Happy New Year

Happy New Year, Kids!

The morning of the first day of every year we enter into a contest. We see who will be the first to give that day's greeting. Before I was awake this morning, my boy ran into my room shouting, "Happy New Year! Happy New Year!"  He won the contest.

Now, however, you are in Church and it is not proper for you to speak out loud, so I am able to get ahead of you. A Happy New Year to you, every one.

Well, what will make this year a happy year for you? I will tell you. Let us take this word Happy, and instead of writing it across the page let us write it straight up and down.

H stands for Helpful. You cannot have a happy year unless you are helpful. He who does not try to be helpful is never very happy.

A for Active.  I want your year to be full of activity. I hope you will be able to skate and slide downhill many days this winter, and that you will enter into all the spring and summer sports with zest and joy.

P for Playful. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. You will want to do something other than play, of course. You will have some home responsibilities, but sandwiched in with the work, may there be a good measure of play.

P for Purposeful. Yes, early in life you should form a purpose. Two questions will help you gain that purpose. 1st—What is it that I want to do? 2nd—What is it that God wants me to do?

Y for Youth.

Helpful
Active
Playful
Purposeful
Youth.

COMPLIMENTARY BIBLE LESSON:  Read  Luke 2:40.  Discuss with the kids how Jesus as a child was described.  What do they think Jesus did as a child.  Then read Luke 2:41-52 or tell the story of the boy Jesus being at the temple.  Discuss why Jesus was at the temple.  Why he did not leave the temple? What was his purpose?  As an application, ask the kids how can they be like Jesus?

MEMORY VERSE: Psalm 19: 14

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."



KIDS CRAFT:  Create a Calendar

• Print a custom Ten Commandments Calendar.  Choose one with picture which the kids can color.  Or you can choose the no picture version to allow the children to draw their own images to go with the commandment.
• The children can also draw on a piece of bond paper to show some ways how they can be HAPPY - Helpful, active, playful and purposeful youth.

Photo credit:  Anika39

Free Christmas Gifts - Christmas Ebooks for Kids

Thank you for visiting Sunday School Lessons for Kids.  It's Christmas and here are some two E-books for kids that you can download free perfect for sharing lessons about Christmas.  

• The angel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth with a very special message. Study what happened when Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce that she would be the mother of Jesus! This lesson contains both the teacher and student pages.  Download it from Grape Vine Studies

• An eBook version of a new Christmas story, perfect for parents to read to their kids on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or any time between Christmas and New Years, as a reminder of what Christmas really is about. The book is:  The Big Black Book - What the Christmas Tree Saw, by Rev. Warren C. Biebel Jr.  Download it from Healthy Life Press.

Thanksgiving

What does Thanksgiving mean to you? I hear one boy say, "It means a big dinner." I think we all agree with him. Who does not welcome and enjoy a good dinner! I hear Mary say, "Thanksgiving means a day off from school." I guess you are right too. School is not such a charming place that girls and boys are unwilling to have an occasional holiday.

Now I am going to ask some of the older people what the day means to them. There is a young woman. She is a stenographer. She says, "Thanksgiving means a day away from the office. I am at the office every day except Sunday, and I do appreciate, now and then, a day that is really my own."

Over there is a traveling salesman. What does Thanksgiving mean to you? He says, "It means a day at home. Last year, I spent one hundred and sixty-nine nights away from home. I have three children. I should like to see them every day. There are times when many days pass and I do not see them. Thanksgiving week, I plan to be at home."

There are others I could ask. Each has his answer. But Thanksgiving has a special meaning for us. It is the Harvest time. I have here an apple. Isn't this a beautiful apple? What color! Who mixed the paints, who handled the brush to give such color to this apple? God. He, in his infinite love and wisdom, has provided, through the unfailing laws of nature, for the growth, sweetness, coloring and beautifying of all the products of the fields. This apple is but one of many kinds of fruits.

Praise, then, is the great meaning of Thanksgiving. God, our heavenly Father, sends us every good gift. From his bountiful hand come our daily and nightly mercies. We should praise him every day. But the day for the united chorus of praise is Thanksgiving.

MEMORY VERSE: Psalm 150: 6
"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord."

KIDS CRAFT:  Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
Free printable Thanksgiving Mazes for kids
Little Blots Preschool Lapbook:  There are lots of ideas here that the kids can do.  You can do a series of these crafts or make it a group project.