THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: PEACE!

Galatians 5:22-26 / Judges 6:24 / Psalm 4:8 / Philippians 4:6,7 / Isaiah 26: 3,4 /
John 14:27 / 1 Peter 5:7 / 2Thessalonians 3:16

DECLARE THE WORD OF GOD AT THE CLASSROOM DOOR:

  • We have been talking about fruit… the edible fruit that grows on trees and the spiritual fruit that grows inside us by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Today we are talking about the Fruit of the Spirit called PEACE.
  • What is PEACE? (listen to their responses). PEACE is feeling calm even when stormy things are happening around us.
  • Jesus is called the PRINCE of PEACE. He gives us His peace.  Let’s clap and shout, “JESUS IS PEACE!”

WORKTABLES / WORKSHEET: PDF

  • Printing Text: JESUS IS PEACE
  • Drawing/Coloring Lesson: An Olive Branch 
  • Discussion: Olives are a kind of fruit.  They are small and oval shaped.  There are different kinds of olives: reddish purple, green, brownish, and black (show the children a sample of mixed olives). Olive branches are a symbol of peace (a dove brought Noah an olive branch as a sign that it was safe to leave the ark).
  • Olive Fact Sheet PDF
  • Olive taste test and tally (likes / dislikes)
  • Add an olive to the glass sealer jar to observe the rotting process
  • Plant an olive seed if fresh olives are available and observe the germination process
  • NOW, let’s go to the carpet and talk about the spiritual fruit called PEACE

SONGS:

LESSON VISUALS:

  • Fruit of the Spirit poster PDF
  • Basket of plastic good fruit AND clear glass sealer jar for rotting fruit
  • Flashcards: GOOD vs ROTTEN sorting game PDF

LESSON POINTS:

  • Read booklet: FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT…PEACE PDF
  • Play the sorting game.  Give each student a flashcard.  One at a time call each student to place the card where it belongs (basket of good fruit OR jar of rotting fruit)

PRAYER SUGGESTIONS:

  • Worship: The LORD JESUS IS PEACE. He is all powerful. He is never worried or afraid. When we feel anxious or worried or scared, He is able to give us His peace through the Holy Spirit living inside us.  It is hard to understand how we can feel peace when we are worried about something but when we trust in Him, the Holy Spirit will help our minds and hearts have His peace no matter what is happening all around us.
  • Think about a time when you felt worried or scared. Ask Jesus to give you His peace next time.

FREE PLAY:

  • (Note: Before releasing the children to play in centers, show them you are setting the timer. Tell them: “The timer goes off to warn us we have one more minute to play before we stop playing and clean up the classroom”)
  • During FREE PLAY, call the students one at a time to work on the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT TREE art project PDF

CLASSROOM CLEANUP:

  • Students organize the center where they were playing (with support). This teaches sorting skills and responsibility.
  • When clean-up is complete, students head to the BOOK NOOK to quietly read while waiting for parents to arrive.

OVERTIME ACTIVITY:

  • Should the service extend beyond the normal dismissal time, there are some circle games that can be played (Marbles, Bean Bag Toss, Doggie Doggie, etc). These games are located under the TV stand in our classroom).

DISMISSAL:

  • Call the students one at a time when parents/guardians arrive. Prompt other students to call out, “Goodbye (student’s name)”
  • Student checks mailbox for take-home papers
  • Student selects a to-go-snack from the table in the hallway

CLOSING DOWN CLASSROOM: PDF

  1. Wash brushes and close paint jars
  2. Turn off battery operated toy keyboard
  3. Stack chairs and carpet mats
  4. Vacuum area rug (rechargeable vacuum plugged into wall outlet)
  5. Turn off heat and lights
  6. Place garbage can outside classroom door
  7. Return teaching materials to packet