Stories Of The Bible Junior - A Saddleback Kids Podcast

Zacchaeus was not popular. A lot of people thought he was a liar and a cheater. Who knows why people thought that, except for the fact that he WAS a liar and a cheater. But then one day Jesus invited himself over for dinner. Find out what happened next!

Have you ever lost something? How important was it to you? Jesus told a story about losing a little sheep one time. It turns out that the Shepherd in the story cared a LOT about that sheep.
Talk It Over
The Parable Of The Lost Sheep
Hey parents! Use these questions as a guide to talk over this week’s lesson about The Parable of the Lost Sheep with your child after they’ve listened to the episode!
Who was today's Bible story about?
Jesus.
A man had 100 sheep. What sound does a sheep make?
Baa.
Uh-oh. What happened when he lost one of his sheep?
He looked and looked all around to find it. Let’s play peek-a-boo! You can pretend to be the sheep and I’ll cover my eyes then find you. Ready? Peek-a-boo sheep!
How did the man feel when he finally found the lost sheep?
He was happy! He asked everyone to come celebrate. Let’s jump and clap our hands and celebrate, too.
Take some time to pray with your toddler. Encourage your toddler to sit with you and fold their hands, saying something like:
God, thank you for loving us. Thank you for making us. Thank you for wanting to be our friend. Thank you that you will take care of us. We love you! Amen!
Parent Encouragement - The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Hey parents! Here's something for you to be encouraged by and get ideas to bring this Bible story into your everyday conversation with your child at home!
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Craft – I-Spy Bag
In this craft, your toddler will make an I-Spy bag filled with hidden items from the Bible story. As they look for the items in their bag, they will be reminded that the shepherd looked for the sheep. He loved the sheep, and God loves us!
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Activity – Balloon Sheep
In this activity, your toddler will have fun as they find all of the sheep like the shepherd found his lost sheep in our Bible story. The shepherd loved his sheep, and God loves us!
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Coloring Page - The Parable of the Lost Sheep
We have a variety of coloring pages to help your child remember familiar faces from this month’s lesson!
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Navigating Parenthood
Hey parents! Saddleback Parents has great training, tips, and tools to help you win. Check out part 2 of this Two Minute Tip series all about how we can help our kids hold onto faith.
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What does it mean to be a good neighbor? Find out in today's episode! Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan, let's find out what that even means!
GOOD SAMARITAN
Hey parents! Use these questions as a guide to talk over this week’s lesson, Good Samaritan, with your child after they’ve listened to the story!
Jesus told a story. Who was today’s Bible story about?
A Samaritan man.
A Jewish man was hurt – he had lots of owies. A Samaritan man came. He helped the Jewish man. Let’s say, Hooray for the Samaritan man. It is good to help people when they are hurt.
God made people because he loves everyone. Can you point to someone God made?
Help your child point to you and to themselves!
Jesus is happy when we help someone and we can be happy, too. Show me your happiest happy face.
Take some time to pray with your toddler. Encourage them to sit with you and fold their hands, saying something like:
“God, thank you for making us. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for wanting to be our friend. Help us to help people just like the Good Samaritan. We love you! Amen.”
Parent Encouragement - The Good Samaritan

Hey Parents! Here's something for you to be encouraged by and get ideas from this week to make the Good Samaritan lesson part of your everyday conversation with your toddler at home!
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Toddler Coloring Page - The Good Samaritan
As your child colors this coloring page, they will be reminded of today’s Bible story and that God made them! There are additional coloring pages with familiar faces from today’s lesson, too.
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Toddler Craft – The Good Samaritan Badges

This week, your child will create a Good Samaritan badge to remind them they can help people just like the Good Samaritan helped in the Bible story.
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Toddler Activity – Find the Hurt Man
In this activity, your child will find the hurt man hiding under a cup. They will remember they can be like the Good Samaritan. When they see someone who is hurt, they can help.
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Navigating Parenthood 
Hey parents! Saddleback Parents has great training, tips, and tools to help you win. Check out this Two-Minute Tip, How to Help Your Children See Themselves Through God’s Eyes Pt.1, all about solidifying the basis of your child’s identity through three words.
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Noah And The Flood

