Jesus in a Fairy Tale

By Mary Peterson

In every part of anything we do, Jesus is present. This book piques the imagination of children who want to learn more about Jesus. It will guide the teacher to a new approach through lessons, participation, playacting, and games. If you ever wondered how to teach children in a way that would hold their attention and give them better understanding, then these are the lessons for you. Each section is planned separately according to what is being taught and can be used for any age group. The idea of a fairy tale is used to teach about leadership, love, and building a strong foundation. Use the current-events lesson to teach about trust in God. There is even a section on sports. One lesson is named Hit a Home Run for God. All lessons are informative and creative, and they all allow the children to use their imagination. The holidays are taught in an unusual way. The Christmas lesson is titled The Thinker, and it brings a message that is clear to all. The games and music sections are included to challenge childrens minds and incite curiosity as well as fun. My book is for teachers who want to do more than read or talk to the class about Jesusit is meant to be used to captivate their minds and encourage learning.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 7, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490848242

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 Mary M. Peterson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any

information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

WestBow Press

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-4825-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-4824-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014914594

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/7/2014

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Section I—Fairy Tales

Who’s leading you, Jesus or the devil?—(Hansel and Gretel) 

Building a strong foundation—(Three Little Pigs) 

Follow the Leader—(The Pied Piper) 

A path to Jesus—(Wizard of Oz) 

Section 2—Sports

Racing—Racing for Jesus 

Wrestling—Wrestling with the Devil 

Basketball—Keeping your Guard (God) Up 

Baseball—Hit a Home Run for God 

Section 3—Lessons to remember

All about feelings 

Growth—Outgrowing Everything but God 

Strengths—How strong are you? 

All about Love 

Faith and Trust—Wait, let me hold onto something 

Section 4—Halloween and Holidays

Halloween—Putting on a Disguise 

Thanksgiving—The Thanksgiving Express 

Easter—Easter over Here 

Christmas—The Thinker 

Section 5—Fun in Learning

Count Your Blessings 

Games Change, God Stays the Same 

Catch the Excitement 

Jacob’s Ladder—Are you going Up or Down? 

Bonus section—Beat out that rhythm on the drum

Musical instruments in biblical times and the present 

Dedication

to Emanuel Wright and my granddaughter Cayla Peterson

Emanuel was always willing to be a part of the lessons. He stood out as a leader and did not hesitate to volunteer. I especially appreciated his help when the lessons included sports. Cayla was eager to learn and also a willing participant. I sometimes tried out new lessons with her and this was really helpful for me. Now both are college students. Even though their children church days are over, I remember the time and what they contributed to the classes.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Rev. Samuel O. Richardson for introducing the children’s church while he was the pastor at Slades Chapel AME Zion Church and for choosing me as one of the teachers. He allowed time during the service for the children to be taught. If he was needed, Rev. Richardson would fill in and at times be a part of the lesson. He was always helpful, encouraging and supportive. Also, to the other teachers that was creative and committed to doing this, I thank you for your encouragement. You made me search deeper in the Bible for my lessons. Thanks to all the children who participated in the classes because without you the lessons would not have been as effective.

Introduction

I wanted to choose a title that catches attention and knew it had to be Jesus in a Fairy Tale. This is why I thought of the idea for the name of my book. When I was teaching Children’s Church every second Sunday of each month, I begin thinking of new ways of how to teach about Jesus. What to teach was not a problem, but how. I thought hard of how to make it different, but still get the children to learn and remember about the greatness of Jesus. I wanted their minds to be challenged, helping them understand and enjoy the lessons all at the same time. The concept of revolving my lessons around some of the fairytales that most of them were familiar guided me to other ideas. Even better, I wrote the lessons in a way that they could participate in the lessons, not just be a listener. By adding my own spin and interpretation, it gave the fairytales a whole new meaning. This idea changed them into lessons that would work for children of any age group.

But then I thought, why stop with fairytales. I wanted to use biblical characters in different roles without loosing sight of who they were. This will be made clear when you begin reading the lessons. I used the disciples, women of the bible, the prophets and related stories. Of course I had to make sure names and facts from the bible were correct. There were many other resources used. The children will benefit from the unique way these lessons are taught using sports, family,