Use this lesson plan to teach about Father’s Day in your Sunday School. Dads are so important in God’s plan for the family, but in today’s world some kids simply don’t have that benefit. This lesson is sensitive the tough situation some kids face. It points to our Father God as the ultimate dad – because all human fathers fall short.
The PDF version includes this lesson plan, craft, games, and coloring pages. Don’t miss the free 7-page Father’s Day coloring book.
“The One Perfect Father” Sunday School Lesson for Father’s Day
This is a lesson is designed to use in children’s church or Sunday School for Father’s Day.
Bible Story: Special Father’s Day Lesson Plan
Scripture: Selected Scriptures
Target Age Group: Age 9 – 11 (U.S. 3rd – 5th Grade)
Learning Context: Sunday School
Target Time Frame: 60 minutes
This lesson includes craft, coloring page, and game ideas. Please use what is appropriate for your class and teaching time. Don’t feel like you need to finish all the material.
For some children Father’s Day may be a difficult holiday to celebrate. For the students who have a healthy family life, Father’s Day is an opportunity for them to thank God for their dads. They can honor their dads by sharing their love and appreciation.
This lesson was created to encourage those students who may not have ever experienced a good example of a father figure. The lesson helps students to see that where earthly fathers have failed them, God our heavenly Father never fails. If students do not have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, they will be introduced to the Good News that Jesus died on the cross for his/her sins and was raised from the dead.
Lesson Introduction Game
For early arriving students, we suggest a simple Bible Sword Drill game could be played using to look up the verses you will use later in the lesson.
- Proverbs 4:1,
- Proverbs 6:20,
- Proverbs 13:1,
- Proverbs 15:20,
- Proverbs 23:22,
- Colossians 3:20,
- Ephesians 6:1,
- Exodus 20:12
Activity Option: Father Abraham song and motions
Once the class is assembled you can introduce the topic by leading them in this silly song. The idea is to repeat several times with increasing speed. As body parts are called out they will need to be moved throughout the rest of the repeats!
Father Abraham, had many sons;
Many sons had father Abraham,
And I am one of them,
And so are you,
So let’s just praise the Lord, Right arm
[Repeat all but then add the following one after each time]
…. Left arm
…. Right leg
…. Left leg
…. Head
…. Turn around and sit down
Don’t miss our free coloring pages for Father’s Day.
Sunday School Lesson “The One Perfect Father”
Give Bibles to students who need one. The verses listed in parenthesis are simply for your reference, the verses written in the lesson are intended for reading. If you class has strong readers, have the children look up and read the verses.
When these words are spoken Daddy, Dad, Pa, or Papa what comes to mind? (Father)
By God’s perfect design the first family began when He created the first man named Adam and the first woman Eve. (Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:7-8, 15-25)
This couple became the very first Dad and Mom in God’s creation. (Genesis 4:1-2)
Adam and Eve began the history of mankind as the first parents. They were given one rule to follow as they lived in the beautiful garden called Eden. Who remembers that one rule? (Not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. Genesis 2:16-17) Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s one rule and as a result sin entered God’s perfect world. Every person who has been born after Adam and Eve are born with sin in their heart. That sin keeps men, women, boys and girls from living a life that pleases God. As a result sin has affected God’s perfect design for what He created families to look like.
The Bible is filled with a history of fathers. (Depending on the exposure of Scripture of your students you could ask for examples of good fathers and fathers who were not a good example.) Some of these men were good examples as Dads. Some of these men were not good examples of fathers.
Nobody was perfect – and nobody was all bad. When a dad doesn’t follow God’s plan it causes hurt for his whole family.
The same is true today. We know men who are good fathers to their children. Maybe we know some men who have not been good fathers to their children. If we don’t know about these men personally, we can read about them in the newspaper or see them on the news.
Some children have never met their fathers, or they have lost their father through death. Sometimes they no longer live in the same house with the rest of the family because of a divorce. Some dads are not always at home because they bravely serve our country and go to other countries to protect our freedom for long periods of time.
God’s normal plan for a family is for a child to have loving fathers and mothers who take care of their children. Parents are supposed to teach children how to love God and live a life that pleases Him.
We don’t always understand why; sad things can happen and children don’t get to be with their dad.
If we know our fathers, we need to praise God and give Him thanks. Even if dad is not perfect or has made bad choices. We need to show our thanks and appreciation for our dads and let them know we love them.
What do we do if we have a father who doesn’t look like the kind of father that God desires us to have? What do we do if we don’t have an earthly father at all? The best place we can go for the answers is God’s Word.
Let’s turn in our Bibles to this verse.
