The ideas below may help you when teaching your preschoolers a lesson about the miracle of Jesus feeding 5,000 people. Feel free to use these ideas to supplement your current curriculum or to make your own lesson.
Story Suggestion
Matthew 14:13-21
Game Ideas
Fishing Game
Directions: Make paper fish out of different colors (two each of the same color). Put a paper clip on each nose of the fish. Construct fishing poles out of large sticks, string, and a magnet on the end of the string. Put the fish in a large box covered with blue construction paper. You can decorate the box to look like waves, if you desire. Have the children use the fishing pole to try and get out two fish of the same color without looking. Give each child a turn.
Board Games
Directions: Bring in board games for the children to play. It teaches children that they have to wait their turn and share the game with other players in order for the game to be fun. You can make your own board games in a snap.
Snacks
A good snack for this lesson would be:
Corn Bread
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup plain cornmeal
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup corn oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 can creamed corn
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 9-inch baking pan.
- Mix all ingredients together and pour into the baking pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
Another good snack idea for this lesson would be:
Goldfish and a juice box.
Art Center Ideas
Feed Five Thousand
Materials:
- Blue and brown construction paper
- Paper bags
- Scissors
- Crayons
Directions:
- Make blue fish out of blue construction paper so that each child has two fish.
- Make bread out of brown construction so that each child has five loaves of bread.
- Let the children decorate their fish with crayons.
- Fold over the brown paper bags from the top to create a basket. Let the children put their fish and bread in the baskets.
Tissue Paper Fish Craft
Materials:
- Poster board
- Scissors
- Tissue paper, various colors
- Glue stick
Directions:
Preparation: Cut out fish shapes using poster board paper. Draw an eye and mouth on each fish. Write "Matthew 14:13-21" in the center of each fish. Make them at least 5 inches long. Cut tissue paper in to 1-inch square pieces.
Instruct the children on how to crumble up a piece of tissue paper into a ball and glue it to the poster board. Tell them to continue doing this until their fish is covered with the tissue paper. Also instruct them to work around the Bible verse that you have written in the center of the fish.
Suggested Prayer (or use your own)
Thank you, God, for giving us food to eat. Thank you for our bread and meat. God, you are so holy and true. Please remember that I love you! In Jesus' Name, Amen.
See the full list of Sunday School lesson ideas on both the Old Testament and the New Testament!
