CHILDREN'S LESSON: A Heart of Worship
OVERVIEW
Children trust the Lord much easier than adults, and so singing praise to Him comes more naturally to them. This lesson will focus on a Psalm about praise and teach the children more about worship. They will learn why God deserves to be worshiped and what it means to give him praise. This children’s ministry material was first prepared for a Sunday School lesson, but you could easily modify it to teach at home. — Beckie Stewart, 4.5.10
TARGET AGE GROUP: 7-11 (or 1st through 5th grade)
TIME: 20 minutes
SUPPLY LIST: Bible. Prepare beforehand the important points learned about praise from the scripture of Psalm 100.
LEARNING GOALS
● Children will express what they learn from Psalm 100 about praise.
● Children will express the reason the Lord deserves praise.
● Children will learn to give praise to the Lord.
LEARNING INDICATOR
Children will identify truths about God taught in this Psalm.
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PSALM 100
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
LEARNING ACTIVITY #1
Establish the lesson briefly by explaining to the children praise to the Lord is a way to acknowledge the Lord for Who He is and that it’s similar to telling a person something that you like about them.
Read Psalm 100, one verse at a time giving an explanation of the different ways and reasons for praising the Lord.
● Verse 1 teaches us that the Lord rules over all of the earth and when we shout with joy it’s an expression of gratitude for His power.
● Verse 2 shows us that worship is a service to the Lord and we should enjoy it and we express it when we sing with joy.
● Verse 3 reminds us that the Lord is in control of all things, He is our creator, and that we belong to Him.
● Verse 4 talks about coming into the Lord’s presence with gratitude and praise.
● Verse 5 speaks of God’s goodness, eternal love, and continual faithfulness.
LEARNING ACTIVITY #2
Ask the children to verbalize all the truths they know about the Lord so they can get in the mood to praise Him. Build on what they learned about the Lord from Psalm 100. Here are some examples:
● He created everything and everyone.
● He never leaves us even though we might feel alone.
● He loves us forever and demonstrates His love for us.
● He has great power and not even Satan is stronger than Him.
● He sees everything and nothing can be hidden from Him.
● He makes plans for our life that give us a future and a hope.
LEARNING ACTIVITY #3
Sing familiar songs of praise with the children. Include songs that have hand motions so the children can express praise toward the Lord with their whole body. Here are a few song suggestions: “My God is So Big,”
CRAFT
REVIEW
Re-read Psalm 100. Give a list of possible truths from it and have the children say, “Praise the Lord!” if it was mentioned.
Does God want us to praise Him with shouts?
Does the Lord love us forever?
Does the Lord want us to come to Him with thanksgiving in our hearts?
Does the Lord want us to know about Him?
Did the Lord make us?
Is the Lord good?