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🚸 Ages 6-12 Years Old
In creation, God has blessed us with a wonderful and amazing world to care for and enjoy. We know that everything around us was made by Him out of His infinite love and wisdom. This lesson reminds us that the Earth did not just randomly spring up out of nowhere or evolve from primordial ooze, but was carefully crafted by our gracious God. When we look at the beauty of His handiwork, it should inspire thanks and awe for what He can do, and for how He has made us, too!
God provides us with all that we need. He has done this from the start of creation by making the world and everything in it. He gave us plants, water, animals, and our own lives! God the Father is maker of Heaven and Earth, and we can remember His glory and greatness whenever we look at His wondrous creation. Although sin has tarnished the design of all things being “good,” we now have the hope of Jesus the Son, who came as Messiah to rescue and redeem us.
Passage: Genesis 1:1-2:4
Target Audience: Kindergarten-6th grade
Materials Needed: Construction paper; glue; markers or crayons; tape; scissors; cups; popsicle sticks; decorative supplies; Play-doh or modeling clay; box, bag, or cover; pictures of nature or examples of things from nature (optional); Bibles.
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Easy-Prep Bible Lesson
- Target Age: elementary school, adaptable for K-6th grades
- Translation: choose NIV, ESV or KJV
- Stand-alone lesson plan
- 17-pages of teaching material
- Instant digital download
- Flexible teaching plan for mixed age groups
- Ideal for Kids' Church or Sunday School (45-60 minutes teaching time)
Attention Keeping Activities
- Object Lesson with video demonstration
- Game Suggestions
- Easy To Follow Teaching Plan
- Craft Ideas with video demonstration
- Coloring Page
- Word Find Worksheet
- Memory Verse Poster
More Resources Online
Day One Creation Lesson Plan for Kids
God Created the World from Mission Bible Class
God the Creator of All Things (Teenage Sunday School Lesson)
Genesis 1:1-31 NIV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (2) Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (3) And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. (4) God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. (5) God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. (6) And God said, "Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water." (7) So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. (8) God called the vault "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. (9) And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. (10) God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. (11) Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. (12) The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. (13) And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. (14) And God said, "Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, (15) and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. (16) God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. (17) God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, (18) to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. (19) And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. (20) And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky." (21) So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (22) God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." (23) And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. (24) And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. (25) God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. (26) Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (27) So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (28) God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (29) Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. (30) And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so. (31) God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
This passage is from the very beginning of all things, and explains how everything got here! It’s the first part of the Bible, the very first words that tell us how God made things. Have older students take turns reading verses, perhaps going by each day of the creation. It’s a longer passage, so it might help to break it up into sections, perhaps pausing to act things out, draw a picture, or just discuss. Genesis 1:1-5 NIV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (2) Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (3) And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (4) God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. (5) God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. Note that God existed before everything else came into being. There was nothing but darkness, until God spoke and commanded things into existence. The first thing God made was light. He made day and night, light and darkness. Ask: Why do you think it’s important to have day and night separated? What would it be like if it was always daytime or night? (People who live in Alaska might experience this!) Genesis 1:6-8 NIV And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” (7) So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. (8) God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. “The Story of Creation” Genesis 1:1-2:4. Written by Kristin Highley. Lesson Plan Copyright © 2023 The Sunday School Store. Page 5 God made water, separating the sky from the water. Water is an essential part of life. We need it to stay healthy, and we need it to make things grow. It’s really rather a remarkable thing when you think about it, and it came from God saying so! Ask: What do you think might come next after water? Genesis 1:9-13 NIV And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. (10) God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. (11) Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. (12) The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. (13) And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. Water is vital, but we certainly couldn’t have it everywhere. So God separated the dry land from the water, gathering the seas together as separate from the rest of the Earth. Then He made plants! God was already preparing for the Earth to yield food for us. He made trees that could bear fruit, and He made plants that could give off seeds to make more plants. At that time, things were good and perfect. Plants probably didn’t even have things like painful thorns or poisonous leaves. They were all wonderful! Ask: What is your favorite plant, flower, or tree? Do you have a garden at home? Genesis 1:14-19 NIV And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, (15) and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. (16) God made two great lights—the greater light to “The Story of Creation” Genesis 1:1-2:4. Written by Kristin Highley. Lesson Plan Copyright © 2023 The Sunday School Store. Page 6 govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. (17) God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, (18) to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. (19) And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. God next made the sun and the moon. It might seem curious that there was light before there was a sun, but God is the giver of all light, so it’s likely He could create light without stars or electricity. Here, God gave the Earth the moon and sun and stars to help separate the day and night and light and dark. We need the sun to keep life going, and God knew that this would be so. The stars and moon give us light in the night time, too. Ask: Have you ever looked at the stars at night? What’s so special about them? Genesis 1:20-23 NIV And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” (21) So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (22) God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” (23) And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. Next, God made creatures! Animals in the water, and birds for the air. There is a vast abundance of life in the ocean—even more than we know about! It’s an amazing place full of creatures and plants. God made each and every one of them, from the tiny plankton to the massive blue whale. As different as winged creatures are, He made those, too! Genesis 1:24-25 NIV And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. (25) God made the wild “The Story of Creation” Genesis 1:1-2:4. Written by Kristin Highley. Lesson Plan Copyright © 2023 The Sunday School Store. Page 7 animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. God made all of the animals on land, too. He made cows, sheep, cats, goats, giraffes, all creatures. And He again said that it was good, that the animals He made where a positive addition to creation. Before sin entered the world, it’s likely that these animals would not have tried to attack or viciously harm. They could all go in a petting zoo! Ask: What is your favorite animal? If you could have any animal for a pet, what would you choose? Genesis 1:26-31 NIV Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (27) So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (28) God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (29) Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. (30) And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. (31) God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. “The Story of Creation” Genesis 1:1-2:4. Written by Kristin Highley. Lesson Plan Copyright © 2023 The Sunday School Store. Page 8 God saved the best for last. He made people as the crowning achievement, the most important part of creation. He made people in His image, special and unique. Animals and plants don’t talk or have souls like humans do. God put people in charge of everything else. He commanded them to grow things, and to have dominion over plants and animals. Spoiler alert: there are some complications on the horizon…but at the outset, all God made was good! Ask: Why are people so unique and special? Genesis 2:1-3 NIV Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. (2) By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. (3) Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. The last thing God did was take a break! Now, He’s God, so it isn’t as though He needed a nap. But He rested on the seventh day, making a sabbath holy. In doing so, He gave us an example and instruction to set aside one day a week to be special. We can honor God by keeping a sabbath day for rest, church, and re-charging for each new week. God sure did a lot of amazing things in creation! He gave us the Earth to live in and enjoy. He provided all that we would need for life and sustenance. When we gaze upon the splendor of His creation, we can give thanks to Him for His great glory and might, and rejoice that He has given us such a wonderful world! Ask: What makes you think of God and rejoice? What parts of nature do you like? Close with prayer, thanking God for giving us the world and providing a place for us to live and work.