Philip and the Ethiopian Lesson Plan for Older Preschoolers

This Bible teaching lesson plan is designed for older preschoolers. It includes a Center Time that offers children time in Block, Home Living, Puzzle, Art, and Bible Learning Centers. It also includes Bible Story Time, Talk Time, Craft Time, and Game Time/Dismissal activities with Clean-up and Snack Times recommended as appropriate. Optional activities are offered for some of the Center Time activities and the Craft Time activity. Background for Teachers is also provided. This plan was originally published as part of God’s Unfolding Story for Older Preschoolers, free curriculum available for immediate download on Sunday School Zone.

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Philip and the Ethiopian Lesson Plan for Older Preschoolers

Bible Text: Acts 8:4-6, 26-40
Bible Truth: Philip told about Jesus.
Bible Phrase: “Philip told about Jesus.” Acts 8:35
God’s Unfolding Story Element: This story occurs within the Jesus Began the Church story element. Learn more here.
Online Resources: Additional free activities and printables for this story are available here.

Background for Teachers

The early church leaders were focused and intent on spreading the good news of Jesus Christ and His teachings. They were bold as they learned what it meant to be followers of Jesus. One of those leaders was Philip. We are introduced to Philip in Acts 6 where He was chosen to be one of the seven to serve in the distribution to the widows. But Philip had other gifts as well. Philip was a strong evangelist and was one of the first to proclaim Christ in Samaria, an area of people between Judea and Galilee. When the people of Samaria heard Philip and witnessed the miraculous signs God demonstrated through him, many believed and were baptized.

From Acts 8:26-40 we also learn that as a result of his obedience, Philip was able to witness to a royal official of the Queen of Ethiopia. The man was a eunuch and had come from worshipping in Jerusalem. He was on his way back to Ethiopia at the time of this encounter. God knew exactly what He was going by sending Philip to this man.

Sadly though, because this man was a eunuch, he would never be able to participate fully in the worship of God with the congregation of Israel. However, the man understood Philip’s message and that day he came to believe that Jesus was, indeed, the promised Messiah they had been waiting for! His new faith in Christ allowed him to be a part of this new, expanded congregation of Israel; the Church!

After Philip explained the good news, the eunuch wanted to be baptized. Philip was surely delighted to baptize him. Then Philip was mysteriously “carried away” by “the Spirit of the Lord.” Only a little more is revealed about Philip in the Bible. Even though only a few paragraphs are dedicated to Philip, we see he was truly one of the heroes of evangelism and confirms that, like Philip, the people in the early church told others about Jesus. We learn he was passionate, courageous, full of faith and wisdom, filled with the Spirit and quickly obedient to the Spirit’s leadership. May we desire that the same be said about each of us!

Lesson Plan Activities

Arrival (5 minutes)

  • Greet children at eye level and express how happy you are to see them.
  • Be sure each child has a name tag and the security measures of your church are followed.
  • Label all coats and personal belongings. Strongly encourage children who have brought items to place them on a shelf. Assure them their items will be safe and they can take them home at the end of the session.
  • Help each child make a choice where he or she would like to begin his or her Center Time.

Center Time (15-20 minutes)

Activities are suggested for Block, Home Living, Puzzle, Art, and Bible Learning Centers. Activities for the Art Center and Bible Learning Center are unique to each lesson with two options provided. Block, Home Living, and Puzzle Center suggestions are the same in all older preschool lessons and assume the needed items are provided by the church. Engage with children to relate each activity to the Bible Truth, Bible Phrase, and/or the Bible story. Learn more here.

Block Center

Supplies: Wooden blocks

What to Do: Encourage preschoolers to work together to build using the blocks.

Home Living Center

Supplies: Doll(s), Doll bed, small rocking chair, sink and stove unit, small table and chairs, plastic dishes, child pots and pans, doll blanket(s), clothes, bottles

What to Do: Encourage children to role play different family roles.

Puzzle Center

Supplies: A variety of durable, non-fantasy puzzles.

What to Do: Encourage children to finish a puzzle before leaving the center if possible. Give guidance rather than doing the puzzle for the child.

Bible Learning Center: Connect the Dots (Option One)

Supplies:

What to Do: Invite children to follow the numbers and connect the dots to finish the Bible story picture.

Bible Learning Center: Follow the Maze (Option Two)

Supplies:

What to Do: Invite children to follow the path from Philip to the royal official.

Relate to the Bible Story: Read the Bible Phrase. Share with children that in our Bible story today, an angel told a man named Philip to go to a certain road. Explain that while on that road, Philip met a man who was a royal official to the Queen and Philip told him about Jesus.

Art Center: Paint with Sand (Option One)

Supplies:

  • White construction paper
  • Small plastic bag of sand
  • Paper plates for holding sand
  • White glue

What to Do: Print today’s Bible Phrase on each paper. Pour sand onto paper plates. Invite children to use the glue bottles to make a design on their paper. Remind children that thin lines of glue are better than large clumps of glue. Demonstrate to children how to take a small amount of sand and sprinkle it over the glue, then hold their paper over the plate of sand and gently shake off any excess.

