Show Them How

Explain the steps to baptism as accepting Jesus as savior and making a public commitment to follow God. Use passages from the gospels to share the story of Jesus' baptism as found in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:1-12, Luke 3:21-22 and John 1:25-35. For an example, baptize a doll in a large bowl. Explain that no one stays under the water long enough to get hurt. You can give each child a bowl of water and a small doll to help them understand the concept. Demonstrate showing how dipping a dirty rag in water cleans it. “For you, baptism is like going in dirty inside, but coming up out of the water all new and clean.” For Jesus, it was about fulfilling God's commandment and God telling people who He was.

Make a Dove

In the Bible a dove denotes truth and faith in God. Jesus signified this faith by being baptized. Create a dove outline for the children to decorate. Ask them to add their name in large print. Punch a hole and insert a cord to use the dove for a name tag. Talk about a dove as God's truth in our lives. Cut two circles. Let the children decorate them with crayons, paint or glitter. Add whatever baptism reference you are using with the lesson. Cut one circle from the center down and the other from the center up. The two circles will interconnect. Glue together. Add a tie to hang. Use index cards or wide, thick ribbon to make bookmarks. Add the baptism scriptural reference. Add stickers of doves.

Coloring Page Activity

Print out a coloring page of the baptism of Jesus for the children to color. Start with a paper plate or heavy-weight paper. Print out the baptism scene, but without Jesus. Print out a separate figure of Jesus on card stock. Let the children color the scene and Jesus. Glue a craft stick to the lower back of Jesus. Cut a slit in the river. Insert the Jesus figure. The children can pull Jesus down into the river and push him up again. Provide a dove picture to the children. Cut two vertical slits in the body of the dove 1/2 inch apart. Thread white yarn through the slits. To a picture of the baptism of Jesus fasten the yarn, with the dove, to either side of the sky portion of the picture. Children can move the dove along the yarn.

Make the Figures

Provide paper bags for the children. Have them use them to create the faces of Jesus, John and a dove for the voice of God. Provide pieces of felt glued to a cardboard backing for the children along with figures of Jesus, John, a dove, a river, ground and a sun. Have them cut out and color the figures. Add a square of felt to the back so they will adhere to the flannel base. To index cards, add the verses about the baptism as well as two cards each of Jesus, John and a dove. In groups, have the children retell the story of Jesus' baptism using the figures. The children can also use the cards for a game of match by turning them face down and taking turns trying to make matches.