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Jesus is Alive!

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

Introduction:

Finally the best part of the Easter story!  This part of the story is significant because in no other religion has a 'god' ever raised himself from the dead.  He triumphed over sin and death, and He has the power to take us to be with Him when we die. A key passage referring to the Resurrection can be found in 1 Corinthians 15:12-58 for further understanding.   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, Jesus praying, then Jesus dies on the Cross, and this lesson focuses on Jesus'  Resurrection, and concludes with Jesus loves me.

The message:  

Preschool thru Grade 1: Jesus came to life, so we can live with Him someday.
  
Grades 2 and 3: Jesus rose from the dead, as He will raise us to live with Him.  

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 is Alive 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 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 mini book or 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	Stone and Tomb name tags, scissors (or adults can precut),  crayons, markers, yarn, safety pins or tape.
Craft/Baking time! Preschool thru Grade 1:Make the Angel Rolled the Stone Away craft. This requires a bit of painting, so you might want to have something for the children to wear over their clothes to protect them.  You may also like newspaper for the table and some paint brushes. Grade 2 and 3:  Make the Easter Hands Wreath.  There are two ways to do this craft. One is to trace the child's hand onto paper and cut out the prints. The second is to make paint handprints on the paper and cut those out.  An option to make this applicable is to use the Easter lilies with crosses and place them in the middle of the wreath. All Grades:  If you would rather bake than do a craft there is a great option for you.  The He's Alive Buns  are a fabulous way to illustrate the story, and they're very easy and fun to make with the kids.	15 to 30 minutes  depending on your adult/child ratio	Preschool thru Grade 1: Angel Rolled the Stone Away. Large paper plate, black and brown or gray tempra paint, brown lunch bag, scissors, white glue, or stapler.   Grade 2 and 3: Easter Hands Wreath. glue, scissors, and three colors of pastel paint or construction paper.
Bible Story Time: Preschool thru Grade 1:  Read The Story of Jesus is Alive (or read from your own store bought children's bible).    Grade 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 Mini Book, Coloring Pages or Easter Printable Puzzle can be distributed to the children so they are able to color at home, or during the story.   Or use a page for each lesson plan to have the children color to form a book at the end of the life of Jesus. Print the pages, staple them together in order and let the kids know when to turn the page.  The handouts can be taken home to color in.
Closing: Preschool thru Grade 1: Discuss with the kids how they would've felt if they were the women who went to the tomb and found Jesus gone.  Explain that whatever happens Jesus will always be there for us.  Sometimes life is hard, but Jesus won't ever die or leave us. Grade 2 and 3: Discuss why they think Jesus rose from the dead.  And the importance of Him doing that (it gives us hope).  That Jesus will someday do the same, and raise us to be with Him.  We shouldn't fear death if we know Christ, but be excited to be with Him.  Read 1 Corinthians 15 (or parts from it to emphasize why it's important that Jesus rose from the dead). 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