Welcome

• Thank kids for coming.
• Just for fun, have children shake hands with four friends using the back of their hands.
• Make announcements.
• Introduce new kids.
• Celebrate birthdays by having preschoolers say “happy birthday” in the voice of their favorite cartoon characters.
• Collect the offering.

Introduce the Lesson

            Say: Today we’ll learn that God is creative. That means he makes things. He can make anything. He makes things that are wonderful and wild and big and small and amazing! He even made you and me to be creative. Today we’ll learn how God made you and me and the whole world. Let’s think about some things we’ve made.

Share

• Share about something you made that you’re proud of. For example, it might be a craft, a meal, or a song you wrote.
• In leader-led small groups, have preschoolers share things they made that they’re proud of. It might be a building they made with blocks or a picture they drew during free time, or it might be something made at home with their parents or siblings.
• After small groups have discussed, have adult or teen helpers share with the whole group what they talked about in their small groups.

Summarize

            Open a Bible, and say: Each of you is creative—God made you to be creative in the ways you think, move, and make things. God made everything; he’s creative. The Bible tells us about all the things God made with his creativity. The Bible shows us how much God loves us and how we can share that love with others. Let’s find out more about that as we read the Bible today.

            Pray, thanking God that he’s creative and he made us to be creative, too.

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.

Tip

• Leave kids' creation scenes in place for use in the Life Application Wrap-Up activity.

Make Creation Scenes

            Dim the lights in your room. Say: Today we’re learning that God is creative. That means God can make things. But he doesn’t just make simple things. He makes amazing and exciting things! The Bible says he made the whole world, and he even made you and me. God created us, and he made us to be creative, too. God made us in his image. That means God created us to be like him. God is kind to others, and he made us to be kind to others, too. God is brave, and he made us to be brave, too.

            Point out the creation stations. Say: We can be creative because God made us in his image. Let’s use these creation stations to show how God made the whole world. Invite children to choose a station based on the supplies they want to play with. It’s okay if groups aren’t even. Your kids may gravitate more toward certain supplies, but try to steer kids into groups of fewer than 10 so there aren’t too many kids at a station for everyone to participate.

            Have an adult or teen helper join each creation station and help children in the creation process as you tell the Bible story.

            Show the Bible. Say: The Bible shows us God is creative. Read Genesis 1:1. God made the world. At first it was covered only in water. Encourage children to work in their creation station groups to make a round world covered only in water. There’s no right way for them to create the creation scenes—the idea is to invite preschoolers to be creative,— but adult or teen helpers can help them with ideas about what supplies to use at their stations. Here are some ideas:

• Block or Lego station: Kids might use blue blocks to make a big circle.
• Craft station: Kids might tear a blue sheet of construction paper into a circle. They might work independently, making their own blue circles.
• Fabric station: Kids might lay out a large piece of blue fabric, and bunch the edges to make a circle.

            Signal with a bell to let kids know it’s time to move on to the next part of the Bible story. Read Genesis 1:3, and then turn on the lights. Read Genesis 1:4-5, and demonstrate night and day by turning the lights on and off a few times.

            Say: God created night and day. And then God separated the sky from the ground.

            Read Genesis 1:9-10. Say: Next, God made the land and the oceans. Encourage children to work in their creation station groups to add land to their world. Here are some ideas:

• Block or Lego station: Kids might use brown blocks to add patches of land on top of the water.
• Craft station: Kids might add brown foam shapes over the water they previously created.
• Fabric station: Kids might place small pieces of brown fabric on their water, creating different shapes of “land.”

            Signal with a bell to let kids know it’s time to move on to the next part of the Bible story. Say: God also made the plants we see growing up from the land. Encourage children to work in their creation station groups to add plants to their scenes. Here are some ideas:

• Block or Lego station: Kids might make trees by stacking several blocks on top of each other.
• Craft station: Kids might bend chenille wires into trees or flowers.
• Fabric station: Kids might bunch brightly colored pieces of fabric to look like flowers or treetops.

            Signal with a bell to let kids know it’s time to move on to the next part of the Bible story. Say: When God looked at the land, water, and plants he made, God said it was good. What you made is good, too. God made you in his image, so you can be creative like him.

