The back to school Creation lesson plans from my Bible curriculum include activities that can be done with cheap craft or household supplies that can be found around your home, classroom, or at your local dollar store.
Woohoo!
You don't need to spend a ton of money (especially with the recent inflation!) to provide your students with fun and adorable activities. Grab a pad of paper, your fancy teacher pen, and prepare to make yourself a checklist of what items you'll be grabbing the next time your at your favorite dollar spot.
Before we dive into the lesson plans, let me share some Creation books that you might be interested in having handy in your classroom.
(Scroll down if you are set on books already.)
Check your local library or ask parents to purchase a book for your students so that you can have these out during Creation week!
**This post contains affiliate links.**
My personal favorite through all the years (and the one I always find myself coming back to) is The Beginners Bible. It's important that your students understand that the stories we share and teach come from the Word of God and are not something we make up! Before you begin any story you teach, preface it with a short lesson on what the Bible is and why we use it.
If you like to talk to tomatoes... (IYKYK),
then this next one is a must-have for you to share with your kids:
A couple other good ones:
This one's interactive! LOVE IT!
Alright, let's dive into the Days of Creation curriculum!
Here's how the days of creation are divided up in the curriculum:
Let's take a look at some of the activities included in the lessons. Remember that pad of paper and favorite teacher pen I had you get ready? You'll need it now! Make a list of what you need so you have it handy for your next dollar store shopping spree!
-Paper Tearing Activity
All you need is yellow, blue, black, & white (optional) construction paper and some glue!
Have your kids tear the paper and glue it on. That's it!
While they are tearing, recap the story and ask questions to see if they understand and answer any questions they might have!
-Painted Hands Activity
You'll need black, yellow, & blue washable paint, a plate to pour the paint on, and a paintbrush.
-Cupcake Liner Flowers
All you need for this one is pom poms, cupcake liners, crayons, scissors, & glue!
As you play with and glue in the pom poms, have your students practice counting them!
-Seed Planting
You'll need baggies, dirt, seeds, & tape for this next one.
Tape this reminder to the outside of the bag.
-Puffy Paint Moon
This is a fun, messy one...but don't worry! It's an easy clean up!
You'll need shaving cream, liquid glue, construction paper, and crayons or star stickers.
Mix equal parts shaving cream and liquid glue to make your puffy paint. You can do this ahead of time, or if you're brave, let the kids do it yourself. (It's more fun that way!)
Paper Plate Birds & Fish
Types of items you'll need will vary depending on what you have laying around or what you can easily find at the store! Items might include google eyes, feathers, gems, stickers, beads, sequins, or any other types of item that can be used to decorate. You'll also want 6" paper plates that have been cut in half and glue.
Traditional Paper Tube BirdFeeder
This one's an oldie but a goodie! Grab all the cardboard tubes you can, some peanut butter, yarn, & birdseed.
Scrolling Animals Activity Sheet
You only need crayons/markers, scissors, & tape or glue for this activity sheet! Have your students color the page and the strip of animals. Then use scissors to slit the dotted lines on the page. Glue the two strips together and thread them thru the cut slits. Then glue the remaining ends of the strip together so that the circle is completed. Show your students how they can slide the strip to make it look like animals are walking by!
Grab some green tissue paper, scissors, and glue. Cut squares of green tissue paper ahead of time so that it's ready for your students to use.
Some people use the end of a pencil to wrap the tissue paper on and dip into glue. I tend to just have the kids crumple the paper.
If handling glue is too challenging for the age you are working with, then swipe a glue stick over the area for them prior to them putting the tissue paper on.
Creation Cube
The creation cube is a fun review activity that can be turned into a self reflective game. Have the kids roll it and see if they can remember which day the picture was created on! (Even I needed a little practice on this one!)
There is a full-color printing option, or a black/white printing option for letting students do the coloring.
Simply glue the corresponding square onto the page. This can be done prior to being put together and stapled as a book or after.
Color and cut out all of the circles. If you are doing this activity with children who can't cut or use scissors, then you'll want to have that part done ahead of time.
Tape a pipe cleaner to the back of one of the circles before glue them all together. You can also use string or yarn if that's easier.
All units and lessons in the curriculum are divided into three ages: Toddler, PreK, or Kinder.
If you're not sure which to pick, go with PreK...you can simplify it for younger kids and spruce it up for slightly older ones. The difference between the levels can be found at this Sneak Peek.
You can get all of the days of creation in one large unit as shown above, or you can get separate lessons if you only need a specific day.
All lessons include:
-easy to follow teacher directions for a 60-90 minute class period (including a script of what to say if you need it!)
-A color Full-Sized Teacher/Class book that tells the Bible story
-A Black/White student version of the class book
-A Bible Verse to use for memorizing
-Coloring sheet & Song
-Three Activities
-TakeHome Sheet for Parents
*Special Note* Much prayer is spent before making each Bible lesson in my store. My goal is to retell each Bible story in a way that helps kids of all ages understand God's Word while also meeting them where they're at and building their language and reading skills. My prayer is that God will help me simplify each story for these younger loves without taking away from it. It's not always easy to choose what sentences go into my Bible books. Bible stories, and even just the words/names alone, can sometimes be difficult to put into a book or activity for a young reader.
As you read and use these books and activities with your students, if you come across wording or pieces of the story that you feel might need a little more attention, rewording, or editing, please know I would love to hear your thoughts through email. Hoping you and your students love these books as you learn and grow in God's word!
Here are the links you want! These are for the full curriculum. Units and individual lesson plans are sold separately as well!
Thanks for letting me share these activities with you! I hope your littles love and enjoy them. I also hope they make your teacher life & prep just a tad bit easier!
-Til next time