YEA Lesson Library
Made Like God
About This Lesson
This lesson teaches that, just as Adam and Eve were made in the image of God, the student is a unique person, made in the image of God and loved by God.
Scriptures
Genesis 1:26-28
Genesis 1:27
Genesis 2:6-8
Genesis 2:16-25
Philippians 3:21
Hebrews 2:6-7
Words to Know
DOLPHIN - very smart, playful, whale-like animal that lives in the sea
PARTNER - Someone who works with you for the good of both
The Lesson
Think of a very beautiful place. Is it by the ocean? Are there dolphins jumping out of the water? Maybe you are up in the mountains. Squirrels jump and play in tall pine trees. You might be at your grandfather’s farm. Peach trees are full of peaches. Juicy red tomatoes and yellow squash grow in the garden.
God looked at the world He had made. It was full of beautiful, perfect things. He saw green grass on rolling hills. He saw big green trees and sweet smelling flowers. Animals played in the fields. Birds sang in the trees. God watched fish swim in the lakes and rivers. Al of these were good. But something was
missing.
God wanted someone like Himself. He wanted someone to talk to Him - someone to worship Him. He wanted a family. So God reached down and picked up a handful of dirt. He made two dirt hands. He made two dirt feet. He made arms and legs, a body and a head. God made the very first man out of dirt.
Then God bent down and blew His breath into the man. The dirt man came to life! God called him Adam.
God put Adam in a beautiful garden to live. He had lots of food to eat. God told Adam, "I want you to take care of the garden." God also told Adam to name all the animals, fish, and birds. But Adam needed someone to talk to. All the animals had partners. So God gave Adam a wife to be his partner.
The first woman wasn't made from dirt like Adam was. God put Adam to sleep. He opened up Adam's side and took out a rib. God made a beautiful woman from it. Adam was very happy with the woman. She would be his wife.
Adam and Eve had everything they needed. They had food to eat. Rivers gave them fresh water to drink. They had trees for shade. God took care of everything. It was just perfect!
The whole garden was for Adam and Eve. They could have anything they wanted to eat .... anything except one! In the middle of the garden was a tree. God told them, "Don't eat the fruit of that tree!" Its fruit would open their eyes to good and bad.
God didn't want His people to know about bad things. He didn't want them to do bad things. God didn't want people hurting each other. He didn’t want them to lie and steal. God wanted Adam and Eve to be like Him - perfect!
Did you know you are very special? God made you to be like Him, just like He did Adam and Eve. He picked the color of your eyes and hair. He knew how big or small you would be. There is no one else just like you! Even if you have a twin, you are different. Everyone acts differently. No one can take your place!
None of the animals is like God. Elephants can't talk. Snakes don’t feel love for each other. Rabbits are cute and cuddly. But they can't take care of a garden. Birds can't choose to do right or wrong. God made Adam and Eve, and you and me, to be like Him. He wants to help you be more like Him every day. How? Read your Bible and come to Sabbath School. When you obey God's commands you will be more like Him.
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for making me different from everything else you made. You made me special, to be like you. Help me to obey you and follow your commands.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Hebrews 2:6-7
Monday- Genesis 1:26
Tuesday- Genesis 2:7-8
Wednesday - Genesis 2:16-17
Thursday - Genesis 2:18
Friday - Genesis 2:21-22
Saturday - Philippians 3:21
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, children will be able to:
1. Name the first man and woman God created.
2. Tell what materials God used to make Adam and Eve.
3. Give the reason God created people.
4. State that they were made special by God.
Topics & Themes
Adam and Eve
Bible Study
Creation
Creator
Dominion Mandate
Garden of Eden
God’s Family
God’s Likeness/Image
God’s Love
God’s Provision
Life
Male/Female
Sabbath
Tree of the Knowledge of Good/Evil
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students' and Teacher's books, attendance and memory verse charts, stars or stickers, songbook, CD, music player, clay, newsprint pad, marker pens
Preparation
The fact that God made us in His likeness is pretty awesome. This is probably a reference to spiritual qualities such as our ability to make conscious moral choices. Since God is Spirit, He created man so that we could have a relationship with Him. Only humans hold this special status.
Another distinction of humans is the promise of eternal life for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Although sin marred the image of God in the lives of mankind, God will one day restore that image (Philippians 3:20-21).
Elementary-age children have already begun to feel the effects of peer pressure. Being different is often ridiculed. Help students appreciate their uniqueness and the care God took in making each one different from the rest. Personalize it: God made each of them so He could be friends with them. He loves them not for their appearance, their accomplishments, or their behavior. He created them; He loves them for who they are!
How to Teach This Lesson
Most of God's creative work was finished. Everything looked great! But God's plan was not complete. There was no one to enjoy the beauty-no one to talk to God. God wanted someone like Himself. He wanted a family.
Ask: Of all the animals God created, which one do you think is the smartest? Some people say a dog is the smartest: you can teach it to sit, roll over, and "speak." You can teach a parrot to say words. Some apes have been taught to use sign language, and elephants that have been taught to carry big logs with their trunks and people on their backs. But none of these animals are like God.
The First Man Was Uniquely Made- When God made the earth, the trees, grass, flowers, rivers, mountains and oceans, He made them just by commanding them to be. But when God set out to make the first man, He used something that already existed. Ask: What did God use to make a man? God formed Adam out of the dust of the ground. This clay is made from a certain kind of moist earth. (Give each student a lump of clay. Assign each student a different body part to shape, i.e., hand, foot, leg, arm, head, etc. Have them combine body parts to try to form a man.) Ask: Was it easy to make a man? Our man is just a model - not alive. But, God took the man He made and breathed into his nostrils. And, with the breath of God in him, Adam came to life. Only God could do that!
