Jesus Is Risen: Sunday School Lesson for Ages 6-10
Ages 6-10 · 45 minutes · free lesson plan · Luke 24:1-12
Elementary children act out and rebuild the Easter morning story from Luke 24:1-12, make a rolling-stone tomb craft, and learn Luke 24:6 to celebrate that Jesus is alive just as He promised.
Memory verse
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, (Luke 24:6, KJV)
Lesson objectives
- Retell in order what the women and Peter found at the tomb on the first day of the week.
- Explain that Jesus rose from the dead just as He had said.
- Respond by telling someone the good news that Jesus is alive.
The full lesson plan
Early Morning Welcome (5 min)
Setup: Dim the lights if you can. Have the children sit in a circle.
Say: "Good morning! Today's story happens very early in the morning, before the sun is fully up."
Say: "Let's wake up like it's morning. Stretch up high, yawn big, and rub your eyes."
Lead a slow stretch and yawn together.
Say: "Have you ever been surprised by something you did not expect? Turn to a neighbor and tell about it in one sentence."
Give 1 minute, then invite two or three to share.
Say: "The women in our story got the biggest surprise ever. Let's hear it from God's Word."
The Story: Luke 24:1-12 (8 min)
Read Luke 24:1-12 aloud from the KJV, or retell it in order using the actions below. Have the children copy each action.
Say: "On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the sepulchre (the tomb)." (Walk in place.) Background: they brought sweet spices they had prepared.
Say: "They found the stone rolled away." (Push hands sideways.)
Say: "They went in, and they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus." (Look around, hands out.)
Say: "Suddenly two men in shining clothes stood by them. The women were afraid and bowed their faces to the ground." (Bow down.)
Say: "The men said, 'Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.' They reminded the women what Jesus had said in Galilee, that He would be crucified and rise on the third day." (Arms up.)
Say: "The women remembered His words!" (Tap head.)
Say: "They went and told the eleven and all the others. Their words seemed like idle tales, and the men did not believe them." (Shrug.)
Say: "But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. He saw only the linen cloths lying there, and he went home wondering at what had happened." (Jog in place, then tilt head.)
Names from verse 10: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women.
Jesus Keeps His Promises (7 min)
Say: "Now let's think about what this story means."
Say: "The angels did not say, 'Surprise!' They said, 'Remember what Jesus told you.'"
Say: "Jesus had said He would be crucified and rise on the third day. At the tomb, it happened just as He said."
Ask: "If Jesus kept this big promise, can we trust His other promises?" (Yes!)
Say: "Some people did not believe the women at first. Believing something amazing can be hard. But the empty tomb was real, and Peter saw the cloths himself."
Say: "The Bible teaches that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. Because Jesus is alive, we can know God forgives us and we can belong to Him."
Say: "The women had come to a place of death. They found the living Lord instead. Jesus is not in a tomb. He is alive!"
Say: "Let's play a game to put the story in order."
Story Order Challenge (8 min)
Setup before class: Make 1 set of 6 index cards per team of 3-4 children. Write one event on each card, then shuffle each set:
1. Women come to the tomb with spices
2. Stone rolled away
3. Body of Jesus not there
4. Two men in shining clothes speak
5. Women remember Jesus' words and tell the others
6. Peter runs to the tomb and sees the linen cloths
Steps:
1. Make teams of 3-4 and give each team a shuffled set.
2. Say: "Walk, don't run. Lay the cards in the order the story happened."
3. When a team finishes, they sit and whisper-read their cards.
4. Read the passage together, or have the teacher call out each event, while teams check and fix their order.
5. Play a second round. Teams swap sets and race again, still walking.
Time: 8 minutes.
Say: "Great work! Next we'll make something to help us remember the empty tomb."
Rolling Stone Tomb Craft (8 min)
Safety: Check for allergies to glue and craft materials. Paper fasteners are small parts, so not for children under 3. The teacher does all cutting.
Setup before class: Cut a half-circle opening (doorway) in each paper plate. Poke a small hole beside the opening for the fastener.
Steps:
1. Color the plate to look like a rocky hillside. Draw the empty inside of the tomb.
2. Draw a few linen cloths inside the opening, as Peter saw them.
3. Poke a paper fastener through a gray circle and the plate hole. The circle is the stone, and it should cover the doorway.
4. Slide the stone sideways to show it rolled away.
5. Write "He is risen!" and "Luke 24:6" on the back.
Time: 8 minutes.
Say: "Take this home and tell someone what you found at the tomb."
Talk About It (5 min)
Say: "Let's talk about what we learned." Ask the questions below and let several children answer.
1. Why did the women go to the tomb? (To bring the spices they had prepared.)
2. What did the women find? (The stone rolled away and no body of Jesus.)
3. What did the men in shining clothes tell the women to remember? (What Jesus said in Galilee: He would rise on the third day.)
4. Why do you think the others did not believe the women at first? (It was hard news to believe.)
5. Who can you tell that Jesus is alive? (Family, a friend, a neighbor.)
Verse and Prayer (4 min)
Memory verse echo: Say each phrase and have the children repeat it with motions.
"He is not here," (hold out empty hands)
"but is risen:" (raise arms)
"remember how he spake unto you" (point to ear)
"when he was yet in Galilee," (wave arm out)
Say it twice together.
Say: "Let's pray together."
Prayer points (pray one line, children repeat or add their own):
- Thank You, Jesus, that You are alive.
- Thank You that You keep Your promises.
- Help us remember Your words.
- Help us tell others the good news.
Say: "Amen! Take your tomb home and share the good news."
Materials
- Bible (KJV)
- Index cards (6 per team, plus extras)
- Paper plates (1 per child)
- Gray paper circles, a bit bigger than the plate opening (1 per child)
- Paper fasteners (1 per child)
- Crayons and glue sticks
- Scissors (teacher use)
- Tape
Teacher notes
- Safety: Check for allergies and ask parents first about glue and craft supplies. Paper fasteners are small parts, so not for children under 3. Teacher handles all scissors. Games are walking only.
- Adaptation: For children with special needs or a mixed-age group, use buddy pairs and picture cards (draw a simple sketch on each event card). Offer a quieter option, such as coloring the tomb, for children who need less movement.
- Keep to the text. Luke names the women only in verse 10 and does not say how many angels' words were spoken beyond what is written. Label any extra background as background.
- If time runs short, shorten the second round of the card game, but keep the craft and verse echo.
Send it home with parents
Today we studied Luke 24:1-12. Women came to Jesus' tomb early on the first day of the week and found the stone rolled away and the body gone. Two men in shining clothes reminded them that Jesus had said He would rise on the third day. Peter ran to the tomb and saw the linen cloths. Jesus is alive, just as He promised.
- What surprised the women most at the tomb?
- Why can we trust the promises Jesus makes?
- Who could you tell this week that Jesus is alive?
Use the Rolling Stone Tomb craft to retell the story at home. Take turns sliding the stone and telling one part each. Then say Luke 24:6 together.
Each day this week, say Luke 24:6 aloud. Then tell one person, "Jesus is alive!"
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