Father's Day Sunday School Lesson for Kids
Ages 6-10 · 45 minutes · free lesson plan · Ephesians 6:1-4; Psalm 103:13
An interactive Father's Day lesson for elementary children. Through Jesus' story of the father who ran to meet his son, children learn to honor fathers and father figures and to trust God as a loving heavenly Father.
Memory verse
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. (Psalm 103:13, KJV)
Lesson objectives
- Children will explain that God asks us to honor our fathers and father figures (Ephesians 6:1-4).
- Children will retell how the father in Jesus' story welcomed his son home (Luke 15:20) and see that God is a loving, compassionate Father.
- Children will say Psalm 103:13 from memory and make a thank-you card to honor someone.
The full lesson plan
Welcome: Who Helps Me? (5 min)
Setup: None.
Say: Welcome! Today we honor dads, grandpas, uncles, stepdads and other men who care for us.
1. Invite one child at a time to act out, without words, something a father or father figure does (cooking, driving, fixing, reading, playing catch).
2. The group guesses.
3. After four or five turns, have everyone stand and act out one together.
Say: Fathers do so many things! Today we will also learn about a Father who is better than any other.
Say: Now let's hear a story Jesus told about a father.
Story: The Father Who Ran (8 min)
Setup: Open your KJV to Luke 15:11-24.
Say: Jesus told a story about a father and his two sons. Walk in place when the son walks. Run in place when the father runs.
Tell it in order:
• The younger son asked his father for his share, then traveled to a far country and wasted it all (vv. 11-13).
• A famine came. He ended up feeding pigs and was hungry (vv. 14-16).
• He "came to himself" and decided to go back to his father and say, "Father, I have sinned" (vv. 17-19).
• He got up and went (v. 20). Walk in place!
Say: Listen to what happens next. Read Luke 15:20 aloud: the father saw him a great way off, had compassion, ran, fell on his neck and kissed him. Run in place!
Then tell what the text says: the father called for the best robe, a ring, shoes and a feast, because his son "was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found" (vv. 22-24).
Say: Jesus told this story to show how glad God is when we come back to him.
Say: Now let's learn what God says about fathers and children.
Honoring Fathers, Trusting God (8 min)
Setup: Write HONOR on the board with three words below it: THANK, HELP, PRAY.
Say: God's Word gives instructions in Ephesians 6:1-4. Read verses 1-2 aloud: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother."
Say: To honor someone means to treat them with respect and thankfulness.
Say: Verse 4 tells fathers not to provoke their children to wrath, but to bring them up in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord." Background: that means training and teaching in God's ways. Fathers have a big job, and no father is perfect.
Say: Our heavenly Father is perfect. Read Psalm 103:13. "Pitieth" means shows tender compassion.
Say: Remember the father in Jesus' story? He ran to his son. God's love is like that. He is glad when we come to him.
Point to the board and have children repeat each word with a motion:
• THANK: tell them thanks.
• HELP: do a job without being asked.
• PRAY: ask God to bless them.
Say: Let's hide this verse in our hearts with a game.
Memory Verse Word Race (7 min)
Setup: Write each word of Psalm 103:13 on its own index card. Make two sets, shuffled. Write the verse on the board.
Time: 7 minutes.
1. Say the verse together three times. Add a motion for each phrase (hands over heart for "father," hug yourself for "pitieth").
2. Make two teams. Spread each team's cards face up on the floor.
3. Teams take turns walking (no running) to place one card at a time in order.
4. Check against the board and cheer for both teams.
5. Turn cards over, one at a time, and say the verse from memory until all are hidden.
Say: "Psalm 103:13" is the address where we find this verse. Let's say the reference at the start and the end.
Say: Now let's talk about what we learned.
Talk It Over (6 min)
Sit in a circle. Ask each question and take a few answers.
1. What did the father do when he saw his son far away? (He had compassion, ran, hugged and kissed him.)
2. What does that story show us about God? (God loves us and welcomes us when we come to him.)
3. What is one way you can honor your dad or father figure this week? (Say thank you, help with a chore, listen.)
4. Why can we always trust God as our Father? (He is perfect, loving and kind, and he never stops caring.)
Say: Some of us live with our dads, and some of us do not. God is a loving Father to every one of us.
Say: Now let's make something to show honor.
Thank-You Card (8 min)
Safety: Use child-safe scissors with adult supervision. Glue sticks only. Remind children to keep scissors on the table.
Setup: Fold a sheet of cardstock in half for each child. Put crayons, scissors and glue on tables.
Time: 8 minutes.
1. On the front, write "Happy Father's Day" and draw something you do with this person.
2. Inside, write "Thank you for ______" and finish the sentence.
3. Add "I'm praying for you."
4. Optional: cut out a paper heart and glue it inside.
5. Write "Psalm 103:13" at the bottom.
Say: You can give this card to your dad, grandpa, uncle, stepdad or any man who cares for you.
Say: If you prefer, you can write a thank-you note to God, our heavenly Father.
Say: Let's finish by talking to our Father.
Closing Prayer (3 min)
Say: Let's say our memory verse one more time together. (Recite Psalm 103:13.)
Say: Now let's pray together. Pray this aloud, pausing for children to repeat each line:
• Thank you, God, for being our loving Father.
• Thank you for dads, grandpas and others who care for us.
• Help us to say thanks, help and pray for them.
• Comfort anyone who misses their dad today.
• Thank you for welcoming us home to you. Amen.
Say: Don't forget to give your card away this week!
Materials
- KJV Bible
- Whiteboard or poster paper and marker
- Cardstock or heavy paper (1 sheet per child)
- Crayons or markers
- Child-safe scissors
- Glue sticks
- Index cards with one verse word per card (2 sets)
- Tape
Teacher notes
- Some children may have no father at home or a painful relationship with one. Use "father figures" often and stress that God is a perfect, loving Father to every child.
- Safety: supervise scissors and glue. Use child-safe scissors and keep them at the table.
- Adaptation: for children with special needs or a mixed-age group, use pictures with the story and board words, pair younger children with older buddies, and let anyone choose to draw instead of write.
- Ephesians 6:1-4 is about everyday family life. If a child shares a worry about their home, listen kindly and follow your church's child-safety guidelines.
Send it home with parents
Today the children heard Jesus' story of a father who ran to welcome his son home (Luke 15:20). They learned that God asks us to honor our fathers (Ephesians 6:1-4) and that God is a loving, compassionate heavenly Father (Psalm 103:13). The children made a thank-you card.
- What is one thing you like about your dad or someone who cares for you like a dad?
- How was the father in Jesus' story like God?
At dinner, have each person say one thank-you to a father or father figure, then say Psalm 103:13 together.
Each day, honor someone by saying thank you, helping without being asked, or praying for them. Practice Psalm 103:13 daily.
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