HERE is our Emotions Sunday School Lesson! Emotions are not good or bad. They are all a part of our personality and who God made us to be. Anger is one of those emotions, but anger needs to be controlled and channeled so we do not use it to harm ourselves or others. Teach kids that we need to be slow to anger. We all get upset and angry sometimes, but we need to be slow to anger so our emotions don't get out of control. Anger is an important emotion. It’s a warning light in our heads that tells us something is wrong. But it is not a license to yell and scream. When you feel angry, stop and pause. Say a prayer. Listen, and get the whole story. Then, when you are calm and collected, take action. Defend the weak, and speak up for the truth, but always do everything in love. This lesson is great for every Children's Ministry, Kids Church, and Sunday School!  Take a look Emotions 5-Week Children's Ministry Curriculum. And, if you like this lesson we have over 100 more free Sunday School Lessons for Kids!

Emotions Sunday School Lesson For Kids:

BOTTOM LINE:

We need to be slow to get angry.

OBJECTIVE:

We all get upset and angry sometimes, but kids will learn that we need to be slow to anger so our emotions don't get out of control.

KEY PASSAGE:

James 1:19-27, Listening And Doing

MEMORY VERSE:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”- Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV)

SUMMARY:

Emotions are not good or bad. They are all a part of our personality and who God made us to be. Anger is one of those emotions, but anger needs to be controlled and channeled so we do not use it to harm ourselves or others.

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Teach us how we can control our anger.

In Jesus’name,

Amen

 

MEMORY VERSE

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”- Deuteronomy 6:5(NIV)

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength.”- Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIrV)

LARGE GROUP:

Have the kids read the verse together. Read it normally, then in a whisper, then really, really loud!

SMALL GROUP:

Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to today’s story.

 

SKIT

 

MEET ANGER

ITEMS NEEDED:

Two chairs

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

1M/1F

CHARACTERS:

Sally- A talk show host

Anger

Sally sits in one of two chairs on stage, set up for a talk show.

SALLY: Good morning. Today we're starting a series on emotions, and I thought it would be a good chance to take some time and meet the emotions inside of us. Now, I wanted to start today on a high note and bring in Joy, but Joy was unavailable, but I am very happy to say that we were able to get--

Anger is thrown on stage. He stands up and yells off.

ANGER: What do you mean, I'm cut off? I didn't see any signs that I could only have three donuts! What are you, the donut police? I am a guest here, and if I want to have four, I'll eat four!

SALLY: Kids, please say hello to Anger.

ANGER: What?

SALLY: Anger, welcome to the show. Won't you have a seat?

ANGER: That better be a comfy chair, lady!

SALLY: Oh it is, I promise.

Anger sits.

SALLY: Do you approve?

ANGER: It's a little lumpy, but I'll let it slide.

SALLY: Now, Anger, you are the emotion that comes out when things don't go our way or when things offend us.

ANGER: That's right.

SALLY: What is it exactly that makes you angry?

ANGER: Everything!

SALLY: Everything?

ANGER: That's right, everything!

SALLY: Can you be more specific?

ANGER: I get angry at people who don't give me what I want when I want it. I get angry when I'm told to eat broccoli. I get angry at kids who chew too loud. I get angry with uppity teachers who think they can make me do homework. I get angry when my little brother touches anything that belongs to me.

SALLY: But not everything makes you angry, right? I mean there have to be some things that make you happy.

ANGER: Lady, my name's not Sometimes Angry, it's Anger. I'm angry about everything!

SALLY: Even rainbows?

ANGER: Rainbows only come out when it rains! Yucky, sloppy rain!

SALLY: Little bunnies?

ANGER: Little bunnies keep eating all the veggies in my garden! And Dad won't get me a BB gun to take care of them!

SALLY: Wow, you really are angry about everything!

ANGER: Yes I am, right down to snooty talk show hosts.

SALLY: Your blood pressure must be incredibly high.

ANGER: Look, I know no one likes to get angry, but if it weren't for me, think of the problems that wouldn't be solved. There would be no traffic light at that dangerous intersection by the school. There would be no labeling on the food you buy to tell you if it's healthy or junk. No one would be doing anything to help the poor and the starving because no one would be getting upset about their problems.