            The Bible says God named all these things—he named the day and the night. He named the sky, the land, and the seas. The Bible says God made the stars and moon to light the sky at night, and he made the sun to light the sky during the day. God said all he made was good. Let’s see what good things you can create. Encourage children to work in their creation station groups to add to their creation scenes. Kids might make only a nighttime scene or a daytime scene, or they could create a daytime scene on one side of their world and a nighttime scene on the opposite side of their world. Here are some ideas:

• Block or Lego station: Kids might use yellow blocks to make stars and the moon or the sun.
• Craft station: Kids might use sequins to make stars above their world. They might use a large pompom or a round foam shape for the sun or the moon.
• Fabric station: Kids might make a yellow ball from a yellow piece of fabric for the sun or the moon.

            Signal with a bell to let kids know it’s time to move on to the next part of the Bible story. Say: Your creations look good! When God looked at the stars, sun, and moon he created, he said it was good. God is creative, so we can be creative, too. But God didn’t stop there. Read Genesis 1:20. Encourage children to work in their creation station groups to add fish and birds to their creation scenes. Here are some ideas:

• Block or Lego station: Kids might put together various Lego pieces to make a bird or a fish. They might also pretend one brightly colored block is a bird and another is a fish. They can make fish faces with their lips and make “tweet” noises with their voices.
• Craft station: Kids might use pompoms to make birds or fish. They might also bend chenille wires.
• Fabric station: Kids might pick out stuffed birds or other toy birds or fish to add to their creation scene.

            Signal with a bell to let kids know it’s time to move on to the next part of the Bible story. Say: God told the fish and birds to multiply. God wanted the birds and fish to have baby birds and baby fish so there would be lots of them. God saw the birds and fish, and he said it was good. I like your creations—they’re good, too. Next, God created the animals on the land. Read Genesis 1:25. Encourage children to work in their creation station groups to add animals to their creation scenes. They can add the animals in a similar way to how they added the fish and birds.

            Say: Let’s find out what God made after he made the animals. Read Genesis 1:26-27. That means God made people. He made boys and girls in his image. He made us to be like him. And because God is creative, we can be creative. Encourage children to work in their creation station groups to add people to their creation scenes. Here are some ideas:

• Block or Lego station: Kids might put Lego people in their scene.
• Craft station: Kids might make chenille-wire people.
• Fabric station: Kids might be live models for their scene.

            Signal with a bell to let kids know it’s time to move on to the next part of the Bible story. Say: God named the people, and he told them to have families. He wanted there to be lots of people on earth. He made the people rulers over the plants, animals, fish, and birds. And he looked over all he made and said it was good. God is creative, so we’re creative, too. Encourage each group to show off its creation scene to one other group.

Talk About It

            Give each child a square of gold foil. Say: God is beautiful, kind of like this beautiful, shiny gold square. God gives us light—it’s like he shines and sparkles. He’s kind, loving, patient, strong, and all the other good things in the world. Every good thing comes from him. When God created us… Begin to shape a square into a heart by crumpling it. He made us in his image. He put some of himself in us when he made us. Because God is kind, when he made us in his image, he put his kindness in us. Because God is creative, when he made us in his image, he put creativity in us.

            Show kids how to crumple their gold foil into hearts.

            Share about something you think God put in you. You might share about how God made you to care about others’ feelings or that God made you to be strong so you can help others.

            Ask: • What’s something you think God put in you? Help children think of characteristics of God’s that God created in them. They might talk about how they can be helpful because God is helpful or they can listen because God made them to be listeners like he is.

            Say: God is creative. He created you, and he created me! Like this gold paper was formed into a heart, God put his character into us when he made us. He made us in his image. We’re made to be like him.

To use this feature, please ask your DIG IN Director to create a One Room classroom. For instructions and tips on creating a classroom for at-home lessons, click here.

Tips:

• Talk-About Videos may work for preschoolers, but they’re geared more toward elementary kids. If you find that the videos aren’t hitting the mark for your preschoolers, try using the Preschool Puppet Skit activity block instead.

• Don’t have internet in your classroom? That’s okay! You can download the videos before class using the “download” button at the link provided, or purchase DVDs here.

