October 17, 2010 Newlife Toddler – 3 years
Basic Truth: God loves me.
Key Question: Who helps you?
Bottom Line: God helps me.
Memory Verse: “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid.” Deuteronomy 31:6, NLT
Bible Story Focus: God can keep you safe. Rahab and the Spies • Joshua 2:1-22, 6:1-25
Note: Have fun with the capes from Week 1. Encourage your children to wear them every
Sunday in October as they pretend to be a hero.
Make It Fun
A I Spy
What You Do: Play a game of “I Spy” with the children. Use descriptive words that are familiar
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with preschoolers, such as colors, shapes, sizes, etc.
What You Say:
During the activity: “I spy with my little eyes something that is blue! I spy with my little eyes
T something that is fluffy! I spy with my little eyes something that you sit on.”
At the end of the activity: “When we spy something, it means we are using our eyes to look at it.
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We used our eyes to spy on all kinds of things in our classroom. In our Bible story today, some men
use their eyes to spy on a large city full of people.”
V Sign of Courage
What You Need: A red scarf.
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What You Do: Hide the red scarf in the room for the children to find. Hide it up high and down
low. Begin by hiding it in places that the children can find easily, and then make it more difficult
to find each time.
T What You Say:
At the start of the activity: “The spies from God’s army told Rahab that, because she saved them,
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they would make sure she stayed safe too. They told her to hang a red scarf (hold up the red
scarf) outside her window. When the time came for them to attack her city, they would look for
the red scarf and save her family. Let’s pretend to be in God’s army and our job is to find
E Rahab’s red scarf.”
At the end of the activity: “Rahab believed that God is the ONE, TRUE God. That is what helped
S her be so strong and courageous. She became a hero! When you believe that God is the ONE,
TRUE God, you can count on God to help you be a hero too. Who can you count on? I can
always count on God!”
Make It Stick
M Rahab’s House
What You Need: “Rahab’s House”, crayons, red cloth, glue sticks.
What You Do:
A During the activity: Encourage children to color in the picture of Rahab’s house as you review the
Bible story. Let children glue a piece of red fabric on the window in the picture.
K What You Say: “This is a picture of Rahab’s house from our Bible story today. Rahab was a big
helper to the two spies in our story today. She helped keep them safe from the mean people in
Jericho. Do you remember where she hid the spies? (Pause) That’s right! She hid them on the
E roof. Can you point to the roof in this picture? (Pause) The spies told her to put a red scarf in her
window after they left so she could be safe. Let’s glue a red scarf on her window. Rahab
believed in God and knew that God would help her and keep her safe, which He did! Her house
was still standing when then walls of the city fell down! God is good! He kept her safe. God helps
me. Who helps you? God helps me.”
Make It True
Bible Story
What You Need: A Bible and a red strip of cloth.
S (Before the story decide on a place in the story area where you will tie the red cloth at the right
time. You really need to think about the sneaking, whispering, and other dramatic elements you
T will act out for the children.)
STORYTELLER: “Good morning! Raise your hand if you had a good week. (Kids respond.) Raise
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your hand if you are having fun at church. (Kids respond.) (Note: At this age, they will raise their
hand with you. The goal is to get them engaged and listening to you.)
R “I’m having fun, too! I love to go to church. I have a really good story to tell you today. It’s a story
from the Bible. (Hold up your Bible.) Are you ready to hear my story? (Kids respond.)
Y “Okay, here we go! Our story today is about a woman named Rahab (RAY-hab) and three spies
(whisper and draw out the word ‘spies’ each time you say it). You see, these three spies were the
good guys. They followed God. They were in the army that obeyed God. They were the good
guys.
& “One day the spies went into a really bad city. They were sneaking around. (Sneak on your tippy
toes, act like you are spying, and whisper.) Shh. Don’t tell anyone about the spies. (Have the kids
hold up a finger to their lips and ‘shh’ with you.) Shh. They don’t want anyone to see them. They
were sneaking into the bad city to check things out. You see, God had told them He would help
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them wipe out (make a ‘splat’ noise by clapping your hands together) this bad city.
