The First Book 12-Week Children's Ministry Curriculum

The Bible, Episode 1!

Every story has a beginning. To fully appreciate the ending, you need to know how it began. That goes for for Star Wars, superhero movies and yes, for the Bible. Genesis tells us who we (humans) are, who God is, and how things got messed up. Knowing how things began helps us appreciate all God has done for us. 

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The First Book Children's Ministry Curriculum Lesson Overview

Memory Verse:

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,' and there was light.” - Genesis 1:3 (NIV)

Lessons:

God Created the World

Scripture: Genesis 1:1-25

The first person we meet in Genesis is God himself. We see God is powerful and creative, and we discover that God not only made the world, but he saw that it was good! 

Objective: Kids will learn, God made the world a good place. 

God Made Us To Love

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-31 and 2:1-3, 1 John 4:8

God made Adam and Eve in His image. 1 John tells us that God is love.  We were created to love one another, and to love God and to enjoy His good Creation.

Objective: Kids will learn we were made to love God and be loved by Him. 

Separated! 

Scripture: Genesis 2:15-17, and Genesis 3:1-7

Everything was going so well. Adam and Eve had a beautiful home and a face-to-face connection to God. But the lies of a serpent led them to disobey God. We were created to love, but to truly love there had to be a choice not to love.  When Adam and Eve ate the fruit they chose to not love God. That sin separated Adam and Eve from God and has been passed down to each of us. It’s why our world is messed up - and why we need Jesus. 

Objective: Kids will learn, sin separates us from God. 

The Jealous Brother

Scripture: Genesis 4:3-12

The first person to die was a man named Abel. He was murdered by his brother, who was jealous of Abel. But Cain had no one but himself to blame. Abel obeyed God. Cain cut corners. Just like Adam and Eve, Cain’s sin led to more separation. And just like Adam and Eve and Cain, we have no one to blame for our sins but ourselves. 

Objective: Kids will learn, I need to confess and repent of my sin to God. 

Memory Verse 2:

“​​Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:6 NIV

The Great Flood

Scripture: Genesis 6:9-22

Sin became such a problem, God decided to flood the world. But God did not wipe out everyone. He chose one family to save, and he used them to save all the animals. God did not give up on this world. He chose to find a way to save us from sin. 

Objective: Kids will learn, God is a God who saves.

The Big Tower

Scripture: Genesis 11:1-9

God wanted the descendants of Noah to spread throughout the world. Instead, they stayed in one place and tried to build a tower to Heaven. God confused their language, thwarting their plans and forcing them to obey. Things always go better for us when we listen to God instead of doing things apart from him. 

Objective: Kids will learn, plans fail when we don’t obey God.

A Promise to Abraham

Scripture: Genesis 15:1-6, 21:1-7

God already had a plan to save the world from sin in mind, even in the time of Genesis. He chose a man named Abraham, who believed he was too old to have a son, and promised his descendants would be a great nation. As unlikely as that promise seemed, God made it happen! 

Objective: Kids will learn, God always keeps His promises. 

Sodom and Gomorrah

Scripture: Genesis 18:20-33, and 19:27-29

Abraham’s nephew Lot lived in a wicked city. The city was so wicked, God chose to destroy it - but he spared Lot’s family because of Abraham’s request. God hears the prayers of the faithful, and if we listen to God, he can save us from tragedy. 

Objective: Kids will learn, God hears and answers our prayers. 

Memory Verse 3:

“Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Genesis 22:8a NIV

God Saves Isaac

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-18

After giving Abraham a son, God asked Abraham to do the unthinkable - to sacrifice his only child. Abraham was willing because he wanted to obey God, and He trusted that God would provide a way out.  And Abraham was right, God spared Isaac, bringing much rejoicing. Abraham’s near sacrifice mirrors how God would again “provide the lamb” by sacrificing His only son, Jesus, to pay the price for our sin once and for all.

Objective: Kids will learn, God wants us to put him first in everything. 

Jacob and Esau

Scripture: Genesis 27:1-41

In Isaac’s time, the oldest child always received the larger blessing. Rebekah and Jacob tricked Isaac into giving that blessing to Jacob, who was the youngest brother. But, taking matters into their own hands caused many years of strife between the two brothers. God ultimately worked things out for good, but this story is another example that selfishness always leads to heartache.

Objective: Kids will learn, selfishness always leads to heartache. 

Joseph Saves His Family

Scripture: Genesis 37:3-4, 12-28 and 45:1-11

Joseph was one of 12 brothers. He was his father’s favorite, and his brothers’ least favorite. They hated him so much, they sold him into slavery and faked his death! But God was with Joseph and used Joseph to save Jacob’s family from a famine God knew was coming. God led Joseph through a dark time so he could fulfill his promise to Abraham that his children would become a mighty nation! 

Objective: Kids will learn, God can use even bad things in our lives for good. 

The Genealogy of Jesus

Scripture: Matthew 1:1-17

There are many stories in Genesis we skipped that could teach us. We could have learned more from Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob, Joseph, and others. But here’s the real legacy of Genesis: listen to the names in the genealogy of Jesus. Adam. Noah. Abraham. Isaac. Jacob. They’re all here, proof that what God started in Genesis, he finished in Jesus! 

Objective: Kids will say, God fulfilled his promises in Genesis through Jesus. 

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ABOUT THIS CURRICULUM:

• Perfect for kids ages 6-12
• 12-weeks
• Includes large group and small group resources
• This curriculum is an instant download
  
• Download a free sample here

EACH LESSON INCLUDES:

• Make It Stick! Parent Sheet - so you can let mom and dad know what kids are learning each week and look like a rockstar teacher who's thought of everything.
• Memory Verse - so that you can make sure kids are getting Scripture in their minds and hearts every single week and you can feel like each lesson was a success even when it seems like 90% of your lesson time is spent saying things like "calm down", "let's be quiet", "hands to yourself!"
• Skit or Puppet Show - so you have a way to easily connect the lesson with your hands-on and visual learners. No drama team? No problem! Just hand the script to the kids. They'll have a blast and think you're the coolest.
• Craft Activity - so you can give kids a physical reminder of the Bible lesson (and give yourself an activity to keep them busy until mom and dad come back!)
• Game - so kids don't leave and say church was BORING! Games are so important to help keep kids engaged. Our large group games always include a "What's The Point" section to help you connect the game to the lesson.
• Large Group Lesson - so you can present the Bible story in a clear and fun way, which means now you can enjoy Saturday nights instead of stressing over putting a lesson together!
• Small-Group Discussion - so you can find out who was paying attention and who was talking to their neighbor.  Just kidding, this is a great way for you to build deeper relationships with your kiddos after each lesson, which means you're going to care about them so much you'll cry like a baby when they graduate and go to middle school :(
• More! - Yes, there is even more than all of that so that you can easily put together the perfect lesson for your ministry each weekend, which means no more agonizing over how to adjust complicated lesson plans. 

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Guaranteed to Be Awesome!