Best Day Ever at Home

Main Teaching Principle of Series: Best Day Ever At Home is a three-week series created to do as a family at home. It will help kids learn why Easter is the best day ever and how every day can be the best day ever when they are following Jesus! Each week includes a family lesson that parents can use at home with both preschool and elementary kids, as well as a preschool video and an elementary video that will show kids how God promised to make a way for us to be friends with Him forever, how Jesus was God’s plan for fulfilling that promise, and how that makes Jesus the best ever! INTRO 1. Gather your kids, and tell them how excited you are to have church with them at home today. 2. Remind your family of last weekend’s Easter celebrations. Tell them that you are having a throwback Sunday.  To kick off your lesson you’re going to play a game! Gather an Easter egg (or ball) and a spoon. Have each family member choose a number between 1-6 and then dothe following based on the number they choose: 1 – Try to roll the Easter egg (or ball) down their arm 2 – Toss the Easter egg (or ball) and catch it two times 3 – Give the Easter egg (or ball) a roll and see how far it will go 4 – Carry the Easter egg (or ball) on a spoon to the nearest door 5 – Balance the Easter egg (or ball) on your head while the family counts to five 6 – Hold the Easter egg (or ball) and hop like a bunny six times 3. Then say: • That was a fun way to celebrate the Best Day Ever, but why do you think Easter is the best day ever?(Easter is when we celebrate that Jesus came back to life) • Yes! At Easter, we celebrate that Jesus came back to life after He died on the cross to take thepunishment for all the wrong things we do. Because Jesus did this, our friendship with God canbe fixed forever! That makes Jesus the best ever! So let me hear you say this after me: Jesus Is (both hands point up)The Best Ever (two thumbs up)   PRAISE & WORSHIP Here are two awesome videos that will get you and the kids moving and worshiping in no time: READ THE BIBLE Watch today’s Preschool and/or Elementary video here below:     Afterwards, ask your family: Why did Jesus die on the cross? (To take the punishment for all the wrong things we do) What makes Jesus the best ever? (He came back to life, He saved us from our sins forever, He fixed ourfriendship with God) Did Jesus say that anyone who believes in Him will be saved? (Yes) That’s the best news ever! (If your child says they believe in Jesus and are interested in making a decision to follow Him, check out theSalvation Video and the Salvation-Baptism Card below the lesson.) LET’S PRACTISE   1. Have your kids go on a scavenger hunt to find the following items and bring them back to you: something yellow,something black, two small sticks (or something that could make a cross shape), a flashlight (or candle), a rock,and something that makes noise. 2. Once your family has collected the items, place all of the collected items in front of your family. As you read eachof the following, have your family find the object(s) that matches what you are discussing. • This is the color of the sun. (Something yellow) Yellow makes me think of the golden streets inheaven. God loves you so much and He wants all of us to be with Him in heaven one day. • Now find something that is the color of the night sky. (Something black) This looks dark and remindsus of sin, or the wrong things we do, like telling lies or being mean to our friends. Each of us has sinin our hearts and that sin breaks our friendship with God. But God had the best plan ever to fix ourfriendship with Him! • Can you find the two sticks and put them in the shape of a cross? God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on across and take the punishment for all wrong things, or sin, that we do. • Now find something that helps us see when it’s dark. (Flashlight or candle – Turn the lights down andturn on the flashlight or light the candle) After Jesus died on the cross, the Bible tells us that the skywas dark from twelve o’clock noon to three o’clock in the afternoon. • After Jesus died, they put His body in a tomb and closed it shut with a big rock. (Allow kids to find therock) After He had been in the tomb for three days, Jesus came back to life! (If your lights are stilldown, turn them back on) • Let’s celebrate because it was the best day ever — Jesus was alive! (Create noise with whatever youcollected that makes noise) 3. Have your child repeat the Need to Know after you with motions: Jesus Is (both hands point up)The Best Ever (two thumbs up)   MEMORISE IT 1. Say: There’s a verse in the Bible that we can learn to help us remember that Easter truly is the best dayever because of what Jesus did for us! These are the words the angel said to Jesus’ friends when they wentto where he was buried:“He is not here! (shake head “no”)He has risen, (two thumbs up)Just as He said He would!” (cup hands around mouth)Matthew 28:6 (make book with your hands) 2. Practice saying the verse together a few times, having your child repeat each line with the motions. 3. See if your child can tell you the verse without any help, and give them a treat for working hard to memorize it! PRACTICAL APPLICATION Ask your family what

