Lesson 3: Five loaves and two fish.
Passage: Luke 9:10-17 - In this story, Jesus is teaching a large crowd of about 5000 men, plus women and children. After they had been there a long time, his disciples wanted to send them away to find food and lodgings, but Jesus told them that they should be the ones to feed them. They only had five loaves of bread and two fish, but as they distributed them, they found they had more than enough for everyone.
Big Idea: God uses us to bless others.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Introduce yourself and welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: — Activity Leader
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’ll be talking about another one of Jesus’ miracles.
Do you remember last week we learned about how Jesus calmed a big thunderstorm?
Have you ever experienced a thunderstorm before? How do you think you’d feel if you saw Jesus tell a storm to stop and it actually stopped?
Today’s story is all about a time when Jesus fed a huge crowd of people with only a little bit of food.
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Do you think if I had one small piece of bread, that would be enough for all of us to eat? Do you think we’d still be hungry if we all had to share one piece of bread?
What do you think Jesus’ friends thought when Jesus said they could feed a big big group of people with only a little bit of bread and fish?
Why do you think Jesus wanted his friends to feed the big group of people?
Do you think it would be hard for Jesus’ friends to trust him when he tells them to do something impossible - like feed all these people with only a little bit of food?
Do you think Jesus can do anything even if it seems impossible?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you that you care about all of us, you always take care of us and give us what we need, like food and a home to live in and grown ups who love us. Thank you that you can do anything, even if it seems crazy, because you’re so powerful and make miracles happen every day. Thank you that you can even use us to help other people, just like Jesus told his friends to help feed the big group of people. Please help us to love others like you love us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Basket, Bread, and Fish Decorating — Activity Leader
Kids color and decorate their paper basket basket, bread, and fish with crayons and markers.
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Introduce yourself and welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Team Architect — Activity Leader
Divide the class into groups of three or four. Each group will get a limited amount of random materials and has a a couple minutes to use their creativity to build something out of the materials, and show it to the larger group.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’ll be talking about another one of Jesus’ miracles.
Do you remember last week we learned about how Jesus calmed a big thunderstorm?
Have you ever experienced a thunderstorm before? How do you think you’d feel if you saw Jesus tell a storm to stop and it actually stopped?
Today’s story is all about a time when Jesus fed a huge crowd of people with only a little bit of food.
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Do you think if I had one small piece of bread, that would be enough for all of us to eat? Do you think we’d still be hungry if we all had to share one piece of bread?
What do you think Jesus’ friends thought when Jesus said they could feed a big big group of people with only a little bit of bread and fish?
Why do you think Jesus wanted his friends to feed the big group of people?
Do you think it would be hard for Jesus’ friends to trust him when he tells them to do something impossible - like feed all these people with only a little bit of food?
Do you think Jesus can do anything even if it seems impossible?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you that you care about all of us, you always take care of us and give us what we need, like food and a home to live in and grown ups who love us. Thank you that you can do anything, even if it seems crazy, because you’re so powerful and make miracles happen every day. Thank you that you can even use us to help other people, just like Jesus told his friends to help feed the big group of people. Please help us to love others like you love us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Basket, Bread, and Fish Decorating — Activity Leader
Kids color and decorate their paper basket basket, bread, and fish with crayons and markers.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
-
Welcome — Activity Leader
Introduce yourself and welcome the kids to class.
Warm Up Activity: — Activity Leader
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we’re going to be learning about another one of Jesus’ miracles.
Does anyone remember the other two miracles we’ve talked about? (Jesus turning water into wine & calming the storm)
Today we’ll be talking about how Jesus fed a huge crowd of people.
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Why do you think Jesus’ disciples were so shocked when Jesus told them to feed the crowd of people?
Do you think it sometimes takes a while for us to trust God even though we’ve seen amazing things God’s done before?
What do you think it says about Jesus that he wanted to feed the people instead of telling them to go buy their own food?
What are some ways that God has used you to help other people, like Jesus used his disciples to feed the crowd?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you we know you have the power to do anything and even to perform miracles. Even when something seems impossible, we know that everything is possible for you. We pray that we will learn to put our trust and faith in you in all situations, and ask you for the things we need, because we know you listen and care about us. We also pray that you will help us see opportunities to be used by you as a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Basket with Bread and Fish Craft — Activity Leader
Kids will take two paper plates and cut out along the lines to create two sides of the basket with handles. They will staple the bottom and sides of the basket, leaving the top open. They will then decorate the outside of the basket with crayons and markers (suggest woven basket pattern).
They will also cut out fish & bread with construction paper, decorate with crayons and markers, and place them into the basket.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
Follow-up questions.
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What do you think about the miracle of Jesus feeding a huge crowd with just a little bit of food?
What are some good things that God has given you?
What are some ways that we can also help others?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What do you think about the miracle of Jesus feeding a huge crowd with five loaves and two fish?
What are some things that you’re thankful to God for?
What are some ways that we can also help others who are in need?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Do you think it was a leap of faith for the disciples to start handing out the food even though they didn’t know if it would be enough?
Have you ever taken a leap of faith before? What happened next?
What are some ways that you think God can use you to bless others?
