Thanksgiving Sunday School Lesson for Kids
Ages 6-10 · 45 minutes · free lesson plan · Luke 17:11-19; Psalm 100
Elementary children hear how ten men were healed and only one returned to thank Jesus. They learn from Psalm 100 to come to God with thanksgiving, play a game, make a thank-you card, and memorize Psalm 100:4.
Memory verse
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. (Psalm 100:4, KJV)
Lesson objectives
- Retell the story of the ten lepers and the one who returned to thank Jesus.
- Explain that thankfulness means noticing what God has done and telling him.
- Practice thanking God and thanking someone else this week.
The full lesson plan
Welcome: The Thank-You Warm-Up (5 min)
Greet each child by name. Have the children stand in a circle.
Say: "Good morning! Today we are talking about two small words that are very big: thank you."
Say: "Show me with your hands how big a thank-you can be. Start small... now bigger... now as big as you can!"
Quick round (2 min): Toss the soft ball gently to a child. That child names one thing they are thankful for today, then tosses to someone else. Toss underhand only, no throwing hard.
Say: "Those were great thank-yous! Today we will meet ten people who needed a miracle, and only one remembered to say thank you."
Say: "Now let's hear what happened."
Bible Story: Ten Men and One Thank You (8 min)
Open your Bible to Luke 17. Tell the story in order. Children do the actions.
Say: "Jesus was traveling toward Jerusalem. As he entered a village, ten men who had leprosy met him." (Stand far apart.)
Background: Leprosy was a serious skin disease. People with it had to live away from others.
Say: "The men stood afar off and lifted up their voices: 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.'" (Cup hands around mouth and call out.)
Say: "Jesus told them, 'Go shew yourselves unto the priests.' As they went, they were cleansed!" (Walk slowly in place, then cheer.)
Say: "One of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back. With a loud voice he glorified God. He fell down on his face at Jesus' feet and gave him thanks. He was a Samaritan." (Turn around.)
Background: Jews and Samaritans usually did not get along.
Say: "Jesus asked, 'Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?' Then he said to the man, 'Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.'"
Say: "Psalm 100 tells us how to come to God: with a joyful noise and with thanksgiving."
Say: "Now let's play a game to feel what that choice was like."
Game: Turn Back! (8 min)
Setup: Clear a wide space. Mark a "priests" spot at one end with a chair or sheet of paper. Children start at the other end. Time: 8 minutes, 3 to 4 rounds.
1. All children walk slowly (no running) toward the "priests" spot, saying together, "Go shew yourselves unto the priests."
2. When you call "You are healed!", everyone freezes and cheers quietly.
3. Secretly tap one child's shoulder, or choose a volunteer, to be the one who turns back. The others keep walking to the priests' spot.
4. The child who turns back walks to you and says, "Thank you, Jesus!" in a loud voice.
5. Ask: "How did it feel to turn back? How did it feel to keep walking?" Play again with a new child.
Say: "All ten men were healed. Only one stopped to say thank you."
Say: "Let's sit and think about what this means."
Teaching: Thankful Hearts Turn Back (7 min)
Have the children sit in a circle.
Say: "Nine men got what they asked for and walked on. One man noticed what Jesus had done and turned back."
Say: "Being thankful has three steps: notice, turn, and tell." (Hold up one finger for each.)
Notice: Ask, "What good things did God give you this week?" (Food, family, friends, a home, a sunny day.)
Turn: The man stopped what he was doing and turned toward Jesus. We can pause and turn our thoughts to God.
Tell: He said his thanks out loud. We can tell God in prayer and thank the people God uses to help us.
Say: "Jesus noticed the one who came back. Jesus is kind and full of mercy, and he loves to hear our thanks."
Say: "Psalm 100 is a song for the thankful. We don't come to God only when we need something. We come with joy and thanks."
Say: "Now let's make something to help us say thank you."
Craft: Thank-You Card (8 min)
Safety: Safety scissors only, used while seated and supervised. Pass out supplies for each child. Time: 8 minutes.
Setup: Fold-ready paper, crayons, and one index card per child.
1. Fold the paper in half like a card.
2. On the front, draw the person you want to thank, or write "Thank You!" in big letters. Decorate it.
3. Inside, write: "Thank you for ______." Fill in the blank. Younger children may tell you the words and you write them.
4. Copy the memory verse onto an index card to keep: Psalm 100:4.
5. Practice the verse together with actions: walk fingers ("Enter into his gates"), clap ("praise"), hands over heart ("be thankful").
Say: "Give this card to your person this week. That is turning back to say thank you!"
Talk Time (5 min)
Ask each question. Let two or three children answer.
1. Why do you think the nine did not come back? (They may have been excited, in a hurry, or forgot. The Bible doesn't say.)
2. What did the one man do when he saw he was healed? (He turned back, praised God loudly, and thanked Jesus.)
3. What is something God has given you that is easy to forget to thank him for? (Answers will vary: food, family, my health.)
4. Who is someone you could thank this week? (Parent, teacher, friend, helper.)
Say: "We can all be like the one who came back."
Closing and Prayer (4 min)
Stand and say the memory verse together twice, with actions.
Say: "We can come to God every day with thankful hearts."
Prayer points (pray one line, children repeat):
- Thank you, God, for your goodness and mercy.
- Thank you for family, friends, and food.
- Thank you, Jesus, for caring about people who need help.
- Help us to turn back and say thank you.
Say: "Amen! Go and share your thank-you card this week."
Materials
- KJV Bible
- Plain paper (1 sheet per child)
- Crayons or markers
- Safety scissors
- Index cards (for the verse)
- Tape
- Soft ball or rolled-up socks
Teacher notes
- Craft safety: Use safety scissors only while seated and supervised. No small parts are used.
- Adaptation: Use a picture of each story step, and offer buddy pairs. Children who prefer a quieter option can be the narrator or do the craft while seated.
- The Bible does not say why the nine did not return. Avoid guessing or making them look bad; focus on the one who returned.
- Keep the game slow and calm. No running, and no one is forced to be the one who turns back.
Send it home with parents
Today we studied Luke 17:11-19. Jesus healed ten men with leprosy, but only one turned back to thank him. Using Psalm 100, we learned that being thankful means noticing what God has done, turning to him, and telling him thanks.
- Why do you think only one man came back to thank Jesus?
- What are three things you are thankful to God for today?
At dinner, go around the table and have everyone share one thing they thank God for. Then say Psalm 100:4 together.
Give your thank-you card to someone and say thank you out loud. Each night, thank God for one thing.
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