Children
Children Activities for Baptism of the Lord (Year C)
Curated children’s ministry resources and sermons (object lessons) for Sunday Readings from SermonWriter, Ministry-to-Children, Religion Teacher and other sources.
Baptism of the Lord
CLOW VIDEOSSERMONSPUZZLESACTIVITIESCONNECTIONSMORE
Please be patient
as this children’s ministry page loads
Video is for illustrative purposes may not necessarily have a direct connection to the sermon below.
SERMON WRITER – GOSPEL
Jesus is Baptized
By Dr. Carole J. Miller
Objects suggested: None
John the Baptizer was the one who was telling the grown ups what they needed to do to be ready for Jesus’ coming. Does anyone remember one of the things John said? [Feed poor, share coat, don’t cheat anyone, etc. Respect all answers]. John was Jesus’ cousin. John knew that Jesus had been sent by God. John also knew that by listening to what Jesus said and by watching how Jesus treated people, that we could see what God was like and how God feels about us. John had told the people that Jesus was a much better person and a much more important person than John was.
Now John had been preaching at the Jordan River, which is a very big river in Israel. How many of you have ever been in a river? [Acknowledge all answers. If you have been in a river, say something about it]. John was baptizing grown ups. They wanted to be baptized to show that they were sorry for the wrong things they had done and they were now ready to do things that made God happy. Baptizing people was a new thing then. John was one of the first people to baptize.
CLICK on title TO READ ENTIRE SERMON
SOURCE: Sermon Writer: Children’s Sermons – All Rights Reserved | © 1997-2020 Richard Niell Donovan
Video is for illustrative purposes may not necessarily have a direct connection to the sermon below.
SERMONS 4 KIDS – GOSPEL
Jesus, the One and Only
Objects suggested: A cheap watch
Selling cheap, fake designer purses, sunglasses, and watches has become a multi-million dollar business. Whether it be on the street corner or an online store, lots of people make money selling deceptive products.
Do any of you know what a Rolex is? (Pause for responses.) A Rolex is a fancy watch brand that is very expensive. At first glance, a fake Rolex watch might seem like a good deal. (Hold up the watch and pass it around to kids.) After all, a real Rolex would cost thousands of dollars, and a fake one would cost just a few dollars. What’s the big deal? Who will know the difference? (Pause for responses.)
Well, after a few weeks, the imitation Rolex no longer keeps time. Oh well, it still looks good, you can wear it as a bracelet. But soon the finish begins to rub off and it isn’t very pretty. Suddenly, what seemed like a good deal no longer seems like such a good deal after all!
CLICK on title TO READ ENTIRE SERMON
RELATED ACTIVITIES
SOURCE: SERMONS 4 Kids – All Rights Reserved
Video is for illustrative purposes may not necessarily have a direct connection to the sermon below.
SERMON WRITER – GOSPEL
Greater than I
By Lois Parker Edstrom
Objects suggested: A cooking pan with handle or a ladle to approximate the Big Dipper
Do you like to look at the night sky and see if you can spot the first star to appear? As the sky becomes darker more and more stars are visible. The Milky Way is like a brush stroke of stars across the sky and is so large that it can’t be measured.
Have you ever seen the Big Dipper? It is one of the most easily recognized groups of stars. In some countries this group of stars may be called the Drinking Gourd, the Plough, or the Casserole.
Seven stars form the Big Dipper and the shape looks something like a cooking pan with a curved handle. (Show picture.) The two stars on the front part of the Big Dipper, opposite the handle, always point to the North Star. Sailors sometimes use these stars to find their way when they sail in the ocean. In the southern hemisphere a group of stars called the Southern Cross points south and helps sailors in that part of the world navigate the ocean.
CLICK on title TO READ ENTIRE SERMON
SOURCE: Sermon Writer: Children’s Sermons – All Rights Reserved | © 1997-2020 Richard Niell Donovan
Video is for illustrative purposes may not necessarily have a direct connection to the sermon below.
