Through this lesson children will learn that Heaven is a wonderful place and Jesus’ home. They will learn about what is in Heaven and be encouraged to live a life that will lead to going to Heaven with Jesus.
Lesson Title: Heaven is Awesome
Bible Reference: John 14:2-3; Acts 7:56; Revelations 21:3-27
Target Age Group: Preschool
Learning Context: Sunday School
Target Time Frame: 1 hour
Learning Aim: Heaven is awesome.
Prepare It
Before Class: Prepare a large box of various house hold items. Place enough cleaning items (duster, small broom, rags, sponge, or whatever you have around the house) in the box for each child to have one.
Bring the class together and tell them that you are going to pretend that you have company coming to your classroom and you need to clean it up. Tell them that you have cleaning supplies in the large box and that you will use these things to clean the room. One at a time, ask a child to go to the box and find something that they can use to clean the room. Ask the child what they can do to clean the room to prepare it for company.
For example say: You can use the rag and a little soap to clean the table. That is a very good way to prepare, or get ready, for company.
Repeat the process until every child has had a chance to get a cleaning object. Now, tell the class that they need to prepare the room and give them a few minutes to play through cleaning the room.
Call the class together and return all items to the box. Tell them the following story.
Today we prepared our room for company. We did this because we pretended that we have friends coming over and we want the room to look nice for them. In the Bible, there is a story about Jesus preparing a special place for us. This place is called Heaven and it is the most awesome place ever. John 14:2-3 says that Jesus is going to Heaven so that He can prepare a home for us. He says that He will come back to us and take us there. You can’t live on Earth forever, but you can live in Heaven forever. Jesus says that there are many mansions; that means there is room for everyone! Let’s learn a little bit more about Heaven, the place where Jesus lives.
See It
Before Class: Make Cloud dough by mixing 8 cups flours with 1 cup baby oil. Stir well and make enough for each child to have some to play with. This gets messy so cover your table with a table cloth and have baby wipes ready.
*If you are really afraid that your class will make a big mess you could do this whole activity with fluffy cotton pillow stuffing or lots of cotton balls and a good imagination.
Tell the class that there is a man in the Bible named Stephen who died while trying to tell others about Jesus. Right before he died he saw looked up into the clouds and saw Heaven.
Say: This is what he saw: Look, he said, I see Heaven open and the Son of Man, standing at the right hand of God. Acts 7:56. Now we know that Jesus lives in Heaven. Jesus came to the Earth and died for our sins so that we can go to Heaven someday. Heaven is awesome because Jesus lives there. Now, no one really knows where Heaven is located, but Stephen saw Heaven in the clouds so let’s use these “clouds” to imagine what Heaven might be like.
Give each child a piece of the “cloud”. Place the cloud on the table and make a hole in the middle and ask the children to imagine how Stephen must have felt when He saw Heaven. Tell the class that Heaven is awesome. Encourage them to make some of the favorite things out of the cloud and then remind them that Heaven is even better than those things.
Bedazzle It
Before Class: You will need glue, beads that look like gems and pearls, construction paper, and gold glitter.
Say: We already know that Heaven is awesome because Jesus is there, but now let’s take a look at what John has to say about what Heaven is like.
Have the class close their eyes and imagine what Heaven looks like while you Revelations 21:3-27 from a children’s Bible or paraphrase in your own words.
When you are finished reading, discuss all the awesome things that await us in Heaven. Ask the class to list as many awesome things as they can remember. Examples: Jesus is there, God wipes away all our tears, God’s glory is everywhere, angels are worshiping Jesus, the city is made of gold and precious stones, God’s glory lights it instead of the sun, no sin ever.
Say: Heaven is better than anything else that you can think of. Remember that Jesus went to Heaven to prepare it for us. We also have to prepare ourselves for Heaven by trusting in God for all of our lives.
Create a sparkly picture of Heaven. Each child will use a glue stick or bottle of glue to draw Heaven. They could make a road or building. Sprinkle gold glitter over the glue to show that Heaven has streets of gold. Then, glue other small beads and sequins to the picture. At the top of the page write “Heaven is Awesome.”
Pray It
Bring the class together and ask them to recall some of the things that they learned today. As you pray, make sure to thank God for allowing us to go to Heaven someday. Pray that each child would learn what it truly means to know God.
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Great idea. Just remember there is not an “s” at the end of Revelation!
Awesome