Hey parents! Use these questions as a guide to talk over this week’s lesson, Noah and the Flood, with your child after they’ve listened to the story!
What was your favorite part of the story we just heard? Do you have any questions about what you saw?
How was Noah different from the people around him?
Noah was the only man on Earth who still walked with God and made the right choices. All of the other people were evil and were doing things God says are wrong.
What were God’s instructions to Noah? Why might that have seemed strange?
God told Noah to build a boat and put two of each animal on it. It was strange because God warned of a flood, but it had never even rained like that before! Noah had to have faith and trust God’s plan.
What did God promise Noah? How did he show this promise?
God promised he would never flood the Earth again, and he put a rainbow in the sky to show his promise.
What are some of God’s plans for me?
To love him forever, to love other people, and to be a part of his family.
Think about this part of our Bible verse: “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.” What does it mean that God directs your path?
It means he tells us what is best and the right way to live. He does that by speaking to us through the Bible, through his helper the Holy Spirit, by talking to us through other Christians, or by talking to him in prayer.
Parent Devotional 

Hey parents! We have something just for you to enjoy this week’s Bible story for yourself. Read over this devotion sometime this week as a way for you to reflect on the Bible story your child saw from Church at Home. We love you!
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 Coloring page and Activity Sheet

Each week we have new activity sheets and coloring pages to help your child remember the Bible story and learn more about how they can step up in faith.
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Navigating Parenthood

Hey parents! Saddleback Parents has great training, tips, and tools to help you win. Check out part 3 of this Two Minute Tip series all about how we can help our kids hold onto faith.
Download
Today's Bible Story Comes Genesis 6-8 (from Bible Gateway)
6 Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. 2 The sons of God saw the beautiful women[a] and took any they wanted as their wives. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with[b] humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”
4 In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times.
5 The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord.

The Story of Noah

9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. 10 Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now God saw that the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, for everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living creatures, for they have filled the earth with violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along with the earth!
14 “Build a large boat[c] from cypress wood[d] and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.[e] 16 Leave an 18-inch opening[f] below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper.
17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat—you and your wife and your sons and their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal, and every kind of small animal that scurries along the ground, will come to you to be kept alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.”
22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

The Flood Covers the Earth

7 When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous. 2 Take with you seven pairs—male and female—of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice,[g] and take one pair of each of the others. 3 Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood. 4 Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created.”
5 So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him.
6 Noah was 600 years old when the floo...

Christmas

Hey parents! Use these questions as a guide to talk over this week’s lesson about Christmas with your child after they’ve watched the video service!
Who was the baby in today's Bible story?
Jesus. Christmas is all about Jesus!
Jesus was born in a barn. What kind of animals do you think were in the barn with baby Jesus?
What sounds do those animals make? Have fun making barnyard sounds with your toddler.
An angel told the shepherds that Jesus was born. Were the shepherds happy or sad when they heard this good news?
They were very happy and excited! Show me your happy face.
What did the wise men see in the sky that helped them find Jesus?
A star!
Take some time to pray with your toddler. Encourage your toddler to sit with you and fold their hands, saying something like:
Dear God, thank you for loving me, making me, and for sending Jesus to be my friend. Thank you that we can celebrate Jesus’ birthday on Christmas! Happy birthday Jesus! Amen.
Activities and Resources
Toddler Coloring Page

We have a variety of coloring pages to help your child remember familiar faces from this month’s lesson!
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Toddler Craft – Peek-A-Boo Baby Jesus

In this craft, your toddler will make a barn from the nativity story and play Peek-A-Boo with baby Jesus! This will remind them of the Christmas story and that Jesus came to be their friend.
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Toddler Activity – I-Spy Christmas

Have fun searching for different pictures from the Christmas story with your toddler in this week’s I-Spy Christmas activity! As they find the items hidden around the room, remind them that God wants to be their friend.
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Parent Encouragement - Christmas

Hey Parents! Here's something for you to be encouraged by and get ideas to bring this Bible story into your everyday conversation with your child at home!
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Navigating Parenthood 

Hey parents! Saddleback Parents has great training, tips, and tools to help you win. Check out this blog post, Having Fun and Making Memories Along the Way. Christmas is a great time to start some family traditions and make memories with your kids!
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