Hannah and Samuel Unit
Hannah and Samuel Unit Bible Truth: We can listen to God and talk to God. Bible Verse: “I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying…” Psalm 85:8 Bible Basis: 1 Samuel 1, 2, & 3 Children will learn: • We can listen to God and talk to God. • How Hannah talked to God when she was sad. • We can listen to God and thank God. • To thank God for meeting basic needs such as food and shelter. • How Hannah thanked God for Samuel. • We can listen to God as we grow. • Ways they’ve grown on the inside as well as the outside. • Samuel grew as he listened and learned about God. • We can listen to God and obey Him. • How Samuel answered God’s call to him. Lessons: 09/24/17 – God hears Hannah’s prayer 10/01/17 – Hannah gives Samuel back to God 10/08/17 – Samuel grows up at the House of the Lord 10/15/17 – Samuel listens and obeys For our next unit in the preschool area we will be studying Hannah and Samuel. Although 3 and 4 year olds may not hear the audible voice of God as Samuel did, they’re excited to hear and learn about God at church. They recognize the Bible as God’s Word, and they are learning that they can talk to God through prayer. A preschooler’s vocabulary grows exponentially from their 2nd birthday to their 4th birthday. As your child is learning new words, introduce them to prayer words and phrases such as “Dear God” and “Amen.” This helps them become familiar with praying and reinforces the concept that we can talk to God. We hope this unit will encourage our preschoolers to begin building lifelong communication with God.
Prayer Poster: Create a unique Prayer Poster by having your child decorate a poster board with crayons or markers. Then search through your photos or pictures in magazines for pictures of family members and other people to pray for. Help your child tape the pictures to the decorated Prayer Poster, and pray for these people daily. Remind your child that we can talk to God anytime and anywhere and that He hears our prayers. Time to Pray Timer: To teach your child to pray all throughout their day, set a kitchen timer or alarm clock to buzz several times throughout the day. Each time the alarm sounds, take a moment to cuddle with your child and pray a simple prayer with them. Here’s one you might try: Dear God, We thank you that you’re near; And when we pray you always hear. We love you. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Thankful Prayer Walk: Go for a walk through your neighborhood. As you pass each house, thank God for the family that lives there. You can also thank God for the plants and animals He has created for us to enjoy as you see things. Samuel’s Vest: After you read the Bible story about Samuel, remind your child how Samuel wore a special linen vest when he lived at the house of the Lord. Then use a paper grocery sack and help your child make their own special vest. Cut a front opening and neck and arm holes in the paper sack. Let your child decorate their vest with art supplies you have available such as crayons, scraps of materials, stickers, etc. Family Board Games: Play a simple board game, such as Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders. Before you play, read the rules. Point out that everyone has more fun when we follow the rules. After you all play the game, thank God for giving us rules to help and protect us. Snack/Treat to Eat: Cones of Plenty - Have your child wash their hands, and then set out a bowl of berries or some of their favorite fruit. Give them an empty sugar cone or ice cream cone, and let them put fruit in their cone until it is completely full. As children eat the fruit, talk about how God fills our lives with good things. Remind them that we can listen to God and thank God for all the good things He gives us. Telephone Game: God calling Samuel in the middle of the night is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. When Eli finally figures out that it’s the Lord speaking to Samuel, he tells Samuel to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:9). What great advice! The Lord wants us to be ready and eager to hear him anytime—day or night. Construct an old-school “telephone” by using plastic or paper cups, string and tape. Kite string or yarn works well. Once you gather the needed materials, poke a small hole in the bottom of each cup with a pencil. Thread the string through each hole, tie a large knot and then tape the
knot on the bottom of the inside of the cups. When you pull the string tight, you’ll be able to hear each other when one person speaks softly into the cup and another person listens with the cup to his ear. See if you can say special messages to each other around the corner of a wall or down the stairs. Put the string under furniture or through the banister and see if it works. How long can you make the string and still communicate with each other? When you’re done experimenting, ask your child: • What was the hardest part of communicating using the old-fashioned telephone? • God doesn’t speak to us through cups (although he could). What ways does God speak to us today? (Through the Bible; through godly advice from parents or pastors; through our prayers; through circumstances.) • Because of the way that God communicates with us today, does it make reading the Bible and going to church more important? How can you make these two activities more of a priority in your life? • What do you think you’d do if you heard a voice in the night calling your name? What do you think God wants you to do for him? Song: We Can Talk to God (Sung to the tune of Jesus Loves Me. Adapted from Philippians 4:6-7) We can talk to God each day (Point upward.) When we fold our hands and pray. (Fold hands.) God will hear each word we say, (Cup hand besides ears) Every night and every day. (Close eyes and then open them.) We talk to God. (Touch fingers to lips; then point upward.) We talk to God. (Touch fingers to lips; then point upward.) We