SALLY: I guess anger can be helpful.

ANGER: Of course I'm also the reason friendships break up, fights happen in hockey, rock stars trash their dressing rooms, and little kids use bad words. You want to hear the bad word that I know?

SALLY: NO! Thank you, no.

ANGER: Don't tell me what to say!

SALLY: Control yourself, Anger! There are children watching.

ANGER: That's the story of my life. Always having to keep it under control. But I gotta admit, when I'm slow to speak and keep my cool, I get more done than when I blow my top.

SALLY: That's good advice for all of us. Any last words?

ANGER: Yeah, tell that guy backstage that if he gets between me and that last chocolate cruller, there's gonna be a fight!

Anger storms off.

 

OBJECT LESSON

 

ITEMS NEEDED:

A slice of pie on a plate

Whipped cream in a can

What's the one thing that can make a slice of pie better? I'll give you a hint: this same food can also make a scoop of ice cream even better!

Everyone loves a little whipped cream, right? It goes great on top of ice cream, pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, apple pie, and just about any other pie. It's great on other sweet treats as well. But as anyone who has ever used whipped cream will tell you, it has to be applied with a steady, controlled hand.

Spray a little whipped cream on the pie.

Just like that. All it takes is a little. But it's hard, because when you get a can of whipped cream in your hand, you really want to --

Spray it all over the plate - go crazy!

Oh no. Now we have too much. I know to some of you it doesn't seem like too much, but when you start eating, you'll see what I mean. We've put too much on our pie, we've wasted some, and there's no putting what we wasted back in the can.

Anger is an emotion and a vital part of being human, but just like whipped cream, anger needs to be handled with care. God wants us to be slow to be angry. He wants us to be good listeners, to be patient, and to think before we speak. There are things we can and should be angry about; even Jesus got angry sometimes! But we need to express that anger in a controlled fashion.

There's no taking back angry words once they are out. Use caution. Think before you speak. Be slow to anger, and be a peacemaker.

 

LARGE GROUP GAME

 

ROCK A BYE

ITEMS NEEDED:

None

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pick three kids for this game. Ask the three kids to sing a lullaby or other kids’song: Rock a Bye Baby, Twinkle Twinkle, etc. After this, tell them that each of them will get a chance to sing the song solo, not as it is usually sung, but as an angry, screaming rock star. Go in order of youngest to oldest, and let each kid do his best screaming/heavy metal version of the lullaby. The audience decides by applause who wins.

VARIATION:

If you have some rock n roll musicians in your worship band, have them accompany the singers with some metal music. You can also choose a current cheesy pop song for older kids, if you want to do something a little different.

WHAT’S THE POINT?

Anger is an important emotion, but screaming only gets you a sore throat. Learn to listen and control your anger.

 

LARGE GROUP LESSON

BOTTOM LINE:

We need to be slow to get angry.

OBJECTIVE:

We all get upset and angry sometimes, but kids will learn that we need to be slow to anger so our emotions don't get out of control.

KEY PASSAGE:

James 1:19-27, Listening And Doing

INTRO

The movie Inside Out introduced us to a world that supposedly exists inside our minds. There we met five characters - Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear, and Anger - who helped a young girl named Riley to deal with the challenges in her life. The end of the movie took us into the heads of other characters, including Riley’s parents, a boy who finds Riley attractive, a bus driver, a dog, and even a cat. It left many people wondering,“What do the five emotions in my own head look like?”

Today we’re going to begin a series about those same five Emotions. We tend to think of some Emotions - like Joy - as good, while other emotions - like Sadness - are bad. But, as Joy learned in the movie, every emotion has an important role to play in our lives. As Christians we know that God made every part of us, and there’s a purpose behind each one of our emotions.

We’re going to start with the fieriest emotion, Anger. Anger probably comes off looking like the most destructive emotion in Inside Out, but Anger has a purpose just like Joy and the others. Anger can lead us to take action, to stand up for injustice, and to right wrongs, but anger needs to be managed in a way that honors God.

