) Nooooo.

“Did Jesus teach us how to talk to teddy bears? (Pause.) Nooooo.

“Did Jesus teach us how to talk to God? (Pause.) Yes! Jesus taught us how to talk to God! Jesus said we can talk to God anytime, anywhere, about anything! That’s great news!

“Jesus is such a good, good friend! Let’s write in our prayer journal and talk to God.

(Hold journal and fun-shaped pen.)

“Today we are going to write anything we want in our prayer journal because we can talk to God about anything! So, I want you to say whatever you want to God and I will write it down.

“You can thank God for something. You can ask God for help. You can tell God you’re sorry for something you did. You can tell God you love Him. You can say anything you want!

(Encourage everyone to think of things to talk to God about. Write down what they say.)

“This is great! We can use this when we talk to God.

PRAYER“Dear God, You are so awesome! There is no one else like You. Thank You that we can talk to You anytime, anywhere, about anything. Today [person’s name] wants to tell You (read what they listed). (Repeat for everyone.) You are the best, God, and we love You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

The Lord’s Prayer

Bible Story: The Lord’s Prayer • Matthew 6:5-13 Bottom Line: You can PRAY anytime, anywhere, about anything. Memory Verse: “Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the one who started this journey of faith. And he is the one who completes the journey of faith.” Hebrews 12:2a (NIrV)

FOCUS What You Need: paper, pens, and a baking pan/tray of theme-related items such as office supplies, candy items, or craft supplies What You Do:

• Give each child a piece of paper and a pen. • Tell the kids your assistant (parent or older sibling) will walk around the room with a tray of

items. The kids’ task is to write down what they see (be precise with your wording here). Have your assistant walk around the room with the tray, allowing ample time for kids to write down the majority of items on the tray.

• Once kids have viewed the tray, have your assistant leave the room. Then tell kids they can use their notes or memories to answer questions. Ask questions related to the assistant such as: What color were his shoes? Was she wearing earrings? Was he wearing a watch?

• Then call your assistant back into the room to reveal the answers. Kids will realize their focus on the tray contents was so narrow that they missed the obvious.

What You Say: “Great job today! In this game, you had to focus on certain items, even with distractions. Do you tend to focus on fear, jealousy, or grades? Name a few things you may miss out on when you focus on one thing or only on the negative. There are many things that can distract us from what is most important. But when we focus on God first and spend time with Him in prayer, we’re able to see all he’s blessed us with each day.” [Bottom Line] “You can PRAY anytime, anywhere, about anything. You can always stop and pray, no matter where you are. You can be in school, at home, or even in the car. [Make It Personal] (Tell kids about your favorite time and place to pray.) I am so thankful that we can have direct access to God through Jesus. He loves us and knows everything anyway, so we can trust Him and go to Him anytime, anywhere, and talk to Him about anything.” Cool Down Questions: As you finish the game, use the following questions to keep the conversation going and to keep kids thinking about what they’re learning!

• Where do you often like to pray? • Why do you think Jesus gave us a model of how to pray?

©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com 1

HOME ACTIVITY | DAY 4

Bible Story: Look at how we can talk to God, anytime, anywhere, about anything Prayer • Matthew 6:5-13; Jeremiah 29:12Bottom Line: Jesus wants to be my friend forever.Memory Verse: “Let us keep looking to Jesus.” Hebrews 12:2, NIrV

1. LOOK AT THOSE GLASSES

What You Need: “Glasses” Activity Page, dot markers or crayons, stickers, paper, and a pen

What You Do: • Print the “Glasses” Activity Page and encourage children to decorate their glasses.

What You Say: “We have been learning that we can look to Jesus to learn more about Him. We can read all about Jesus in the Bible.

“Look at the fun glasses on your paper. Let’s decorate them to help us remember to keep looking to Jesus because He wants to be our friend forever.

Because Jesus is our good friend, He wanted us to know how to talk to God. Jesus taught us we can talk to God anytime, anywhere, about anything. Who wants to be your friend forever? Jesus wants to be my friend forever.”

Eyeglasses • Can You See It? • Crafts • Focus Day 3Copy on cardstock and cut out the glasses outline and lenses. One per child.

CURRICULUM FOR 2- YEAR OLDS • ©2019 The reThink Group. All rights reserved. • www.OrangeVBS.com

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©2019 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. www.OrangeVBS.com 8

S N AC K S | DAY 4

Bible Story: The Lord’s Prayer • Matthew 6:5-13Bottom Line: You can PRAY anytime, anywhere, about anything.

1. PRAYER PRETZELSWhat You Need: Napkins; thick, large twisted pretzels like these

What You Do:

• Give each child a pretzel or two to enjoy.• As children enjoy their snack, point out how the center of a pretzel looks like arms folded in prayer.

