During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide and Student Page, can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Lord, who is a God like you? You forgive sin.You forgive your people when they do what is wrong. You don’t stay angry forever. Instead, you take delight in showing your faithful love to them.
Micah 7:18
God gave each of us the ability to make decisions, whether they are right or wrong. He loves us, and even when we fail, He forgives us. He delights in showing us His faithful love. We make simple choices each day. We choose which tasks to do today and which can wait. We choose to be kind or to be angry. We choose to honour God or refuse Him in pride.
Reflect on a time when you chose to do something you knew was wrong. Why did you make that choice? What was the result? Look again at God’s response even when you fail. He will not respond in anger but instead looks at you with faithful love. That should cause your heart to want to choose good things that honour Him and lead to life. Ask God to give you the wisdom to make good choices. Rely on the Holy Spirit to guide your decisions.
Encourage the families to talk with their children about what might cause them to do something that is wrong. In their daily lives, children have opportunities to do the right thing or the wrong thing, and it is important they know that adults do too.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet the children as they come to class. Ask the children to tell you something unique about themselves as they enter the teaching space.
Today, we will talk about choices. God gave us all the ability to make choices. Good choices help us honour God, who made us, and help us live better lives. Bad choices hurt us or other people. Bad choices do not honour God.
Allow 4–5 children to share with the class.
As you talk to the children about choices, smile when you say, “Good,” and frown when you say, “Bad.”
Answer the next question using what you and your partner discussed.
I am so happy (smile) you are here today. Today we will think about the choices we make every day. You made a good (smile) choice to come here today. If you had decided to steal something instead, that would have been a bad choice (frown). Bad choices (frown) hurt you and others. They do not honour God. Good choices (smile) help you and others. They honour God.
As you read the following sentences, tell the children to make a happy face and call out,
“Good choice,” if it is a good choice. Tell the children to make a sad face and call out, “Bad choice,” if it is a bad choice. If you are using the optional paper faces, the children can show those instead.
I listened to my teacher in class today.
The children smile and say, “Good choice.”
Right! Listening to your teacher is a good choice!
I pinched my classmate when no one was looking.
The children frown and say, “Bad choice.”
Right! Hurting people is a bad choice!
We do not have money for food and I am hungry, so I steal fruit from the market.
The children frown and say, “Bad choice.”
Stealing is a bad choice! People get in trouble when they steal.
My friend needed a piece of paper for class. I shared with her and gave her one of my papers.
The children smile and say, “Good choice.”
Correct! Sharing is a good choice! Helping others brings joy to you and honours God!
Every person makes bad choices sometimes, but God can help us to make good choices and do what is right!
I will now tell you about the first bad choice people made. As I read, smile when I say, “Good choice,” and frown when I say, “Bad choice.”
Smile and frown with the children as you read to help them with the actions.
Do you remember learning that God created many things—light, the sky, the world, animals, and people? Today, you will learn about Adam and Eve. They were the first 2 people God created. God made a beautiful garden for them to live in. God often spent time with Adam and Eve there. Everything was perfect! There was no hunger and no pain in the garden.
God put many fruit trees in the garden. He told Adam and Eve they could eat any fruit in the garden, except for the fruit from 1 tree—the tree in the middle of the garden. He told them they would die if they ate the fruit growing on this tree.
The Bible tells us a smart, sly serpent came and talked with Eve. He wanted Adam and Eve to choose their own way instead of honouring God. Listen to what the Bible tells us the serpent said to Eve:
Read the verse directly from your Bible.
God knows that when you eat fruit from that tree, you will know things you have never known before. Like God, you will be able to tell the difference between good and evil.
Genesis 3:5
The serpent did the work of the devil. The devil is someone who is very bad and does not want us to have a relationship with God. He tells people to do things that are against what God wants for them. It is the devil who lies to us to tempt us to sin. The serpent tempted Eve and made her doubt what God had said. Listen to what Eve chose:
The woman saw that the tree’s fruit was good to eat and pleasing to look at. She also saw that it would make a person wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate it.
Genesis 3:6
The serpent talked Eve into eating from the 1 tree God said not to eat from! Adam and Eve both ate the fruit and made a bad choice (frown)! Adam and Eve sinned.
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
Sin is doing wrong things and making bad choices (frown). Sin is anything that goes against what God wants for our lives. Sin ruins our relationship with God, and often with others. God loves us but hates sin because it hurts us and separates us from Him.