God Supplied Man’s Needs - After God made Adam, He placed him in a perfect garden with everything Adam would ever need. There were plenty of fruits and vegetables to eat. God gave Adam a job to do so that he wouldn’t be bored. But Adam needed someone he could share life with; he needed a partner. So God made the first woman.
The First Surgery - Ask: Has anyone ever gone to the hospital for an operation? (Allow them to discuss what took place.) When a doctor performs surgery, he usually put the person into a deep sleep, so they will not feel any pain. That is what God did with Adam. When Adam was completely asleep, God opened up his side and removed one of Adam's ribs. From this rib God made Eve. She was the perfect partner for Adam. She was made out of
a part of him.
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil - In the middle of the Garden of Eden stood a tree. God told Adam and Eve that they were not to eat of the fruit of that tree. Remember, there were other trees with fruit for them to eat. But, God knew this tree in the middle of the garden would not be good for Adam and Eve. If they ate the fruit from this tree, they would know evil. And when they knew evil, they would soon be doing evil things. God warned them about the tree. God was trying to protect Adam and Eve. Anytime God tells us not to do something, it is for our own good!
You Are Very Special - God created Adam and Eve to be more special than anything else He created. They were different from the animals. They could talk and think; they could decide to do in the Garden, they could love God. You are just as special to God as Adam and Eve. Each one of you is different. You are all different. And you are all important to God. Ask: If you don’t like being you and want to be someone else, who will fill the place God intended for you to fill?
Review Questions
1. Why do you think Cod didn't stop creating after He made the animals?
2. What did God use to make the first man?
3. How did Adam come to life?
4. What material did God use to make Eve?
5. Give some ways that you are like God.
6. Describe the place where Adam and Eve lived.
Teacher-Directed Activity
Seat all of the children in a circle. Choose one child to step outside the room. Then have the others describe the child who stepped outside - hair color, eye color, clothing, shoes, etc. Write a simple description on a newsprint pad. Bring the child back into the circle and see how accurately the children were able to describe him. Repeat as often as time allows.
REACH Activity
Special Materials Needed:
Washable ink pad for fingerprinting, pictures of beautiful places and people from magazines and/or old calendars, butcher paper
Activities:
1. Do a sword drill. Use the Daily Devotional Scriptures in the YEA book, Color My World. Read out the Scripture reference. Then start the timer. When the child has found the verse, stop the timer. Read the verse and talk about how it relates to the lesson. Challenge the child to see how quickly he/she can find each of the verses in the Bible. The sword drill works well as a competition game if you have more than one child.
2. Use the sequence cards from the YEA Teacher’s book. Add Adam and Eve on Day 6 of creation. Practice sequencing the events/days of creation week.
3. Fingerprinting: You are unique. There is no one exactly like you. You are so special to God. Use your fingerprints to make the letters of your name on an index card. Then get creative and turn your prints into animals, fish, or plants that God created. Make more than one card and share all with your friends/ family.
4. Draw a picture of your family. Write the memory verse across the bottom of the page.
5. Sing: “Fingers, Nose, and Toes” on page 104 of Kids Classics Collection.
6. Learn about your family tree and help your child chart it. Look!Your grandparents, and all of the husbands and wives, are male and female. This is the way it has been since creation—because God created it that way. Husband and wife couples are God’s way.
7. Write an acrostic poem for your name. Tell what makes you special in your poem.
Acrostic poem:
Each letter of a word begins a line of the poem; i.e. in a “P-R-O-M-I-S-E” acrostic poem. A word beginning with “P” starts the first line. A word beginning with “R” start the second line; “O” the third line, etc.
8. Make a collage of beautiful places. Cut pictures for your collage from magazines and old calendars. Glue them onto an 11 x 17 page.
9. Make a mural of you and your family/friends. Cut a piece of butcher paper 24”x6”. Draw, and then color/paint the picture. On the bottom of the mural write the lesson’s memory verse.
10. Using your Bible and concordance, find the meaning of the names Adam and Eve. How many times are the names found in the Bible?
11. Adam named the animals. Do you have a favorite animal? Find out more about the name of your favorite animal(s) in an encyclopedia. Or take a visit to your local veterinarian to watch them take care of the animals. Ask them to make a visit to your school or church.
12. Memory verse practice: Cut three pieces of paper or use three 3 x 5 index cards. On each piece of paper or card, write a line of the memory verse. Practice one line each day. Put them in order and continue practicing until memorized.
13. Make a collage using magazine pictures or drawings showing how people around the world are different in looks and size. God did not make everyone exactly alike!
14. Write a song about what makes you special. Start with “I am special because,” and end with “and God made me!” Use the tune to “Are You Sleeping?”
15.God gave us the Ten Commandments to teach what is right and what is wrong so we can be more like Him. Practice the commandments each day. Remember how much God loves you!
16. Who do you look like in your family? Find pictures of your family and relatives. Compare their pictures with yours to see who you resemble or look like.
17. Sing: “For the Beauty of the Earth” on page 79 of the CEM Hymnal.
Song
"He's Got theWhole World In His Hands" is on page 54 of the Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Ask each child to voice a sentence prayer thanking God for one thing about themselves that makes them different from everyone else.
Printable Pages