Discuss and Watch “Dominic’s Story”

            Say: Today we’re learning that God is creative. God made us, and he did a great job of it! God made us to be creative, too. That means we can make great and exciting things.

            Tell about something you make that you think is great or exciting.

            Ask: • What’s something you like to make that you think is great?

            Say: Let’s meet a boy who loves making things, and he likes to use his talents to share about God’s love.

            Watch “Dominic’s Story.”

            Ask: • What was the coolest thing you saw Dominic make?

            • Dominic likes to use his creativity, or ability to make things, to share about God’s love. What can you make to share God’s love?

            Say: Dominic loves using his creativity. Whenever Dominic creates something, it shows that he was made by God because God is so creative. We can be creative, too, because God made us that way!

Tip

• You may find it helpful to highlight your part and set the script on a music stand nearby during the skit.

Leader: It’s time for our puppy friend, Theo, to come for a visit. Let’s call him to our class with a “woof, woof.” Ready? (Leads kids to bark until Theo is brought into view.)

Theo: It’s good to see you! (Pants.) I really, really want a good scratch. Friends, will you scratch my back? (Circulates among kids so each child can pet him.)

Leader: Thanks for giving a friendly welcome to Theo, kids!

Theo: Yeah, thanks for the scratches! (Pauses.) Um…I need help with something else, too. (Begins to sketch a flower on the paper by drawing two or three crooked petals on a stem.)

Leader: What do you need help with, Theo?

Theo: I’m trying to draw some flowers for my mom, but they’re not very good.

Leader: Why do you think that?

Theo: I’m not very creative.

Leader: Of course you are!

Theo: I can’t even draw a flower. (Looks sad.)

Leader: Do you think God is creative?

Theo: Yes! God is creative! God made every different animal and rainbows and big, big mountains. (Turns to kids.) What else did God make? (Agrees with kids as they answer.)

Leader: God made you all, too. God made all of us in his image.

Theo: What’s an image?

Leader: That means God made us like him. Think of a mirror—when you look at it, you see an image of you. God made us to be like him.

Theo: So God made [name of a child in the group]? And God made [name of each child]? (Touches each child’s head as he says his or her name.) God made all my friends here?

Leader: That’s right. God made all your friends here. And he made them to be like him.

Theo: Really? So if God is loving, then we can love others, too. (Looks at kids.) Friends, what other things do you know about God? (Kids might say God takes care of us, he’s strong, and he’s creative. As each child shares, Theo reminds kids that they can be like God in those ways, too. For example, God is strong, and he can help us be strong; God takes care of us, and we can take care of others.)

Leader: That’s right! And because God is creative, that means you’re creative, too.

Theo: God made me creative, too? Did he make my friends creative?

Leader: God made us all creative! God is creative, and he made us to be like him.

Theo: Neat! But why would God want ME to be creative?

Leader: God loves when we use our creativity to show love to others. Like we can make a gift using our creativity, and then we give that gift to someone—that’s a way to show love.

Theo: So if I give my mom something I made, I’m being creative like God AND I’m showing love? (Pauses and then looks down sadly.)

Leader: What’s wrong, Theo?

Theo: I’m still not very good at drawing flowers.

Leader: That’s all right. I’ll help you. Let’s think about all the ways your mom shows you she loves you. What’s one special thing your mom does for you?

Theo: Um…(Looks to kids.) Can you help me think of things? What special things do your mommies do for you?

Leader: (Shares a couple of examples of things his or her mom did, and then encourages everyone to share an idea.)

Theo: Your mommies do a lot of special things for you. My mommy makes me pancakes every Saturday for breakfast!

Leader: Pancakes, mmm! That sounds delicious. Can you draw a pancake, Theo?

Theo: That’s easy! It’s just a circle, like this. (Draws a circle toward the top of the stem. This will be the beginning of a new flower.) Hey! (Looks to kids.) Do you want to learn to draw flowers with me? (Passes paper and crayons to each child, and tells kids to draw a stem and a circle like he did.)

Leader: Perfect! What’s another way your mom shows you she loves you?

Theo: She plays catch with me with my red rubber ball.

Leader: Can you draw a ball?

Theo: Of course! (Draws another circle next to the first circle—a petal on a flower—and asks kids to draw another circle on their papers like he did.)

