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Jesus Dies on the Cross

Teacher's Guide - this is the forth lesson in the series of Easter lessons. Use the Easter Bible Lesson Plan for further ideas to supplement this.

Introduction:

The story of the Crucifixion is a cruel one.  It is also very important, that children of all ages need to hear it (you never know if this is the only time they'll hear it).  If the story makes the children sad, its okay, its sad for all of us.  Just remind the children that Jesus did this out of His immense love for us, and story isn't finished yet - the ending is the greatest part of all!  I've said this before, but it's worth mentioning again.  When instructing young children, repetition is a positive thing.  Everything is so new at this age that it is helpful to repeat important messages multiple times.  The first lesson focused on the Triumphal Entry, the Last Supper, then Jesus praying, this lesson focuses on Jesus dies on the Cross, Jesus is Alive, and concludes with Jesus loves me.

The message:  

Preschool thru Grade 1: Jesus forgives you.
  
Grades 2 and 3: Jesus died on the cross and He forgave.  We must also forgive others.
  

The message of Jesus dying on the cross to save us, and then raising from the dead is, like Christmas, very important, maybe even more so.  The message is a life changing one, and gives us forgiveness and hope for a future with God.  This would be a great time to talk to the children about knowing Christ personally, and asking Him to live inside them.  Remember there is no 'special' prayer that has to be said but some important acknowledgments: God loves us, we are sinners and need forgiveness from God, and He needs to become central in our life.  Sometimes diagrams work to illustrate the point to older children.  There are booklets with more detail at any local Christian store, online, or just ask your pastor.  Remember this is the most important decision - and prayer goes a long way!

Make sure you repeat the message many times during the lesson.  Send the Jesus Dies on the Cross Take Home Sheet  home with the children to encourage parents to reiterate the message during the week.  If you plan to send the Take Home with the kids an option would be to include a printout of the Easter Story Cookies recipe so they can learn more about the lesson as a family.  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 the Mini Book,  Coloring Pages, or you could look at the Religious Printables Game or Easter Printables 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!