Lesson Objective:
Children will learn that God created the world in 7 days.
Scripture:
Genesis 1 and 2
Arrival:
As the children arrive, greet them and show them to the singing area of the classroom. Take favorites, and close with “My God Is So Big!”
Prayer Time:
Take prayer requests and pray for them. Remember to pray for the lesson time as well.
Lesson:
Point to something in the classroom, and ask who made it (a factory, a person, etc.) Then, break the item down into its parts. For instance, you could point to a desk. The desk was made in a factory, but where did the wood come from? (a tree) Who made the tree? (God). The point is to show that God indirectly created everything around us. Ask the children if they think it would take a long time to make a desk. Describe the process and show that it takes a long time.
As the children who made the world. Someone in the class should answer correctly. (God). Ask them if they think it would be hard to make the whole world. Tell them you are going to show them in the Bible how God made the world.
Read Genesis 1:1. Tell the children that God made the world in just seven days, and all He did was speak and the world was made. Walk the children through each day of creation. Be sure to make a big deal out of “God spoke, and it happened.” This shows God’s tremendous power.
Day 1 – God said, “Let there be light.” On this day He made light and dark as well as the earth.
Day 2 – Separated the waters, which means He made the seas (waters below) and the atmosphere (waters above).
Day 3 – Dry land and plants.
Day 4 – Sun, moon, stars, planets
Day 5 – Flying creatures and sea creatures
Day 6 – Land animals and man
Answers in Genesis offers a fun way to draw these events to help the children remember the days of creation. Emphasize that at the end of each day of creation, God looked at what He had made and said it was very good.
On day 7, God rested. Emphasize that God is not like man in that He needs to rest, but His creation was done, and He was giving us an example, as we are to spend one day a week resting and reflecting on His goodness.
As you teach this lesson, be sensitive to the fact that some children will be confused because of the teaching of evolution in their schools. Answer their questions as factually as you can, but you may want to tell them to ask their parents if they have extended questions about this.
Game:
Print off pictures of things that are part of creation week (heavenly bodies, animals, plants, people, light, dark, water, fish, etc.) Hide them around the classroom. Place the numbers 1 through 7 on the chalkboard and allow children to find the pictures and place them near the correct number to represent the day of creation when God made that item. Be sure to include something to represent rest, such as a picture of a bed, for day 7.
Memory Verse:
Have the children repeat Genesis 1:1 several times. This is an easy verse, so allow some volunteers to practice it after you quote it several times as a group.
Craft Time:
Because the game for this lesson will take a while, craft time will be a simple coloring page and word search, which you can find here.
Dismissal:
Remind the children that God is a great God, and made this world perfect for us. To show our thankfulness, we should protect the world by taking care of it. Ask the children questions about the lesson, focusing on the days of creation.