Items Needed:

A copy of the animal prints on this printable lesson.

Guess the tracks:

Show the children one animal track at a time and let them guess what kind of animal makes that track. This should be a fun time. If the kids have trouble guessing give them hints after they make guesses.

1. Dog - Hint: Maybe some of you have one of these as a pet.

2. Cat - Hint: Hint: Maybe some of you have one of these as a pet.

3. Rabbit – Hint: Their prints are much smaller than this. Some people have these as pets. Maybe you’ve seen one hop across your yard.

4. Raccoon – Hint: They climb trees. Sometimes they wash their food. They’re black around the eyes that some people think look like a mask.

5. Bird – Hint: This is the only one have that can fly.

6. Cow – Hint: This animal can be found on a farm. They moooove slowly.

7. Deer – Hint: You might see this animal in the woods. They run fast. They grow antlers.

8. Bear – Hint: You don’t want to see one of these when you’re in the woods. They can be grizzly.

9. Elephant – Their real tracks are bigger than this. They have a trunk.

Lesson:

Have you ever heard the expression to follow in someone’s footsteps? That means to be like someone in certain ways.



Maybe you have a brother who played football in high school, and you want to follow in his footsteps. That means you want to play football when you’re in high school, too. Maybe your mother is a good cook, and you want to follow in her footsteps, and be a good cook, too.

We should all want to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. He is kind and loving. He cares about people and is forgiving. We should be like that, too.

It was fun trying to figure out what kind of animal tracks those were, wasn’t it? Do you know that just like animals might leave their footprints behind in the snow or mud, we leave tracks behind too? Well, it’s not exactly footprints, but we leave our mark on people.

If you see somebody and make fun of them, you know what you leave behind? Hurt feelings.

If somebody bumps into you and you yell at them and you push them, do you know what you leave behind when you walk away? Anger

If you bully someone because they’re younger or smaller than you, do you know what you leave behind? Fear

If you call someone names, do you know what you leave behind? Sadness.

That’s not walking in the footsteps of Jesus, is it?

If you’re kind, what do you leave behind? Happiness.

If you hug your mom, what do you leave behind? Love.

If you invite someone to hangout with you and your buddies, what do you leave behind? Friendship

If you tell your friend they are good something, what do you leave? Encouragement.

Those things sound more like what Jesus would do, don’t they.

Remember, when you walk away from a person, you leave behind more than your footprints. Be an encourager. Share love and kindness. Walk in the footsteps of Jesus.