Birth Story of John the Baptist

Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth wanted more than anything to have a baby, but they were very, very old and had no children. They prayed about this often.

One day, while Zachariah was working in the great temple, a bright light appeared. It was Gabriel, with shiny wings and a happy smile! Gabriel told Zachariah, "Don't be scared! Your prayers have been heard! You and Elizabeth will have a baby boy, and you will name him John"

"A baby?" asked Zachariah. "But we are so old! How can this be true?"

Because Zachariah doubted the good news, Gabriel said, "Since you don't believe my message, you won't be able to speak until the baby is born!" And suddenly, Zachariah couldn't say a single word. He could only make hand motions!

When Zachariah came out of the temple, he couldn't explain what had happened, he just used his hands to show everyone he had seen a vision.

Just as Gabriel promised, Elizabeth soon had a beautiful baby boy. Everyone asked, "What will you name him?" Zachariah took a little writing tablet and wrote down four words: "His name is John"

The very second, he wrote the words, his mouth opened, and he could talk again! Zachariah was so happy, he began to praise God for the wonderful gift of their son, John the Baptist.

Three Lesson from the Story

1. There is power in prayer: Zachariah and his wife prayed often about having a child. You can ask the children to think of something that they have prayed about many times and have them share how God provided in that situation.

2. God can do the impossible: Remind them that Zachariah and his wife were old in age and that without God it would have not been possible for them to have a baby.

3. God's word proves true: Zachariah doubted what the Angel told him and because of that he was not able to speak until John was born. God cannot lie, and we can always trust his word.

Engaging Children with the Story

Craft Ideas

1. Angel Puppets: Children can create their own angel puppets using paper bags, colored paper, and markers. They can decorate the puppets to resemble the angel Gabriel and use them to act out the story of the angel's visit to Zechariah. This activity encourages creativity while helping them remember how Gabriel delivered God's message. I designed a template for angel puppets that can also be used for different lessons, it comes with a girl angel and boy angel. The printable comes in black in white or pre-colored if you need a quick and easy craft.

2.Prayer Journals: Encourage children to start a prayer journal where they can write or draw their thoughts and prayers. They can have an area set aside for answered prayers as well.

3. Make or build a tablet: Zachariah was able to speak again after he wrote down and told the people "His name is John." For this week's lesson I designed a printable cut and paste craft where the children could cut out letters and paste them onto the tablet. It comes with a Bonus coloring page as well which is great for younger children. To build a tablet you can use a cardboard rectangle for the base, add a thin layer of play dough and let kids use toothpick to write letters.

Tablet Cut and Paste Template

• For an activity I purchased some chalkboard tablets from amazon. I had the kids use them to practice writing the verse " His name is John". Luke 1:63 I also let them use chalk to draw pictures relating to the story, angels, baby's, the temple ,etc. You can also use white boards and dry erase markers as an alternative!

We sang My God Is So big and like most songs kids will remember them better if there are actions to go along with them. I will leave the link of the song I used for my actions below as well as a few alternatives.

My God Is So Big with actions || Sunday School Song || Action Songs - YouTub

God Has A Plan For My Life - Debby Kerner & Ernie Rettino | Minus One | Lyrics

"GOD ANSWERS PRAYER" | Kid Song | Bible Song

The children had a great time learning about the Birth of John the Baptist (especially using the mini chalk boards), if this is your first time teaching this lesson or you wanted some fresh ideas, I hope this blog gave you just what you needed!

Activities and Songs