Daniel finds himself in a difficult position in Daniel 6. He knows that God deserves all of his praise, but he also knows that he has to obey King Darius. So when King Darius makes a law that says everyone must pray only to him, Daniel must choose between obeying God and obeying the King. It may have been easier for Daniel to just hide his faith for a while, but he choose to obey God anyway. Daniel stuck with God and whenever it seemed like he would be devoured by lions God saved him. Through this lesson children will learn to stick with God because he will take care of them.
Lesson Title: Daniel sticks with God
Bible Reference: Daniel 6, Proverbs 3:5-6
Target Age Group: Preschool
Learning Context: Sunday School
Target Time Frame: 1 hour
Learning Aim: When I follow God, He leads me on the right path.
Optional Coloring Page Activities: Daniel and the Lion’s Den coloring pages, Story of Daniel and the Lions (pictured above), cartoon of Daniel in the Lion’s Den
Opening-The Right Path
Before Class: Tape three lines on the floor that the class will walk like a balance beam. Make one line straight and the other two curvy and crooked.
Let the class take turns walking on the three lines. Once everyone has had a turn have the class sit down and get ready for the bible lesson.
Say, Which path was the easiest to take? Allow responses. The straight path was probably the easiest for most of you. In the Bible there is a verse that says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” That verse is Proverbs 3:5-6. It means that when we stick close to God he will guide us to the right path for our life, like the right way to live. Today we are going to learn about a man named Daniel. When things got tough for Daniel he decided to stay with God. God rewarded his faithfulness in a big way.
A Big Choice
Daniel 6:1-9
No materials needed for this part of the lesson.
Say, A long time ago there was a king named Darius. He was a very powerful King so he appointed 120 leaders and 3 administrators to help him rule his kingdom. One of the administrators was named Daniel. Daniel was Darius’ friend and a very good leader. He loved the Lord very, very much. Darius decided to make Daniel be the leader over everyone else and this made the other men jealous. The men tried to find something wrong with Daniel so that they could tattle on him to King Darius but they couldn’t find anything wrong with him. One thing that they noticed was that Daniel loved God more than anything so they decided to use that against him. So the men made a plan. And it wasn’t a very nice plan. They went to King Darius and said, “May King Darius live forever! You are such a good king that you should make a law that says that no one is allowed to pray to anyone but you for 30 days! And if anyone breaks this law, let’s throw them in the lion’s den!” The king liked the sound of this idea so he wrote it down and made it a law. Now Daniel had a problem. Every day he would go to the highest room in his house, open the windows and pray to God. If Daniel continues to do this, then he is going in the lion’s den.
Ask, What should Daniel do? Discuss Daniel’s options. He should follow God, but it would be easier to just hide and pray. But what will happen to him if he doesn’t obey God and keep praying? What will happen if he doesn’t obey Darius? After talking for a few minutes ask, If you were Daniel what would you do?
A Big Problem
Daniel 6:10-18
No materials needed for this part of the lesson.
Say, Daniel decided to follow God even though he knew he might be thrown into the pit of hungry lions. As soon as the jealous men saw Daniel they went and told King Darius that Daniel had broken the law. Darius was very sad, but he knew that he had no choice but to throw Daniel in the lion’s den. That night Darius was so sad about his friend Daniel that he could not sleep. He hoped that somehow God would save Daniel.
Ask, How do you think Daniel feels now? Scared? Remember that verse we learned earlier, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Daniel was probably scared to be around those lions, but let’s keep reading and see what God does for Daniel. Remember, the Bible teaches us that when we trust God he keeps our path straight. Daniel decided to stick close to God and trust that God’s way is the best.
A Big Response
Daniel 6:19-28
No materials needed for this part of the lesson.
Say, In the morning, King Darius rushed to the Lion pit and looked to see if Daniel was still alive. And believe it or not Daniel was just fine! He told King Darius that the Lord had sent angels to close the mouths of the lions. Darius was happy and made a new law that said that God was the only one who deserved the praise and prayers of the Kingdom. Daniel stuck with God and as a result he was saved from the lion’s den and King Darius believed that God was real. Daniel continued to work for King Darius and lived a prosperous life.
“Daniel and the Lion’s Den” Songs
No materials needed for this part of the lesson.
Use these songs to praise God for saving Daniel.
- Sing “I am A Hungry Lion”
To the tune of “The B-I-B-L-E.”
I am a hungry lion
Yes, I want to eat Daniel
But the Lord said NO, shut your mouth.
So I’m just a hungry lion
ROAR!
- Sing “Daniel Chose to Follow God”
To the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
God tells us to follow Him, Follow Him, Follow Him
God tells us to follow Him, and He will make our path straight.
Daniel chose to follow God, Follow God, Follow God
Daniel chose to follow God, and God saved Daniel.
I can choose to follow God, Follow God, Follow God,
I can choose to follow God, and be just like Daniel.
More Learning Activities – Learn through Play
You will need a hula hoop, cotton balls, and masking tape for activity 2. You will need chalk for activity 3.
- Have the children pretend that they are lions. What would they say to each other? What would they say to Daniel?
- Put strips of masking tape across a hula hoop. Let the class take turns throwing cotton balls through the hoop. See how many cotton balls they can get to stick to the tape. As you play remind the class that the cotton balls are sticking to the tape, just like we should stick to God. Tell them the Bible verse again, Proverbs 3:5-6.
- Go outside and draw lion paw prints on the concrete with chalk. Once the kids are done coloring, challenge the class to follow the prints from one side of the sidewalk to the other. Try to only step on the prints. Tell the class that whenever we follow God he will make our path straight. Sometimes this means we are faced with scary situations like Daniel, but God always knows what He is doing and leads us on the right path.
Learn through Crafts
Before class, print, In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” Proverbs 3:6 on to large address labels. You will need crayons or colored pencils for the class.
Cut apart the address labels and give one to each child. Let them color it. Encourage them to wear it on their shirt all day as a reminder to stick with God.
Learn through Prayer
Close in Prayer. Say, Dear Lord, thank you for being faithful and leading us on the right path for our life. Please protect us from evil this week and help us to stick close to you. Amen.
For extra ideas, compare this lesson plan with our other teaching plans for this Bible story:
- Kelly Henderson’s Daniel Sunday School Lesson
- Felicia Mollohan’s Preschool Lesson on Daniel and the Lions
Love the lesson, (and all of your lessons – thank you!), but it states that Daniel was a Christian, but since there were no Christians until after Christ, I think it would be better to leave that out. Saying, ‘he loved the Lord very much’ covers it. 🙂
Good point – making the update to avoid any confusion for the Sunday School kids.