Halloween Sunday School LessonYou can use this FREE Halloween Sunday School Lesson anytime during the Fall.  This lesson is designed so that you can use the most popular thing about Fall - pumpkins - to teach kids about when Jesus fed the 5,000.  It's great if you want a Halloween Sunday School lesson that doesn't focus on fear as so many lessons do.  If you're looking for coloring pages and additional activities for Fall then be sure to check out all of our FREE October Children's Ministry resources.  Take advantage of this completely FREE Sunday School lesson, and use it in your Kids Church and Children's Ministry this October! 

Halloween Sunday School Lesson For Kids:

BOTTOM LINE: 

God uses our gifts.

OBJECTIVE: 

Kids will learn that when we give what we have to God – no matter how small it is – he is able to use it and turn it into something great.

KEY PASSAGE: 

John 6:1-15, Jesus Feeds The Five Thousand

MEMORY VERSE: 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” - Romans 8:28 (NIV)

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. He appointed them to be saved in keeping with his purpose.” - Romans 8:28 (NIrV) 

SUMMARY: 

From a little boy's lunch of two fish and five loaves, Jesus was able to feed thousands of people. If we are willing to give our best to Jesus, he will make it grow and use it for big things.

OBJECT LESSON:

Microscope 

Show the kids the microscope and talk about what it does.

We're talking today about how great big things can start from very small things. When we give God our talents and time – no matter how small it is – he will use it to make something big. 

The example I'm going to give you of how to remember that is a little strange. I want you to think about the last time you were sick. What happened the last time you had a cold?

Allow the kids to answer.

Some of you had to stay home from school. Some of you had to go to the doctor. You felt terrible and you had to take terrible tasting medicine to get better. It was a BIG change – going from healthy to sick. 

But that BIG sickness came from a very SMALL beginning. A virus. A little thing that's so small you can only see it under a powerful microscope. But when that super tiny virus gets into your body, big things happen.

Now none of us wants to get a cold, but it does help us to remember how big things can have small beginnings. God wants to do big things in your life. Unlike a cold, he's going to make those big things, good things too. 

When we give our all to God, he will use it for good. And it doesn't matter how small it is. It can be as small as a pumpkin seed, or as small as a virus. God will still do great big things with it. We just have to be willing.

LARGE GROUP LESSON

INTRO

Pumpkins are great. They give us pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. They are what we use to make jack-o-lanterns at Halloween. And in the autumn every drink and treat is given a boost of pumpkin spice flavor.

There are also a lot of contests involving pumpkins. The contests usually involve who can grow the largest pumpkin or the heaviest pumpkin. Farmers and gardeners bring in these huge pumpkins that they have grown – weighing hundreds of pounds. So big, it takes many people to lift them. 

But here's a little secret: No matter how large a pumpkin ends up, they all have the exact same start. Even those three hundred pound pumpkins start life as this.

Show a pumpkin seed.

A simple pumpkin seed. It's pretty small when you think about the huge gourd that will grow from it. Even a small pumpkin undergoes a huge change to grow from this little seed.

Our Bible story today is about a big thing that Jesus did. He feed a great crowd – thousands and thousands of people. And this big thing started with something very small – a small boy's lunch.

READ John 6:1-15

MAIN POINT

The Bible tells us that there were five thousand men in the crowd that day. There were even more women and children. Jesus may have fed ten thousand people or more. That's a lot of people.

Jesus didn't bring any food with him. The disciples didn't have the money to buy food. One of the disciples, Andrew, found a small boy in the crowd who had brought a lunch with him. The boy had five small loaves of bread and two fish. It was something but it wasn't very much.

It was a small bit of food, but the boy was willing to give it to Jesus to use any way he wanted. And look at what Jesus was able to do!

Jesus took the food. He said a prayer of thanksgiving to God. And then he had the food distributed. Miraculously the food did not run out. As the food was given out there was always more food to give. That small lunch – only enough for one boy to eat – was able to feed thousands of people. 

