Fruit of the Spirit Bags

 

 FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT BAGS

 

I made a set of these bags and filled them with small things to illustrate the Fruit of the Spirit. (Of course the search for additional items is ongoing.) The first set with lots of goodies in the bags were lost in our church fire. This is the replacement set.

Eventually I will have more items in each bag. For example, I "need" a mommy, daddy, pets, etc. in love bag. The search is fun. Really, how many people do you know who are looking for little objects to go in Fruit of the Spirit bags? Maybe you will be too. With that in mind, I am including a picture of the bags I have now in case you want to make your own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOVE BAG

 Pick out any fabric that seems to be related to each Fruit of Spirit.

I put a few "Love" songs in for ready reminders.

Add small items and symbols that you can use to talk about each Fruit of the Spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

JOY BAG

 

These things are from garage sales, old toys I already had, Oriental Trading Company, etc. Be on the lookout!

I love that later, when the kids see some of these toys again somewhere else, they might be reminded of a Fruit of the Spirit.

 

 

PEACE BAG

 

Include symbols for the Fruit of the Spirit you are talking about. I tell students that the circle peach symbol is a chicken foot with a circle around it.

I describe Peace as being the opposite of fighting. To be peaceful, we might need to use some of the other Fruits of the Spirit.

 

 

PATIENCE BAG

 

I describe patience as being nice while you are waiting. When you go fishing you have to be very quiet and usually wait a long time before you catch a fish.

Around Christmas or before your birthday, you may see presents, but you have to wait nicely until it is time for you to open the presents.

I let kids hold things when I talk about the Fruit of the Spirit. One time a child opened a "present". LOL!

 

KINDNESS BAG

 

I don't have much for kindness anymore. I used to have a little bitty trash can and we talked about helping at home.

The wiggly eyes are to remind us to look for ways to be kind like the Paw Patrol.

 

 

 

 

GOODNESS BAG

I'm on the lookout for items for this bag! Your teaching tools get better with time.

I usually try to focus on one Fruit of the Spirit that has to do with our Bible story each week. We do sing the song each week tho so they will know all of them.

 

 

 

 

 

FAITHFULNESS BAG

 

I picked stars to illustrate faithfulness because they always come out at night. Sometimes we can't see them, but they are there.

Clifford the Big Red Dog can be counted on to be a good friend to Emily.

God never changes! We can depend on Him. God needs us to be dependable too by always loving Him.

 

 

GENTLENESS BAG

 

We talk about how gently a feather falls to the ground. I sweep a feather gently over students' heads and talk about how gentle the touch is.

You can talk about what IS NOT gentle too.

Things we need to be physically gentle with include: babies, eggs, pets, people. Could introduce FRAGILE to the conversation. Could talk about how we need to be gentle with the way we talk to people too.

SELF CONTROL BAG

Conversation #1: If Momma tells you NOT to throw the ball in the house, but you really, really want to but you still mind Momma, that's self control.

Conversation #2: (Could add a little bed to bag.) If Daddy tells you to go to bed and you do, right then, that is self control too. Self control is doing what you are supposed to even when you want to do something else.

Conversation #3: There's that present again. You really want to open it, but you don't because you know you are supposed to wait.

Ezra

 

Credit:  https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/ezra/

Introduction:

In our story today, Ezra tears up his clothes. (Let kids tear up some raggedy clothes you brought for this.  You need to cut the clothes so that they will tear easier.)

Ezra also pulled out his hair from his head and beard!!  We're not going to do that, but let's see WHY Ezra would have done these things.

 

Story Song:

I selected and printed seven pictures from  the third set of Ezra pictures that would go with  the text and song I wrote for this story.  I printed the text and glued it to the appropriate pictures I had used.  (You have creative commons permission to use this file, but not to publish it for profit.)

Songs Used:

There are Yes People 

 One God Song

Ezra, Ezra

He knew the truth.

He knew that there is one God.

  

Additional Resources:

There aren't many resources  available in print, on aps, videos, or Youtube about Ezra that are age appropriate for preschool. So --

• I will introduce Jonah also in order to discuss that Jonah was a "No" person and Ezra was a "yes" person.  Also the Israelites had been "No" people too in the Ezra story.
• Will also introduce John 14:15 (NIV) as memory verse. 
  Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands."

Fruit of the Spirit LOVE bag--full of things we love.

