Teaching Little Ones
Teaching Little Ones

Promises

Teaching Little Ones: Promises

This is the first part of a syllabus designed for 5 to 8-year-olds. In this set of units, the lessons are linked together under the theme of ‘Promises’. This theme covers how God makes promises in a covenantal relationship with his people, the Israelites, and now with all who believe in his Son.

The lessons look at the key promises made to Abraham, and how God keeps his promises in the Old Testament through Abraham's family, and then, later, as the Israelites enter the Promised Land. Abraham is briefly looked at in ‘Introducing the Bible’ (for ages 3-5), but here the lessons focus on the promises. The lessons also look at Jesus and how God made promises in the Old Testament which are fulfilled in Jesus. Children also look at Psalm 145 and learn about God's character and how he is faithful to his promises.

The other two years covered in this 5-8 year age group are ‘Kingship’ and ‘Salvation’.

If your Sunday School has this age group (5-8 years or te first three years of school) together in one class, then the three-year syllabus can be covered cyclically over the three-year period while children are in the class (‘Promises’ one year, ‘Kingship’ the next, ‘Salvation’ the next and then back to ‘Promises’). Each child will cover the three years of the syllabus in a different order depending on when they join the class. If the children are in separate classes for each year of school, then the first year of school can do ‘Promises’, the second year of school ‘Kingship’ and the third year of school ‘Salvation’.

In all three years, there are lessons on God's word, prayer, living God's way, and missionaries.

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Read the ‘Promises’ introduction (PDF).

Syllabus

Unit 1: God's promises and Jesus

1. God keeps his promisesPsalm 146:6 | Sample this lesson (PDF)
2. Jesus makes a deaf man hearMark 7:31-37
3. Jesus makes a blind man seeLuke 18:35-43
4. Jesus heals a leper and a crippleLuke 5:12-13, 13:10-13
5. Jesus makes a dead man aliveLuke 7:11-15
6. Jesus is God's promised SonLuke 7:18-23

Unit 2: God's promises and Easter

1. Jesus speaks of his deathMark 10:32-34
2. Peter and the disciplesMark 14:27-72
3. Jesus' deathMark 14:53-65, 15:1-39
4. Jesus' resurrectionMark 16:1-8

Unit 3: God's promises to Abraham

1. God's promises to AbramGenesis 11:26-12:9 | Sample this lesson (PDF)
2. Abram and LotGenesis 13:1-18
3. Abraham and IsaacGenesis 15-21
4. Isaac and RebeccaGenesis 24
5. God's promises to Abraham—revisionGenesis 12-26

Unit 4: God's promises continue

1. Isaac and Rebecca, Esau and JacobGenesis 25:19-28
2. Jacob and Esau—part 1Genesis 25:27-34
3. Jacob and Esau—part 2Genesis 27:1-40
4. God's promises to JacobGenesis 28:1-5, 10-15
5. Jacob's sons—revisionGenesis 25, 27, 28, 32, 33, 35:23-26

Unit 5: Prayer

1. Pray at all times1 Thessalonians 5:17 | Sample this lesson (PDF)
2. Be thankful1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
3. Praying for others1 Thessalonians 5:17; 2 Corinthians 1:11

Unit 6: Entering the Promised Land

1. Leaving EgyptExodus 1-16
2. The Israelites disobeyExodus 20:1-6, 23; 24:12-18; 32:1-33:6
3. God stays with his peopleExodus 32:15-19; 33:14; 34:1-40:38
4. The Israelites disobey, againNumbers 11:4-35; 13:1-14:9, 20-35, Joshua 1
5. Rahab and the spiesJoshua 2
6. Getting across the JordanJoshua 3, 4
7. Getting into JerichoJoshua 6, 21:43-45

Unit 7: God's promises and God's people today

1. Jesus is the ‘Yes’ to God's promises2 Corinthians 1:19-20 | Sample this lesson (PDF)
2. Jesus is God's promised kingIsaiah 9:6-7, 49:6, Luke 1:26-33
3. God's people are forgiven by GodJohn 3:36, 1 John 1:8-2:2
4. God's people live with Jesus as their kingJohn 3:16, 36, 6:28-29
5. God's people are promised eternal life1 John 2:25, 5:11-12
6. God's people love1 John 3:11, 4:7-12, 16, John 13:34-35
7. God's people forgiveMatthew 18:21-35, Colossians 3:13

Unit 8: God's promises and Christmas

1. A promise to MaryLuke 1:26-33
2. God's promised Son is bornLuke 2:1-7
3. A promise to the shepherdsLuke 2:8-20