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Demo: Children's Church
Program: Foundations of Faith
Format: Children's Church
Quarter: Quarter One
Lesson 1: Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1–4:17)
Summary Verse: "O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens" (Psalm 8:1).
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Bible Message
10 min View
Bible Message
Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1–4:17)Supplies
- Bible
- green, orange, red, and white tissue paper (1 sheet of each color per child)
Tips
- Showing kids a real Bible and reading part of the story directly from the Bible helps kids know this isn’t just a made-up story—it’s found in God’s Word!
- Using “pair shares” where kids share with a partner ensures everyone gets a chance to answer the question—not just one or two kids.
Discuss
Say: Today we’ll learn that God is real. And we’ll learn about a guy named Moses who saw that firsthand when God got his attention in an unusual way.
Ask: • Tell about a time someone tried to get your attention. Have kids turn to a partner to share. Then ask a few kids to share with everyone.
Say: People try to get our attention all the time. But I bet you’ve never seen anything quite like what God did to get Moses’ attention!
Make a Burning Bush
Open your Bible to Exodus 3, and show kids the words.
Say: Let’s find out what God did one day when Moses was out taking care of some sheep in the desert.
Read Exodus 3:2-3.
Say: Normally when things are on fire, they burn up! But the bush wasn’t burning up. Let’s make bushes that don’t burn up.
Give each child a piece of each color of tissue paper. Show kids how to crumple the green paper to make a bush, then wave the orange paper all around it. Have kids set down their papers.
Say: The burning bush got Moses’ attention to start with—but when he got closer, God really got his attention. Moses heard God’s voice calling from the bush. “Moses! Moses!” And God asked Moses to do a big job: Save God’s people by helping them get free from the leader of Egypt. That guy was called Pharaoh, and he didn’t treat them well.
Moses was scared to do that job. He thought people might not believe God had sent him. But God said to tell people “I Am who I Am.” In other words: God is real! It was the real God who sent Moses to save people.
Make a Snake
Say: Moses still wasn’t totally sure. He asked God to give him signs—or miracles—that he could show people to prove that God is real and God sent him.
Read Exodus 4:1-4. Let’s see what that might have been like…well, a little bit!
Have kids uncrumple their bushes and roll up the green paper to make snakes. Let kids play around with throwing them on the ground and picking them up a couple of times. Then have kids sit down and set down the paper “snakes.”
Say: Our papers don’t change when we throw them on the ground and pick them up. But Moses’ staff—which is like a walking stick—turned into a real snake! God said if Moses showed that sign to people, they would know God is real.
Make Skin Spots
Say: Then God gave Moses another way to prove that God is real.
Read Exodus 4:6-7. Let’s act that out!
Have kids tear small pieces of white tissue paper and place them all over their hands and arms. Then have them cross their arms and then lift and wave them to make all the pieces fall off. Direct kids to move away from the papers.
Say: God said if people didn’t believe Moses based on the snake sign, Moses getting a skin disease and healing it before their eyes would prove God is real.
Make a Puddle of Bloody Water
Say: And just in case that wasn’t enough, God had one more sign.
Read Exodus 4:9. Time to act out this sign, too.
Have kids use the red tissue paper to make a puddle on the ground.
Say: These three signs, plus the burning bush, proved that God is real. Moses still didn’t want to do what God had asked. So God said his brother Aaron could help him.
We had to make fake versions of God’s amazing signs. But Moses saw real things from God! But we can see other true signs that God is real. If we watch for ways he’s working around us, we’ll see all kinds of evidence! For example, we can see God in the amazing things he’s made!
Ask kids to share the most amazing things they’ve seen in nature. After each one, lead kids in saying, “God is real!”
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Prayer
5 min View
Prayer
Prayer of Dependence on GodSupplies
- quiet worship music
- music player
Tip
- Find reflective worship music and other great DIG IN resources here.
Sit on a Chair and Pray
Say: God is real. Even if God doesn’t usually speak to us in a burning bush, like he did Moses, we can trust that God is real and likes to talk with us.
You see, God is our Abba Father. The word Abba means “Father” in the Aramaic language. That’s the language Jesus spoke when he lived on earth! Jesus called God “Abba” or Father.
Jesus made a way for us to call God “Abba,” too. When he died on the cross and came back to life again, Jesus welcomed all people who believe in him into God’s family.
