Free Lesson on Noah’s Ark How Teach Kids to Trust and Obey God
Children’s Lesson: Noah’s Ark
Bible Story: Genesis 6:9-22, Genesis 7:1-24
Theme: God’s Promise and Obedience
Objective:
- Teach children the story of Noah’s Ark, focusing on God’s love, obedience, and the importance of trusting God.
- Help children understand that God keeps His promises and provides for His people.
1. Introduction (5 mins)
Start by asking:
- Have you ever seen a big boat?
- What do you think would happen if a huge flood came and covered everything?
Introduce the story of Noah’s Ark by explaining:
- A long time ago, God saw that people were being mean and not obeying Him.
- God decided to send a big flood, but He told a good man named Noah to build an ark (a big boat) to keep Noah, his family, and animals safe.
2. Bible Story (10 mins)
Read or tell the story of Noah’s Ark:
- Noah was a good man who loved God. One day, God spoke to Noah and told him that He was going to send a flood to wash away all the bad things in the world.
- But God told Noah that He would save him and his family if they built an ark. He gave Noah specific instructions on how to build it. It had to be very big, with rooms for Noah and his family, and enough space for pairs of every kind of animal!
- Noah trusted God and obeyed. He worked very hard, even though others laughed at him for building such a big boat on dry land.
- When the ark was ready, Noah, his wife, his sons, and their wives went inside. Then, the animals came two by two—big animals, little animals, and even insects.
- After they were all inside, God closed the door, and the flood came. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights, but Noah and the animals were safe in the ark.
- After the rain stopped, the waters slowly went down. Finally, Noah and his family stepped out of the ark, and God promised never to send a flood like that again. He put a rainbow in the sky as a sign of His promise.
3. Discussion (5 mins)
Ask the children:
- Why do you think Noah obeyed God even though it was hard?
- How do you think Noah felt when he saw the rainbow?
- What do you think the rainbow means to us today?
Key Point to Discuss:
- Noah trusted God and obeyed Him, even when others didn’t understand.
- God keeps His promises. The rainbow is a sign of God’s love and that He will always protect us.
4. Activity (10 mins)
Craft: Make a Rainbow Promise
- Materials: Paper, crayons or markers, scissors (for teacher help), stickers (optional).
- Have the children draw a rainbow on their paper and decorate it with bright colors. Tell them that whenever they see a rainbow, they should remember God’s promise to Noah and to all of us.
Optional Activity:
- Create animal masks or paper animals and have the children pretend to be the animals going into the ark.
5. Memory Verse (5 mins)
Memory Verse: Genesis 9:13 – “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Teach the verse to the children, using hand motions for words like “rainbow” (make a big arch with arms) and “covenant” (point to self and others).
6. Conclusion (5 mins)
End with a prayer:
- Thank God for His promises and for keeping us safe.
- Ask God to help us trust Him, just like Noah did, and to remind us of His love every time we see a rainbow.
Closing Thought:
- Whenever you see a rainbow, remember that it’s a special sign that God loves us and keeps His promises!