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Book Smart 5-Week Children's Ministry Curriculum

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Any volunteer can teach this, with very little prep. Everything comes in one download. Open the week, read the script out loud, and you're ready in minutes, not hours. Stage directions and supply lists are built in, so even a first-time volunteer can lead with confidence.

A five-week Sunday school curriculum for kids on wisdom from God's Word. Kids hear a lot about being smart: grades, tests, knowing the answers. Over five weeks they pull five books off God's shelf and see where real wisdom comes from: Ezra reading God's Word (Nehemiah 8), Queen Esther speaking up (Esther 4 and 5), Isaac choosing peace (Genesis 26), King Rehoboam and the wrong advice (1 Kings 12), and being doers of the Word (James 1). Every week points to Jesus, God's wisdom in person. Two editions, written separately: Kids (ages 6 to 12) and Preschool (ages 3 to 5). Both rooms learn the same Bible story each week, each told for its age. Each edition is its own download. Teaching both rooms? The All-Access Pass includes both.

Which edition fits your room?

Kids edition · ages 6 to 12

A 15-minute Bible story read aloud from the lesson, with a game and an object lesson before it and "Lightbulb Moment" discussion and prayer after, a coloring page and a different puzzle every week in two levels, and a 10 to 15 minute craft every week.

Free Kids sample lesson (PDF) →

Preschool edition · ages 3 to 5

A 10 to 12 minute Bible story in short lines the children say back, with prayer built in, arrival play and a whole-body game, a coloring page and activity sheet, and an 8 to 10 minute craft made for little hands.

Free Preschool sample lesson (PDF) →

One room with a wide age range? Start with the Kids edition. Every craft comes with a tracing page for younger writers, and the puzzle page comes in two levels, with the answer key saying which level suits which child. The Preschool edition is written for 3 to 5 year olds, so it will likely feel too young for kids 8 and up.

How long is a lesson? About 40 to 50 minutes in the Kids edition and about 30 to 40 in the Preschool edition, if you use every part. Short on time? The overview says: use the Bible story plus one activity.

Teaching both rooms? The All-Access Pass includes both ↓
Compare the two editions side by side ↓

Tony Kummer

Written by Tony Kummer and our small team. Tony has been writing curriculum for churches for 20 years. Meet the team ↓

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Look inside

Week 1 teaching picture of Ezra reading God's Word, coloring page and God's Word Bookmark craft from the Book Smart Kids edition (ages 6 to 12) free sample lesson

Week 1 teaching picture of Ezra reading God's Word, matching activity sheet and My Bible Book craft from the Book Smart Preschool edition (ages 3 to 5) free sample lesson

Week 1 from each edition. These pages are in the free sample lessons above.

Book Smart teaching visuals: color Bible story pictures for all 5 weeks, Kids edition (ages 6 to 12) and Preschool edition (ages 3 to 5) shown separately

A full-color picture for every Bible story, drawn for each edition. Both rooms learn the same story each week.

Book Smart coloring pages for all 5 weeks, from Ezra's open book to James's mirror, Kids edition (ages 6 to 12) and Preschool edition (ages 3 to 5)

A coloring page for every Bible story, in both editions.

Book Smart puzzle pages with answer keys for Kids (ages 6 to 12) and printable activity sheets for Preschool (ages 3 to 5), all 5 weeks

A different puzzle every week for Kids, in two levels with answer keys: color by code, a crossword, find the differences, a maze and connect the dots. Activity sheets for Preschool: matching, story order, counting, circle the picture and trace the path.

Book Smart finished craft photos for all 5 weeks, Kids edition (ages 6 to 12) and Preschool edition (ages 3 to 5)

A craft every week in each edition. Each craft page shows a photo of the finished craft.

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The 5 weeks

💡 Big Idea: God gives real wisdom through His Word.

📖 Memory Verse: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105) BSB

✝️ Gospel Connection: God's Word can make us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus. Jesus is God's wisdom in person: He listened to His Father and did every word. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again, and everyone who trusts Him is forgiven and belongs to God forever.

📜 Bible translation: Scripture in the lessons is from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), a readable modern English translation. Teaching from the King James? The King James edition has the same lessons, with its own free King James sample lessons.

Both editions teach these five stories. The Preschool edition tells each one more simply.