God is an Abba Father we can always depend on. God supports us, so we can rest in his loving care. Like a chair supports us and gives us a solid place to rest, our Abba Father God supports us, too. No matter what we’re going through, we can rest and rely on him. Let’s rest with God now and tell God we depend on him.
Have kids sit comfortably on a chair or the floor. Play quiet worship music for a minute or so as kids simply sit on the chair, rest, and think about God.
Say: When we were little and needed a hug or wanted to be held, we’d raise our arms to a grown-up. Now as we sit and rest with God, let’s raise our arms to our Abba Father to show we need him, too. Have kids extend arms as you pray.
Pray: Abba Father, thank you for inviting us to be a part of your family. May we depend on you today and find rest, knowing that you love us and that you are real. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Say: God is our Father, and God is real.
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Overtime
10 min View
Overtime
Yeah? Prove It!Showcase Talents
Say: In today’s Bible story, Moses saw that God is real. God proved it with amazing signs like turning a staff into a snake! In this game, you’ll do amazing signs—or at least claim you can!
- Have kids line up shoulder to shoulder across the middle of the room.
- One at a time, kids will make a claim about something unique they can do, such as lick their elbows, do the splits, recite the books of the Bible, or other ideas.
- The claims may or may not be real!
- After each claim, all the other kids will vote on whether they think the claim is true or false by using thumbs-up or thumbs-down.
- The child who made the claim will either showcase the skill or admit it’s not real.
- Kids who guessed right will take one step forward; kids who guessed wrong will take one step back.
- Periodically say “God is real” and let all kids take a step forward to show they believe it’s true.
- Let the game keep going as long as needed to fill time until parents begin to arrive.
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Music Video
10 min View
Music Video
Priceless TreasureSupplies
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“Priceless Treasure” (watch or download here)
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“Made for This” (watch or download here)
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“No, Not One” (watch or download here)
Tip
- Don’t have internet in your classroom? That’s okay! You can choose your own worship songs from our Best Of Dig In Music DVD here.
Sing Songs to God
Sing the three songs in any order.
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Jesus Connection
10 min View
Jesus Connection
Always ThereSupplies
- washable black markers
- paper towels
- disposable cups of water
- scissors (for Easy Prep only)
Easy Prep
- Cut the paper towels into strips that are about 1x6 inches. You’ll need 1 strip for every 4 kids.
Tips
- You may want to test this with your black markers ahead of time. Different marker brands create a different effect, and some separate the colors better than others.
- Direct kids to make one solid line but not to color very heavily with the marker. The ink will separate more quickly and more visibly if there’s less ink on the paper towel.
Start an Experiment
Say: In the Bible, God talked to Job and reminded him that God is the Creator. In fact, the first words of the Bible are, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters.” Let’s start an experiment with darkness like that.
- Form mixed-age groups of four kids. If you don’t have very many kids, you can do this experiment all together as one group.
- Hand each group a cup half-filled with water, a paper towel strip, and a black washable marker.
- Have kids make a line of black marker about 1 inch from one end of the paper towel. Then collect the markers.
- Demonstrate how to set the marked end of the paper towel in the water, so the ink isn’t touching the water. Rest the long end of the paper towel over the rim of the cup. Have kids do the same in their groups.
- Allow a minute or so for kids to observe.
Watch Colors Separate
Ask: • What do you see happening with the ink?
Say: As we watch the experiment, let me share another Bible verse with you. This is from the New Testament—the part of the Bible that tells us about Jesus. John 1:1-2 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” When John says, “the Word,” he’s using another name for Jesus—God’s Son. Jesus was with God when God made the world.
Now, back to our experiment!
Ask: • What other colors are you starting to see on your paper towel?
• What does this tell you about the black ink?
Say: The black ink contains lots of colors. Say some of the colors kids are starting to see. Let’s think about this and what we’re learning about Jesus and God.
Ask: • How can this discovery remind us of Jesus and God at creation? Welcome kids’ questions and insights as they think and make deeper discoveries about Jesus being present at creation.
• What can this remind us about Jesus being with us today?
Say: God is the Creator. And his Son, Jesus, was right there with him when God created the heavens and earth. Jesus and God are the same but different. It’s kind of like how that one black mark had different colors in it. Jesus is with us today, too!
