Jesus n Me Palm Sunday Lesson: Who is Jesus?

Palm Sunday Lesson Snapshot Jesus n Me Palm Sunday Lesson: Who is Jesus? Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus loves us. Jesus deserves our praise! Concepts Children Learn: Bible marked with verses Printed lesson, activity pages Coloring and craft pages Green copy paper Fabric paper (Roylco.com) or scrapbook paper Craft supplies Activity supplies Bulletin board decorations Pictures and Crafts to Use With Lesson: Donkey Puppet Standup Donkey Donkey Picture Coats, Palm Branch Craft Boy with Palms Girl with Donkey Multi-cultural Children Prep: Print the story pictures and craft pages. Color the story pictures if using black-and-white. Make a sample of the Standup Donkey (but don t glue the coats on its back yet). (See Crafts). Before you begin the lesson, hide the Standup Donkey somewhere in the room. Make samples and copies of craft pages for the other crafts you ll have available for the children to make. Make Coats and Palm Branches (See Activities). Key Verse: Mark 11:9. Verses used in lesson: Mark 11:7-9. Lesson based on verses: Matthew 21:1-17; Mark 8:29, 11:1-11; Luke 2:11, 19:28-40; John 6:69, 11:27, 12:12-19. Lesson Snapshot Week 1 Lesson, Crafts, Activities (See Crafts and Activities for details) Help Me Feel Welcome Warm-up Activity Let s Have Snack! Greet children as they arrive. Show children Kids have Coat-shaped or Palm branch pictures of donkeys or toy donkeys; or give cookies for a fun Palm Sunday snack. them donkey puzzles to color. Intro Tell Me About Palm Sunday Let s Talk About Who Jesus is! Children learned that the prophet Zechariah Children learn who Jesus is, as the told this story long before it happened! important concepts are explained. Let s Pretend to Be the Disciples! Children pretend to be the disciples and look for the donkey (Standup Donkey). They get to pet the Touch n Feel Standup Donkey. Show Me the Donkey! You use the Standup Donkey to tell the Bible story of the First Palm Sunday, in Skit form. Let s Pretend to Be People in the Crowd Children wave paper palm branches as the Standup Donkey walks back and forth. Let s Praise Jesus! Children lay down coats for the Standup Donkey to walk on and shout praises to Jesus. Let me Rhyme Time! Children join the fun, as you read the If I Was There rhyme, and show them the hand motions. Let Me Pray Prayer Time Children can take turns praying after you or an assistant prays. Let s Make Our Own Standup Donkeys! Children get a chance to make their own stick donkey and ride it. Donkey Rhyme Children hear the fun Donkey Rhyme that is also a guessing game.

Palm Sunday Lesson/Skit, p 1 Intro Who is Jesus? (Show Donkey Picture or photo). Today we get to hear the Bible story of Palm Sunday, when Jesus was praised and honored as he rode into Jerusalem on a baby donkey! Zechariah the prophet told about the special first Palm Sunday long before it happened! A prophet is someone who speaks the words that God wants him to say. Zechariah 9:9 tells us what he said. (Write the verse in the version that you want to use). This is a true story. That means that it really happened. But we re telling you the story in a way that is easy for you to understand. Narrator Standup Donkey Narrator Donkey Narrator Donkey Narrator Donkey Narrator Donkey Narrator Donkey Narrator Donkey Narrator Donkey Scene I The Disciples Go in Search For the Donkey It was an exciting time of year. It was right before the Passover Festival! Lots of people had gone to Jerusalem to celebrate! Jesus and his disciples were also on their way to Jerusalem. They had been walking for a while, and they came to the town Bethany. Jesus told his disciples, At the next town, you ll find a baby donkey there. It has never been ridden before. Will you untie it, and bring it to me? If anyone asks why you re untying it, tell them, The Lord needs it. He ll send it back. So off the disciples went to look for the little donkey. Let s pretend we re there with the disciples. Let s go look for the donkey! He s hiding somewhere in the room. (Let children walk around the room to search for the Standup Donkey. If they don t find it right away, give them clues. Continue when they find it). There he is! You found him! Eee-aw! Eee-aw! Aw, Isn t he cute! Who wants to pet the little donkey? You can feel it s fuzzy hair. (Let children take turns petting it. Take your turn to pet it). Eee-aw! Eee-aw! Let s go back to our seats to hear the story. (Lead children back to their seats. Use the Standup Donkey or the Donkey Puppet). This little Donkey will help us tell the story. Eee-aw! Eee-aw! (Moves head up and down or jumps up and down). When the disciples found the donkey they began to untie it. The people standing there asked them, What are you doing? Why are you untying the donkey? Eee-aw? The disciples answered just as Jesus had told them to. They said, The Lord needs it. But he ll send it back. Eee-aw! Eee-aw! (Jumps up and down). So the disciples were allowed them to take the donkey. They untied the little donkey and led him back to Jesus, just as Jesus had asked them to. Move donkey in front of you. Are you ready for a great adventure, little donkey? Eee-aw! Eee-aw! (Jumps up and down). The disciples laid their coats on top of the little donkey for Jesus to sit on. The little donkey had never been ridden before. Do you think he might have been a little scared? Eee-aw! (Moves head from side to side to say no ). No? Oh, maybe he feels safe because it s Jesus who is going to ride him? Eee-aw! Eee-aw! (Jumps up and down).