Adam’s bad choice (frown) hurt everyone. His bad choice (frown) even hurt all of us! The Bible says that sin entered the whole world because Adam made the bad choice (frown) to eat the fruit and disobey God. Because of Adam’s choice, sickness, death, and pain came into the world. We have all made bad choices (frown). This is a problem for all of us. God loves us so much! Even right after Adam’s sin, God made a promise to restore our broken relationship with Him. We will learn more about that next week.
The devil wants us to be away from God. We can ask God to help us make good choices (smile) when we are tempted to make bad choices (frown). We can all ask for help to keep from sinning and make good choices (smile)!The devil wants us to be away from God. We can ask God to help us make good choices (smile) when we are tempted to make bad choices (frown). We can all ask for help to keep from sinning and make good choices (smile)!
Allow a moment of silence. If needed, share that wrong choices might include stealing, lying, hurting others, and speaking against God.
Allow children to respond. Share the following idea if the children are stuck: I get punished.
Allow the children to respond. Then, share the following ideas if the children do not mention them: I feel bad, I feel sad because I hurt someone’s feelings, I lose friends and am lonely, I feel angry I got caught and punished, or I feel sad or hopeless.
Allow the children to respond. Then, share the following ideas if the children do not mention them. We can pray and ask for help, think about what the Bible says, and think about what the choice will do to someone else.
God loves you and wants what is best for you. Listen to what the Bible says:
But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure.
1 John 1:9
To confess means to tell God we are sorry. This verse says that God will forgive every wrong choice we make when we tell Him how sorry we are about what we have done. God loves us. When we ask for help to make good choices, God will help us!
Let’s get into groups for the next activity.
Choose 5 children to be the leaders of the groups. Place each child in a different area of your teaching space and give each a number from 1 to 5. Ask the 5 children to hold up the same number of fingers on their hands as the numbers you gave them.
Let’s get into 5 groups. We will count to 5 to help us make 5 groups. I will start with 1. As I point to the first child, that child will say, “1” and go to the leader who is holding up 1 finger (leader’s name). So the next child I point to will say, “2” and go to the leader holding up 2 fingers. Once I have pointed to 5 children, we will start over at 1 and keep going this way until everyone has a number.
Make sure to give everyone in the class a number. Be sure there are at least 2 children in each group.
I will read a situation aloud. In your groups, act out what will happen if a bad choice is made. Then, act out what will happen if a good choice is made.
You just got a new pencil! Your brother really wants to use it. You do not want your brother to use the pencil. Act out what it would look like not to share the pencil.
Give children 2 minutes to act out the situation. Walk around the room and observe the children acting out the situation.
Now, act out what it would look like to share the pencil.
Give children 2 minutes to act out the situation. Walk around the room and observe the children acting out the situation.
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, have the children colour the picture that shows someone making a good choice.
Optional, if you have time:
Let’s try another situation. Your mother gives you money to buy bread. You go to the store and see that they have sweets. Act out what you would do if you made a bad choice.
Give children 2 minutes to act out the situation. Walk around and observe the children.
Now, act out what you would do if you made a good choice.
Give children 2 minutes to act out the situation. Walk around and observe the children.
End of Option
Great job! You came up with some good examples of making good and bad choices. Even though we are not perfect, it is important to know that God made us and loves us. He will forgive us if we confess our sins to Him.
If possible, show the children the Memory Verse poster. Review the first 2 sentences of the memory verse and the actions that go with them. Then, add the third sentence with the following actions.
Everything God created is good. You shouldn’t turn anything down. Instead, you should thank God for it.
1 Timothy 4:4
Teacher Tip: If you changed these actions, make sure to use the ones you noted from Lesson 1. Note any additional changes you make to the actions this week.
Note the new actions so that you can use the same ones each week of this unit.
Everything—Move your hands from your stomach in a curve out toward each side.
God—Point to the sky with your hand.
Created—Cup your hands as though an imaginary ball is between them. Rotate the imaginary ball in your hands.
Good—Smile.
You—Point to everyone else.
Shouldn’t—Motion no.
Turn anything down—Make a rejecting motion. Push your hands away from you with palms out.
You should—Motion yes.
Thank God for it—Smile and make a praying motion with your hands.
Repeat the verse and actions 3 times. End class by speaking this blessing, based on 1 John 1:9, over the children.
Blessing: May you know that God is always faithful and fair. God will forgive our sins if we say we are sorry and turn away from wrong choices. May you honour God as He helps you make good choices and do what is right!
If you have time, share this song with your children to celebrate how great God is! Use this as your worship theme this quarter.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