Week 1: God's Word Changes Lives (Ezra, Nehemiah 8)
  • Bible Story: Ezra Reads God's Word to the People (Nehemiah 8:1–12)
  • Takeaway: I can listen to God's Word and ask what it means.
Week 2: Wisdom Knows When and How to Speak (Queen Esther, Esther 4 and 5)
  • Bible Story: Esther Speaks Up for Her People (Esther 4:9–5:8)
  • Takeaway: I can ask God for courage to speak up at the right time.
Week 3: Wisdom Chooses Peace (Isaac, Genesis 26)
  • Bible Story: Isaac Digs Wells and Makes Peace (Genesis 26:12–33)
  • Takeaway: I can choose peace, trusting God to take care of me.
Week 4: Walk with the Wise and Become Wise (King Rehoboam, 1 Kings 12)
  • Bible Story: King Rehoboam Chooses the Wrong Advice (1 Kings 12:1–16)
  • Takeaway: I can listen to wise people who point me to God.
Week 5: Wisdom Means Doing God's Word (James 1)
  • Bible Story: Doers of the Word (James 1:22–25)
  • Takeaway: I can do what God's Word says, with Jesus' help.

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What's included in your download (everything, ready to print)

Each edition is its own download with everything below, written for its age.

See all 14 things in each download
  • 🧭 A one-page Start Here guide that shows you what to print
  • 📄 5 complete weekly lessons + series Overview, each as a print-ready PDF. Each week comes as two files: the Teacher Edition (19 to 21 pages in the Kids edition, 14 to 16 in the Preschool edition) and that week's Student Handouts
  • 📝 Editable Word files of each week's Teacher Edition, for churches that want to change a word
  • 🖨️ Print All Teacher Edition, the entire series in one file (106 pages in the Kids edition, 81 in the Preschool edition)
  • 📎 Print All Student Handouts, every page you need one-per-child for all five weeks in one file (25 pages in the Kids edition, 15 in the Preschool edition), so you send ONE file to the printer with no paging through your lesson plan
  • 🎨 A full-page color teaching picture and a Bible story coloring page every week, in both editions (Preschool gets two teaching pictures a week)
  • 🧩 A different puzzle in two levels every week in the Kids edition (color by code, a crossword, find the differences, a maze, connect the dots), with an answer key, and a printable activity sheet every week in the Preschool edition
  • ✂️ A craft every week in both editions, from simple classroom supplies. The Kids edition adds a tracing page for younger writers
  • 📖 Memory verse poster, Psalm 119:105 (BSB), plus a "Quick Ways to Practice" page
  • 🏠 Parent Take-Home page every week, so the lesson goes home
  • 📋 Week-by-week supply lists with the steps to get ready before class
  • 🙏 "Prepare Your Heart", a short devotion for you, the teacher, in the series Overview, plus a few lines at the top of each week
  • 🖼️ The series title graphic, for a slide or your bulletin
  • ⬇️ Instant download. Files never expire. Print as many copies as your ministry needs.

Teaching from the King James? See the King James edition →

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Kids and Preschool, side by side

Compare the two editions part by part
Kids edition
(ages 6 to 12)
Preschool edition
(ages 3 to 5)
Bible story 15 minutes, read aloud right from the lesson 10 to 12 minutes, in short lines the children say back, with prayer built in
Before the story A 5-minute game and a 5-minute object lesson with an everyday object Arrival play (5 to 10 minutes) and a 5-minute whole-body group game
After the story "Lightbulb Moment" discussion and prayer, 5 to 10 minutes Prayer closes the story. Then the craft and the activity sheet
Printables A coloring page and a different puzzle every week, in two levels A coloring page and an activity sheet every week
Crafts 10 to 15 minutes, with a tracing page for younger writers 8 to 10 minutes, made for little hands
Mixed-age help Two puzzle levels let each child pick the right one, and every craft has a tracing page Every activity is written with the youngest child in mind
Teacher Edition 19 to 21 pages a week 14 to 16 pages a week

See for yourself. Try a free sample lesson from each edition:

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Who makes this

Tony Kummer

“I've been writing curriculum for churches for 20 years. Our team works every day to make your job easier, so you can do what matters most: love the kids and help them find the love of Jesus.”

Tony Kummer, founder and lead editor

The team behind every lesson: Elijah, marketing and email; Kristin, curriculum writer; Micah, visuals and devotions; Lilet, activity sheets; Estherline, art advisor; and Tony Kummer, founder and lead editor

What we believe. We believe the Bible is the inspired, trustworthy Word of God, and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection for sinners, is the center of everything we teach. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone. On questions that faithful churches answer differently, our curriculum stays focused on the Bible text itself. Read who we are and what we believe →

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Get both editions, and every series, with the All-Access Pass

Teaching both rooms? Don't buy Book Smart twice. The All-Access Pass gives you both editions of this series, every series on the store today, and every new one we publish.

Want a longer wisdom series? Wise Up adds four more weeks: Balaam's talking donkey, Jethro's advice to Moses, Jesus answering the scholars' trick questions, and Solomon and the baby. It's in the Pass too.

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