	Praising
	Theme How to worship God. Aim To encourage children to sing and make a 'joyful noise'. Preparation You will need: A CD or tape of hymns, traditional and modern. Prepare to give two or three stickers out in assembly for some good reason! Items for the Focus Table. A child to do the Bible Reading: Psalm 95 verses 1,2. (Good News Bible) Focus Tambourine, Indian bells, chime bar, drum 3 Flash cards with 'Thank You', 'You are great!' and 'Brilliant' a selection of 'praise' stickers on an A4 card flipchart or OHP with words 'Blessed be the King'. Introduction Talk about football matches and what the crowd do to show their team they are supporting them. Ask for some examples. Go on to say that the Bible says people should worship God by making a joyful noise. Explain that you are going to listen to different ways Christians do this. Play short extracts from varied songs on the CD or tape. Show some of the instruments from the focus table and say how they help us to sing together joyfully (keep time, different sounds are like different voices, etc.) Have two or three children come out who deserve to receive a sticker and praise them. Ask the school to give them a 'well done' too. Story - William gets a Sticker William liked to shout. He lived with his Gran and it seemed to her as if he shouted everything. "Is it time to get up yet?" every morning. "When's tea ready?" every evening. "Do I have to go to bed?" each night. He shouted all through playtime at school, and he shouted when he came back into the classroom. He was always being told, "William,don't shout so!" But amazingly, William couldn't sing in tune. He found it always came out of his throat like a low growl and he was often embarrassed. "I wish I could sing", he told Mrs Murray, his teacher. "I don't seem to fit in with everybody elses tune." He'd tried shouting instead of singing, but of course that wasn't right either. In assembly next day, Mrs Murray told the story about Jesus riding on a donkey when he was going to Jerusalem. The people shouted in praise to God, calling Jesus a King. They waved branches from the palm trees, and made a lot of noise! "Blessed be the King", they sang at the tops of their voices! Some people tried to stop the noise but Jesus had said, "If they keep quiet, the stones will shout out!". Mrs Murray explained that praise was saying Thank You out loud for all Jesus had done. It was telling God that he was great. Mrs Murray explained that the Bible teaches that God was pleased with praise, whether it was singing or playing musical instruments. She chose people to play the instruments for the hymn. (Give them out as you tell the story.) Jon was given a tambourine; Lucy had the Indian bells; Ashley got the chime bar and guess who had the drum?! William! Everyone stood up to sing and the four players came to the front and banged in time to the music played on the CD. In the afternoon William's class went out to watch the older children playing in a football match. They shouted and yelled and every time a goal was scored there was lots of clapping and cheering. Joanna was particularly good at scoring goals, and after the match she got lots of praise. William liked Joanna. She'd been his reading helper when he first came to school. He felt proud that she'd done well, because he thought of her as his friend, even though she was lots older than he was. At the end of the day, Mrs Murray handed out some stickers for good work. William was surprised to be given one for his drum playing. "I was really pleased. You kept time well," said Mrs Murray, "and that helped us to all sing well too. Thank you William." When William walked home with Gran he told her about his drum playing, and the football match, and as he told her he had a warm, excited feeling inside him because it had been such a good day. Discussion Hold up the three flash cards and ask how you would feel if someone says this to you. Do you think teachers like to be praised too? Explain that there are different ways to praise God: singing, shouting, chanting, using instruments, poetry, writing about Him, and joining all together to thank Him. The Bible teaches that God enjoys his people praising Him. Read Psalm 95 v. 1&2 Have a child read from Good News Bible or print the words out. Prayer You could sing verse 1 of Thank you Jesus (Mission Praise No.633) Sing Sing a praise song, with instrumental accompaniment from percussion for example: Come and Praise the Lord our King (Children's Praise No.13) Come into his presence singing Halleluja! (No.14) Come on and praise the Lord (No.16) Hosanna! (Mission Praise No.242)
	A Primary Vision resource provided by the Stockport Christians in Schools Trust

Praising

Theme

How to worship God.

