Let's Count

A five-session series outline for use with pre-school children to help with counting the numbers 1 to 5.

Suggested resources:

The Play-Along Bible, Bob Hartman
God’s Big Promises Bible Storybook, Carl Laferton.
The Lion Easy Read Bible, Christina Goodings.
Percussion instruments

Bible Story

Matthew 22:36-39 TPT

Teach some simple actions to help remember the greatest commandment.

This is God’s best rule for us to live by. (Thumbs up)
Love the Lord your God, (Cross arms over chest)
With every passion of your heart, (Make a heart shape using forefingers and thumbs or put hands over heart)
With all the energy of your being, (Run on the spot or make strong arms action)
And with every thought that is within you. (Point forefingers to forehead)
And you must love your friend in the same way you love yourself. (Cross arms on chest then open out to front to include everyone)

Isn’t it great to know we are loved? We know it because people who love us are kind, caring and sharing, they listen to us and help us. God loves us even more than our friends and family do, and he wants us to love him with all that we are – ‘with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, and with every thought that is within you’. God also wants us to love others this way too – even those who are different from us. This is God’s best rule for us to live by – ‘Love God, Love Others’.

Song Suggestions

Theme Songs
1. ‘I can love God with all of me’, https://vimeo.com/user108940834/download/637822350/3d75b3e283
I can love God with all of me,
With all of my heart and energy,
With every thought that fills my mind,
I can know God is good and kind.

I can love friends as God loves me,
With all my heart and energy,
With every thought that fills my mind,
I can love friends, be good and kind.

Thank you, God, for loving me,
For making me part of your family.
Help me love you and others too –
Your way is the best that I can do!

2. Five Fingers’, Pinkfong Kid’s Songs and Stories https://youtu.be/Ic7b5tvYaeQ

Additional Songs
3. ‘I love that God loves me’, Dance Fit Tots https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SNttzK_Nhk
4. ‘The Lion’s Roar’, Vineyard Kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzk42FtUR_g
5. ‘Big Family of God’, Nick and Becky Drake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEvJzOxm6zs

Craft/Activity Ideas

God’s Best Rule (Spinner Template Provided)
Help the children cut out the circles and get them to colour in the heart, the ‘Best Rule’ and decorate if they want to. Tape the lolly stick to the back of one of the circles and then glue the backs of both circles together. Spin around by rubbing your hands together – the ‘Best Rule’ should look like it’s inside the heart!
Hands and Heart Picture
Fold a piece of paper in half and draw around the child’s hand ensuring that the end of the thumb and forefinger are right up against the fold. Cut out the handprint, making sure the thumb and forefinger remain joined by the fold. Open this out with the fingers pointing downwards – there should be a heart shape created between the thumb and forefingers. Decorate the hands by colouring or adding stickers. Write ‘Love God’ on the left hand and ‘Love Others’ on the right hand. Then write ‘God’s Best Rule!’ across the thumbs. Add glue to the back of the hands and stick to a piece of card. Tape a piece of string or ribbon to the back so the picture can be hung up at home. Write the child’s name on the front.

For other crafts see https://uk.pinterest.com/FamilyMinistriesUKIT/lets-count-to-5/
Game: God Says….
Play a simple action game similar to ‘Simon says’.
Love God – point up
Heart – hands on heart
Energy – run around
Thoughts – point to head
Love others – hug someone or shake hands

Sensory Play

‘I love you’ biscuits
Give each child two biscuits to decorate with icing, heart-shaped sweets and sprinkles. Tell them that one biscuit is for them to eat (this could be done at snack time) and one is to give to someone they love. Have food bags available for children to take biscuits home as appropriate. Beware of food allergies and hand hygiene when handling food items.
Have some red/pink play-dough, rolling pins and heart-shaped cutters available to make play-dough hearts.

Prayer

Action prayer

Dear Father God,
Thank you that you love me. (Cross arms on chest)
Help me to love you, (Hands together)
With all my heart, (Make a heart shape using forefingers and thumbs or put hands over heart)
With all my energy, (Run on the spot or make strong arms action)
With all my thoughts, (Point forefingers to forehead)
And help me to love others. (Cross arms on chest then open out to front to include everyone)
This is your best rule for me to live by! (Thumbs up)
Amen.

Bible Story

Genesis 6:9-8:22

The Play-Along Bible, ‘Safe from the Storm’, p18.