Main Teaching Principle of Series: Best Day Ever At Home is a three-week series created to do as a family at home. It will help kids learn why Easter is the best day ever and how every day can be the best day ever when they are following Jesus! Each week includes a family lesson that parents can use at home with both preschool and elementary kids, as well as a preschool video and an elementary video that will show kids how God promised to make a way for us to be friends with Him forever, how Jesus was God’s plan for fulfilling that promise, and how that makes Jesus the best ever! INTRO 1. Gather your kids, and tell them how excited you are to have church with them at home today. 2. Have every family member answer the following question: If you were planning the best day ever, which wouldyou choose … • Eating a big marshmallow peep or a giant jelly bean for lunch?• Getting a pet duck or a pet chick to live in our home?• Finding eggs filled with money or finding eggs filled with candy in your backyard? 3. Then say: • It would be fun to plan the best day ever! Did you know that God has a plan just for you? He does! Itis the best plan ever! Let me hear you say this after me: (Pause to let your kids repeat after you)Elementary (ES):God’s Plan (make book with hands) Jesus Is (both hands point up) Preschool (PS): Is the Best Ever (two thumbs up) The Best Ever (arms above head, wiggle fingers)   PRAISE & WORSHIP Here are two awesome videos that will get you and the kids moving and worshiping in no time: READ THE BIBLE Watch today’s Preschool and/or Elementary video here below: Afterwards, ask your family: 1. ES Only: Did God have a plan for His people? (Yes) What was God’s plan? (To send His Son Jesus to payfor our sins and fix our friendship with Him) Why was God’s plan the best plan ever? (Because it wassaving people from their sins forever and made a way to fix our friendship with God) 2. PS Only: Were the people excited to see Jesus? (Yes) What did they shout when they saw Jesus?(Hosanna!) That means “Save us!” They knew Jesus was the best ever and that He had come to savethem!   LET’S PRACTISE 1. You will need the following items to create a game to help kids to remember that God’s plans are the best! • Something to write on (paper, dry erase board, or chalkboard)• Something to write with (pencils, crayons, markers, dry erase marker, or chalk) 2. You will draw each item below, and allow your family to guess what it is. Once they guess correctly, read thesection that goes along with what you just drew. • Scared face: Have you ever felt scared or nervous? (Allow response) Sometimes it can feel scary whenthings happen around us that we can’t control. But we can trust that God has a good plan for ourlives!• Family: Who can you talk to when you don’t know if God’s plans are good or you have a questionabout Jesus? (Allow responses) We can always talk to God. And God gave us each other, as a family, totalk with also.• Trash can: If you had plans for how to build a fort, would you throw the plans in the garbage or readthem closely? (Read them closely) Yes! Just as you don’t build something without using a good set ofplans, God doesn’t want us trying to build our life without using His best plans! The Bible tells usGod’s best plan for us, so we should read it often.• Cross: Did Jesus die on the cross for the sins of one person or for everyone? (Everyone) Yes! Ourfriendship with God is broken because of sin, or the wrong things we do. So God made a plan to fixour friendship with Him, and that meant Jesus would die on the cross to take the punishment for thesins of all people. God’s plan was the best ever because Jesus made a way for us to be friends withGod forever!• Easter Basket: What makes Easter the best day ever? (It’s when we celebrate that Jesus came back tolife, it’s when Jesus made a way to fix our friendship with God forever)• Phone: Who is someone that you can tell about Jesus? (Allow response) What God planned for Jesus todo for us is the best! It’s too good to keep it to ourselves! You could invite the person you mentionedto watch church online at home next week to hear more about Jesus and God’s plan for them! 3. Have your child repeat the Need to Know after you with motions:Elementary (ES): God’s Plan (make book with hands) Jesus Is (both hands point up)Preschool (PS):Is the Best Ever (two thumbs up) The Best Ever (arms above head, wiggle fingers) MEMORISE IT 1. Say: There’s a verse in the Bible that we can learn to help us remember God’s special plan to fix ourfriendship with Him. Jesus lived, then He died on a cross to take the punishment for our sin, but He didn’tstay dead! These are the words the angel said to Jesus’ friends when they went to where he was buried:“He is not here! (shake head “no”)He has risen, (two thumbs up)Just as He said He would!” (cup hands around mouth)Matthew 28:6 (make book with your hands) 2. Have your family repeat each phrase of the verse after you, with motions, in any of the following ways:• Hopping like a bunny• As fast as possible• Whispering• Holding your nose• Flapping wings like a chick   PRACTICAL APPLICATION Ask your family what they want to thank God for and what they want to ask Him to do. Listen to any concerns yourchild expresses without interruption. Then pray the following over your family: • Father God, we thank You for