Psalm 10:14 “But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.”
If a child has no earthly father, he/she can trust that God will help them.
God knows every need we have and cares for us. Let’s read this verse.
Psalm 103:13-14 “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers we are dust.”
A human father who is not controlled by sin loves his children and has compassion on them. If an imperfect earthly father can have love and compassion for his children, how much more does God the perfect Heavenly Father have for His Children?
Isaiah 64:8 “Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.”
God has created each man, woman, boy and girl to have a relationship with Him. He desires to be our Father. The sin problem we inherited from Adam and Eve keeps us from that relationship with Him.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, (Jesus) that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
You and I can have a relationship with God the Father by believing that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again. Once a person believes by faith that Jesus paid the price for his/her sins he/she becomes a child of God.
As a child of God every person has an Everlasting Father.
Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
He never leaves or forsakes His children (Hebrews 13:5) Having an Everlasting Father gives us comfort because we can know that no matter what happens in our lives we can trust God to take care of us as a loving Father would.
The last Scripture we are going to turn to today is from Acts.
Acts 17:26-27 “From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”
Each one of us in this class today has different experiences with our families. As we mentioned before if you have been blessed with a godly father and mother praise God and thank Him for that gift. God will help you to develop into the man or woman He desires you to be through their example.
Keep your eyes on Jesus and walk with Him every day so you will not live a life controlled by sin. If your experience with family has been difficult you can find peace and comfort from God the Father. If you have never placed your faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins today is the day you can begin a relationship with God the Father.
We are here to show you from the Bible how you can be saved. Please talk to us and we will gladly share with you. You can celebrate Father’s Day knowing that you have become a child of God the Father.
Close in
prayer.
Father’s Day Craft Idea “Framed Handprint”
Materials Needed:
- Colored card stock paper
- Computer & Printer
- washable paint
- paper plate
- baby wipes
- picture frame (8.5 x 11 size)
Craft Directions:
I would suggest using a full sheet (8.5 x 11) of card stock; however, you can cut the paper in half, especially for very young children with small hands.
At the top of your document you will need to type: Happy Father’s Day to the best Daddy (or Dad if you prefer) …
You will then want to skip several spaces down in order to have enough room to fit a child’s hand print. At the bottom of the page you will need to type: Hands Down! Love, Child’s Name, Date ( See Picture).
You will need to print one of these for each child you will have. Another option is to print everything except the child’s name and then have the child write in his or her name at the bottom.
For the hand print: squirt some of the washable paint on a paper plate. You will need several helpers if you have very young children! Holding the child’s hand, place the right hand in the paint and make sure that the entire hand is covered. Immediately after getting paint on the right hand, place the child’s left hand in the paint and make sure it is covered completely.
Now you are ready to put the hand prints on the paper.
NOTE: MAKE SURE THE PAPER IS UPSIDE DOWN WHEN YOU DO THE HANDPRINTS!
Place the child’s hand on the upside down paper and press them down, making sure their entire hand prints on are the paper. Set aside to dry.
Once the paint is dry, you can place the page inside a frame and allow the kids to take it home to their dads on Father’s Day. If purchasing frames for all the kids in your class is out of your budget, you can always send the page home not in a frame or ask that parents bring in a 8.5 x 11 frame from home.
Fathers will
have a great memory from their children that they can sit on their desk or
night stand!
Bonus Sunday School Craft Ideas (Easy Father’s Day Activities for Kids)
These tokens of love and appreciation don’t need to be too complicated. Just somewhat sturdy, in case decides to put the gift in his personal treasure box of kid memorabilia.
Daddy piggy bank: I found an inexpensive source for small, plain piggy banks. I grabbed enough for each of my kids. We painted bow ties on the pigs, painted on his eyes and even other cool features, like an eye patch! Some kids left with painted piggy banks that looked like pirates, others tried their best to paint their banks to look like Dad. It was an easy craft that required some imagination and paint.
Daddy collages: I brought stacks of kid-friendly magazines to kids church like Parenting magazine. Each child received a small posterboard; this was the base of the collage. I asked kids to flip through the magazines to look for things that you would like to do with your Dad. If a child is an orphan or has a deceased father, it’s okay to create a collage that honors Mom instead. Some kids found pictures of families fishing, picnicking, watching movies. Some kids drew their own pictures and couldn’t wait to share all these good ideas with Dad. We cut out the pictures we found, arranged them on the board and then glued the pictures in place. Great fun!