The Lion Easy-Read Bible, ‘The Story of Noah’, p20.

Talk about the story and how Noah built the ark exactly how God told him to.

I wonder what it was like to get all the animals on to the ark – two by two? What animals do you think were there? I wonder what it was like to live on the ark with all those animals? Noisy? Smelly? Scary? God kept Noah and his family and all the animals safe from the floods of rain, and he brought them out when everywhere was dry again. He put a rainbow in the sky as a sign that God always keeps his promises.

Craft/Activity Ideas

Create a large collage of Noah’s ark and add the animals in pairs.
Make simple animal puppets. You might like to try and get the children to make two of each animal.
Play a game of pairs using cards with animals on.

For other crafts see https://uk.pinterest.com/FamilyMinistriesUKIT/lets-count-to-5/

Note: the crafts and play should aim to reflect the number two and no other aspects of the story of Noah.

Song Suggestions

Theme Songs
1. ‘Five Fingers’, Pinkfong Kid’s Songs and Stories https://youtu.be/Ic7b5tvYaeQ
2. ‘I can love God with all of me’, https://vimeo.com/user108940834/download/637822350/3d75b3e283

Additional Songs
3. ‘The animals went in two by two’, BBC Teach https://youtu.be/0mrbhsusOGM
You could march around in pairs while singing this.
4. ‘God’s Rainbow’, Dance Fit Tots https://youtu.be/07x5hgeWgJc
5. ‘I like the sunshine’, https://vimeo.com/895755574

Sensory Play

Use toy animals or a Noah’s ark toy and encourage the children to line up the animals in pairs.
Find different containers to be boats and see which float and sink. Try putting pairs of toy people and animals in.
Put two of each toy animal in a bag and get the children to match the pairs. Then ask them to do actions or make noises for each of the pair of animals they find.

Prayer

Thank you, God, that you kept Noah safe on the ark.
Thank you, God, that you kept Noah’s family safe on the ark.
Thank you, God, that you kept all the animals – two by two – safe on the ark.
Thank you, God, that we are loved by you and that you want to keep us safe too.
Amen.

Bible Story

Daniel 3:1-28

The Play-Along Bible, ‘Cool in the Furnace’, p47.

The Lion Easy-Read Bible, ‘The Fiery Furnace’, p178.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are difficult names to say – encourage the children to practise saying them. Talk about how the three friends worked for the king, but because they loved God very much, they would not bow down to the statue as the king commanded.

I wonder how they felt when they knew they were going to be thrown into the fiery furnace? What did God do to help Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? The three friends trusted in God and were not harmed by the fire. The king realised how great God is and started to praise him too.

Craft/Activity Ideas

Create a scene from the story on a paper plate using red, orange and yellow pieces of tissue paper for the flames. Then stick or draw three people cut from black in front of the coloured background.
Dance around to some fun music, and whenever the music stops encourage people to form groups of three. You can play this game using different group numbers throughout the series.

For other crafts see https://uk.pinterest.com/FamilyMinistriesUKIT/lets-count-to-5/

Song Suggestions

Additional Songs

3.    ‘God is there’, Dance Fit Tots https://vimeo.com/723311669
4.    ‘I will trust you God’, Allstars Kid’s Club https://youtu.be/bb3PuNF6BN8
5.    ‘I can trust in God’, Waumba Land https://youtu.be/zJAWxAWeuqQ

Sensory Play

Cover a plain biscuit in red, orange and yellow icing and add three jelly babies. Be aware of food allergies.
Use handprints in red, orange and yellow to create a fire picture and add figures for the three friends.
Create a sensory tray using red, orange and yellow material and use play people to tell the story.

Prayer

Encourage the children to count to three with each line.

1 – 2 – 3, Friends working for the king
1 – 2 – 3, Friends didn’t bow down low
1 – 2 – 3, Friends thrown into the fiery furnace
1 – 2 – 3, Friends plus an angel standing with them
1 – 2 – 3, Friends trusted God to keep them safe
1 – 2 – 3, Friends helped the king to praise God too

Help us to trust that God is always with us and to praise him every day.
Amen.

Bible Story

Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26

The Play-Along Bible, ‘Through the Roof’, p64.

The Lion Easy-Read Bible, ‘The Hole in the Roof’, p236.

