Introduction

(Materials: wrapped gifts for each child) Give each child a present. Have the guess what they think it is. Discuss how they feel for having received a gift. Share with them that you gave them a gift because you love them and because they are special. Discuss how we do special things for special people. Discuss all the ways that God is special. Ask the children what are some of the ways that we can show Him that we love Him. Share with them that God created a special day, the Sabbath, and this special day is a holy day set aside for us to worship and remember God. When we honor God on the Sabbath, share how happy and excited He is because of our excitement about his gift to us, the Sabbath. Allow the children to open their gifts and discuss the joy and excitement. Discuss ways that we can make God happy on the Sabbath day and discuss how we are blessed when we obey God’s word.

Bible Verses

• Genesis 2:1-3
• Exodus 20:8-11; 31:13
• Deuteronomy 5:14
• Luke 4:16; 23:56

Application

Practical Application

Make a collage of pictures depicting various activities that are common during the Sabbath day hours. Find pictures such as a

church, Bible, people singing, playing instruments, praying, helping others, reading, cuddling, being outdoors in nature, etc. Discuss all the many ways that we can celebrate this Special Day!

Spiritual Application

Talk about going to church. Ask the children if they have been to church. Our church day is God’s Sabbath day. On the calendar, it’s called Saturday. The Sabbath day is supposed to be a special day. It is a day when we rest, or stop, our regular, daily activities like going to school, working on the computer or in the yard. On the Sabbath day, we can spend time being held close and being spoken to quietly about God’s love. The Sabbath day is a time of peace and quiet learning about God; we can enjoy being with our families, maybe having some quiet reading time to learn about God or going on an outdoor excursion to enjoy God’s creations. We even have special Sabbath games and activities where we learn more about the Bible, Bible stories and God. And, we have special Sabbath songs! Introduce two new songs to the children: “Happy Sabbath” (LVPH, #235), “I Go To Church” (LVPH, #187), “Sabbath Bells” (LVPH, #237), “Here Is The Way We Go To Church” (LVPH, #186) and “Don’t Forget the

Sabbath” (Hymnal #388).

Assessment

Explain how we should behave inside the classroom, outside the classroom, at home and in church. Briefly discuss how we use our voices, legs and arms when we are in these different places. Make several signs with pictures that depict a house, classroom, playground, store, musical concert and a church. Then let the children either demonstrate or explain how we should behave in these various places.