God Made You Special!
Devotion #2 for Children
As parents, we take great
pains to prepare our children for school and to ensure their
academic success but what efforts are we taking to prepare our
children for life ... to build character and values of the next
generation? Family devotions is one of many ways. This section of
the book "Building the Next Generation" consists of 20 family
devotions that give you ideas on how to relate the word of God to
your children and how to dramatise stories from the Bible.
The following is a sample dramatised family devotion for
preschoolers and early primaries.
Needs Connection
Preschoolers and early primaries begin to notice that they can
do some things better than their sibling(s) and vice versa. It will
be good for your children to realise that God has made each of them
different and unique. Each is special in God's eyes and yours.
Art Charade: Guess the Animals
God said, "Let us make man in our image to be responsible for
the animals." So God made man from the dust of the ground and
breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life and man became
alive.
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| God brought all the animals to Adam to give them names. |
Draw each picture of the animals in stages and see if the
children can "name" (guess) the animals. |
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After the children had correctly "named" the animal, have them
imitate how the animal sounds and pantomime how that animal
walks.
Ask, "Can you swim like a fish ... fly like a bird ... waddle like
a duck ... leap like a deer ... gallop like a horse ... walk like a
spider ... crawl like a snake?" |
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Dramatisation
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| But for Adam there was not found a helper suitable
for him. |
Have a child pretend to be Adam trying to talk to the "animals"
(the other children) and the only response obtained were roaring,
chirping, snorting, etc. They could not talk back! |
| Adam felt lonely. He needed another person to love and to love
him. |
Ask, "What did Adam look like when he was lonely?" |
| God caused Adam to fall asleep then He took one of
his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. |
Have your son lie down on the floor and close his
eyes. |
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(You) pretend to take a rib from his side then present "Eve"
(mother/daughter) to him. |
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Music and Songs
Ask, "How is man different from animals?"
Have the children sing these words to the tune of "Old McDonald
Had A Farm" to reinforce the uniqueness of man and his
relationship to His Creator.
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I'm so glad God made my brain,
Thank you, thank you, Lord.
And with my brain
I name each beast,
Each and every one.
I name you "cat"
and I name you "dog,"
Here a "hen," there a "duck,"
Everyone I pat, pat.
I'm so glad God made my brain,
Thank you, thank you, Lord.
contd on next column ...
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I'm so glad God made my mouth,
Thank you, thank you, Lord.
And with my mouth
I praise the Lord,
Praise you, praise you, Lord.
With a "Hallelujah" here
and a "Hallelujah" there,
Here I praise, there I praise,
Everywhere I praise, praise.
I'm so glad God made my mouth
Thank you, thank you, Lord.
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| God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of
the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat
from it you shall surely die." |
Ask, "Will they love the Lord?" "Will they obey God's command
not to eat from that tree?"
Say, "We will continue the story in next week's family
devotions."
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Questions to Ask Your Children
- Who made each of us?
- Have the children take turns to tell how each member of the
family is different and unique.
For younger children, ask them to name something that he/she likes
to do or can do well.
- How can we love God (c.f., John 14:21)?
- What are some commands we have to obey?
Arts and Crafts
Fold an A4 size white drawing paper into half like a greeting
card.
Have the children write their names on the front of the "card"
using a glue stick. Guide them to sprinkle small pieces of coloured
construction paper onto the card. The coloured paper will stick to
the glue.
The child can draw a picture of himself (or write a message on what
is unique about himself) on the inside of the card. Write for the
younger children and read to them what you have written.
Guided conversation ideas:
- Do you like your name?
- Would you like to know what your name means?
- Do you think that there is another person in the world with the
same name?
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Say, "It is possible that there is another person who has the
same name as you." Ask, "But do you think that person looks and
talks like you?"
Say, "God made you unique and special. There is no one exactly
like you in this whole wide world."
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