Tell the story of how four friends brought their sick friend to Jesus by lowering him through a hole in the roof on a mat. Remind them about how houses were built differently in Bible times and that they had a flat roof.

I wonder how the man felt as he was being lowered down through the roof to see Jesus? I wonder how the four friends felt when their friend was made well?

Song Suggestions

Additional Songs

3.    ‘Nothings too big, big, big’, Doug Horley https://youtu.be/cCy9__cXpes
4.    ‘Jump around’, KidSpring https://youtu.be/x6r3eWJmCbE
5.    ‘I’m so blessed’, Allstars Kid’s Club https://youtu.be/n9NWmC8CnRQ

Craft/Activity Ideas

Give each child a paper/card rectangle and get them to colour or decorate it to look like a mat and add a piece of string to each corner. Use pipe-cleaners to create simple people and give one to each child, to show the man both lying on the mat and then being able to walk.

For other crafts see https://uk.pinterest.com/FamilyMinistriesUKIT/lets-count-to-5/

Sensory Play

Make flat-roofed houses from cardboard boxes and try lowering figures through the roof on a piece of material.
Parachute Game.
Get all the children to hold the edges and put a soft toy in the centre. Practise lifting it up and down to see how easily the toy moves. Think about how hard it may have been for the four friends to lower their friend through the roof.
Use building blocks to make houses. You may also choose to tell the story using toy people.

Prayer

Dear God,
Thank you for friends that help us.
Today I want to thank you for (ask people to name a friend).
Please help me to be a good friend and to always be kind and to care for others.
Thank you that Jesus is the best friend ever!
Amen.

Bible Story

Luke 9: 12-17; John 6:1-13

The Play-Along Bible, ‘The Huge Feast’, p73.

The Lion Easy-Read Bible, ‘Jesus and the Great Crown’, p260.

Talk about how lots of people had come to hear Jesus. Explain how they were there for a long time, they were now hungry, but didn’t have anything to eat. Jesus’ friends found a boy with a picnic of five loaves and two fish.

I wonder if you were going on a picnic, what food would you take? The boy gave his picnic to Jesus, who said ‘Thank you’ to God for the food. Jesus shared it out so there was enough food for everyone. I wonder how that made the boy feel?

Craft/Activity Ideas

Use a paper plate and cut-outs of loaves of bread and fish. Help the children to each count out five loaves and two fish before they stick then on.
Make a simple necklace or bracelet by threading five pasta tubes to represent the bread and two cardboard fish on to a piece of string or ribbon.

For other crafts see https://uk.pinterest.com/FamilyMinistriesUKIT/lets-count-to-5/

Song Suggestions

Theme Songs
1. ‘Five Fingers song’, Pinkfong Kid’s Songs and Stories https://youtu.be/Ic7b5tvYaeQ
2. ‘I can love God with all of me’, https://vimeo.com/user108940834/download/637822350/3d75b3e283

Additional Songs
3. Tune: ‘Twinkle, Twinkle’

Five little loaves and two small fish,
When Jesus prayed made a great big dish!
One little boy gave up his lunch,
And Jesus helped five thousand munch.
Five little loaves and two small fish,
When Jesus prayed made a great big dish!

4. ‘Nothings too big, big, big’, Doug Horley https://youtu.be/cCy9__cXpes
5. ‘I’m so blessed’, Allstars Kid’s Club https://youtu.be/n9NWmC8CnRQ

Sensory Play

Make bread dough and get the children to make bread rolls. You could bake them during the session and eat them at snack time if there’s time. You could add some tuna fish too. Be aware of allergies.
Create a sensory bin with a few collections of five items. For example, five people figures, five cars, five pompoms, five musical instruments etc. Ask the children to sort the items into groups of five.
Using play-dough, get the children to make five loaves and two fish.

Prayer

Use your fingers to count out the numbers and get everyone to join in.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – little loaves of bread and 1, 2 – little fish
The little boy gave his picnic to Jesus.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – little loaves of bread and 1, 2 – little fish
Jesus prayed to God and said, ‘Thank you for this food.’
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – little loaves of bread and 1, 2 – little fish
Were shared out by the disciples to a very big crowd.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – little loaves of bread and 1, 2 – little fish
And everyone there had enough to eat.

Thank you, God, that you provide food for us. Help us to always be willing to share with others.
Amen.