Dear Mom and Dad,

We applaud you for following Proverbs 22:6 by helping your child understand the Bible. Below, you will find some Teaching Tools to guide you in showing your child the truths of God’s Word and in helping your child apply them in his life.

Ages 3 to 6
Even if your children are older than six, we encourage you to lead them through this material before moving on to the content for their age group.

Ages 7 to 10

LEARN ABOUT THIS MIRACLE:

In this section, help your child understand why the miracle of Jesus healing the paralytic was so important. It shows that Jesus is powerful and has every quality that God has.

Teaching Tool #1:
To help your child understand that Jesus was God even though He was also a man on earth, set aside about an hour for an experiment. (You will want to make sure your child knows that he cannot do this on his own, because cooking is dangerous.)

First, fill a pot with water. Ask your child to help you pour the water and try to hold some of the water in his hands.

Point out that no matter how hard your child tries, the water won't stay in his hands for very long.

Now, boil the water so that steam rises up. Carefully place your child's hands over the steam so he can feel it. Ask him if he can hold the steam in his hands. Show your child that he cannot hold steam in his hands either.

Next, bring the same water to room temperature. Then ask your child to help you fill an ice tray or other container with some of the water. Place the container in a freezer. After you allow some time to pass by, let your child help you get the ice cube out of the tray or container from the freezer.

Now, ask him to hold it in his hands.

Use this experiment to explain that God and Jesus are the same–just like the water in each form was the same. When the water was frozen, it was an ice cube so that your child could hold it in his hands. Jesus was kind of like that; He was born as a baby and lived on earth as a man to show people what God was like. Because we cannot see God, it is hard for people to know what He is like (until Jesus was born as a person). In the same way, because we could not hold steam or water, it is hard to know what it is like–until it's made into an ice cube.

Teaching Tool #2:
When your child wonders why the angry men did not believe that Jesus was God, explain that . . . they did not understand how Jesus could be God. They wanted proof. That is why Jesus made the paralytic (or man who could not walk) well; He showed that He had the same authority as God (or the same ability to do what only God can do).

Teaching Tool #3:
Explain to your child that even though we cannot see Jesus today, we can believe in Him. We have the whole Bible to tell us about His life on earth, and even about how Jesus is living now in heaven. (John 14:2-3 tells us that Jesus is preparing heaven for us.)

Teaching Tool #4:
Take this opportunity to help your child get excited to learn about Jesus. Ask him to think of something he would like to know about Jesus. (You can help your child by suggesting things like: Do you want to know if He is nice, who His mommy is, etc.?) Then, take a few minutes to help your child look in the Bible to find out more about Jesus. Explain that what you learn about Jesus is what we can believe about God.

Homework: Tell your child that when he has questions about God, He can look in the Bible–especially at the Gospels to see how Jesus lived His life on earth.

Teaching Tool #5:
When your child wonders why Jesus forgave the paralytic's sins in addition to making him be able to walk again, explain that . . . Jesus wanted the people to know that what is most important is knowing God. Knowing God is more important than anything else we might want. We cannot know God without asking Him to forgive us and come into our hearts. Tell your child that he can pray, or talk to Jesus, and ask for his sins to be forgiven. If your child is ready, you may use this opportunity to lead your child through the salvation steps in "How to Be God's Friend."

Learning Concepts and Unfamiliar Words

    Your child learned a fundamental truth about God’s character (that only He can forgive us and that Jesus represents Him). Your child has also been introduced to the meanings of the following words: paralytic, authority, and pray.

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Dear Mom and Dad,

If you have children that are older (ages 7 to 10) and may enjoy learning more about this miracle, help them understand the following questions. You may want to help your child write his answers in a journal.

HOW TO APPLY WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THIS MIRACLE

    Even though the angry men who listened to Jesus did not believe He was God, Jesus loved them. That is why He healed the paralytic; Jesus loved the angry men so much that He wanted them to have proof so they could believe He was God.

Learning Concepts and Unfamiliar Words

    Not only has your child learned a fundamental truth about God’s character (that God is love), but he has also learned the importance of reading the Bible and sharing his love for God with others. Your child has also had a chance to apply biblical truths to his life and remember the miracle of Jesus healing the paralytic through Scripture and song.

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