Unit 3: Sing a Psalm of Joy - Psalm 47

1) Welcome Activity:

• Puppets today: give one child a "king"puppet and another a "queen" puppet. Assign everyone else to be the subjects. Ask the children: what do you think a king does? What would a king say?
• Musical instruments... especially good if you have "clackers" in the shape of clapping hands!

2) Songs: Start the Story Hour with the learning our names song. Go around the circle or table and introduce each child.

3) Prayer... praise God, the king of all creation.

4) Theme: Remind the children of the theme of the unit: Our joy in the Lord. “Sing of psalm of joy!” Tell them that they are going to learn about a psalm today that teaches us about our joy in the Lord.

5) Reading the Psalm: In order to simplify things for the children, first summarize the main point(s) of the psalm. In Psalm 47, the psalmist is singing about celebrating the fact that God is our king. A king rules over the nation, takes care of the land, leads the people and sits on a throne. God is our king who takes care of us in so many ways. We can celebrate God our king! Then, read the psalm from the Bible. Then, repeat the main point(s) again.

6) Sing the Psalm: Sing today’s psalm with the children. You may sing all or only one stanza depending on what is appropriate for your psalm. If possible, include some hand motions to highlight key words. In this psalm, try:
clap your hands.. clap
loud.. cup your hands around your mouth like a megaphone
bow… bow
circles all the earth… draw a circle in the air with your finger as if making a circle around everything

7) Text… you may use a verse from the psalm in the Bible or choose a key line or two from the stanza that you chose to sing with the children. “ God is King alone on his holy throne” Psalm 47 (stanza 3, line 2)

8) Craft:

• Shakers… children can choose a handful of colorful beads to put into a clear snack sized container (available cheaply at any dollar store). Use a strip of clear tape to secure lid. Practice playing music for God while singing today’s song!
  * any simple instrument craft can work equally well here!

• God is king… make crowns for all the children from poster paper. Write “God is my King” around the band and let the children decorate with sparkles, stickers, markers, etc.

• If you can find them cheaply, a set of clackers (in the shape of hands) would make an excellent addition to this lesson. Add it to the musical instrument collection! ... check party supply stores?

9) Closing Prayer... say the Lord's prayer together with the children

10) Going Home: Round up all the children around the table or sit in a circle again. Sing today’s Psalm together and then sing the closing. Then, check to see if all the children have collected their crafts and coloring sheets before they go home. Say goodbye and tell them that you enjoyed learning about God together and were happy to have them today! You were, weren’t you?