Children Activities for 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Curated children’s ministry resources and sermons (object lessons) for Sunday Readings from SermonWriter, Ministry-to-Children, Religion Teacher and other sources.
Curated children’s ministry resources and sermons (object lessons) for Sunday Readings from SermonWriter, Ministry-to-Children, Religion Teacher and other sources.
THEMES: Discipleship, Unworthiness, Saying Yes to Jesus
“Here I Am, Lord”
Children and others with limited biblical knowledge will miss many of the symbols in the verses.
“Will You Come and Follow Me”
More for the youth than for elementary children. Point out the “will you” questions in the first 4 verses and our response to Jesus in verse 5 before singing it.
Jesus called Simon with a large catch of fish. Like any good fisherman, Simon would cast his net at the first light of dawn when fish would seek the heat and oxygen of the day. Later in the day, the fish would swim lower and avoid dangerous shadows (from boats). Fishing in the mid-day was counter-initiative to a fisherman. Such a large catch in mid-day would be truly miraculous! In the face of a great catch, Simon tried to withdraw from the presence of the miracle worker. But, Jesus called Simon to a greater cause: to call others to faith.
Jesus calls everyone in great or small ways. He uses miracles directly and other people indirectly. Some have seen miracles, while other have come to faith through the actions of others. Make both points with your family with the “Fishing Game.” Draw and cut fish shapes out of construction paper. On each fish, write down miracles people see everyday (the birth of a child, the kindness of a stranger, the love of family, etc.). String the fish on a line and pole. Ask your family members who would be attracted by each fish. Hang the fish and pole as a reminder to pray for those people.
KID’S BIBLE TIPS & CRAFTS (5:37)
PDF packets with handouts designed for Sunday School students in preschool through 4th grade.
› Crossword › Multiple Choice › Word Search › Coloring Page › Coloring Page › Group Activities › Alphabet Soup › Worship Bulletin
SOURCE: SUNDAY CONNECTION (LOYOLA PRESS) – All Rights Reserved
SOURCE: SUNDAY CONNECTION (LOYOLA PRESS) – All Rights Reserved
SOURCE: SUNDAY CONNECTION (LOYOLA PRESS) – All Rights Reserved
Catechist Background and Preparation
Primary Session
Intermediate Session
Junior High School
Tradition
SOURCE: LECTIONARY RESOURCES (RCL Benzinger) – All Rights Reserved
In today’s Gospel we see Jesus getting into a boat to teach the people and then asking Peter to lower the nets so that they could catch fish. Peter had already spent all that day fishing in the hot sun and had not caught a single fish and was very tired, if it had been you instead of Peter would you have lowered the nets just because Jesus asked you to? Peter was a fisherman and when the boats were about to sink from all the fish that were in the nets he had to call for help, could you have just leave everything that you owned to follow Jesus? Peter left his boats all those fish and everything he owned just because Jesus asked him to, could you do also do that? Jesus told Peter that he was going to bring in people in the future and not fish, what do you think Jesus meant by that? If Jesus asked you to follow Him, do you think you would need go some place other than where you live or do something different to be a follower of Him, if so why and if not why?
Objects suggested: A rod and reel or some other fishing gear
EXCERPT: Do you like to go fishing? If someone were to ask me that question, I guess I would have to say, “No.” I like to catch fish, but I don’t enjoy fishing unless I am catching fish. I have heard some people say that they don’t care whether they catch any fish or not — they just enjoy going fishing. Not me!…
I remember one time when I went fishing with my son. He was about the age of some of you boys and girls — about seven or eight, I guess. We got up early in the morning and went to the lake. We had been fishing for about five minutes when he turned to me and said, “Dad, when are we going to catch something?” After about thirty minutes, he gave up and went to play with some other children. I sat there and fished all day. I never did catch a fish. Now, that is not my idea of a good time!
Objects suggested: A deck of playing cards
EXCERPT:
The player whose turn it is asks another player for their cards of a particular kind. For example, the person whose turn it is might say, “Mary, do you have any threes?” If Mary has any threes, she must give them to the person who asked for them. If Mary doesn’t have any threes, she says, “Go fish,” and the person who asked draws a card from the “ocean.” When you collect a set of four cards of the same kind, you show the set to the other players and place the four cards face down in front of yourself.