Palm Sunday Lesson/Skit, p 2 Narrator Donkey Narrator Donkey Narrator Narrator Scene II Jesus Rides the Donkey to Jerusalem So off they went to Jerusalem. Jesus rode on the donkey and the disciples walked along beside him. When they came to the Mount of Olives, they had to go down the steep mountain into Jerusalem. Step by step, the little donkey bravely took Jesus down the steep road into the city. (Move donkey from up high to down low, slowly). Are you having a good time, little donkey? Eee-aw! Eee-aw! (Jumps up and down). Many people had come to Jerusalem for the feast and celebration! When they heard Jesus was coming, large crowds of people ran out to meet him! When the people saw Jesus riding on the donkey, they took palm braches from the trees and waved them, shouting praises to him as he rode along! Let s pretend we re there in the crowd. We can wave Palm Branches and pretend Jesus is on the donkey. (Give each child a Palm branch to wave, as you move donkey back and forth in front of you). When they heard the noise, all the people of the city were wondering what was going on. They asked, What s all the shouting about? And Who is Jesus? The people in the crowd answered the best they knew how. Some said, It s Jesus who s riding the donkey -- The prophet from Nazareth In Galilee! Others called him the King of Israel. Some said he was the Son of David. Let s see what happened next: (Read Mark 11:8-10). Here are some coats. We can lay them on the ground for the donkey to walk over. (Show kids how to lay the coats on the ground (table). Eee-aw! Eee-aw! (Walks back and forth on the table, stepping on coats). All the people loved Jesus! They had seen him make the lame walk, make the blind see and heal sick people! Some even saw Jesus bring Lazarus back to life after he had died! They wanted to praise and honor him for all the miracles they had seen him do, and for who he was! That s why the people waved branches and shouted praises! Jesus deserved their praise! They laid down their coats on the road to honor him, and show that they thought of him as their king! Hosanna!, Hosanna! they shouted. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna to the King of Israel! Jesus in the Temple When Jesus got to Jerusalem, he went into the temple. How Jesus loved teaching the people at the temple! But he became upset when he saw that the people there were being cheated by those who were selling things. He turned over the tables of those who were selling doves in the temple, and he drove them out. Here s what the Bible says: (Read Mark 11:17). Jesus wanted God s house to be used to honor God in worship and teaching, and for praise, so he taught them using the Bible verse. The little children knew that was the right thing to do. They were still running up to Jesus, praising him, waving their palm branches, and shouting Hosanna to the King! (Let children wave their branches again).

