Life as a LEO Wife

I am so glad to get back to Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and I’d like to share a children’s church lesson and craft that doubles as a Mother’s Day gift for their mom. What mom doesn’t love all of the gifts that show your child at the age and skill level they’re at that year. I absolutely love the ones with my children’s hand or footprint! That is what you will be doing with your children’s church children in this project.

Supplies you need for this project:

• white cardstock paper
• toxin free tempera paint in your choice of color- The paint will be a flower on the page, but may overlap a bit of the poem if the child’s hands are big. Yellow or another light color would be a good choice.
• paper plate
• wet wipes
• poem- free download
• terracotta pot for each child
• flower seed packet for each child
• terracotta pot for yourself- I will be using one my son made me for Mother’s Day when he was in kindergarten.
• Seeds that are large enough for the children to see. They don’t have to be real seeds, you will just be using them in a demonstration. I will be using small white rocks.
• Faux flowers of your choice. You could even use a different color or type for each fruit of the Spirit.

The lesson is based around this.

This class is based around the fruits of the Spirit that we grow when the Holy Spirit comes to live in us when we accept Jesus as our Savior. The fruits are listed in Galations 5:22 ESV saying, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”

When we become mothers we are no longer living for ourselves alone. We experience a love that cannot be understood; we would die before we allow anything to harm them. The Lord loves them even more than we do. That seems impossible, but it’s true. The moment our babies are born, we care for them and begin instilling the love of Jesus in them. We direct them to Jesus with the intention for them to become children of God. As we do, we foster the fruits of the Spirit to flow from their hearts.

Things to do before class:

You will need a packet of flower seeds, terracotta pots, and a piece of white cardstock paper with the poem printed on it for each child. Dollar Tree has the seeds and pots. There are 3 sizes of pots at DT; a large, a medium that comes as a two pack, and a tiny one that comes in a three pack. Purchase at least nine faux flowers (or real if you’d like) that will grow with each “seed.” You can use the same flower for every seed, or you can pick other types or colors of the flowers for each one. You also need a bottle of tempera paint, a plate to squeeze the paint on, and wet wipes to clean their hands.

Print out the free downloadable poem, one for each child. At the bottom of the page there is grass that they can color and a flower stem growing up from it. You will coat the children’s hands in the paint, and press it with the base of the palm at the end of the stem. The handprint becomes a flower for mom.

At the beginning, or just before class:

Place the pot, seed packet, and the poem on the table in front of each chair. Sit your pot in front of your seat. If you teach without a table for yourself, just can just place the pot in your lap when it’s time. Place the “seeds” that you will use for your demonstration by your seat. If possible, place the faux flowers underneath the table in front of you in a reusable bag that you can’t see through. You will need another teacher or child to help you out. I will be using my son. I have time to prep him well before class.

Place the paint and a few paper plates in the middle of the table. Have the wet wipes available to clean the children’s hands right away after they’ve done their handprint. You don’t want paint all over their nice church clothes. However tempera paint is washable if you have an accident.

Teaching

As always, open class with a prayer. Thank God for mothers, grandmothers, and the special people who care for their children. Begin by asking them what special day it is today. When they say it’s Mother’s Day, tell them they are correct and ask if they have a lady in their life that helps take care of them. Encourage them to express their thanks to their moms and the Lord for them.

Tell the children that God created mothers and grandmothers to take care of them. When we are saved and invite Jesus to live in our hearts, our lives begin to produce fruits that we call fruits of the Spirit. Ask or explain to them how fruit grows when we plant seeds in the ground and take care of the plant to allow it to produce fruit.

Read Galatians 5:22-23 to them. I use the English Standard Version, but you can also use a children’s Bible. The ESV says, “But the fruit of the Spirt is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” If you choose to you can end the reading at “self-control.”

Explain to the kids that as their moms care for them daily, that they are planting seeds so that the fruit of the Spirit will develop in them. Now is the time to read the poem to them.

Demonstration

Now bring your pot out, either in your lap or on the table in front of you. Have your “seeds,” like in my case small white rocks, in a small container next to the pot. When you begin to read the poem, you will place a seed in the pot when you read it. For example, the beginning of the poem says, “When Mommy hugs me nice and tight, she plants a seed of love.” At that point, put a seed into the pot. Then read the next line, “She wants me to know she loves me so. Just like God above.”

Continue to read the poem, and placing a seed in the pot as you read each fruit. One for each: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

When you have finished the poem, you will show them how the things their mothers have planted grows in the pot. Take your pot and sit it under the table. Have your helper, like my son, will put nine flowers in the pot. I will be adding a bit of flower foam in the bottom of my pot to hold the flowers up right, and even my 9 year old will be able to quickly set them upright quickly. Give them a few seconds to place them there, so you can ask questions like what do you think will happen in the pot. They will give a few answers which will give you a few seconds. Take the pot out from under the table, showing the children what has “grown.”

Next ask them if they are ready to make a Mother’s Day gift for the lady who helps them grow. I’m sure you’ll get a round of yeah and yay’s!

Making the Gift

First you can start off with coloring. There is grass below the stem that they can color green. They can do that while you are preparing the paint.

Pour some paint into the plates until you have the bottoms covered. You want to have enough that a child can put their hand in the bottom and be coated with it. You can choose to have a plate for each kid, or only have a few. Depending the age of the children you’re working with, you may only want to have one plate per adult/helper. That way you can kind of control the paint.

Once there is paint on a child’s hand, help them place their hand at the top of the stem and press straight down. Try to keep them from sliding it in any direction other than straight down. Hopefully it can dry a bit before the parents come to pick them up. Be sure to warn them that the paint hasn’t set yet.

When class is over, each child will leave with their pots, with the seeds inside, and their handprint as gifts for their mom, stepmom, or grandmother. What I like to do is fix up the terracotta pot with colored tissue paper inside with the seeds set in there nicely, then add a bow to the side of the pot or on top. On the side would probable look the best.

And that’s it! This makes the perfect craft and lesson on Mother’s Day. It’s also affordable for your church. You can click the link below to print out your free Mother’s Day poem. Please use it only for your church or homeschools lessons, and do not sell it. Thank you so much!

I will add some pictures tomorrow, so if you have any problems picturing what to do here check back.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you’re able to use this poem in your churches.

Bloggers- submit your posts in Happiness is Homemade and You’re the Star Blop Hop link parties. Tomorrow (Thursday) Traffic Jam Weekend will go live at 5pm CST. Stick around to see some posts for summer DIY decor~!