Relate to the Bible Story: Share with children that in our Bible story today, an angel told a man named Philip to go to a certain road. Explain that those roads were often covered with sand or dirt. While on that road, Philip met a man who was a royal official to the Queen and Philip told him about Jesus.

Art Center: Paint with Plastic Pot Scrubbers (Option Two)

Supplies:

  • White construction paper
  • Assorted colors of paint
  • Paper plates for holding paint

What to Do: Print today’s Bible Phrase on each paper. Pour paint onto paper plates. Invite children to dip a pot scrubber into the paint and then dab it on their paper. Choosing different colors to dab makes a colorful design.

Relate to the Bible Story: As children work, read the Bible Phrase and express to children that just as Philip told someone about Jesus we can tell others about Jesus.

Clean-up Time (5 minutes)
Encourage preschoolers to help at Clean-up Time. Assign specific tasks for preschoolers to do such as placing all the crayons in the basket, throwing away the trash, gathering glue sticks, etc.

Bible Story Time (15 minutes)

Supplies:

Introduction

Show the God’s Unfolding Story Cube. Point to each icon and review the God’s Unfolding Story Elements. Encourage children to recite the story elements with you.

Explain to boys and girls that today’s story is from the segment called Jesus Began the Church. (Point to that icon on the cube.)

Remind children that the word ‘church’ can mean either a building or the people in the building. Our story today helps us understand that people in the church shared with other people about Jesus and His love for them. Listen to how a man in the Book of Acts, named Philip, told about Jesus.

Bible Story

Use the teaching picture as appropriate to tell the following story:

Philip was a follower of Jesus and was part of a group of believers called the church. Every day, Philip traveled from place to place sharing the good news of Jesus and telling people that God loved them.

One day an angel spoke to Philip and told him to go to a certain road. So, Philip quickly did what the angel told him to do.

As Philip began walking along the road, he soon noticed a chariot up ahead. A chariot is like a wagon with two or more wheels that is pulled by a horse or a team of horses. When Philip got close to the chariot, he saw a man reading a scroll.

It turned out that the man was a very important person. He was a royal official for the Queen of Ethiopia. He had been to worship God in Jerusalem and now was on his way back to Ethiopia.

Philip ran up to the chariot and asked the man, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man answered, “How can I understand if I have no one to explain it to me?”

The man invited Philip to sit with him in the chariot. Philip began to explain that the words he was reading were about Jesus. Philip told this official of the Queen all about Jesus and how much Jesus loved him.

The man understood what Philip was saying about Jesus and that day he became a believer. The man was so happy to learn that Jesus was God’s Son.

Talk Time:

  • Using the teaching picture, ask the following questions:
    • What did Philip do every day?
    • Who did Philip meet on the road?
    • Who did Philip tell the man about?”
  • Say today’s Bible Phrase together, “Philip told about Jesus.” Acts 8:35. Express to boys and girls that God wants the people in the church to share about Jesus with others. Talk about ways we can tell about Jesus such as:
    • While playing with a friend, tell them Jesus loves them.
    • Make a card for a family member to share about Jesus’ love.
    • Take flowers to someone who is sick and remind them of God’s love.
  • Close the Bible Story Time in prayer, asking God for opportunities to tell others about Jesus.

Craft Time: Make a Bible Story Scene (10-15 minutes) (Option One)

Supplies:

What to Do: Cut apart each Bible story puppet. Invite children to color their puppet and the background scene. Give children a craft stick to tape to their puppet. After children color the scene, cut slits where indicated on the paper. Demonstrate to children how to insert the puppet under the slits.

Relate to Bible Story: As children work, read the Bible Phrase. Review the Bible story of Philip and the royal official. Children can move their puppet along the path as you tell the story. Talk with children about who they might tell about Jesus just like Philip.

Craft Time: Make a Bible Scroll (10-15 minutes) (Option Two)

Supplies:

What to Do: To save time, cut apart each Bible scroll and tape or glue together. Invite children to trace the words of the Bible Phrase and color the Bible story picture. Give each child two craft sticks and two pieces of tape. Show children how to tape the craft sticks to the ends of the scroll and fold toward the center. Help children tie a small length of yarn around the scroll.

Relate to Bible Story: As children work, read the Bible Phrase. Review the Bible story of Philip and the royal official. Talk about who the children could share their scrolls with to tell about Jesus.

Snack Time (5-10 minutes)

Be sure to wash hands or use hand sanitizer before serving the snack. Say a thank-you prayer to God for the snack. When Snack Time has ended, encourage preschoolers to help with cleaning up.

Game Time: Can You? Game and Dismissal (5-10 minutes)

Supplies: No supplies needed

What to Do: Ask children to stand in a circle in the game time area. Call out actions such as: “Can you hop on one foot? Can you pat your head? Can you pull your ear? Can you run in place? Can you jump up and down? Can you clap your hands? Can you touch your toes? Can you say our Bible Phrase, ‘Philip told about Jesus’? Can you twirl around? Can you sit down?” Play the game varying the actions.

At the close of the activity, remind boys and girls of today’s Bible Phrase, “Philip told about Jesus” from Acts 8:35 and that we can also tell about Jesus.

Dismiss children as parents arrive. Be sure to follow the security procedures of your church.

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