Main Teaching Principle of Series: Best Day Ever At Home is a three-week series created to do as a family at home. It will help kids learn why Easter is the best day ever and how every day can be the best day ever when they are following Jesus! Each week includes a family lesson that parents can use at home with both preschool and elementary kids, as well as a preschool video and an elementary video that will show kids how God promised to make a way for us to be friends with Him forever, how Jesus was God’s plan for fulfilling that promise, and how that makes Jesus the best ever! INTRO 1. Gather your kids, and tell them how excited you are to have church with them at home today. 2. Grab a piece of paper and something to draw with. Tell your family that together you are going to draw apicture of the best day you can imagine! Pass the paper around your family and have each person addsomething to the picture that would make it the best day ever. 3. Then say: • There are a lot of fun things we could think of to make the Best Day Ever! While those are allgreat, there is one way we can be guaranteed to have the Best Day Ever. God has made sure ofthat by making us a special promise! • Long ago, God promised to make a way for us to be forgiven for all the wrong things we do.This promise came true when Jesus came to Earth, died on a cross, and rose from the dead. AtEaster, we celebrate God’s promise to save us from our sins, which is the best promise ever! Solet me hear you say this after me: (Pause to let your kids repeat after you)God’s Promise (hand over heart)Is the Best Ever (two thumbs up) PRAISE & WORSHIP Here are two awesome videos that will get you and the kids moving and worshiping in no time: READ THE BIBLE Watch today’s Preschool and/or Elementary video here below: Afterwards, ask your family:   1. What did God promise His people, the Israelites? (That He would save them from the meanEgyptians, that He would send someone/the perfect lamb to save them from their sins forever) 2. Why was this the best promise ever? (It saved everyone and fixed our friendship with God) 3. Did God keep His promise? (Yes) Yes! God always keeps His promises!   LET’S PRACTISE 1. Gather the following items to create a game to help your kids remember God’s good promises!• Two bowls (See the example to the left for how to set up the bowls for tossing)• One object to toss (This could be a ball, pair of clean socks, marshmallow, etc.) 2. Have each member of your family toss the object into a bowl. Ask a question based on the bowl the objectlands in. To make it a competition, give 5 points if they land in the closer bowl and 10 points if they land inthe bowl that’s farther away. See who can get the most points! • Bowl 1:– If you need God’s help, should you text Him or pray? (Pray) God promises to hear us whenwe pray. Prayer is talking to God just like we’re talking now. – If you get in trouble, does God stop loving you? (No) No way! The Bible tells us that Godpromises to never stop loving us! – Who is more important — Jesus or the Easter Bunny? (Jesus) The Easter Bunny is awesome,but no one is better than Jesus! • Bowl 2:– What is it that keeps us from being friends with God — sin or jelly beans? (Sin) Our sinseparates us from God, but the Bible tells us that God promised to fix our friendship withHim. God kept that promise when He sent Jesus! – What is the best promise ever — an Easter basket full of candy or Jesus? (Jesus) An Easterbasket full of candy sounds yummy, but Jesus is the best ever! – What can we read to learn more about God’s promises? (The Bible) You got it! The Bible isfull of God’s good promises to us! 3. Have your child repeat the Need to Know after you with motions:God’s Promise (hand over heart)Is the Best Ever (two thumbs up) MEMORISE IT 1. Practice remembering what God says by saying: There’s a verse in the Bible that we can learn to help usremember God’s promise to fix our friendship with Him. Jesus lived, then He died on a cross to takethe punishment for our sin, but He didn’t stay dead! These are the words the angel said to Jesus’friends when they went to where he was buried: “He is not here! (shake head “no”)He has risen, (two thumbs up)Just as He said He would!” (cup hands around mouth)Matthew 28:6 (make book with your hands) 2. Pass a ball (or plastic Easter egg), having the person holding the ball/egg say the next word in the versewhen it comes to them. You can play several times, switching directions or seeing if you can pass the ball/egg faster each time. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Write down a few stories from your family’s faith walk. Also make a list of people that could benefit from hearing these stories. IF you are feeling brave, make a short family video with highlights from your best God stories. Post your video on our Facebook Page’s timeline. Put both these lists and the action plan on the fridge and refer back to it daily for the next 30 days. WRAP UP POINTS:  STORIES INSPIRE PEOPLE Stories can inspire and encourage others. Even the smallest of stories of who Jesus is or what He can do can be a huge encouragement to others. STORIES CHANGE PEOPLE Stories can be so powerful that they can make people change the way they live. Imagine if all your family and friends made a change from not knowing Jesus to