Leader: You all are great circle-drawers!

Theo: I’m just getting started! My mom makes me cookies—those are round. (Draws four more circle petals to complete a flower.) She puts oranges in my lunch every day. They’re circles, too! (Draws more circle petals for another flower.) She buttons up my coat when it’s cold outside. Buttons are round! (Draws more circle petals.) At bedtime she sings me a song about the moon, and the moon is a great big circle. (Draws another circle petal.)

Leader: Wow! That’s a lot! Should we give your friends some time to draw some more circles, too, Theo?

Theo: Yes! Draw with me, friends! (Encourages the children to draw more circles while he does, and asks if their moms do some of the things he shared about.)

Leader: God made all of you so creative!

Theo: I could do this all day! (Draws a few more circles. At this point Theo has drawn a few big flowers made of a circle at the center and circles surrounding it for the petals.)

Leader: Hey, you know what?

Theo: (Stops drawing and looks at the leader.) What?

Leader: Look at all those flowers you drew!

Theo: What flowers? (Looks at drawing.) Wow! I just drew a bunch of flowers! (Looks at kids’ papers.) You all did, too!

Leader: See, Theo, you’re creative.

Theo: You were right! God really did make me creative—and (looks to kids) God sure did make you all creative, too! I’m going to go show my mom! I love her!

Leader: Theo is leaving, kids, so give him a big “woof, woof, goodbye”! (Leads kids to say “woof, woof, goodbye,” and then places Theo out of sight.)

Finger Paint

            Say: Today we’re learning that God is creative…so we’re creative, too. Let’s be creative and use our fingers to paint a picture.

• Give each child a piece of card stock and a plate with paint. Have preschoolers use their fingers to paint fun pictures.
• As kids paint, comment on their creativity and what you like about their paintings.
• Make your own picture so you can demonstrate the next part of the activity.
• After about five minutes, have kids wash or clean their hands with wet wipes, and remove the paint from the tables.

Make a Copy

           Say: I really like your paintings. Tell kids about the painting you made. Explain what you drew and why.

           Ask: • Tell a friend about the picture you made. What did you create? Invite kids to tell each other about their paintings.

           Say: Your pictures are so cool! Before they dry, let’s make a copy! A copy is something that’s exactly the same as another thing. I’ll show you how.

• Show kids how to gently place another piece of card stock on top of the painting, give it a few pats, and then carefully lift it off. You’ll now have two pictures!
• Give each child another piece of card stock, and be available to help kids make copies of their paintings.

Talk About It

            Say: Now we all have two pictures! The first one made the second one, and they look like each other. Just like the first painting made the second one, God made us! God created us so we can show others what he’s like. God is kind, so we can be kind to others. God is loving, so we can give hugs and tell people we love them. God is creative, so we can be creative and make new things, too!

Talk About It

            Say: God is creative. He created our whole world and every amazing thing in it. And God created us! People are God’s most special creation because he made us in his image. Let’s read what the Bible says about that again.

            Read Genesis 1:26-27.

            Say: Being made in God’s image means that the good things in us show us just a little bit about who God is. The love in our hearts helps us know that God is loving. And kindness helps us know that God is kind. Our creativity reminds us that God is creative, and he put a little bit of his creativity in us. Let’s have some fun using our creativity!

Create

            Show preschoolers where you’ve set out the modeling dough, and explain that they can use their creativity to make anything they want with the dough.

            Then show preschoolers the picture collage station and the sample you made. Explain that preschoolers can use their creativity to create new pictures out of the magazine images.

            Let preschoolers choose which area they would like to go to. Preschoolers can stay at one station the entire time or go to both areas. Allow about 10 minutes for preschoolers to play at the stations. As they work, ask them about the creations they’re making.

            Say: I love seeing you use your imaginations and creativity. Seeing your creativity reminds me that God is creative and that he put some of his creativity in us.

Make Up a Game

            Say: Let’s have a race. We’ll go to the other side of the room and back. But instead of me telling us all what to do, you’re going to make up how the race will go.

