Preschool: People Can Love God: Session 1—Ruth Chose to Help Naomi (February 1)

1s & 2s—Pretend to Cook

Bible Story: Ruth Chose to Help Naomi Ruth 1–2
Life Point: People show love to God by choosing to help others.
Weekly Verse: Help one another in love. Galatians 5:13

Materials: Bible, Teaching Picture 9, toy pots and pans, kitchen center

• Display the teaching picture near the kitchen.
• Invite the preschoolers to pretend to cook with the toy dishes.
• Point to the teaching picture and talk about the Bible story. Comment that Ruth helped Naomi; people show love to God by choosing to help others.
• Open the Bible to Galatians 5:13. Help a preschooler put his finger on the verse as you say it.

3s–Pre-K—Gather Grain

Bible Story: Ruth Chose to Help Naomi Ruth 1–2
Life Point: People show love to God by choosing to help others.
Weekly Verse: Help one another in love. Galatians 5:13

Materials: Bible, foam packing peanuts or strips of yellow paper, small paper bags

• Scatter the foam peanuts or paper strips on the floor in an area of your classroom. Sit on the floor holding the Bible.
• Invite several children to sit with you on the floor. Open the Bible to Ruth and tell the Bible story. Explain the Ruth would walk behind the workers who were harvesting the grain and pick up the pieces they dropped. Ask if they know what Ruth and Naomi most likely did with the grain (ground it into flour and made bread). 
• Give each child a paper bag. Encourage children to collect all the grain from the floor. When they return to where you are sitting, open the Bible to Galatians 5:13 and say the verse. Say that people show love for God by choosing to help others.

Kindergarten—Make a Door Knob Reminder

Bible Story: Ruth Chose to Help Naomi Ruth 1–2
Life Point: People show love to God by choosing to help others.
Weekly Verse: Help one another in love. Galatians 5:13

Materials: construction paper cut into door hanger shapes, labels printed with the Weekly Verse, small shapes cut from construction paper, glue sticks

• Give each child a door hanger shape and a Bible verse label. Encourage the kids to place the verse on their door hanger and decorate it by gluing the paper shapes onto the hanger.
• Say the verse and tell the Bible story as children work. Remark that Ruth helped Naomi when they returned to Bethlehem. Comment that people show love for God by choosing to help others.
• Comment that kids can hang their creations on the door knobs to their rooms to remind them to help others.