God's Everyday Presence
God's Everyday Presence
Items in this lesson
God's Everyday Presence
Open with the idea that Christians believe God is not far away. In this lesson, the Holy Spirit is presented as God's loving presence with people and all creation.
Our learning goal
I can understand that the Holy Spirit is God’s constant presence in the world and recognise how ordinary people, things and events can reveal God’s love and help people make meaning through symbols, stories and lived experience.
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What helps you feel God is near?
Use this as a gentle prior-knowledge activation. Accept a wide range of child-friendly responses such as love, trees, family, prayer, helping, church, sunshine or kindness.
The Holy Spirit is with us
Catholics believe the Holy Spirit is God’s presence
The Holy Spirit is with people every day
The Holy Spirit is with all creation too
God is near, loving and helping
Keep the language simple: 'creation' means the world God made, including people, animals, plants and places.
God’s breath in the Bible
In John 20:19–22, Jesus came to his friends and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This shows the Holy Spirit as God’s life and presence, like breath.
Avoid over-explaining the passage. The key idea for KS1 is that breath is a sign of life, and Jesus sharing breath helps show God's Spirit given to the disciples.
Like breath and wind
We cannot see breath for long
We cannot see wind itself
But we can notice what they do
Christians say the Holy Spirit is like that
This analogy helps children grasp an unseen reality through familiar experience. Emphasise that people notice the Spirit by its effects: peace, love, kindness and courage.
The Holy Spirit helps people
Helps people choose love
Guides people to do what is good
Gives comfort when people feel afraid
Helps people care for others
Leads people closer to God
Link back to John 20, where the disciples were afraid. The Holy Spirit is not only present; the Spirit also guides and strengthens people.
Noticing God in daily life
A kind word
Sharing a toy
Helping at home
Playing happily together
Being close to people we love
Frame these as ways people may experience God's love through everyday life. Do not claim every event is miraculous; rather, ordinary loving actions can reveal God's presence.
Using our senses
Seeing colours in flowers and trees
Hearing birds or rain
Feeling warm sunshine or a breeze
Smelling fresh grass
Noticing the beauty of creation
This slide roots the lesson in religious experience through creation. Keep it grounded in noticing and wonder rather than proving anything.
Creation can speak of God
Christians may look at the world and feel wonder, peace or joy. These moments can help people sense God’s loving presence in creation and remember that the world is a gift.
The key beat here is meaning-making from lived experience. Children do not need abstract theology; they need the simple idea that creation can help people think about God.
In the Bible story, what did Jesus say to give the Holy Spirit?
Receive the Spirit
Light the candle
Follow the cross
Share the bread
Checks recall from John 20:19–22. The wrong options are religious ideas children may know, but they are not from this passage.
Fill the missing words
Christians believe the Holy Spirit is God’s with people every day. In the Bible, Jesus on his friends and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” People may notice God’s love in and in .
Correct blanks in order: presence, breathed, kindness, creation. This draws together slides 2–8 using the lesson’s core wording.
Where can you notice God’s love today?
Expected ideas: children may name a kind word, helping at home, sharing, playing happily, being with loved ones, flowers, birds, sunshine or a breeze. Encourage simple spoken follow-up.
Ordinary things can mean more
Some things show more than what we see
A thing can remind us of love, hope or God
This is called a symbol
Symbols help people make meaning
Introduce 'symbol' clearly and simply. A symbol is not just an object; it points beyond itself to a bigger meaning.
Symbols in everyday life
Heart - a shape
Birthday cake with candles - food for a celebration
Candle - wax and a flame
Heart - love
Birthday cake with candles - joy, growing, being special
Candle - light, hope, prayer
What we see
What it can mean
This contrast helps pupils see how ordinary objects carry meaning beyond appearance. Keep the examples familiar before moving to sacred symbols.
Slide heading
Slide text
Use simple Catholic examples. The idea is not that the object is magic, but that it reminds people of God and belonging to God.
