One simple children's craft could be making a small clay or play - dough coin to represent the widow's mite. They can shape it and then paint it to look like an old - fashioned coin.
Children's crafts provide a hands - on experience. For example, when making a coin - like object to represent the widow's mite, they physically create what was given in the story. This makes the concept more tangible.
There are quite a few children's crafts for the creation story. A really fun one is making a mobile. Cut out shapes of different things from the creation story like stars, birds, and fish from colored paper. Then attach them to a hanger with strings at different lengths. It can be hung up and is a very visual representation. Another craft could be making a clay garden. Mold the clay into the shape of plants and animals that were created. Kids can also paint a mural on a large piece of paper showing the different parts of the creation story, like the separation of light and dark, the creation of the animals, etc.
One simple craft is making a paper plate Santa. Cut out a circle from a paper plate for Santa's face. Let the toddler glue on cotton balls for his beard and draw on the eyes and nose. Another idea is to make a Christmas star out of popsicle sticks. The toddler can paint the sticks and then you can help them glue the sticks together to form a star. This can be related to the star in the Christmas story.
Well, you could make a mosaic. Cut out small pieces of colored paper or tile to represent the different elements in the Good Samaritan story, like the road, the inn, and the people. Or, make a clay sculpture of the Good Samaritan helping the injured man. A simple yet meaningful craft would be to make a bookmark with a quote from the story and some related drawings on it.
The story of the widow of Zarephath is from the Bible. Elijah was sent by God to this widow. She was in a very difficult situation, gathering sticks to make a fire to cook her last bit of meal for herself and her son so they could eat it and die. But Elijah told her to make him a small cake first. Despite her meager resources, she obeyed. Miraculously, her jar of flour and jug of oil did not run out during the famine. Later, her son became ill and died. Elijah prayed earnestly to God and the boy was brought back to life. It shows God's power and the importance of faith and obedience even in the toughest of times.
The moral is that selfless giving is more important than the amount given. The widow gave all she had, which was very little in quantity but great in value.
The encounter is significant as it reveals God's power. Elijah came to the widow and her children at a time when they were about to run out of food. Through Elijah, God made sure they had enough. It also shows the importance of faith. The widow's faith in Elijah's words led to the miracle, which is an example for all believers. It also emphasizes that God looks after the vulnerable, like the widow and her children.
The story of the widow's offering is a profound one. In this story, we see a widow come to the temple to give. The wealthy people were also giving, but they had a lot to spare. This widow, on the other hand, had only two copper coins. But she still gave them. Jesus noticed this and said that she had given more than all the others. Why? Because her gift was a total sacrifice. She gave everything she had to live on. It's a great lesson for us. It shows that the value of a gift is not measured by its monetary value. Instead, it's measured by the sacrifice and the intention behind it. We should all strive to give like this widow, with a pure heart and without holding back, even if what we have to offer seems small in the eyes of the world.
Teaching creation story crafts to this age group can be done by breaking the stories into small parts. Let the children create their own versions using craft materials. Encourage them to share their creations and explain the story behind them.
One activity could be acting out the Good Samaritan story. Children can take on the roles of the traveler, the robbers, the priest, the Levite and of course, the Good Samaritan. This helps them understand the sequence of events and the moral of the story.