Go Fish continues until either someone has no cards left in their hand or the draw pile runs out. The winner is the player who then has the most sets of four.
Objects suggested: None
EXCERPT:
Do you like fishing? (Allow the children to respond.) Kyle and Kelly like going out fishing on their grandfather’s boat. One time, they were disappointed because even though they fished all morning, they hadn’t caught any fish. Their grandfather told them a story from the Holy Bible about Jesus and Simon Peter’s boat.
Jesus was trying to teach the people on the shore, but it must have been very crowded, because when Jesus saw two boats nearby, he recognized that one of them belonged to Simon Peter. Jesus asked to come aboard. Then he and his disciples moved out from the shore where Jesus could speak to the people who were crowding along the shore to hear him.
SOURCE: Sermon Writer: Children’s Sermons – All Rights Reserved | © 1997-2020 Richard Niell Donovan; Click on title to read entire sermon.
By Dr. Carol J Miller
Objects suggested: a baseball and glove
EXCERPT: When I went to grade school, some time ago, a bunch of neighborhood kids would get together to play baseball. [Put on the glove a toss the ball into it a few times as you talk about baseball]. They would pick two captains and the captains would take turns choosing kids to be on their teams. The captains would pick the best hitters first, and then choose the good fielders or runners. The kids who weren’t good at sports, or weren’t as popular got picked last. The last two to be chosen would stand there, staring at the ground, trying not to look embarrassed. We all knew who would be chosen first and who would be chosen last.
Objects suggested: Fishing pole and/or other items of fishing gear.
EXCERPT: Have any of you ever gone fishing? Did you catch anything? Catching fish is not an easy thing to do. Even though there are thousands of different types of fish in the oceans and many more in lakes and streams, you must have patience to catch fish.
Let’s see what we can learn from today’s lesson which is a story about fishing. A huge crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear him speak. It was so crowded that Jesus got into a nearby boat which belonged to Simon, a fisherman. He pushed off from the shore, sat in the boat and spoke to the people, telling them about God’s love.
When he had finished speaking he asked Simon to take the boat out into deep water and let down the nets to catch fish.
SOURCE: Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University; “Build. Plant. Grow.” = a free faith formation resource which aligns with the Liturgical Year of the Roman Catholic Church. The accompanying video is NOT associated with Markkula Center.
SOURCE: Worshiping with Children: A blog by Carolyn C. Brown, a Certified Christian Educator in the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA).
This book by Dr. Seuss is a great source of encouragement in understanding what it means to be called to do things. From soaring to high heights and seeing great sights to being left in a lurch on a prickly perch, Dr. Seuss addresses life’s ups and downs with his trademark humor and illustrations that encourage the reader to reach for success. This story is ideal for addressing new beginnings and allowing each student to understand that in living life and in answering God’s call, there will be many ups and downs.
Read On the Night You Were Born, by Nancy Tillman, especially with younger children (but also with the older children too). It is a very simple picture book celebrating each child’s uniqueness. “there had never been anyone like you… ever in the world.” Pause as you read the page on which the wind and rain whisper the child’s name to invite the whole congregation to say the names of some of the children they see on the steps. If time is a concern, skip from the polar bear page to the page that begins, “For never before in story or rhyme…”
Opening Question: How many of you have had a nightmare so strong that you just had to tell someone? What was it?
In the story for the first reading, In the story for the first reading, Danny had a nightmare because he lied to his mother. He was afraid, like Isaiah in his Temple vision, because he was a sinner. But, like Danny’s mother, God forgave Isaiah and gave him a mission.
Bridge Question: How many of you have gone fishing? What happened?
In the story for the gospel, In the story for the gospel, Grandpa took Nancy fishing early in the morning. A few hours after sunrise, Nancy was surprised when her grandfather announced they were done. Fishing is only good in the early morning. Simon Peter didn’t catch any fish early one morning, but Jesus took him out to fish. They caught two boats full. After that, Jesus called Simon to follow him and catch people for the Kingdom.
Closing Question: How can you tell others you were caught by Jesus?