ESTHER

Objectives:

1. Children should be able to identify Esther as Queen of Persia.
2. Children should be able to identify her husband Ahasuerus and Mordecai and Haman.
3. Children should be able to tell the story of Esther.

Possible Lesson Plan:

1. Open with prayer.
2. Begin by making some sort of noisemaker -- a couple of small paper plates stapled together with beans inside and a craft stick handle stapled on make a great rattle. The children can decorate the plates. Or take an plastic Easter egg, put some beads or beans in it, close it, and use duct tape to surround it with 2 plastic spoons, making handle. Decorate the duct tape or use colored tape. 
3. Read the story of Esther in the Beginner’s Bible, pages 240-246. As you read it, have the children shake their noisemakers and boo every time the villain, Haman, is named. This is exactly the way Purim, the holiday commemorating Esther, is celebrated in a Jewish synagogue to this day.

Add Esther to your timeline. 

3. True/False questions:

                           True                                                  False

      Esther was a Jewish girl.                           Esther was a Persian girl.

      Esther became Queen of Persia.               Esther became queen of Israel.

      Mordecai was Esther’s cousin.                 Mordecai was King of Persia.

      Ahasuerus was King of Persia                  Ahasuerus was Esther’s father.

      Haman was Esther’s enemy.                     Haman was Esther’s friend.

4. Talk about the victories of other Old Testament people over evil – the 3 men in the fire, Daniel, Joseph, David and Jonathon, etc. Talk about our own victories over evil: Were we ever tempted to lie but didn’t? Did we obey our parents when we didn’t want to?

5. Make Esther Glove Puppets:

Take a white or beige gardening glove for each child. Decorate each finger with little bits of fabric, lace, felt, beads, and markers to be the major characters of the story: Haman on the thumb, Queen Vashti on the little finger, and Esther, Ahasuerus, and Mordecai on the other fingers. Tell the story, killing first Vashti and then Haman by bending down the fingers. You can decorate the palm as a palace with fabric paint or markers if desired.

6. Close with prayer.