READ JAMES 1:19-27

MAIN POINT

There’s no denying that God made anger. Throughout the Bible, we see the Lord become angry with his own people and the enemies of his people. Even Jesus got angry when he saw people cheating other people and making money in the Temple of the Lord.

But James tells us that we need to be in control of our anger. We need to be slow to speak and willing to listen. We need to keep ourselves from lashing out, jumping to conclusions, and as Anger does so often in the movie - blowing our top!

James tells us that human anger does not produce the results that God wants. God wants us to be angry when we see people being abused, neglected, and ignored. He wants us to be upset when we see injustice happening. He wants us to be upset when people are misled and taught to do wrong. But he doesn’t want us to lose our temper. He wants us to take action!

DRIVE IT HOME

It’s tempting to say that we should try to never be angry, but that’s just not possible. We are programmed for anger. When we are cheated, when we are treated unfairly, when we don’t get our way, anger is our natural response. But giving in to anger quickly can lead to even bigger problems. When we blow our top, we don’t allow time to learn the whole story. Who here has gone off on someone, gotten angry and screamed at them - only to learn later that you had no real reason to be angry?

When you feel anger, the first thing you should do is pause. You should shut your eyes, say a prayer, and ask God to help you stay cool. You need to keep your mouth shut - so you don’t say something you might later regret - and listen. Don’t overreact, but patiently wait to get the whole story.

Once you have the whole story and know what’s what, the next step is to take action. If there’s something wrong, fix it. If someone needs defending, speak out. If someone is teaching other people the wrong thing, speak out and correct that person. Step up and make your voice heard, but do so in a loving manner. No one ever listens to a screamer, but they will listen to someone who calmly and coolly speaks up for those in need.

God doesn’t want us to blow our tops and scream and yell, but God also doesn’t want believers who sit on their hands and refuse to do something when we see something wrong. God is counting on us to defend the weak and help others in need. He is counting on us to share the truth of the gospel. It takes patience to control our anger, but when we learn to contain it, we can do far more than we ever would by letting angry words fly.

Anger is an important emotion. It’s a warning light in our heads that tells us something is wrong. But it is not a license to yell and scream. When you feel angry, stop and pause. Say a prayer. Listen, and get the whole story. Then, when you are calm and collected, take action. Defend the weak, and speak up for the truth, but always do everything in love.

CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Teach us how we can control our anger.

In Jesus’name,

Amen

 

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)

ICEBREAKER

Who is the one person who makes you angry more than anyone else?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY

Deuteronomy 6:5

Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to today’s story.

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY

Have the kids make faces to show different emotions. Ask them to make a happy face, then a sad face, then a mad face, then a disgusted face, then a silly face.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Read James 1:19-27

How does James say we should handle anger?

What does James say about controlling what we say?

What are some bad things about feeling angry?

What was something that made you angry in the last week?

Next time that happens, what can you do instead of yelling and screaming?

SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Teach us to keep our cool so we do not let anger get the best of us.

In Jesus’name,

Amen

 

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)

ICEBREAKER

Who is the one person who makes you angry more than anyone else?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY

Deuteronomy 6:5

Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to today’s story.

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY

Pair the kids off to have angry face staring contests with kids making angry faces at one another. When a kid laughs, he loses. Do a few rounds of one on one competitions and see who can come out as the champions.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Read James 1:19-27

What does James say about controlling anger?

How does James say we should react when we feel angry?

Why is it so hard to control ourselves when we feel angry?

What can we do to remind ourselves to be calm, to listen, and get the whole story?

How can we turn our anger into action that helps someone else?

SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Teach us to keep our cool so we do not let anger get the best of us.

In Jesus’name,

Amen

 

For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this Emotions Children's Ministry Lesson (just click the link). 

Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching a Emotions Sunday School Lesson:

Youth Group Lessons on Emotions | Ministry to Youth 

Preteen Lessons on Emotions | Preteen Ministry Bible Lessons

Emotions | Kids | Elementary | Free Church Resources from Life.Church

Lesson on Emotions - Holy Bunch