Not only that, after everyone had had enough to eat, the disciples went around and gathered up the leftovers. They filled up 12 baskets. They had more food at the end than they had at the beginning. Jesus took the boy’s small gift and turned it into something big.

DRIVE IT HOME:

The same thing can happen with us. God has given us gifts, talents, and resources. When we are willing to give those things back to God, he can do big things.

Your lunch may not feed ten thousand people, but maybe you can share it with one kid at school who forgot to bring something that day. That small gesture will make a big difference to that kid.

It goes beyond food, of course. We can offer our time to God. We can spend time in prayer and reading our Bible. God will use that time in big way by speaking into our hearts and teaching us about who he is.

You can also use our time to serve people. You can go with your family to visit at a nursing home or serve in a shelter. Or you can do some yard work for your neighbor who is sick and can't get out much.

You have talents that you can use to serve God. You can write stories, paint pictures, and sing songs that tell people who Jesus is, and how he has changed your life. Jesus could use those talents to help someone else meet Jesus for the first time. That would be BIG.

It can be simpler than that too. If you have a friend who's going through a hard time, you could offer him or her a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. You can offer encouragement and let that person know that God loves him. This small act of love God will use in a big way.

The list goes on and on. At first glance, it might seem like we have so little to offer God. But remember the boy with the lunch. It was small, but Jesus used it to feed thousands of people. If we offer our gifts to God – no matter how small they are – God will use them in big ways.

CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

We offer you our time and talents. Use them to do big things.

In Jesus’ name, 

Amen

MEMORY VERSE: 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” - Romans 8:28 (NIV)

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. He appointed them to be saved in keeping with his purpose.” - Romans 8:28 (NIrV) 

LARGE GROUP MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY: 

Write each word of the verse on a poster board. Bring enough kids on stage so each kid can hold one of the words. Then have the kids unscramble the words and put them in order on stage so it can be read by the audience.

SMALL GROUP MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY: 

Work as a group to create motions to accompany the verse. Say the verse several times while acting out the motions.

CRAFT IDEA:

Pumpkin Seed Mosaic. Give kids card stock paper, glue, and pumpkin seeds to create their own mosaic. Provide seeds of different colors. (These can be dyed or painted beforehand, or colored by the kids if you have ample time.) 

LARGE GROUP GAME:

PUMPKIN BOWLING

ITEMS NEEDED: 

Plastic bowling pins

Small pumpkins

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Select three or four players to take their turn at some Pumpkin Bowling. Set up the pins as you would traditional bowling. Instead of a bowling ball, kids will roll a small pumpkin down the lane to knock down the pins. (Try to find pumpkins with long stems at the top to make the game more challenging.) Each player gets two rolls to knock down as many pins as possible. 

The player who knocks down the most pins in the fewest rolls wins.

VARIATION: 

For younger players, give them more rolls or use a plastic bowling ball covered in sturdy orange wrapping paper.

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)

ICEBREAKER:

What is one of your talents?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Read John 6:1-15.

Why were the people following Jesus?

What question did Jesus ask his disciple Philip?

Where did Andrew find the five loaves and two fish?

What did Jesus do with the loaves and fish?

How much food was left over after everyone had eaten?

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

We want to give you our best – however small it is – so that you can do something big with it.

In Jesus’ name, 

Amen

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH) 

ICEBREAKER:

What talents and gifts do you have?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Read John 6:1-15.

Why were the people following Jesus?

Where did Andrew find the five loaves and two fish?

What did Jesus do with the loaves and fish?

How much food was left over after everyone had eaten?

What can God do with the gifts and talents that we offer to him?

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

We want to give you our best – however small it is – so that you can do something big with it.

In Jesus’ name, 

Amen

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

You can also find additional Halloween Sunday School Lesson Ideas from these websites:

Halloween Ideas for Children's Ministry - Children's Ministry Magazine

Halloween Lessons for Sunday School! - Sunday School Center

98 best Pumpkin Prayer Crafts images on Pinterest | Sunday school

Fear Not! Halloween Sunday School Lessons - Ministry-To-Children

Halloween from Ministry-To-Children

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