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Scripture Skills
10 min View
Scripture Skills
Breathe DeepSupplies
- Bibles
- “Hands-On Bible: Books of the Bible Poster Set” (purchase here)
Tips
- It may take a while for kids to find the Bible verse. That’s okay! This activity is primarily about building Bible navigation skills.
- If you have a lot of non-readers, have some picture Bibles on hand for them to flip through as older kids look up verses. They won’t look for anything specific, but they can look at the pictures to practice paging through Bibles.
Explore Isaiah 42:5
Say: God reminded Job that he created everything. God is the Creator. Let’s see what the Bible says about the things God created.
Make sure kids all have Bibles. Younger kids can sit with older kids so they can observe the skills of using their Bibles even before being able to read.
Say: Our Bible verse is in the book of Isaiah, chapter 42, verse 5. Let’s find the book of Isaiah. That’s in the Old Testament—which is the first part of the Bible. Open your Bible kind of near the middle. Allow time.
- Point to the book of Isaiah on the poster so kids can see the name and what books come before and after it.
- Mention that the chapter numbers are the big numbers, and help kids find the big 42 in Isaiah.
- Mention that the verse numbers are the small numbers, and help kids find the small 5 in Isaiah 42.
- When everyone has found the verse, ask someone to read Isaiah 42:5 aloud.
Say: God is the Creator. He gave life to everything we see—even us.
Breathe Deep
Say: The verse we read said God even gave us the breath we breathe. We don’t think about our breathing much, so let’s take some time to think about it now. Direct kids to spread out around the room and sit down.
Say: Pay attention to the air going in and out of your lungs as we take some deep breaths together.
- Encourage kids to each take a deep breath in as you slowly count to five, and then slowly exhale as you count to five again.
- Have kids take four or five breaths in this manner.
Say: It’s good to relax and take some nice deep breaths sometimes. But we don’t usually pay this much attention to our breathing. Let’s try something that makes us pay attention to it.
- Ask kids to stand up and have them do 15 jumping jacks.
- Encourage kids to run in place as you count slowly to 20.
- Direct kids to touch the floor and then jump as high as they can 5 times.
Say: Raise your hand if right now you’re paying a little more attention to your breathing than you usually do. Pause.
Ask: • Why do you think that is?
Say: We usually only notice our breath when it’s hard to breathe—like when we exercise!
Ask: • What are some other things in God’s creation that we don’t always notice?
• What makes us notice those things? If kids have trouble getting started, suggest things such as the sun beating down on you on a hot day or a really strong wind during a storm.
Say: We don’t always notice the things God created. But God is the Creator. Like Job, we can be amazed by God and realize he’s a lot bigger than us!
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Activity Pages
10 min View
Activity Pages with a Point
Amazing CreationSupplies
- “God Tells Job About His Creation” Activity Page (1 per reader) (download here)
- “God Tells Job About His Creation” Coloring Page (1 per non-reader) (download here)
- cellphone timer
- crayons
- star stickers (optional)
- three-hole punch and binders (optional)
Tip
- WARNING! Don’t just print and distribute! Here’s why.
Older Kids: Do an Activity Page
Say: We’re learning that God is the Creator. He made everything! I’m going to give you one minute to look at a picture and try to memorize it. It shouldn’t be too hard—it’s all things in nature that you’ve seen before.
Distribute activity pages facedown. When you say, “Go!” kids will flip them over and try to memorize everything about the picture while you time one minute. When time is up, have kids flip the papers facedown again.
Ask: • How many stars were in this picture? (none)
• What was the whale doing? (swimming with its mouth open)
• Is there an owl? (yes)
• How many frogs were there? (2)
• There’s a flock of smaller birds flying in the sky. How many birds in the flock? (6)
• Which of these animals was not in the picture: a giraffe, an elephant, a hippo, or an alligator? (alligator)
• How many trees were there? (13)
• There’s an animal peeking out from behind a bush. What kind of animal? (bunny)
• So what do you think? How easy or hard was this quiz?
• Why did you struggle to memorize everything about the picture?
• What can that show you about how Job felt when he tried to understand all that God had made?
Say: When Job had questions for God, God talked about all the things he’d made. And as Job realized that God is the Creator, he also realized God is a lot bigger than he could understand! This picture had too many details to memorize in one minute, and God has too many details for us to understand in a whole lifetime!