Show the children what you mean by folding your arms in front of your chest.

What You Say:

“When we talk to God, it’s called prayer. And the awesome thing about God is that He never clocks out. He doesn’t sleep or take a vacation. That means that [Bottom Line] you can PRAY anytime, anywhere, about anything.

There isn’t anything you can’t tell Him, any time you can’t reach Him, or any place He won’t hear you. God is always ready to hear from us when we when talk to Him.”

2. PRAY S’MORESWhat You Need: Mini graham crackers (like Honey Maid® Lil’ Squares®) or Teddy Grahams; small marshmallows; chocolate chips; zip-top bags

What You Do:

• Place some mini graham crackers or Teddy Grahams, a few marshmallows, and some chocolate chips into individual zip-top bags.

• Encourage each child to grab a bag of snacks to enjoy.

What You Say:

“Have you ever made a s’more? This is our own snack version of a s’more to remind you that [Bottom Line] you can

TALK to God anytime, anywhere, about anything. Remember when it comes to talking to God, you can pray and pray and pray s’more! You can talk to God in your room, in the car, sitting at your desk, or on the ball field. You can talk to God anytime: before you head out the door, before you eat your lunch, or before your head hits the pillow at the end of the day. No subject or place or time is off limits. So pray and pray and pray s’more this week because [Bottom Line] you can TALK to God anytime, anywhere, about anything.”

Conversation Guidefor Parents of Prechoolers

Faith. How we talk about faith at each phase of a person’s life matters in how they’ll think about faith in the phases to come. Preschoolers use their five senses to experience the world around them. In this phase, you can help them develop authentic faith by inciting wonder. You will give them the foundations for their faith in the way you respond with concrete examples and by letting them explore God’s creation. As they grow and mature into adolescents you’ll be able to unpack abstract concepts more deeply. For now, be as simple as possible, and remember that your role in the preschool phase is to . . .

This guide is designed to help you connect with your child in the phase they are in, by giving you some words to say to introduce them to faith. As the conversation progresses through the phases, always keep this end goal in mind for your kid:

Trusting Jesus in a way that transforms how I love God, myself, and the rest of the world.

In the new baby phase, say things like . . .

“God, thank You for this healthy baby.” (Pray aloud while you are with your baby.) “Jesus loves me.” (Sing songs while you hold your baby.) “We are going to church.” (Connect with a faith community.)

In the following preschool years, say things like . . .

“God made you. God loves you. Jesus wants to be your friend forever.”“God, thank you for . . .” “God, please help us . . .”“Let’s read about how God made the world.” “Are you scared? Let’s talk to God about it.” “How did the Samaritan take care of his neighbor?” (Talk about what your preschooler learns at church.)“Can you let your friend have a turn?” (Prompt them to share.) “Isn’t that wonderful? Let’s thank God for it.” “Do not be afraid, for the Lord your God is with you.” Joshua 1:9 (Repeat simple Bible verses.)

Incite Wonder So they will KNOW GOD’S LOVE AND MEET GOD’S FAMILY.

Just Remember . . . Every phase is a timeframe in a kid’s life when you can leverage distinctive opportunities to influence their future. The preschool years are the wonder years. You can incite their wonder by exploring the world side-by-side with your child. Your child listens to your words, so this phase is the perfect time to begin talking, singing, and reading out loud with your toddler about faith. And as they get older—three, four, five—and have questions about so many things, including faith questions, answer as simply as possible.

For more information onThe Phase Project and othergreat parent resources, visit theParentCue.org©2018 The Phase Project.All rights reserved.

This guide is based on research from The Phase Project, a collaborative, ongoing e!ort, assembling classic and innovative research with practical application.To discover more ways to understand your child’s phase, check out the Parenting Your . . . book series at parentcuestore.org.

To enhance the conversation,here are a few activities your family can try:

Print photos of family members and friends and place them in an inexpensive album. Let your preschooler flip through the book while you lead them in praying for the people they see in the pictures.

Create a playlist of your child’s favorite praise and worship songs. Demonstrate connecting with God through song by dancing and singing with your preschooler on a regular basis. Don’t know where to find great, kid-friendly music? Check out ParentCueStore.org or Orange Kids Music in iTunes.

Pray consistently with your preschooler. Demonstrate that prayer is having a conversation with God by using a pretend telephone during your prayer time. Take turns “dialing” (starting the prayer) and “hanging up” (ending the prayer). Let your preschooler use their own words and language, but feel free to prompt them if they get distracted or stall out.

Tell your child simple Bible stories and repeat favorite memory verses. (Use the Parent Cue App for help!) Explain simply that stories from the Bible are true, and show us how to live.