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Heaven

Teacher's Guide - this is just one possible lesson plan.  Visit the Heaven Bible Lesson Plan for further ideas to supplement this.

Introduction:

This lesson is about heaven.  Children are very curious about heaven and sometimes are afraid of the thought of it at first (especially since death has to come first).  This lesson will try to help children understand why heaven is such an amazing place and biblically answer some questions like who is there and what it's like.  Hopefully by knowing a bit more about Heaven will make it more exciting and less frightening.
It might be a good idea to follow this lesson with the Free Gift teacher's guide which explains how to become a Christian.

The message:  

Preschool thru Grade 1: Heaven is a wonderful place.
  
Grades 2 and 3: God is preparing a special place for those who believe in Him.

I've split this message into two separate ones depending on the age level.  For the younger children, the message is simple: Heaven is a wonderful place.  For the older children, we expand on this message and say God is preparing a special place for those who believe in Him.  Along with this message it will be necessary to reinforce how to become a Christian by following up with the Free Gift teacher's guide or having some discussion about the importance of becoming a Christian.

Make sure you repeat the message many times during the lesson.  Send the Heaven Take Home Sheet  home with the children to encourage parents to reiterate the message during the week.  It includes a poster at the bottom that the children can color and hang on their wall or refrigerator. 

Preview of the lesson:

Some people like to do craft time first and story time second and some like to switch it around.  I like the first option, myself.

Always consider offering Heaven's Gate , Angel or Crown coloring pages for children who aren't interested in participating in the group activity (or if you get done the group activities very quickly and need something to fill in the spare time).  Everyone has a need for "alone time" once in awhile.  Also, sending home the coloring pages with the Take Home sheet provides parents with much needed help in reinforcing the lessons.  You can make a nice little booklet each week with the take home sheet on top -- I promise that most parents will appreciate the effort! 

Description	Time Allotted	Supplies
Welcome!   Receive name tags.  Have the children use crayons, markers, yarn and whatever other materials (such as sparkle glue) you have available to personalize their name tag. Sing the Learning our Names song	10 to 15 minutes	Crown name tags, scissors (or adults can precut),  crayons, markers, yarn, safety pins or tape.
Craft time! Preschool thru Grade 1: Make the Heaven's Gate Collage craft.  For this age group glue and color this onto a piece of paper.  Add difficulty suggested on the craft page as needed. Grade 2 and 3:  Make the Heaven's Gate Collage craft.  For this age group use blue construction paper or the children can use all three template pieces or they can skip the third template and draw their own vision of heaven behind the pearly gates, write a poem about heaven or write a short prayer for a loved one in heaven.	15 to 30 minutes  depending on your adult/child ratio	All Ages: Heaven's Gate Collage Craft template. printer, paper, scissors, glue, something to color with.  OPTIONAL: blue construction paper.
Bible Story Time: Preschool thru Grade 1:  Read The Story of Heaven (or read from your own store bought children's bible).    Grade 2 and 3:  It's tough to know when it's the right time to start readings from the Bible, but if the children have been read a children's version of the story in the past, I believe this is a good age to introduce the King James (or your preferred) bible reading.	10 minutes	The Coloring Pages, can be distributed to the children so they are able to color at home, or during the story.
Closing: Preschool thru Grade 1:  depending on the time remaining ask the children: what kind of things they will do in heaven?  Will they ever be lonely there?  Will they ever be sad there?  Do they know anyone in Heaven now?  How can we get to heaven? Grade 2 and 3:  depending on the time remaining ask the children: are they ready to go to heaven?  What are some things they can look forward to when they get to heaven?  Can they get into heaven by doing good things? (No, make sure they understand that they need to believe and accept Christ and then live their life they way God would want). Snack: marshmallows could represent the clouds in the sky where Heaven might be. Standard ending song:  for example We love to learn together,  together, together We love to learn together And give thanks to God. substitute "learn" for sing, pray, etc (to the tune of The More We Get Together)	5 to 15 minutes	Brainstorm Board (chalkboard, whiteboard, poster board,...)           Words to: standard ending song