SERMON WRITER – GOSPEL
The Best Compliment
Objects suggested: None
Good morning, boys and girls. Thanks for being attentive and listening quietly so you can hear today’s lesson. You are such courteous children.
Who can tell us what a compliment is? Yes, a compliment is when you say something nice about someone. I just gave you a compliment by mentioning how polite and well-mannered you are.
I know a little boy who likes to help others and people compliment him by telling him he is kind.
Think about a compliment you have received. Perhaps you would like to share that compliment with us. Here are some ideas to get you started: Perhaps someone has admired your art work and told you what a good artist you are. Or maybe you set the table for dinner or help you little brothers or sisters and your mother compliments you for being helpful. Perhaps you feed your dog or cat and are complimented for being a good caregiver. (Encourage the kids to participate in this part of the lesson.)
CLICK on title TO READ ENTIRE SERMON
SOURCE: Sermon Writer: Children’s Sermons – All Rights Reserved | © 1997-2020 Richard Niell Donovan
Click on image to READ MORE
CATHOLIC KIDS BULLETIN
Teacher and mom, THERESA, creates Kids’ Bulletins, a resource for Catholic kids about the readings for Sunday’s Mass every week. More resources from Theresa can be found at Teachers Pay Teachers website. Click on image/text to download entire bulletin for your children.
Society of Christian Doctrine
Speak, Lord — Sunday Worksheet
Click on image to DOWNLOAD
SDC is a society of lay catechists that started in Malta in 1907. Worksheets can be downloaded and printed for use during Sunday Mass or handed out to children at school prior to the weekend. They are also used by parents who download them to use with their children at home.
DIOCESE OF SALFORD
Wordsearch
Feel free to copy and paste it into your parish publications.
Clipart © McCrimmons used with permission. All rights reserved; Text © 2018 Diocese of Salford Office for Liturgy
SERMONS 4 KIDS
Crossword Puzzle
CATHOLIC MOM
Coloring Page
Gospel Reading, Sunday Coloring Page,Lesson Plans, Mass Worksheets, Crossword Puzzle, Word Search
YOUNG CATHOLICS
This Week’s Resources
Click above to view links to these lessons and a whole lot more!
SOURCE: Young Catholics: Posts related to upcoming Sunday Mass readings and feast days for saints
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR
Family Activities
Choose one of the following activities as a way to further reflect on the Sunday readings:
- Our commitment in baptism is to be a servant of God, spreading the good news of Jesus to others. Discuss one action that you could do as a family this week to spread the good news of Jesus to others.
- Bring out pictures and remembrances of the baptism of each family member. Then tell the story of those events.
- Place holy water in a special dish near the entrance of your home. Encourage family members to bless themselves with the sign of the cross each time they enter or leave the house. Practice making the sign of the cross as a reminder of our baptism and of our identity as God’s adopted sons and daughters.
- Discuss these questions: What are we called by our baptism to become? Where do we get the power to do this? How does the Spirit act in our lives?
SOURCE: Our Sunday Visitor: Lifelong Catechesis
FEATURED VIDEO
Holy Water Font Craft
THE MASS BOX (4:31)
ADORERS OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
3-legged Race
Materials needed: Rope/scarves/ribbon to tie legs together Instructions: Prepare a place where the children can move around but not get hurt. A long empty hallway would be a good spot. Pair the children. Have them stand side-by-side. Tie 1 leg of each child together. Line them up. Tell them where the finish line is but that there will be special instructions they have to follow on their way to the finish line. Say, “Go” then say, “stop”. Tell them only the child on the left can go, the one on the right must stay put. After they try that for a while tell the person on the left to sit down while the person on the right tries to go. Then tell the person on the left to turn and go sideways while the person on the right tries to go forward. Finally tell them to either hold hands or put their arms around each other and move forward.
SOURCE: Children’s Liturgy
MISSION BIBLE CLASS
Baptism of Jesus
Scripture Reference: Matthew 3:13-17
Suggested Emphasis: Please God by obeying Him and making right choices.