Younger Kids: Color a Coloring Page
Distribute the coloring pages and crayons. Say: God told Job about so many things he’s made! God is the Creator, so let’s color a picture of his creation.
Allow time for kids to color. If you have star stickers, kids can add those to the sky.
When kids finish coloring, three-hole-punch their pages and put them into binders, if desired.
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Bible Memory
10 min View
Bible Memory
Fills the EarthSupplies
- paper
- crayons
- painter’s tape
Tip
- If you have more than 10 kids, designate two walls and make two groups of kids who will do the activity simultaneously. For really large groups, have multiple kids tape their pictures at once, saying the verse for each group of kids that comes up.
Talk About God’s Creation
Say: In our Bible story, God reminded Job that God is the Creator. Let’s learn a Bible verse that tells us something about that!
The Bible has two main sections: the Old Testament, which tells about before Jesus was born, and the New Testament, which tells about after Jesus came. This verse comes from the Old Testament, in the book of Psalms.
Psalm 8:1 tells us, “O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.” Let’s say that together! Lead kids in saying the passage with you a few times, repeating one phrase at a time until kids feel comfortable.
Say: The word majestic is a way to describe someone special, like a king. When we say God’s name fills the earth, it’s like saying, “When I look at what you’ve made, I want to praise you!” This whole psalm talks about how God’s awesome creation—all the things that fill the earth—shows us how special God is.
Ask: • What are some of your favorite things God made?
• How can things like [some of the things kids named] show us that God is amazing?
Make a Creation Mural
Say: God is the Creator. His creations show us how powerful, creative, and incredible he is. Thinking about creation helped Job realize he could trust God even though he didn’t understand what was going on. Let’s praise God as we make one big creation picture.
- Hand out paper and crayons.
- Let kids quickly draw anything in nature they’d like.
- Designate a wall where kids will add their pictures, one at a time.
- One at a time, kids will tape their pictures to the wall, in the place that creation would go. For example, if a child drew a bird, he or she would tape the picture up high. A picture of a dog would go near the ground. (If kids can’t reach where their picture should go, you can help hang the pictures.)
- As kids hang their pictures, they can tell everyone what they drew.
- Each time a child adds a picture, everyone will say the verse together like a joyful praise as they watch the creation picture take shape!
- When everyone has added a picture, cheer the verse together one more time.
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Take-Home
0 min View
Take-Home
Dig In @ HomeSupplies
- this week’s “Dig In @ Home” handout (1 per child) (download here)
Easy Prep
- Add your church announcements to the “Dig In @ Home” handout.
Distribute a copy of the “Dig In @ Home” handout to kids as they leave, or email it to parents during the week.
Lesson 2: God Tells Job About His Creation (Job 38–39; Psalm 8)
Summary Verse: "O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens" (Psalm 8:1).
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Bible Message
10 min View
Bible Message
God Tells Job About His Creation (Job 38–39; Psalm 8)Supplies
- Bible
Discuss
Say: Let’s learn about nature! Today we’ll discover that God is the Creator. That means God made everything!
Ask: • Tell about something you’ve made. Have kids turn to a partner to share. Then ask a few kids to share with everyone.
Say: We know that God is the Creator because the Bible tells us about when he made everything. Plus, one time God talked to a guy named Job (pronounced “JOBE”) all about his creation. Let’s find out more about that.
Act Like Creation
Open your Bible to Job 38, and show kids the words.
Say: First, a little background about Job. Job was a really, really rich guy. He had a big family and a great life! Everything was going well.
But then he lost almost everything. Most of his family died, along with his farm animals. And the buildings he owned also collapsed. He even got a skin disease that hurt really bad!
As you can imagine, Job felt very sad about that. And his wife and friends didn’t help much! But Job kept praising God. He did have some questions for God. Job said he was a good person, and he wondered why he had all these bad things happen. Maybe you’ve wondered about that, too. Job wanted God to answer him!
So God did. Let’s read and act out parts of what God said.
Read Job 38:1-2. Have kids spin around to show what a whirlwind is like.
Say: After this, God asked Job some questions. The answer to most of them was God is the Creator. After I read, I’ll point to you. Say “God is the Creator” as an answer to these questions. Then you can act out what God said.
Read Job 38:4-5. Point to kids. Have kids pretend to measure the floor.