talk to God. (Touch fingers to lips; then point upward.) Each time we start to pray. (Fold hands.) Books to explore: There are a lot of wonderful books at the library and at stores like LifeWay and Cedar Springs Christian Bookstore. Here are just a few you might check out or you can read these stories from a children’s Bible: Hannah Prays to God (Famous People of the Bible) Board book by Simi Lu Famous Bible Stories Samuel's Surprise (Board Books series) by Carine MacKenzie Hannah: The Mother Who Prayed by Mackenzie, Carine The Boy Who Listened: The Story of Samuel by Mackenzie, Carine Samuel - LifeWay Reader by Kovacs, Victoria Prayer: Dear God, thank you for loving us so much and for listening to us anytime we need to talk to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer Poster: Create a unique Prayer Poster by having your child decorate a poster board with crayons or markers. Then search through your photos or pictures in magazines for pictures of family members and other people to pray for. Help your child tape the pictures to the decorated Prayer Poster, and pray for these people daily. Remind your child that we can talk to God anytime and anywhere and that He hears our prayers. Time to Pray Timer: To teach your child to pray all throughout their day, set a kitchen timer or alarm clock to buzz several times throughout the day. Each time the alarm sounds, take a moment to cuddle with your child and pray a simple prayer with them. Here’s one you might try: Dear God, We thank you that you’re near; And when we pray you always hear. We love you. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Thankful Prayer Walk: Go for a walk through your neighborhood. As you pass each house, thank God for the family that lives there. You can also thank God for the plants and animals He has created for us to enjoy as you see things. Samuel’s Vest: After you read the Bible story about Samuel, remind your child how Samuel wore a special linen vest when he lived at the house of the Lord. Then use a paper grocery sack and help your child make their own special vest. Cut a front opening and neck and arm holes in the paper sack. Let your child decorate their vest with art supplies you have available such as crayons, scraps of materials, stickers, etc. Family Board Games: Play a simple board game, such as Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders. Before you play, read the rules. Point out that everyone has more fun when we follow the rules. After you all play the game, thank God for giving us rules to help and protect us. Snack/Treat to Eat: Cones of Plenty - Have your child wash their hands, and then set out a bowl of berries or some of their favorite fruit. Give them an empty sugar cone or ice cream cone, and let them put fruit in their cone until it is completely full. As children eat the fruit, talk about how God fills our lives with good things. Remind them that we can listen to God and thank God for all the good things He gives us. Telephone Game: God calling Samuel in the middle of the night is one of the most well-known stories in the Bible. When Eli finally figures out that it’s the Lord speaking to Samuel, he tells Samuel to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:9). What great advice! The Lord wants us to be ready and eager to hear him anytime—day or night. Construct an old-school “telephone” by using plastic or paper cups, string and tape. Kite string or yarn works well. Once you gather the needed materials, poke a small hole in the bottom of each cup with a pencil. Thread the string through each hole, tie a large knot and then tape the
knot on the bottom of the inside of the cups. When you pull the string tight, you’ll be able to hear each other when one person speaks softly into the cup and another person listens with the cup to his ear. See if you can say special messages to each other around the corner of a wall or down the stairs. Put the string under furniture or through the banister and see if it works. How long can you make the string and still communicate with each other? When you’re done experimenting, ask your child: • What was the hardest part of communicating using the old-fashioned telephone? • God doesn’t speak to us through cups (although he could). What ways does God speak to us today? (Through the Bible; through godly advice from parents or pastors; through our prayers; through circumstances.) • Because of the way that God communicates with us today, does it make reading the Bible and going to church more important? How can you make these two activities more of a priority in your life? • What do you think you’d do if you heard a voice in the night calling your name? What do you think God wants you to do for him? Song: We Can Talk to God (Sung to the tune of Jesus Loves Me. Adapted from Philippians 4:6-7) We can talk to God each day (Point upward.) When we fold our hands and pray. (Fold hands.) God will hear each word we say, (Cup hand besides ears) Every night and every day. (Close eyes and then open them.) We talk to God. (Touch fingers to lips; then point upward.) We talk to God. (Touch fingers to lips; then point upward.) We talk to God. (Touch fingers to lips; then point upward.) Each time we start to pray. (Fold hands.) Books to explore: There are a lot of wonderful books at the library and at stores like LifeWay and Cedar Springs Christian Bookstore. Here are just a few you might check out or you can read these stories from a children’s Bible: Hannah Prays to God (Famous People of the Bible) Board book by Simi Lu Famous Bible Stories Samuel's Surprise (Board Books series) by Carine MacKenzie Hannah: The Mother Who Prayed by Mackenzie, Carine The Boy Who Listened: The Story of Samuel by Mackenzie, Carine Samuel - LifeWay Reader by Kovacs, Victoria Prayer: Dear God, thank you for loving us so much and for listening to us anytime we need to talk to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