Sacred symbols
Religious symbols can be called sacred symbols
They remind people of God
The cross reminds Christians of Jesus
Holy water can remind people of baptism and God’s love
Use simple Catholic examples. The idea is not that the object is magic, but that it reminds people of God and belonging to God.
What is a symbol?
A church rule
A prayer book
A thing with meaning
A song to sing
Tests the key idea that a symbol points beyond what we see to a bigger meaning.
Fill the missing words
A can remind people of light, hope and prayer. A can remind Christians of Jesus. water can remind people of baptism and God’s love. These religious symbols are called symbols.
Correct blanks in order: candle, cross, Holy, sacred. This anchors everyday symbols and sacred symbols from slides 9–12.
Which symbol feels easiest to understand?
Heart
Candle
Cross
Holy water
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Why symbols matter
Symbols help people remember, feel and share meaning. Sacred symbols help Christians think about God’s love, prayer, belonging and the way they want to live.
Connect back to the wider lesson: ordinary things and special religious things can both help people recognise meaning beyond what is seen.
Stories can show God too
Picture books can have religious meaning
The story can show love, care or hope
The pictures can show feelings and ideas
Stories help people think about God
Do not imply every picture book is religious. The point is that some stories and illustrations can help readers think about God, love and care for creation.
Looking at words and pictures
When people read a picture book, they can notice what happens in the story and what the illustrations show. Both can help readers understand who God is and how to share God’s love with others and all creation.
This slide captures the dual meaning-making channel: text and illustration. You can mention examples such as welcoming, forgiving, sharing or caring for nature without naming a specific book.
Stories help us learn love
A character may help someone in need
A picture may show peace and kindness
A story may help us care for creation
Stories can inspire loving actions
Anchor this in lived religion: stories are not only for enjoyment but can shape how people see and act.
Wondering about meaning
People can stop and wonder about what they see, hear and read. They can ask, ‘What might this mean?’ and ‘How does this show God’s love?’ Wondering helps people grow in understanding.
This preserves the skill focus from the brief without turning the slide into an activity. Emphasise that wondering is part of learning in religion.
Sharing and listening
People may have different ideas
We can listen carefully to each other
We can share our own experiences
We can learn with the Catholic tradition
Lightly introduce communal interpretation: meaning is explored personally and together, and the Catholic tradition helps guide understanding.
What can help readers understand God’s love in a picture book?
Only the title
Words and pictures
Only the cover
Words and numbers
Checks understanding from slides 13–16 that both story and illustrations can carry religious meaning.
How can a story show God’s love?
Expected ideas: a story might show helping, sharing, peace, kindness, welcoming, forgiving or caring for creation. Students may mention either the words or the illustrations.
One word you learned today
Use this as a quick exit ticket. Likely responses include Spirit, love, symbol, cross, kindness, creation, story, candle or wonder.
What helped you learn best today?
Reflection only. Invite children to name the slide, picture, symbol, story idea or example that helped them most.
What will you remember from this lesson?
Reflection only. Encourage one simple takeaway such as God is near, the Holy Spirit helps, symbols have meaning, or stories can show love.
Putting it together
Christians believe the Holy Spirit is God’s everyday presence. People may notice this presence in creation, in kindness, in symbols and in stories that help them understand and share God’s love.
This slide resolves the lesson’s central thread by tying together Holy Spirit, experience, symbols and stories.
Glossary
Holy Spirit - God’s loving presence with people and the world
creation - the world God made
John 20:19–22 - a Bible passage where Jesus gives the Holy Spirit
symbol - something that shows a meaning beyond what we see
sacred symbol - a religious symbol that reminds people of God
cross - a Christian symbol linked to Jesus
holy water - blessed water that reminds Catholics of baptism
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Glossary
baptism - a Christian celebration of welcome into God’s family
Catholic tradition - the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church
wonder - to stop, notice and think deeply
illustration - a picture in a book
meaning - what something shows or helps us understand
presence - being with someone
guide - to help show the way
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