Lesson 4: Doing good in secret.
Passage: Matthew 6:1-4 - Jesus taught his followers not to do good deeds just to be noticed by others. When giving to those in need, they shouldn’t show off what they’re doing or loudly announce it for everyone to see and hear. If they do this, then the praise of others will be their only reward. Instead, Jesus taught them to give quietly and privately, because God sees what is done in secret and will reward it.
Big Idea: Doing good out of a kind heart.
For Teachers:
Lesson plan.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Giggle Monster — Activity Leader
Kids stand or sit in a circle while the teacher picks one kid to be the Giggle Monster. The Giggle Monster has to try to make the other kids laugh (without touching them). The last kid to keep a straight face is the winner and gets to be the Giggle Monster next (if they want, otherwise, the Activity Leader can choose a volunteer).
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we are learning more about the important lessons Jesus taught his followers.
So far, we’ve learned about:
Spreading God’s goodness and love in the world.
Telling the truth and not making promises we can’t keep.
Being kind to others who aren’t kind to us.
Those are a lot of big lessons! Today we’re going to learn about what Jesus said about doing good and helping others.
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Questions — Bible Story Leader
What are some reasons why we should do nice things for others?
Do you think we should do nice things for others just so that everyone can see how good we are?
Why do you think Jesus taught us to do nice things for others quietly, instead of loudly for everyone to see?
Do you think Jesus cares more about how many good things we do or about what’s in our hearts?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about doing good and helping others from our hearts, not just so everyone can see how good we are. Please fill us with your love and show us ways that we can share your love with others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Activity: Secret Messages — Activity Leader
Kids will make secret messages using white crayons and water color paints. They will write their message with the white crayon and then paint over it with water color to reveal the message.
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit near the TV. Welcome them to class.
Warm Up Activity: Wink Attack — Activity Leader
Everyone stands or sits in a circle so they can see each other’s faces. The Activity Leader will quietly choose one person to be the Wink Attacker. Nobody else should know who it is.
Next, everyone opens their eyes and looks at each other. The Wink Attacker will secretly wink at other players to “tag” them. If someone is winked at, they count to 3 in their head before falling down dramatically.
The rest of the players will try to figure out who the Wink Attacker is before everyone gets tagged. Each person only gets one guess, so they should choose carefully. The game ends when someone correctly guesses the Wink Attacker or when the Attacker tags everyone.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we are continuing our series about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount - which is all about the teachings he gave his followers from the side of a mountain.
Can anyone remember any of the lessons we’ve learned so far? (being salt and light, saying what we mean instead of making promises, and turning the other cheek)
Today we’re going to learn about what Jesus said about doing good and giving to those who need help.
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Questions — Bible Story Leader
What are some reasons why we might do something nice or kind for someone?
Do you think it’s better to do good things out of a kind heart, or because you want everyone to know how good you are?
Imagine if someone did something nice for you, like playing with you when you didn’t have anyone to play with, but then they started going around and telling everyone about it - how would that feel? Would you think they did it to be nice or for another reason?
Why do you think Jesus taught his followers to do nice things for other without making a big deal about it and without trying to let everyone see what you’re doing?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today about doing good quietly and in secret, instead of for others to see. Please give us hearts that are full of your love and goodness, so that we can good out of a kind heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Activity: Secret Messages — Activity Leader
Kids can either partner up and create a card for their partner, or make something for themselves. First, they will write a message or draw a picture on their paper using a baking soda/water solution and q-tips. Then, they can give these to their partner to discover the message.
Once mostly dry, the Activity Leader will put out the turmeric/rubbing oil “paint” for the kids to paint over the invisible message and watch it magically reveal.
Note: The turmeric can stain, so make sure to remove the paint from the tables before and after the craft.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Welcome the kids to class, ask how their week was.
Warm Up Activity: Wink Attack — Activity Leader
Everyone stands or sits in a circle so they can see each other’s faces. The Activity Leader will quietly choose one person to be the Wink Attacker. Nobody else should know who it is.
Next, everyone opens their eyes and looks at each other. The Wink Attacker will secretly wink at other players to “tag” them. If someone is winked at, they count to 3 in their head before falling down dramatically.
The rest of the players will try to figure out who the Wink Attacker is before everyone gets tagged. Each person only gets one guess, so they should choose carefully. The game ends when someone correctly guesses the Wink Attacker or when the Attacker tags everyone.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we are continuing our series on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which is all about the teachings Jesus gave his followers from the side of a mountain.
Can anyone remember any of the lessons we've learned so far from Jesus' sermon? (being salt and light, speaking truthfully instead of making big promises, and turning the other cheek)
Today we’re going to be learning about what Jesus said about doing good deeds and helping those in need.
Read: Matthew 6:1-4
Let’s watch our video to find out more…
Video Lesson —Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Questions — Bible Story Leader
Can anyone say in their own words Jesus’ teaching on doing good and giving to those in need?
Why do you think he taught us to do good deeds privately instead of publicly?
If someone did something good, and then started telling everyone about it, what would you think their motives are for doing good?
Do you think Jesus cares more about how many good things we do, or about what's in our hearts? Why do you think that is?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
Dear God, thank you for the lesson we learned today from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount about how when we do good deeds we should do them privately and not for show. Please help us to do things out of a kind heart — not to be praised for it, but out of love for others and for you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Activity: Secret Messages — Activity Leader
Kids can either partner up and create a card for their partner, or make something for themselves. First, they will write a message or draw a picture on their paper using a baking soda/water solution and q-tips. Then, they can give these to their partner to discover the message.
Once mostly dry, the Activity Leader will put out the turmeric/rubbing oil “paint” for the kids to paint over the invisible message and watch it magically reveal.
Note: The turmeric can stain, so make sure to remove the paint from the tables before and after the craft.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
For Parents:
Follow-up questions.
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Do you think that sometimes people do nice things just to show others how good they are? What did Jesus say about that?
Why do you think Jesus taught us to do good things quietly, instead of loudly and for everyone to see?
What are some good reasons to do nice things for others?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Do you think people can sometimes do good things for the wrong reasons?
What do you think might be some of those reasons?
Why do you think Jesus taught his followers to do good things quietly, instead of loudly and for everyone to see?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
Do you think our reasons for doing good deeds matters? Why or why not?
What did Jesus teach about the way we should do good deeds?
What do you think this shows us about what God really cares about — how much good we do or what’s in our hearts when we do it?