• Have kids line up on one side of the room.
• Let kids decide the rules for the game (how they’ll move across the room). Give them options to help them decide quickly. For example: Should we hop or skip?
• Begin the race, and remind children to follow the rules they made up.
• Repeat the game several times, each time inviting kids to “create” the game. They can use common classroom objects in their game, or they can just create silly ways to cross the room. Additional ideas include the following:
  • Pretend to be an animal.
  • Move backward.
  • Start at a different place in the room.
  • Move slowly or really fast.
  • Balance blocks on their heads.

Talk About It

            Say: Thanks for creating our racing game. You were creative and came up with new ideas to make our game fun. We made a game, but God made the whole world! God created everything. God is creative! And since we’re God’s special creation, he’s made us creative, too. Let’s think of a creative way to move back to our seats. What should we do? Use kids’ ideas to transition to your next activity.

Tip

• You can purchase downloadable music and other items to enhance your DIG IN program here.

Pass and Hold Beanbags

            Have children sit in a circle. Say: Let’s think of fun and creative ways to hold a beanbag without using our hands. Demonstrate a couple of options. You might place it on your head, shoulder, or arm. Invite kids to do what you do.

            Say: Now let’s play a game. When the music plays, we’ll pass our beanbags around in a circle. But when the music stops, you have three seconds to make up a new way to hold your beanbag. You can choose any way you want, but you can’t hold it in your hands. Ready?

• Play music and have kids pass the beanbags around the circle.
• Randomly stop the music, and count to three. Remind the children to hold the beanbags without using their hands.
• Repeat, and encourage kids to find new ways to hold their beanbags each time the music stops.

Talk About It

            Say: In our game, you had to be creative and think of new ways to hold the beanbag without using your hands. God is creative, too! He made the whole world and each one of us.

            Tell kids about a time you made up something new to play when you were a child. Perhaps it was a new way to do a doll’s hair or a new way to bounce a ball in the driveway.

            Ask: • When have you made up something new to play? Kids might mention a new way to build a tower or a new way to dress up like a princess or superhero.

            Say: Do you think God smiles when he sees us come up with new, fun things to do? I think he does. God is creative—and he made us to be creative, too.

Make Portraits

            Help preschoolers get into pairs.

            Say: God is creative, and he created us in his image. Let’s use our creativity to make portraits, or pictures, of our partners. Show preschoolers the sample craft.

• Give one child in each pair an “easel” with a transparency sheet taped to it, and explain that this child will hold the easel in front of his or her face with the transparency side facing out.
• The partner will use markers to draw the child’s face on the transparency sheet. Encourage children to trace the shape of their partners’ faces and draw their partners’ eyes, noses, mouths, hair, and any other features such as glasses or hair bows.
• When partners have finished drawing, let preschoolers look at the pictures of themselves. (Write each child’s name on the portrait of him or her.)
• Remove the portraits from the easels, and tape new transparency sheets to them.
• Have preschoolers switch roles so every child has a portrait made by a friend.

           Say: Your partners did such a great job drawing a fun picture of each of you! Your picture shows a lot of things about you, but it doesn’t look exactly like you. That can remind us how we’re made in God’s image. God didn’t make us to be exactly like him, because we’re not God. But God is creative and made us to show others what he’s like.

Choose a Creation Scene

            Gather the children away from the creation scenes. Say: Today we found out that God is creative and that we can be creative, too! We learned how God created, or made, the whole world, and we made our own creation scenes to show some of the things God made. Let’s thank God for creating us right now.

            Encourage the children to choose a creation scene to sit in. If you have adult or teen helpers, ask them to join children in each creation scene.

Thank God

           Say: Look around in your creation scene. God made everything in it, including the friends you’re sitting next to! Let’s thank God for creating us. Lead the children in a brief prayer, thanking God for creating the land, the sky, the water, the animals, and each one of the children. (If you have a small group, name each child individually.)

            Say: God is so creative that he even made each of us to be special and unique. We each have special talents and things about us that God gave us, and God likes when we use the special things about us to create new things, too. Let’s thank God for making us creative. Lead children in a brief prayer, thanking God for making each person creative. (If you have a small group, name something special about each child.)

            Say: It’s wonderful to have each of you creative kids in church with us today. We hope you’ll come back next week!

            Distribute a copy of the “Dig In @ Home” handout to kids as they leave, or email it to parents during the week.