fourth & fifth gradersSpiritual Characteristics of this Age Group:4th Grade
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Scripture• The Bible has two parts: Old and New Testaments
• Hear Bible stories about people who tried to live as God wanted • Practice holding a Bible • Say and sing Bible verses • Associate Bible stories read with reading out of the same book that is at home, worship, and Sunday school. • Observe adults reading from the Bible/Bible story book. • Genesis 1:31 (God saw what God created and it was good) • Psalm 100:1-2 (Make a joyful noise to the Lord) • Matthew 7:12 (Love your neighbor as we love ourselves) • 1 John 4:19 (We love because God first loves us) What would you add? Music• Using audio songs and instruments to hear rhythms and recognize songs about God • Be Still and Know • He’s God the Whole World in His Hands • God Is So Good • The Lord is My Shepherd • This Little Light of Mine • Spirit of the Living God • Jesus Loves the Little Children • I’ve Got the Joy…. Down in my heart • Johnny Appleseed • Praise Him, Praise Him • Away in a Manger • Go Tell It On the Mountain • The B-I-B-L-E • Joyful, Joyful, we adore the – 1st verse • For the Beauty of the Earth – 1st verse What would you add? PrayerPrayer
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What Stories
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Concepts with this Age Group
Discovering God’s Gift – 4th Grade/5th Grade
“Wonderfully Made” Human Sexuality Discovery Weekend
Help preteens learn they are wonderfully made with this faith and sexuality education program.
The Participant Book is a resource that will help children ages 10-12 understand their bodies, the changes they are going through, and how God loves them now and always. As children mature physically, this is a time to partner home and congregation to make sure that the children we love have good information, clear and consistent values, and support.
This session will explain sexual anatomy as well as the different aspects of puberty. Additionally, the book will discuss the influence of social media on sexual desire and decision making. Parents experience portions of the weekend together.
Connecting our Faith - 4th Grade/5th Grade - “Justice Seekers” Stewards in the World
Stewardship and service. The primary purpose is to help the children see the connection between what we learn in church and our actions. Sharing and making a difference in people’s lives are hallmarks of living a Christian life. What we learn about God and Jesus are important foundations, but there is more to being a Christian than just showing up on Sunday morning. Sunday morning is our “practice”; we play the game when we walk out of the church and into the rest of our week. We talk about being cheerful givers and the ways we can serve through our offerings and special gifts.
Each child is given a list of possible ways to serve others. Each possibility must be age appropriate. If the service project is one that will involve adults, it is clearly noted. Contact information (who one calls to get involved) is provided. The children are given two months to complete their projects.On a specific Sunday, the children and what they have experienced are listed in the bulletin. They are recognized for their service, and the congregation is challenged to “go and do likewise.” The intent of the Kids and Stewardship Milestone is also to help children and their caregivers escape a lifestyle of hyper-consumption by learning good money management early in life. Learning about money isn’t just about what we do with it. It is also about our attitudes toward money and recognizing it all belongs to God.
Participating in Worship – 5th Grade - “We Know and Can Lead Worship”
So many times, adults are uncomfortable having children, even their own children, in worship. Children often complain that worship is “boring” and that they do not know what is happening. This Milestone is designed to help counter some of this. In class we use the Sunday morning bulletin to get a sense of the liturgy. People are often surprised to discover that there is a predictable pattern and flow to the liturgy, and that there is a purpose to that pattern.
We learn the definitions of words, such as Doxology and Introit. We talk about the lectionary and how Scriptures are chosen. We also explore the hymnal and note that everything flows and fits together. Then the parents and their fifth-graders are invited to read the New Testament lesson for the day and decide what one thing they would tell others about that part of God’s Word on that day. We talk about the role of the preacher and how her job is to help the people think about God’s message to God’s people through the sermon.
The next part of this Milestone is to have the children and their teachers attend a worship service that is very different from our own. This is a wonderful time, and the children come away with great insights. The final piece is that the fifth-graders create their own worship service and lead it for a group of children and parents. They plan the prayers, the music, and the message.
“Wonderfully Made” Human Sexuality Discovery Weekend
Help preteens learn they are wonderfully made with this faith and sexuality education program.
The Participant Book is a resource that will help children ages 10-12 understand their bodies, the changes they are going through, and how God loves them now and always. As children mature physically, this is a time to partner home and congregation to make sure that the children we love have good information, clear and consistent values, and support.
This session will explain sexual anatomy as well as the different aspects of puberty. Additionally, the book will discuss the influence of social media on sexual desire and decision making. Parents experience portions of the weekend together.
Connecting our Faith - 4th Grade/5th Grade - “Justice Seekers” Stewards in the World
Stewardship and service. The primary purpose is to help the children see the connection between what we learn in church and our actions. Sharing and making a difference in people’s lives are hallmarks of living a Christian life. What we learn about God and Jesus are important foundations, but there is more to being a Christian than just showing up on Sunday morning. Sunday morning is our “practice”; we play the game when we walk out of the church and into the rest of our week. We talk about being cheerful givers and the ways we can serve through our offerings and special gifts.
Each child is given a list of possible ways to serve others. Each possibility must be age appropriate. If the service project is one that will involve adults, it is clearly noted. Contact information (who one calls to get involved) is provided. The children are given two months to complete their projects.On a specific Sunday, the children and what they have experienced are listed in the bulletin. They are recognized for their service, and the congregation is challenged to “go and do likewise.” The intent of the Kids and Stewardship Milestone is also to help children and their caregivers escape a lifestyle of hyper-consumption by learning good money management early in life. Learning about money isn’t just about what we do with it. It is also about our attitudes toward money and recognizing it all belongs to God.
Participating in Worship – 5th Grade - “We Know and Can Lead Worship”
So many times, adults are uncomfortable having children, even their own children, in worship. Children often complain that worship is “boring” and that they do not know what is happening. This Milestone is designed to help counter some of this. In class we use the Sunday morning bulletin to get a sense of the liturgy. People are often surprised to discover that there is a predictable pattern and flow to the liturgy, and that there is a purpose to that pattern.
We learn the definitions of words, such as Doxology and Introit. We talk about the lectionary and how Scriptures are chosen. We also explore the hymnal and note that everything flows and fits together. Then the parents and their fifth-graders are invited to read the New Testament lesson for the day and decide what one thing they would tell others about that part of God’s Word on that day. We talk about the role of the preacher and how her job is to help the people think about God’s message to God’s people through the sermon.
The next part of this Milestone is to have the children and their teachers attend a worship service that is very different from our own. This is a wonderful time, and the children come away with great insights. The final piece is that the fifth-graders create their own worship service and lead it for a group of children and parents. They plan the prayers, the music, and the message.