Adam and Eve – The First Sin (Bible Lesson for Children)

This free Children’s Church lesson plan was first written for children age 5 – 11. It covers the story of Adam and Eve as well as the First Sin. This material could could also be used as the Bible lesson for children’s Sunday school. Be sure to consider your own ministry context and modify it as needed. Please leave any feedback or suggestions for improvement in the comment box at the bottom of this page. There is also a preschool version of this lesson.
Bible Story: Adam and Eve – The First Sin – Genesis 2:15-20 & 3:1-13, 20-24
Learning Objectives: After this lesson, the children will demonstrate an understanding of the first sin by explaining/discussing the truths related to the story.
Target Age: Kindergarten – 5th
Items Needed:

• [print_link] this lesson plan
• Bible: Genesis 2:15-20 & 3:1-13, 20-24. There is a detailed explanation below to help bring out some of the important parts of the story.
• Blocks
• Whiteboard, whiteboard markers
• Adam and Eve – The First Sin Story Booklets (PDF)
• Adam and Eve Songs (PDF)
• Optional Adam & Even Crossword Puzzle
• Optional coloring sheet – Adam & Even in the Garden

Worship: Use Adam and Eve Songs (extra print out) to lead the children to sing before the Bible lesson.
Teaching Plan: The First Sin
Welcome Activity
Welcome activities are things to have out for the children to do as they are arriving for class. These activities will get them engaged as soon as they arrive and will help the transition from their parents.
Playing with blocks – Place a large pile of blocks in the middle of the room. Let the children know that they may build with the blocks.
Worship
Adam and Eve Songs
Bible Lesson Introduction

• Let the children continue to play with the blocks. But, this time, there are two rules: No throwing the blocks & you may only take one block from the middle pile at a time.
• Give them time to play by the rules.

Talk to the children after they are finished cleaning up about the rules of the activity. Ask them why it is good to have rules and why they think you had those rules. No throwing blocks was so that no one gets hurt. You may only take one block from the middle pile at a time was so that everyone would be able to use them. God has rules, too.
Bible Lesson
Have the children open their Bibles to Genesis 2:15-20 & 3:1-13, 20-24. To help them find it, use the following questions. Answers are in italics.

• What part of the Bible is Genesis in? The Old Testament
• What book of the Old Testament is Genesis? #1

Read Genesis 2:15-20 & 3:1-13, 20-24 (NIRV) aloud to the children.
The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden. He put him there to work its ground and to take care of it. The Lord God gave the man a command. He said, “You can eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden. But you must not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you can be sure that you will die.”
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” The Lord God had formed all of the wild animals. He had also formed all of the birds of the air. He had made all of them out of the ground. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give them. And the name the man gave each living creature became its name.
So the man gave names to all of the livestock. He gave names to all of the birds of the air. And he gave names to all of the wild animals. But Adam didn’t find a helper that was right for him. 21 So the Lord God caused him to fall into a deep sleep. While the man was sleeping, the Lord God took out one of his ribs. He closed up the opening that was in his side. Then the Lord God made a woman. He made her from the rib he had taken out of the man. And he brought her to him. The man said,
“Her bones have come from my bones.
Her body has come from my body.
She will be named ‘woman,’
because she was taken out of a man.”
The serpent was more clever than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. The serpent said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We can eat the fruit of the trees that are in the garden. But God did say, ‘You must not eat the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden. Do not even touch it. If you do, you will die.’ ” “You can be sure that you won’t die,” the serpent said to the woman. “God knows that when you eat the fruit of that tree, you will know things you have never known before. You will be able to tell the difference between good and evil. You will be like God.”
The woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good to eat. It was also pleasing to look at. And it would make a person wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate it. Then both of them knew things they had never known before. They realized they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made clothes for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking in the garden. It was the coolest time of the day. They hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called out to the man. “Where are you?” he asked. “I heard you in the garden,” the man answered. “I was afraid. I was naked, so I hid.”
The Lord God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten the fruit of the tree I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “It was the woman you put here with me. She gave me some fruit from the tree. And I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me. That’s why I ate the fruit.”
Adam named his wife Eve. She would become the mother of every living person. The Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife to wear. The Lord God said, “The man has become like one of us. He can now tell the difference between good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and pick fruit from the tree of life and eat it. If he does, he will live forever.”
So the Lord God drove the man out of the Garden of Eden to work the ground he had been made out of. The Lord God drove him out and then placed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden. He also placed a flaming sword there. It flashed back and forth. The cherubim and the sword guarded the way to the tree of life.
Discuss Bible Lesson
The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden. He put him there to work its ground and to take care of it. The Lord God gave the man a command. He said, “You can eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden. But you must not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you can be sure that you will die.”

• God put the man in the garden.
• He gave him a job – to take care of the garden.
• God gave the man one rule – don’t eat the fruit off of one tree! That’s it!
• He also told the man the consequences of disobeying – death!

