Next Sunday, our Children’s Ministry kicks off week 1 of The Gospel Project. The first session is on “God Created the World” and Genesis 1. While all of Scripture is inspired and profitable (2 Tim. 3:16), not every section is equally significant to the Story. Genesis 1-2 summarizes Creation. It reveals God as the Maker of all things, and how all things point to Him. It provides conceptual seeds for truths and themes that bloom throughout the Bible.
This week, as you talk with kids about God as Creator and how Creation reveals his glory, here are a few additional resources for parents with younger children.
(As with any resource list, I might not agree with everything in these resources but still find them helpful.)
There are a lot of great resources, activities, and ideas I left out or don’t know about. I’d love to hear about any other recommendations. Leave a comment or send me an email.
Books for Young Children on Creation
- God’s Mighty Acts in Creation by Starr Meade
- Creation Sings by Carine MacKenzie
- How Great is Our God by Louie Giglio. Also Indescribable.
- The Moon Speaks by Jason Duesing
- The Garden, The Curtain and the Cross by Carl Laferton
- God’s Very Good Idea by Trillia Newbell (God’s design in diversity)
- God’s Design by Sally Michael and Gary Steward (God’s design in gender and marriage)
- Almost any book on “nature,” animals, weather, etc. can be used by parents to point out God’s design, glory, and lessons revealed in Creation. It doesn’t need to be a “Christian book” for parents to help kids read it with a Christian lens. See the John Piper message below for an example of him subscribing to Ranger Rick magazine.
Resources on God’s Glory in Creation
- See The Gospel Project’s website and you can download this semester’s unit through the Lifeway Kids app.
- The Gospel Project video on Creation.
- “The Riot and the Dance” Discussion Guide. They are producing excellent videos on Creation (think Planet Earth but with humor and belief in God). Here’s the trailer to the first one.
- “God Shows and God Tells” by Aaron Armstrong at The Gospel Project.
- Answers in Genesis for Kids.
- Read some other passages in the Bible talking about how Creation points to God: Psalm 19; 104; 8; 95:4-5; 96:11-12; Job 37-41; Isaiah 40-41; 11:1-9; 65:17-25; Col. 1:16; Matthew 6:25-34; 10:29-31.
Music for Kids on Creation
- Never Let Go of Me by Lifetree Kids.
- Some Creation themed songs: “All Creatures of Our God and King”; “So Will I”; “God of Wonders”; “Indescribable”; “How Great Thou Art”; “This Is My Father’s World”; “All Things Bright and Beautiful”; “The Maker” by Chris August; “Creation Song” by Josh Garrells.
- Songs for Saplings
- This isn’t a Christian song but it’s a fun one. What kid or adult isn’t amused by a lyric about fish “pooping out sandy beaches”? Splash and Bubbles, “Sandy Beaches.”
Activities with Kids
- See The Gospel Project weekly activity pages kids bring home. The right side of the sheet provides a summary of the week, key passage, family discussion starters, and family activities. For example, this week’s family activity for preschoolers suggests taking a nature hike to enjoy God’s creation, or caring for God’s creation as a family by picking up trash on your street.
- A long list of links with various things to do with kids to teach on Genesis.
- Visit the Creation Museum or the Ark Encounter.
- Walk through a park, your neighborhood, yard, or even inside your home and help your children give thanks to God for everything. The goal is to (1) recognize all things as coming from God, (2) give praise to God for making them, and (3) enjoy the thing itself and God more because it’s part of Creation. This is good for parents too because we forget how everything comes from God and points to him (from the air we breathe to the coffee we drink to the grace we depend on for each day).
- When you pray as a family this week, have each person thank God for something revealed about him in Creation or something he’s given us through Creation.
Adult/Teen Resources on Genesis and Creation
- “God Wants His Children to Enjoy Creation” article by David Murray.
- Bible Project video on Genesis 1-11.
- John Piper sermon, “The Pleasure of God in His Creation.” (See also his chapter on this in Desiring God.)
- The Gospel Coalition video, “What’s Essential to Believe about Creation.”
- The Gospel Coalition, “What Every Christian Must Affirm about the Universe’s Origins.”
- Websites teaching Creation and/or Intelligent Design: Answers in Genesis; The Discovery Institute; Discover Creation.
- Turning of Days by Hannah Anderson
- Consider the Lilies: A Plea for Creation Theology by T. M. Moore
- Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Articles
- “The Apostles Creed 4: Maker of Heaven and Earth” by Douglas Wilson
- “How to Do Kids Discipleship in the Woods” interview by Kelli Trujillo
- “How to Get Your Kids to Love Nature” by Art of Manliness
- “Getting Out There: My 8-Week Micro Adventure” by Art of Manliness
- “The Wonders of Our Creator” by ICR
- “Look Up and See His Handiwork” by ICR
- “Did God Endow All His Creatures with An Appreciation of Beauty” from Christianity Today
- “All that Free Beauty…Plant A Garden” by John Mark Reynolds
- “How God’s Glory Shines in Our Connectedness to Nature” by Liz Charlotte Grant
- “Drawn by God’s Beauty: The Surprising Jonathan Edwards” by Gerald McDermott
- “Nature, the Bible, and Knowing God” from wellwateredwoman
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