Use this free Palm Sunday Sunday School Lesson in your Children's Ministry this Palm Sunday.  If you're looking for coloring pages and additional activities then be sure to check out all of our FREE Easter Children's Ministry resources.  Palm Sunday is a very important day and great time to encourage your kids to invite their friends for the Easter services the next weekend. Use this FREE lesson to teach kids about the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem. Perfect for Children's Ministry, Kids Church, and Sunday School!

Palm Sunday Sunday School Lesson For Kids:

BOTTOM LINE: 

Jesus came to save us! 

OBJECTIVE: 

Kids will invite friends to come hear the Easter story next week. 

KEY PASSAGE:  

Luke 19:28-40, The Triumphal Entry

MEMORY VERSE: 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)

“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIRV)

SUMMARY: 

News travels fast in our time, thanks to Wi-Fi and social media, but in Jesus’ time it traveled by word of mouth. Even so, a huge crowd went out to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem. On Palm Sunday we remember that Jesus came to Earth and to Jerusalem to die for our sins. 

OBJECT LESSON:

Newspaper 

Not too long ago, papers like the one in my hand were the primary way many people got their news. The newspapers compiled stories from around the world and around your community. They worked late into the night to get the most up to date news, weather, sports scores, and more. Then they printed the papers and delivered them first thing so people could stay informed. 

Newspapers aren’t as popular as they used to be, and when they hit your box in the morning, they’re already out of date. Now people can get the latest news as it happens, not only from TV and radio, but right on their phones. 

News traveled even slower than modern newspapers in Jesus’ day, and that made what happened on Palm Sunday even more remarkable. People came from all over town to line the streets. They laid down palm branches and their cloaks to welcome Jesus as he rode in on a donkey. They sang songs of praises, shouting, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” They had no idea why he was coming into town, but they were thrilled to see him.

Today we remember Palm Sunday because we do know why Jesus came. Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week. It starts with the Triumphal Entry, and it ends with Jesus rising from the grave. It’s a day to celebrate, and a day to remember that we need to share this story with others. 

Don’t keep the news of Easter to yourself. Tell a friend, and invite them to church. Bring them so they can hear the Good News we celebrate next Sunday. Jesus is alive! Hosanna indeed!

LARGE GROUP LESSON

INTRO:

How many of you guys keep up with the news every day? Do your parents watch the news at night? Who watches the local news? CNN? Fox News? Whose mom and dad get their news on the Internet through their phone or tablet? How many of you have parents who never, ever watch the news? 

The news is important. It keeps us informed about important things happening in our community, our state, our country, and our world. The news lets us know what our leaders are doing. It lets us know about important changes in the weather. It keeps us informed about things happening right where we live. 

The news can tell us fun things. Entertainment news lets us know what cool movies are being made and who will be in them. Sports news keeps us up to date about scores, trades, and everything we need to know about our favorite team. I’m guessing a few of you sports lovers are already following your teams daily, aren’t you? 

Most of the time, the news is pretty gloomy. The stories that make the top of the news always seem to be bad stories. There’s a fire downtown. A business is closing. An accident took place. People were injured. Wars, travel accidents, scandals. As important as it is to stay informed, these are the things that make us want to turn the news off! 

News is everywhere today, thanks to tablets, smartphones, the Internet and Wi-Fi. You don’t have to wait for the morning paper or even the evening news to know what’s going on. You can bring it up right on your phone. But in Jesus’ day, news traveled only by word of mouth. When something happened in one town, it could be weeks before people in the next town heard about it. That’s part of why today’s scripture is so amazing. 

Today is Palm Sunday. It’s the day Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, preparing to give his life for us. The people of Jerusalem had no idea Jesus was about to die. They were excited he had come. They wanted to see him, to praise him, and to welcome him. One person at a time, word spread around town. This is what greeted Jesus on Palm Sunday. 

READ MATTHEW Luke 19:28-40

MAIN POINT:

Jesus did everything he could to keep his arrival a secret. He arranged for the donkey without telling anyone, not even his disciples, until it was necessary. But by the time Jesus arrived, a crowd of people had already gathered. They sang his praises and waved palm branches, welcoming the one who came to save them. 