Dad rocks: We dad rocks from clay and rocks. Each child received a large lump of clay. After working it into a flat, round circle, we added stones that spelled D-A-D and pushed them in the clay. After they set for an hour, we sent them home in paper plates so they could dry fully.
Mugging for Dad: Lastly, I bought plain white coffee cups to children’s church. I provided kids with paint pens. They decorated the mugs with sweet sayings or pictures of dad. We had to let the paint dry for a few minutes but these were wonderful gifts. I advised parents to handwash the mugs since the paint may wash off.
Bonus Father’s Day Game Ideas (Easy Options for Sunday School)
“Father, May I?”
This game is a retake of an old favorite, “Mother, May I?” Kids line up on one side of the room while the “father” stands on the other. The “father” gives instructions to each individual, leading them across the finish line, slowly. Before the kid can step (crab walk, bunny hop or skip) forward, he must say, “Father, May I?” If he doesn’t he goes all the way back to the finish line. The child that crosses is first is the winner and becomes the new “father.”
Find Dad’s Tie!
Before kids arrive, hide a tie in the facility. (A construction paper tie works well, too.) Let kids search for the tie. Whoever finds the tie becomes the new “Dad” and gets to hide the tie. You can play this game over and over again.
Father’s Day Word Scramble:
Print the words “Father’s Day” at the top of a piece of page. Set a timer for 1 minute and tell kids to make as many words as they can with the phrase. Whoever has the most words wins a special prize. If you have a chalkboard, let kids write the words on a board.
Get Dressed, Daddy! Sunday School Game
Supplies: For this Father’s Day game, you need two suitcases and two of the following items: hat, tie, jacket, shoes, eyeglasses. You may also need masking tape.
Prepare: Use the masking tape to create a start and finish line on the floor. The lines should be at least 10 feet apart. Place one suit of clothing and one pair of eyeglasses in the suitcase. Close the case and set it at the start line. Divide the kids into two equal teams. Have them line up behind the start line.
Play: When you give the signal, the first child in each line will open the suitcase and get dressed. (The “Daddy” clothing will go on top of their regular clothing.) Then they take the suitcase and run to the finish line. When they get there, they open the suitcase and take off the Daddy clothing. With a full, packed suitcase, they run back to the start line and the next child does the same thing. The first team to complete the task is the winner!
Pin the Tie on Daddy Game Activity
Supplies: Brown paper, scissors, construction paper, pen, pushpins and a blindfold.
Prepare: Draw a large “Daddy” figure on brown paper and cut him out with scissors. Hang the cut out on the wall at a comfortable position for kids. Cut out construction paper ties. Place the ties and pushpins on a nearby table.
Play: One at a time, blindfold each child and hand him a pin and a tie. The goal is to see who gets the construction paper tie in the right place. The kid that places the tie the closest to where it belongs is the winner.
Father’s Day Bible Trivia:
Divide kids into several groups or select a few kids from the congregation. Give each child a mini dry erase board and dry erase marker. Ask kids or the groups questions about Bible fathers. For example, some could be “Which father had 13 children?” or “Which father built an ark?” Let kids reveal their answers. Kids that get the answers correct can move on to the next round. Keep playing until you have one winner. I use my concordance to quickly find verses about fathers.
- Which father almost sacrificed his son in obedience to God? (Abraham)
- Who was Solomon’s father? (David)
- Who had twin boys? (Isaac)
- Who was the first father on earth? (Adam)
- Whose sons became the twelve tribes of Israel? (Jacob)
- What was the name of John the Baptist’s father, who was silence by God until John’s birth? (Zechariah)
- Who was Jesus’ earthly father? (Joseph)
- Which
father lost all his children on the same day but later received more children
as a blessing from God? (Job)
Bible Memory Verse “Corinthians 1:3-4”
After the lesson introduce the Memory Verse.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
How many times did you hear the word comfort? (4)
Do you need comfort today?
God is the Father of all compassion and the God of all comfort. Talk to Him and tell Him what is troubling you. He can comfort you in ways that no one on this earth can.
Are you enjoying a peaceful life?
As you pray each day ask God to help you see others that need His comfort. You can share God’s comfort with those who really need it.
More Teaching Ideas for Father’s in Sunday School
You can also find additional Father’s Day Sunday School Lesson Ideas from these websites:
Thank you for this lesson. As a substitute Sunday school teacher I found this lesson very informative and interactive. May God continue to bless you.
Thank you so much for this lesson. In my class I have 2 children whose father passed away. It has been a difficult journey for them. This lesson will help them see God as a father.
Praying for the hearts and minds of the kids that have gone thru the passing away of their fathers in your class. They are special kids and they are loved. Be blessed.