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” The Lord God had formed all of the wild animals. He had also formed all of the birds of the air. He had made all of them out of the ground. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give them. And the name the man gave each living creature became its name.

• God notices that the man needs someone else with him.
• He rounds up all of the animals and has the man give them all names. That seems like a lot of names – could you do it?

So the man gave names to all of the livestock. He gave names to all of the birds of the air. And he gave names to all of the wild animals. But Adam didn’t find a helper that was right for him. So the Lord God caused him to fall into a deep sleep. While the man was sleeping, the Lord God took out one of his ribs. He closed up the opening that was in his side. Then the Lord God made a woman. He made her from the rib he had taken out of the man. And he brought her to him. The man said,
“Her bones have come from my bones.
Her body has come from my body.
She will be named ‘woman,’
because she was taken out of a man.”

• The man gives all of the animals names, but still doesn’t find someone suitable for him
• God made the man go into a deep sleep (the first anesthesia). He took one of his ribs and then closed up the opening.
• Out of the rib, God made a woman. Notice that He didn’t create woman. He made her out of something He already had – man’s rib.
• Man named her “woman”.

The serpent was more clever than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. The serpent said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We can eat the fruit of the trees that are in the garden. But God did say, ‘You must not eat the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden. Do not even touch it. If you do, you will die.’ ” “You can be sure that you won’t die,” the serpent said to the woman. “God knows that when you eat the fruit of that tree, you will know things you have never known before. You will be able to tell the difference between good and evil. You will be like God.”

• The serpent comes into the picture and starts twisting God’s words around to the woman.
• The woman had not heard the command directly from God, only man did.
• Notice how the serpent went up to the woman to start messing things up.

The woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good to eat. It was also pleasing to look at. And it would make a person wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate it. Then both of them knew things they had never known before. They realized they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made clothes for themselves.

• The woman decided to take the fruit and eat it.
• Then she gave some to the man “who was with her”. He must have been standing close by. He ate some too.
• Their eyes were opened and they noticed that they didn’t have any clothes on, so they made some from leaves.
• They didn’t die right then and there, but now they would eventually die.

Then the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking in the garden. It was the coolest time of the day. They hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called out to the man. “Where are you?” he asked. “I heard you in the garden,” the man answered. “I was afraid. I was naked, so I hid.”
The Lord God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten the fruit of the tree I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “It was the woman you put here with me. She gave me some fruit from the tree. And I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me. That’s why I ate the fruit.”

• God is walking in the garden – WALKING IN THE GARDEN! That is the coolest thing I have ever heard of! God was walking in the garden!
• He can’t find them – really?
• The man tells God that they ate the forbidden fruit.
• God asks why they did that. Adam says that the woman made him do it and the woman says that the serpent made her do it.

Adam named his wife Eve. She would become the mother of every living person. The Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife to wear. The Lord God said, “The man has become like one of us. He can now tell the difference between good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and pick fruit from the tree of life and eat it. If he does, he will live forever.”
So the Lord God drove the man out of the Garden of Eden to work the ground he had been made out of. The Lord God drove him out and then placed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden. He also placed a flaming sword there. It flashed back and forth. The cherubim and the sword guarded the way to the tree of life.

• God has to banish them from the garden forever because of their disobedience.

Bible Lesson Activities
Use the following activities to reinforce the learning goals. If time is short, move on to the evaluation portion of the lesson plan.
Activity: Acting out “The First Sin. ” Have the children reenact the story of the first sin.
Activity: Bible Verse Memorization
“Now the serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made.” Genesis 3:1 (Amplified Bible)
Have the children do the following hand motions along with repeating the words after you, to help them learn the Bible Verse:
Now the serpent: weave your hand in a “snake-like” form
was more subtle and crafty: point to your head (brain)
than any living creature of the field: act like an animal
which the Lord God had made: point to the ceiling
Genesis 3—hold 3 fingers up
1—hold 1 finger up
Do this a few times with the children. Make it fun for them to do the motions and say the words. Involving them in active learning is essential for memorization.
Activity: Bible Verse Hangman
Play Hangman with the Bible Verse – preferably before you tell it to them.
Evaluation:
Split the children into 6 groups. Assign each group a “truth” listed below. Have each group discuss what their “truth” means and have them explain it to the class.

1. Adam and Eve sinned when they disobeyed God’s command. Genesis 3:1-6.
2. When Adam and Eve sinned, they separated mankind from the good life God had given to mankind. Genesis 3:10, 23.
3. When Adam and Eve sinned, they damaged mankind’s relationship with God. Genesis 3:8.
4. When Adam and Eve sinned, they brought physical suffering on mankind. Genesis 3:16-19.
5. God punished the sinners, Adam and Eve, and cursed the serpent who led Adam and Eve to sin. Genesis 3:14-19.
6. The effects of this single sin were felt not only by the sinners, but also all of mankind who followed. Genesis 3:15-19.

Need More Help? Then check out our Bible Coloring Pages or Crafts for Sunday School.