No one knew why Jesus had come. No one knew the secret mission that was about to unfold. Jesus would be arrested, tried, and put to death. The same people shouting, “Hosanna!” would later shout, “Crucify him!” It was all part of God’s plan to save us from sin and give us new life. 

Word of mouth news let everyone in Jerusalem know Jesus had arrived on Palm Sunday. This week we want you to spread the news of Jesus’ resurrection - the story we celebrate next week. 

DRIVE IT HOME:

The Easter story probably won’t be told on the news this week. That’s mostly because it’s not news. Yes, Sunday is Easter, but the historic moment we celebrate on Easter is now two thousand years in the past. If we want the world - and by the world, I mean our friends - to know what Jesus did on Easter, it’s up to us to share that news the old fashioned way. 

We all have friends who do not go to church. We all know someone who needs to hear about Jesus’ plan of salvation. That’s why Jesus commanded us in Matthew 28 to go into all the world and share the good news. God doesn’t want us to wait for a news story to tell our friends about God; it’s not going to happen. He wants us to do the talking. 

This week, I want all of you to pray for your friends. Start talking to them tomorrow, and let them know Sunday is Easter Sunday. With your parents’ okay, invite a friend or two to come to church next week. Let them know about the fun things we’ll do. Let them know about the music and games and all the excitement. But don’t forget the most important thing. Let them know what we celebrate on Easter. 

On Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ coming. We celebrate the amazing way he gave himself up to save us. Let’s pack this place next Sunday. Let’s bring our friends to hear the end of the Jesus story. Let’s start with our friends in telling the world that Jesus came to save them! 

CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God, 

Thank you for sending Jesus.  

In Jesus’ name, 

Amen

MEMORY VERSE: 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)

“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIRV)

LARGE GROUP MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY: 

Divide the room into girls and boys. Have the boys read it aloud, and then have the girls read it aloud. Who can read the loudest? 

SMALL GROUP MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY: 

Give each kid one word or a few words of the verse on a note card. See if they can arrange the cards and get the verse right. Then read the verse aloud with the kids. 

CRAFT IDEA:

Have the kids create a “newspaper” announcing Easter and Easter Sunday that they can give to a friend as an invitation to church. You can let them create these from scratch, or make up a template that they can then fill in the service time they attend and draw a picture showing the Easter story.

LARGE GROUP GAME:

PALM SOCCER

ITEMS NEEDED: 

Palm branches

A soccer goal 

Balloons

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Choose one kid for this game. The kid will have 60 seconds to get two balloons into the soccer goal by fanning them with the palm branch. The balloons don’t have to stay in the goal; they just need to cross into the goal for each one to score a point. If the player can get two goals scored before time runs out, they win. 

VARIATION: 

This can also be a two-person game, with two kids competing to see who can score the most goals by fanning the balloons into the goal. 

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)

ICEBREAKER:

How often do you watch the news because you want to? 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Luke 19:28-40

What did Jesus send the disciples into town to get? 

Who was waiting for Jesus when he arrived in town? 

What were the people singing to Jesus? 

What special day do we celebrate next week? 

Do you have a friend or two you can invite to church next week? 

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God, 

Help us to bring our friends to church on Easter. 

In Jesus’ name, 

Amen

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH) 

ICEBREAKER:

How often do you watch the news because you want to? 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Luke 19:28-40

Why were the people waiting to welcome Jesus when he arrived in Jerusalem? 

How do you think those people were able to gather so quickly? 

What did Jesus go to Jerusalem to do? 

Do you have a friend or two you can invite to church next week? 

How else can we share the Good News of Easter this week?   

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God, 

Help us to bring our friends to church on Easter.

In Jesus’ name, 

Amen

For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this Palm Sunday Children's Church Lesson (just click the link).  This is a really great video from Saddleback Kids that explains Palm Sunday for kids.

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

Sunday School Curriculum- Palm Sunday - DLTK-Bible

Palm Sunday Bible Lesson (for Kids or Sunday School)

Easter Sunday School Lesson - The Triumphal Entry of Jesus

Palm Sunday - Sunday School Center

Palm Sunday Children's Ministry Lesson – Children's Ministry Deals