Read Job 38:25-26. Point to kids. Have kids make a rainstorm by clapping their hands and stomping.
Read Job 38:31-32. Explain that the names they heard are names of constellations. Have kids make their hands twinkle like stars.
Read Job 38:39-40. Have kids roar like lions.
Read Job 38:41. Point to kids. Have kids pretend to fly like ravens, which are a kind of bird.
Read Job 39:5. Point to kids. Have kids say “hee haw” and pretend to be donkeys.
Read Job 39:26-28. Have kids pretend to soar like hawks or eagles.
Ask: • What do you think of God’s answer to Job’s question about why bad things happened to him even though he was a good person?
Say: God didn’t really answer Job’s question directly. Instead, God showed Job that God is the Creator and that he’s so much bigger than we are! When we’re not sure why things are happening, we can just trust that God, who created everything, has a plan.
Let’s see what Job thought of God’s answer.
Read Job 40:3-5.
Say: When Job realized how big and amazing God was, and that God is the Creator, he realized he shouldn’t question God’s plans. He was amazed by God!
Talk About Creation
Say: There was another guy in the Bible who was amazed that God is the Creator, too. In Psalm 8, David wrote this.
Read Psalm 8:3-4.
Say: For David, looking at the stars showed him how big God is. And when he thought about that, he was amazed that even a God so big and creative would care about people!
Ask: • What’s something God made that makes you feel amazed?
Say: God is the Creator. We can be amazed by everything he made, and we can trust his plans.
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Prayer
5 min View
Prayer
Prayer of PraisePop Up and Praise God
Say: Today we’re praising God because God is the Creator. When we praise, we say nice things about someone or something.
Ask: • What’s something nice someone has said about you? Give a short example from your own life, then welcome a few responses. If kids struggle to think of examples, shower the group with a few compliments right now.
Say: Like your friends praised you, we can praise God. You see, prayer isn’t just about asking God for things. We’re also praying when we’re praising!
The word hallelujah means “God be praised.” We sing that word in praise songs, and we read it a lot in the Bible. Today, as we pray, let’s shout “Hallelujah!” and say nice things about God.
Here’s what we’ll do: We’ll make popcorn praise! Everyone will crouch down low, like this. Crouch down, with feet on the floor, ready to jump up. Allow time for kids to crouch down, too. Now we’ll praise our way around the room. When it’s your turn, pop up and praise God for different things in nature he has made. You could shout things like “Praise God for butterflies!” “Praise God for mountains!” or “Praise God for sharks!” Then crouch down again. If you aren’t sure what to say, just shout, “Praise God!”
After someone praises God, we’ll all clap and shout, “Hallelujah!” Then it’ll be the next person’s turn. We’ll “pop” and praise all around the room.
Shout the first praise, and have kids respond with “Hallelujah!” Then motion for the next person to go. Help direct kids when it’s their turn. If time allows, “popcorn praise” around the room again!
Say: We praise God for all these things. And we praise God because God is the Creator. Hallelujah!
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Overtime
10 min View
Overtime
Animal AlliterationTips
- Some of your younger kids may not be great spellers. Make sure this game is free of judgment! If James thinks “cherry” starts with the same sound as his name, that’s okay!
- Younger kids may also not be great at sorting out what’s God-made versus man-made. If Cora says “computers,” avoid the temptation to correct her. Instead, you could say something like “God made the people who made computers!” or “God made everything computers are made out of!”
Play a Name Game
Say: We’re learning that God is the Creator! God told Job about a lot of things he made like whales, deer, ostriches, and stars! Wow! Let’s see if you can name things God made, including each other!
- Have kids sit in a circle. (If you have a big group, form circles of no more than 10 kids.)
- Kids will go around the circle and say their names, along with something God made that starts with the same sound. For example: Alligator Ava, Jackrabbit James, Stars Sarah.
- Kids will repeat the creations and names that came before them before adding their own. If anyone is struggling to remember something, the group can help them.
- Kids can go around the circle several times and think of new things to add to their names each time, but if the list gets long, you can reset the game so they don’t have to repeat everything that came before.
- For an added challenge, have kids come up with motions that go with their names (such as Jackrabbit James hopping) that kids also have to repeat.
- Let the game keep going as long as needed to fill time until parents begin to arrive.