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 on the parables of Jesus for kids. Jesus taught with stories, and kids remember stories. Over five weeks they hear about the farmer and the four kinds of ground (Luke 8), the Good Samaritan (Luke 10), two men who go up to the temple to pray (Luke 18), the lost sheep and the lost coin (Luke 15), and the father and his two sons (Luke 15). One truth runs through all five: Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. 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 "Story Talk" discussion and prayer after, a coloring page and a puzzle page 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, the puzzle page comes in two levels, and the Kids lessons include leader notes for when preschoolers are in the room. 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 ↓
Written by Tony Kummer and our small team. Tony has been writing curriculum for churches for 20 years. Meet the team ↓
Look inside
Week 1 from each edition. These pages are in the free sample lessons above.
A full-color picture for every parable, drawn for each edition, plus a picture of Jesus telling a story to a crowd. Both rooms learn the same story each week.
A coloring page for every Bible story, in both editions.
A puzzle every week for Kids, in two levels with answer keys: connect the dots, a crossword, color by code and a maze. Activity sheets for Preschool: counting, story order, trace the path, find the sheep and matching.
A craft every week in each edition. Each craft page shows a photo of the finished craft.
The 5 weeks
💡 Big Idea: Jesus' stories show us what God is like.
📖 Memory Verse: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (Luke 19:10) BSB
✝️ Gospel Connection: Jesus told stories, and each one shows us what God is like. Jesus did more than tell these stories: He came to seek and to save the lost. He died on the cross for our sins and rose again, so everyone who trusts Him is forgiven and welcomed home to God.
📜 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 at the same price, with its own free King James sample lessons.
Both editions teach these five stories. The Preschool edition tells each one more simply.
Week 1: Hold on to God's Word (The Parable of the Sower, Luke 8)
- Bible Story: The Farmer and the Four Kinds of Ground (Luke 8:4–15)
- Takeaway: I can listen to God's Word and hold on to it.
Week 2: Be a neighbor who shows mercy (The Good Samaritan, Luke 10)
- Bible Story: The Samaritan Who Stopped to Help (Luke 10:25–37)
- Takeaway: I can show mercy to someone who needs help.
Week 3: God has mercy on the humble (The Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Luke 18)
- Bible Story: Two Men Go Up to Pray (Luke 18:9–14)
- Takeaway: I can come to God humbly and ask for mercy.
Week 4: Jesus searches for the lost (The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, Luke 15)
- Bible Story: The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin (Luke 15:1–10)
- Takeaway: I can thank Jesus that He came to find me.
Week 5: Come in to the Father's party (The Prodigal Son, Luke 15)
- Bible Story: The Father and His Two Sons (Luke 15:11–32)
- Takeaway: I can be glad when God welcomes anyone home.
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 two ways to print: week by week, or all five weeks at once
- 📄 5 complete weekly lessons + series Overview, each as a print-ready PDF. Each week comes as two files: the Teacher Edition (20 to 22 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 (111 pages in the Kids edition, 82 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
- 🎨 Two color teaching pictures and a Bible story coloring page every week, in both editions
- 🧩 A puzzle page in two levels every week in the Kids edition, 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, Luke 19:10 (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 "Before Class" prep steps
- 🙏 "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 →
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 | "Story Talk" discussion and prayer, 5 to 10 minutes | Prayer closes the story. Then the craft and the activity sheet |
| Printables | A coloring page and a puzzle page in two levels every week | 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 | 20 to 22 pages a week | 14 to 16 pages a week |
See for yourself. Try a free sample lesson from each edition:
Who makes this
“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
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 →
Get both editions, and every series, with the All-Access Pass
Teaching both rooms? Don't buy Parables for Kids twice. The All-Access Pass gives you both editions of this series, every series on the store today, and every new one we publish.
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