Aim

To encourage children to sing and make a 'joyful noise'.

Preparation

You will need:

A CD or tape of hymns, traditional and modern.
Prepare to give two or three stickers out in assembly for some good reason!
Items for the Focus Table.
A child to do the Bible Reading: Psalm 95 verses 1,2. (Good News Bible)

Focus

Tambourine, Indian bells, chime bar, drum
3 Flash cards with 'Thank You', 'You are great!' and 'Brilliant'
a selection of 'praise' stickers on an A4 card
flipchart or OHP with words 'Blessed be the King'.

Introduction

Talk about football matches and what the crowd do to show their team they are supporting them.

Ask for some examples.

Go on to say that the Bible says people should worship God by making a joyful noise.

Explain that you are going to listen to different ways Christians do this.

Play short extracts from varied songs on the CD or tape.

Show some of the instruments from the focus table and say how they help us to sing together joyfully (keep time, different sounds are like different voices, etc.)

Have two or three children come out who deserve to receive a sticker and praise them.

Ask the school to give them a 'well done' too.

Story - William gets a Sticker

William liked to shout. He lived with his Gran and it seemed to her as if he shouted everything.

"Is it time to get up yet?" every morning.

"When's tea ready?" every evening.

"Do I have to go to bed?" each night.

He shouted all through playtime at school, and he shouted when he came back into the classroom.

He was always being told, "William,don't shout so!"

But amazingly, William couldn't sing in tune. He found it always came out of his throat like a low growl and he was often embarrassed.

"I wish I could sing", he told Mrs Murray, his teacher. "I don't seem to fit in with everybody elses tune."

He'd tried shouting instead of singing, but of course that wasn't right either.

In assembly next day, Mrs Murray told the story about Jesus riding on a donkey when he was going to Jerusalem. The people shouted in praise to God, calling Jesus a King. They waved branches from the palm trees, and made a lot of noise!

"Blessed be the King", they sang at the tops of their voices!

Some people tried to stop the noise but Jesus had said, "If they keep quiet, the stones will shout out!".

Mrs Murray explained that praise was saying Thank You out loud for all Jesus had done. It was telling God that he was great. Mrs Murray explained that the Bible teaches that God was pleased with praise, whether it was singing or playing musical instruments.

She chose people to play the instruments for the hymn. (Give them out as you tell the story.)

Jon was given a tambourine; Lucy had the Indian bells; Ashley got the chime bar and guess who had the drum?! William!

Everyone stood up to sing and the four players came to the front and banged in time to the music played on the CD.

In the afternoon William's class went out to watch the older children playing in a football match. They shouted and yelled and every time a goal was scored there was lots of clapping and cheering. Joanna was particularly good at scoring goals, and after the match she got lots of praise. William liked Joanna. She'd been his reading helper when he first came to school. He felt proud that she'd done well, because he thought of her as his friend, even though she was lots older than he was. At the end of the day, Mrs Murray handed out some stickers for good work. William was surprised to be given one for his drum playing.

"I was really pleased. You kept time well," said Mrs Murray, "and that helped us to all sing well too. Thank you William."

When William walked home with Gran he told her about his drum playing, and the football match, and as he told her he had a warm, excited feeling inside him because it had been such a good day.

Discussion

Hold up the three flash cards and ask how you would feel if someone says this to you.

Do you think teachers like to be praised too?

Explain that there are different ways to praise God: singing, shouting, chanting, using instruments, poetry, writing about Him, and joining all together to thank Him.

The Bible teaches that God enjoys his people praising Him.

Read

Psalm 95 v. 1&2 Have a child read from Good News Bible or print the words out.

Prayer

You could sing verse 1 of Thank you Jesus (Mission Praise No.633)

Sing

Sing a praise song, with instrumental accompaniment from percussion for example:

Come and Praise the Lord our King (Children's Praise No.13)
Come into his presence singing Halleluja! (No.14)
Come on and praise the Lord (No.16)
Hosanna! (Mission Praise No.242)