*

Vocabulary:

• beard - Show one of the pictures of Ezra and ask a student to point to his beard.
• love - memory verse, what love looks like, Fruit of the Spirit LOVE bag (above)
  
• scroll -- 
• compare to contemporary bible appearance
• Give out small scrolls with John 14:15 memory verse on it
• Practice saying John 14:15 in class using an 8.5 x 11" "scroll"
  

 

 *I made a set of these bags and filled them with small things to illustrate the Fruit of the Spirit.  (Of course the search for additional items is ongoing.) The first set with lots of goodies in the bags were lost in our church fire.  This is the replacement set.   Eventually I will have more items in each bag.  For example, I "need" a mommy, daddy, pets, etc.  The search is fun.  Really, how many people do you know who are looking for little objects to go in Fruit of the Spirit bags?  Maybe you will be too.  With that in mind, I am including a picture of the bags I have now.

 

Jonah and the Big Fish

Creative commons use.  Attribution to www.lambsongs.co.nz.

Digital Resources

• Saddleback Kids Videos (on YouTube):  Song and lyrics A choice will pop up.  Choose to actually go to the link. Skip the short ad.  Video with song lyrics will play.
  
• Jonah and the Fish

• The Beginner's Bible App  Stories
• Bible for Kids App Stories: 

Video Resources - DVD Read and Share Bible, Volume 2:

Print Resources

• The Beginner's Bible:  Tales of Virtue:  A Book of Right and Wrong, pages 49-57.
• The Beginner's Bible:  Timeless Children's Stories, pages 257-264.
• The Story of Jonah, retold by Juliana Bragg; illustrated by Charles E. Martin, A Golden Press book
• "I Don't Want to" The Story of Jonah by Marilyn Lashbrook, Me Too! Books
• Jonah retold by Anne de Graaf; illustrated by Jose Perez Montero, Little Children's Bible Book (a fold out book)
• The Story of Jonah by Pamela Broughton; illustrated by Roberta Collier, A Little Golden Book 
• Famous Bible Stories: The Story of Jonah adapted by Maxine Nodel; illustrated by Norman Nodel 
• "Jonah and the Big Fish," Read Aloud Bible Stories, Volume 4, by Ella K. Lindvall; illustrated by H. Kent Puckett, page 129
  

Prop Resources

• Plastic Nose, eyes, and hands --What did Jonah see, smell and feel?
• Something gooey ??
• Whales, men (Jonah), boat
  

Song(s)

• Song listed above under Saddleback Kids 
• Jonah Song below credits.  I know that Iona Shackleford wrote the song, but I don't know where the tune came from.
  
• "The Ballad of Jonah" by Sharilynn S. Adair, copyright 1997, Abingdon Press. I have this in my files.  I looked for it online hoping I could include a link.
  
• It's Smelly in the Belly of a Whale - This is the original song by Jill Kemp.  Below is my modified version.
• It's Smelly in the Belly of a Fish  is listed below.
  
•  

 

Jonah Songs 

 

 JONAH Song 

This was written by Iona Shackelford.

(Shake finger:  JONAH SHOULD HAVE OBEYED)

 Jonah was a preacher, 
and God told him one day.
“Jonah, go a-preaching.
Folks need to know my way.” 

 

Jonah said, “Oh, No!”
And ran away to hide
Out on a sailing ship
Out on the ocean wide!
JONAH SHOULD HAVE OBEYED!!   

 
God made up a great big storm.
The winds went “Woo - oo - oo”.
Jonah told the sailors
just what they should do. 

 

They threw him in the sea
with a great big swish!
And down in that deep water
he was swallowed by a fish!
JONAH SHOULD HAVE OBEYED!!

 

Jonah learned a lesson.
He really had a scare.
He learned he couldn’t hide
from God who’s everywhere.

 

 God told that big fish
to put Jonah on dry land.
Jonah was so glad!
Now he could understand…
IT’S BEST TO OBEY!!!

 

• YES and NO People Song:

  Yes and No People with Jonah verse

   There are YES people.
  There are YES people.
  There are YES people who say,
  “Yes, I’ll do the right thing!  YES! Right away!”

   There are NO people.
  There are NO people.
  There are NO people who say,
  “NO, I WON’T do the right thing!  NO! Not today!”

   Jonah :

  Jonah was a NO person
  a NO person, a NO person
  Jonah was a NO person
  who said (to God),
  "No, I won't do the right thing!  I'll run away"

  
  

  
  

  YES People in the Bible	NO People in the Bible
  Boy who shared his lunch The Good Samaritan 1 Thankful Leper Esther Ezra Daniel Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego	Jonah Adam and Eve 9 out of 10 Lepers Israelites




Vocabulary
• Prophet 
• Obey 
• Faithfulness