Palm Sunday Lesson/Skit, p 3 Narrator How Jesus loved to hear the children s praises! While Jesus was there in the temple, the blind people and sick people came up to him, and Jesus healed them! When the leaders and teachers of the temple saw all the wonderful things Jesus was doing, and when they heard the children s praises, they got angry! Jesus was getting all of the attention! All of the people were praising him instead of them, so they became jealous. They couldn t stand it! They asked Jesus, Don t you hear what these little children are saying? Stop them! But Jesus knew that the children s praises were good and right. He answered them and said, Haven t you read, From the lips of children and babies, you bring praise! Then it was time to go. Jesus and his disciples went back to Bethany and there that night. So, what do you think little donkey, did you like that story? Donkey Eee-aw! Eee-aw! (Jumps up and down). Talk Time: Who is Jesus? As Jesus rode through Jerusalem on the little donkey, he created a lot of excitement! The people were asking, Who is Jesus? Some people in the crowd said that Jesus was the prophet from Galilee. Some of the people called him the Son of David because they knew of the Bible verse that says that someone would come from the family of David to save the people from their sins, and they knew Jesus was that one! Others called Jesus their King! They loved Jesus and wanted him to be their ruler. But those closest to Jesus knew him best. When Jesus asked Mary what she believed about him, Mary answered, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God! And Mary was right! And when Jesus had asked Peter, one of his disciples, Who do you think I am? Peter answered, The Christ. Peter was right too. Did you know that Christ means Savior? Jesus is our Lord. He is above all! He is the one who gives us life. He is the All-Powerful one! He is the one who loves us completely! And he is the one who is willing to forgive us! Jesus is the very Son of God! He was sent to us from heaven! That s why the people in the crowd were running out to meet him and praising him on that first Palm Sunday! Even the young children knew Jesus was the one who deserved their praise! And, Jesus is the one who deserves our praise too! So today, and every day, let s give him the praise and honor he deserves! Who can tell me some things to praise Jesus for? (Let children answer. Some possible answers to add: Because he is great. He loves us all. He forgives us. He died for us. He takes his followers to heaven to live with him). Transition: In the next few weeks we ll learn more about Jesus and some promises he made to us. I hope you can all come back! Let s pray now and then we can have a snack. Say a prayer, then let children take turns to pray.

Jesus n Me - Palm Sunday Activities Welcome Activity Books, Coloring Sheets or Puzzles Show children books or photos of real donkeys. Talk about them to the children. Give children templates and puzzles to put together, or a black-and-white one to color for a take-home or in-class activity. Palm Branch Decorations Use large Palm Branches to decorate bulletin boards or to give to children to wave during the skit / lesson. Use smaller ones for crafts. Palm Branch or Coat Snack Make cookies in the shape of leaves or shirts (Can be purchased on Amazon.com). Decorate with icing to make them look like Palm branches / coats. Palm Sunday Skit The main activities for this lesson are during the Palm Sunday Lesson / Skit. See lesson page for instructions and skit. Coats, palm branches craft pages Green copy paper or construction paper Fabric paper or small print fabric Coats and Palm Branches for Skit Activity See Touch-n-Feel Donkey to see how to make large palm branches. You can also use small doll clothes for children to lay on donkey s back or on the ground. If I Was There - Jesus n Me Palm Sunday Rhyme with Hand Motions (For use with Palm Branch Craft) If I was there the day Jesus came to town, Point to yourself. I d shout real loud, lay my coat down. Wave hands in air. I d shout to Jesus, Hosanna, to the King! Cup hands around mouth and shout Hosanna to the King! Palm branches I d wave, songs I d sing! Wave palm branch. I d let Jesus know that I was a fan. Point to yourself. I d praise Jesus, and wave my hand. Wave hand. I d be excited, jump as high as I could! Jump. I know Jesus would see me; yes, he would! Make binoculars with fingers. Place on eyes. That day happened, a long time ago, Point to calendar. But I still praise Jesus, everywhere I go. Make circular motion with hand. I can treat people kind, like Jesus did. Make cross with two fingers. Showing love to grown-ups, and to kids. Point to grown-up, then kid. I can spend time with Jesus, in his Word. Place hands together as if holding Bible. I can let him lead me, each day as my Lord. Point up. I love Jesus, is what my actions can show, Make cross with two fingers. By loving everyone, whether friend or foe. Make circular motion with hand. I can do right, and honor him each day. Point up. And in prayer, stay close to him always. Place hands together in prayer.