“Shh. Don’t tell anyone about the spies. (Have the kids hold up a finger to their lips and ‘shh’ with
O you.) Shh.
R
“These spies needed a place to hide. The bad guys were looking for them! They took off through
the city looking for a place when they came to Rahab’s house.
S “Rahab knew that they were good men. She knew that these spies believed in God. Rahab
helped the men. She let them hide on her roof. She kept them safe.
H “Shh. Don’t tell anyone about the spies. (Have the kids hold up a finger to their lips and ‘shh’ with
you.) Shh.
I “Well, the mean soldiers came along and knocked on her door. (Knock on something.) They
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were trying to find the spies, but Rahab did not tell them (dramatically shake your head back
and forth) where they were. She kept them hidden.
“Shh. Don’t tell anyone about the spies. (Have the kids hold up a finger to their lips and ‘shh’ with
you.) Shh.
“The spies were going to sneak out the window and go back to their army. Before they left,
Rahab told them that she knew that they served a big, strong God. She asked if God would help
her, too. She asked if God would keep her safe.
“The spies told her to tie a red cloth in her window. Then when they came back to wipe out the
bad city, God would keep her safe. So that’s what she did. (Pick up a cloth and tie it.) She took a
red cloth and tied it in her window. Then, just like they had said, when the soldiers came back
and God wiped out the whole city (make a ‘splat’ noise by clapping your hands together),
Rahab and her whole family were safe.
“The whole city was wiped out (make a ‘splat’ noise by clapping your hands together), but not
Rahab’s house. God helped Rahab, and God can help you too. Who helps you?”
KIDS and STORYTELLER: “God helps me!”
STORYTELLER: “God helps you. God will help keep you safe, just like He kept Rahab safe. God
loves you, and He loves to help you. I am so glad God helps you and [Bottom Line] God helps
me! Let’s fold our hands together and pray. Let’s thank God for helping us.”
Prayer
STORYTELLER: “Dear God, You are a really big God. We know that You can do amazing things.
We know that You can do anything. We trust You. Thank You so much for helping us. Amen.”
Worship
What You Need: A CD player; “My God Is So Big,” and the motions for the song.
WORSHIP LEADER: “God took good care of Rahab. He kept her safe. God helped Rahab, and He
will help you, too. Who helps you?”
KIDS and WORSHIP LEADER: “God helps me!”
WORSHIP LEADER: “Yes! I’m so glad that God will help me. He is big and strong and helps me all
day long! Let’s sing together!”
(Walk them through the motions and then lead them to sing the song to the tune of “B-I-N-G-O.”
Repeat it several times, getting faster and slower. Make it fun!)
God is big and strong
“I know my God is big and strong (both pointer fingers pointing straight up in the air with one arm
coming down to flex a muscle on ‘big’ and the other arm coming down to flex a muscle on
‘strong’).
He helps me all day long. (Stretch out your arms and stretch out the word ‘long.’ Slow the song a
little on this line, and then speed up the ending lines.)
God is big and strong (both pointer fingers pointing straight up in the air with one arm coming
down to flex a muscle on ‘big’ and the other arm coming down to flex a muscle on ‘strong’).
Helps me all day long. (Stretch out your arms and stretch out the word ‘long.’)
Nothing He can’t do. (Cross your arms back and forth in front of you several times like an umpire
calling safe while shaking your head ‘no.’)
God helps me, and God helps you.” (Point to yourself and then out to the kids.)
WORSHIP LEADER: “I love to sing with you guys. I love to sing about our big, strong God. He loves
you very much and will always help you. Who helps you?”
KIDS and WORSHIP LEADER: “God helps me!”
WORSHIP LEADER: “Let’s sing about our big, strong God!”
Lead children in singing “My God Is So Big.”
WORSHIP LEADER: “Thank you so much for singing with me! I can’t wait to sing with you guys
again next week!”
Get Ready to Dismiss
God helps me.