…..
…..
…..
…..
…..
….. 
FLAME: CREATIVE CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
Baptism of Jesus Spinner
This easy-to-make spinner is a surprisingly effective way to see the dove descending on Jesus’ head when he is baptised! Swizzle the straw between your hands and watch the dove appear over Jesus’ head!
RECOMMENDED: Resources for Catholic Educators
STORY FUN WITH MR. M (11:21) – “To be great is not to be higher than another, but to lift another higher.”
WEEKLY READ ALOUD
The Tower
The Tower is the story of a young man who wishes to be great and who decides that in order to accomplish this, he must be above everyone else. He builds a tall tower to live in, but in living above the rest of his villagers, he finds that he is very isolated. After a while, he is visited by a bird who tells him about a person whom even the birds look up to. The young man climbs down from his tower to meet this person, and finds that the person is a small old woman who spends her time feeding the birds. The woman explains to the young man that to be great is not to be higher than others, but to lift others higher.
VIRTUE OF THE WEEK
Humility is the virtue that allows us to remain grounded in the fact that we are Gods’ creation and as such are called to be God’s instruments in the world.
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.
SUNDAY CONNECTION
The Baptism of the Lord
Gospel Reading:
The Spirit of God comes upon Jesus as he is baptized by John.
Making the Connection
Grades 1,2, and 3: Help younger children understand that in addition to being members of their families, they become members of the family of God, through the Sacrament of Baptism.
Grades 4-6: At his baptism, we learn that Jesus is God’s own Son. Through our Baptism in Jesus’ name, we are made children of God. Through our prayer, we learn what this means for our lives.
Grades 7 and 8: At his baptism, we learn that Jesus is God’s own Son. Through our Baptism in Jesus’ name, we are made children of God. Through our prayer, we learn what it means to be named “children of God.”
CLICK title for LESSON PLANS
SOURCE: SUNDAY CONNECTION (LOYOLA PRESS) – All Rights Reserved
THE LITURGY CENTRE
Liturgical Action
CLICK above TO download PDF
SOURCE: the Liturgy Centre, Catholic Diocese of Auckland
Word Sunday
Doing God’s Work
Children’s Readings
Opening Question: What can you do best? Describe how you do it.
In the story for the first reading, Tommy wrote a job description for a service project. Isaiah wrote a job description for the coming Messiah, one who would serve all peoples.
Bridging Question: Have you ever finally understood how to do something? What was it? How did you feel when you understood?
In the story for the gospel, Gwen struggled with a very difficult pitch, the slider. One day, she mastered the pitch at a critical softball game. She “got it!” Like Gwen, Jesus “got it!” at his baptism. He understood his mission, to reveal the Father to others and give them the Spirit.
Closing Question:Have you ever had a time you understood others needed your help? What did you do? How did God help you at this moment?
Water and Wind
In the baptism of Jesus, Mark and Matthew presented a dramatic scene. When John baptized Jesus, the sky was torn open, so that heaven and earth were no long divided. From heaven, the Spirit came to rest on Jesus. Symbolically, the Father sent his very life upon his Son to mark the beginning of his Son’s public ministry. That was a big change for Jesus.
Two images jump out of this scene: waters of Baptism and the descent of the Spirit. In Greek and Hebrew, the word for “spirit” is the same as “breathe” and “wind.” So try putting these two ideas together. Place a bowl of water on a table. Have a contest who can blow on the water and move the most water without spilling water out. After the contest, read Genesis 1:1-2 and Exodus 14:21-22. Then read Mark 1:7-11. Compare the three readings. What is Spirit (breathe or wind) doing? What are the results? Thank God for the power of his Spirit in baptism.
SOURCE: Word-Sunday.com All materials found in word-sunday.com are the property of Larry Broding (©1999-2021). Viewers may copy any material found in these pages for their personal use or for use in any non-profit ministry. Materials may not be sold or used for personal financial gain.