Jesus n Me Palm Sunday Crafts Instructions Safety Tips: Use scissors for prep at home only. Keep sharp or small objects out of reach of children younger than age 3 (glue caps, etc.). Watch to make sure young children don t put crayons or other objects in their mouths. Know first aid procedures. Consult safety manual for complete safety information. Supplies: Standup Donkey craft page Coats / Palm Branch patterns Felt scraps (brown or gray) Green construction paper or copy paper The photo is Donkey Visor A less expensive way to make them is the Donkey Ears Head Band. Supplies, Cont d: Scissors (adults only) Cardstock Crayons Extra-strength glue sticks Fabric scraps (solids or small prints), fabric paper* or patterned scrapbook paper * Search fabric paper on Amazon.com. Touch-n-Feel Standup Donkey: (Age 2+) Have age 2-3 color hair, instead of using felt pieces. Prep: Print Donkey craft pages. Supplies Needed: Donkey Carry Case craft page Craft bags or lunch bags Large paper bags Green construction paper or foam sheets Small scraps of felt (for age 3+) Crayons/markers Donkey Carry Case For age 2+. For age 2 and 3 just have them color hair instead of using felt. Supplies Needed: Donkey ears craft page Foam visors or polar fleece fabric (For Head Band), cut into 2 wide strips Stapler/staples Scissors (teacher only) Crayons Donkey Ears Visor. For age 3+ Prep: Print and make copies of craft page onto cardstock. Cut out for young children. Make copies onto card stock. Make copies of Palm branches onto green copy paper or use bw ones as patterns: Print one each of coats, branch pattern pages onto cardstock. Cut out. Lay coats on fabric, branches on green paper, trace and cut out. Staple layers together to cut several layers at the same time. Cut out little pieces of felt that can fit on donkey s hair. Cut 2 X 2 pieces of felt to make tail. Cut slits part-way up. Craft: Children color donkey. Glue on felt for hair. Fold and glue on fabric or paper coats. Fold paper tail on dashed line. Tape to donkey. Roll up felt tail. Glue on end of tail. Prep: Print and make copies onto card stock. Cut out for young children. Palms: Use palm branch as a pattern. Place on paper or foam, trace and cut out. Cut 3-4 per child. Bags: Cut rectangles out of the top of bags across the top and sides to create handles. Cut off excess. Craft: Children color donkey. Glue small strips of hair on top of head. Help children glue head to bag, and glue the palm branches to the sides or back. Write Hosanna! I love Jesus! or other message on the top of the bag. Donkey Ears Visor, Cont d: Craft: Children color ears. Staple to top of visor. Donkey Ears Head Band. Prep: Print and make copies of craft page onto card stock. Cut out for young children. Cut 2 wide strips out of polar fleece, long enough to fit around child s head, plus 4 to tie. If you make it snug, you can just fold the tab up on the bottom of the ears, and stick under band, and they will stay there. Craft: Children color ears.

Palm Sunday Crafts, p2 Donkey Carry Case craft page Donkey Puppet p2 (arms) Brown lunch bags Cardstock Scissors (for adult only) Crayons Glue sticks Felt scraps (for ages 3+) Donkey puzzles bw or color Puzzle templates (optional) Cardstock Scissors (for adult only) Crayons Envelopes Restickable glue (optional) Donkey Puzzles: For age 2+. For Color-illustrated Puzzles: Prep: Print and make copies of puzzles and templates onto Paper Bag Donkey Puppet: For age 2+. Prep: Print craft pages. Make copies of donkey head onto card stock. Make copies of arms onto copy paper. Cut short strips of felt 1/4 wide. Craft: Children color head and arms. Cut out for pictures for young children. (Keep scissors out of children s reach). Place glue on donkey s hair. Glue on felt strips for hair. Glue lower part of donkey head onto the bottom of the bag (Fold so that head moves up and down when you move hand). Glue arms onto bag under arms. Donkey Puzzles, Cont d: cardstock. Place restickable glue on the backs. Allow to dry. Cut off edge of puzzles, and cut apart puzzle pieces. Place pieces for each puzzle in an envelope. Activity: Give each child a template. Show them how the pieces fit on the template and fit together to make the picture. Craft: Child color pages before you apply glue on back and cut apart. Donkey mask craft page Donkey Mask: For age 2+. Cardstock Print and make copies of craft Scissors (for adult only) page onto card stock. Cut out Craft knife (for adult only) for young children. Cut holes Crayons for eyes (Carefully use a craft Yarn knife). Punch holes on the Hole punch tabs. Insert piece of 10 yarn on each side. Tie to put on child. Hosanna Kids picture Green construction paper or craft paper Glue sticks Scissors (for adult only) Crayons Texture Hosanna Picture: For age 2+. Print and make copies of craft page. Children color picture, then tear small pieces of green paper about the size of the palm branches, and glue them on top of the palm leaves on the craft page.

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This page may be reproduced for one local church, preschool, or homeschool after purchase. Copyright Bible Kids Fun Zone 2014. Jesus n Me - Palm Sunday - Donkey mask