Please note for all Mother’s Day activities: If a child is without a mother and is being raised by someone else, make a mental note of that before class starts. Try to be inclusive of that child’s guardian when making references to Mothers. You can say that foster moms, grand moms, or aunts take Mom’s place if Mom isn’t there.
Mother’s Day Object Lesson
One way kids can know how much God loves them is by comparing it to the love of a parent—in this case, Mom! This lesson using a flashlight will show how God’s love “shines through” a parent and reveals an even bigger love in the background.
Household Object: Flashlight
• 4 sheets of red construction paper
• Stick glue
Glue the 4 sheets together, 2 on top, 2 underneath, so that the edges overlap only about an inch. This will give you a giant sheet of red paper. Draw a heart on it
and cut it out.
Do you guys remember being younger and saying to your mom, “I love you THIS BIG!”? Spread your arms out as wide as you can. Many will remember doing this.
And did your mom ever say back, “Well, I love you THIS big?” Spread your arms out even wider if possible or the widest you can.
Whose arms could spread out wider? Your arms or your mom’s arms? Mom’s arms could spread out wider.
And why is that? Because her arms are longer.
Pick up your giant red heart and show it to students. Because it’s Mother’s Day, we’ve made this big giant heart to show how big Mother Love is. Think of the size of your heart in your chest. Then look at this heart. That’s how big a mom’s love can be.
Moms are not perfect. Yet some people say that nobody can love more than a mother can.
What are some ways we know our moms love us? Get from kids the variety of things that moms do to show love.
What do you think? Does anyone, generally speaking, love more than a mom? They will probably say no.
Think about it. There is one person who loves more than a mom. If someone implies a dad, say dads love as much as moms but not more.
GOD loves us more! Can you even believe that? How can we know how much God loves us, when we can’t even see him?
One way is that God loves us through moms. When your mom does something loving and kind for you, that’s God doing it too! God is especially glad to have made moms because, while we’re here on earth, it has given Him a way to show His love for you.
But I just said God’s love is bigger. Let me show you one way of looking at this.
Turn out the lights. Turn on the flashlight.
Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world.” Often in the Bible, God and Jesus are referred to as “the light.” They “shed light” on subjects with their divine wisdom. They “light up our hearts” when we accept Jesus as our Savior. They “light the way” when we need to know how to get through a scary situation.
They also shine on moms, so they feel their love for us.
Have your assistant hold up the heart maybe 6 feet from a blank wall or door. You stand at least 6 feet away from her, so that she is between the wall and you. Shine the light on the heart. Stand back far enough so that the flashlight beam goes around all four sides.
See how this heart lights up when we shine a light on it? That’s like the light of God that makes a mom’s heart love. Now…Look at the wall behind the heart. What do you see?
Students should see the shadow of a heart.
Is the shadow of the heart the same size as the heart, or is it bigger than the heart?
It is a lot bigger.
If your mom’s love for you is the size of that heart, God’s love is the size of the heart on the wall! By shining his love through your mom, you get to see not only how bright and loving she is….but you get some idea of how God’s love is all that much bigger.
God’s love may seem like a shadow here on earth. But it is very real in heaven. Someday we’ll get to see more than a shadow and we won’t have to experience it through another loving person. Someday we’ll get to see the hugeness of God’s love face to face!
In the meantime, thank your moms today for loving you enough to bring you to church. She knows you need God, and bringing you to learn more about him is one of the most loving things a mom can do!
Do you have other favorite Mother’s Day lessons you like to use with your children? Feel free to share them below! And don’t forget to Become a Fan on Facebook, where I will share more great Mother’s Day activities and ideas!