My youngest daughter Sunshine is 3 years old and has had the hardest time handling church services. It was easy when she was tiny, and my husband or I could step out with her and quietly walk the halls. But now, she’s too big and quite heavy. We’ve tried bringing paper and crayons for her to color with quietly during services, but the activity lasts about 5 minutes and she’s done with it. Sunshine loves books, so we thought she may enjoy those on Sundays, especially if special ones were reserved for only Sundays. Sadly, the books kept her entertained for only about 3 minutes. The truth is, Sunshine does not like sitting still. She constantly needs to be moving and keeping her hands busy. In fact the only time she ever does sit still and attend to a task for longer than 5 minutes is during learning time at home with our Montessori-inspired tot and preschool activities designed just for her.
Upon this evaluation and discovery, I decided to create busy bags for Sunshine to use on Sundays during church services. I wasn’t sure if they would work for her, but I knew it was worth a try. To my excitement (and relief) they have been a HUGE success. She LOVED her pioneer busy bags and we have used them for quite some time.
Today, I share Sunshine’s second set of busy bags. I’m presenting the bag contents as activities one would put on shelves, so that they’re easier to see. As with the last set of activities, one busy bag includes a snack. Hence the picture of goldfish crackers in the collage above. Moving on to the activities!
J is for Jesus Coloring Page
Last Sunday, Sunshine did ask to color during our church meeting. I promised I would include a coloring activity in her next set of busy bags. What’s more fitting and reverent than coloring pictures of Jesus? I thought we’d work on the letter J as an added bonus. The coloring sheet is small, so that it will fit in one of our busy bags (pencil pouch). Four different coloring pages are included in the printable.
Source: I created the printable for this activity as part of The Life of Jesus Christ Printable Pack 1. For your free copy, click on the link at the bottom of this post.
Jesus Loves the Children-A Counting Activity
Understanding who Jesus is can be so hard for little ones to grasp. One way I’ve found to help my kiddos develop a love for our Savior is to teach them what Jesus did while on earth, in a way that’s relatable to them. In this activity Sunshine is presented with several pictures of Christ with little children. She will be asked to count the children in each picture and place the corresponding number card beneath the correct picture card. I’ve provided a control number on each picture card, for those who are unable to count. Instead they can match up the numbers, and then count together with a teacher or parent.
Source: I created the printable for this activity as part of The Life of Jesus Christ Printable Pack 1. For your free copy, click on the link at the bottom of this post.
Sequencing the Life of Jesus Christ in Pictures
Sunshine loves looking at pictures of herself and her family in scrapbooks etc. I thought I’d start to build a “scrapbook” of the life of Christ for her to enjoy. It will be a fabulous way for her to see and learn that Jesus was a baby who grew up, just like her. We’ll have to opportunity to talk about so many scriptures stories in the process. For now, I’m introducing just the pictures in this activity. We’ll study and discuss them. She’ll then place in them in order using the strip of pictures as a control. The strip of pictures is small in order to fit into the busy bag.
Source: I created the printable for this activity as part of The Life of Jesus Christ Printable Pack 1. For your free copy, click on the link at the bottom of this post.
Animals During the Time of Christ Match Up
I love that the scriptures mention stories about the Savior, prophets, and apostles. My kiddos have helped me realize that there are several stories that include animals. Sunshine loves animals. I thought it would be fun to show her that Jesus was surrounded by animals. It’s just another way to help her understand Him, and His world. In this activity, Sunshine will look for animals in each picture of Jesus. She will then match the cards to their corresponding animal card.
Source: I created the printable for this activity as part of The Life of Jesus Christ Printable Pack 1. For your free copy, click on the link at the bottom of this post.
Jesus & Prophet Sort
Over the years, Sunshine has become quite proficient at identifying all of the pictures of Christ hanging in the hallways of our church. I thought it was time we bring the activity to our pew, instead of the halls. In this activity, Sunshine will sort out pictures of Jesus from pictures of prophets. I’ve tried to select prophets she’s familiar with, in hopes that she’ll recognize them. Others are new and will provide great opportunities for scripture stories.
Source: I created the printable for this activity as part of The Life of Jesus Christ Printable Pack 1. For your free copy, click on the link at the bottom of this post.
Sunshine is so excited about her new church busy bags. I will present activities and go through each one with her at least once before she does them at church on her own. The busy bags are kept in her backpack, for easy access and choosing. These activities have made our church services so much more enjoyable for the both of us!
For those interested in the FREE printables, be sure to click on the link below!
The Life of Jesus Christ Printable Pack 1 by Renae at Christian Montessori Network
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