Sample Sunday School Lesson for Children

Don't Forget to Say Thank You: The Story of the Ten Lepers

 

Sample Lesson

 

Opening Activity

 

This craft will work well for children first grade or older. It is a little hard for younger children.

What you will need: Cardstock, Cotton Material, Glue or Tape, Crayons and Scissors

 

What to do:

1. Before class print out the paper doll patterns onto cardstock and cut them out.

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2. Print out the coat pattern and use it as a template to cut coat shapes from cotton material. (If possible, rip the fabric instead of cutting it. This will make the leper's clothes look ragged.) Rip long strips of off-white fabric about one-half inch wide to make bandages.

3. In class, have the children color both sides of the doll and then blue them together, back to back, so that the paper doll is reversible.

4. Show them how to wrap the material strips around the head, arms, and legs of the paper doll. Use tape or glue to secure. While they work, explain that the lepers were very poor. No one wanted to help them because they were afraid of getting the disease. The lepers had to use whatever they could find to cover their sores.

Note: You will need ten of these puppets for your story. If you don't have ten children in your class, make some extras before class to use during the lesson.

 

 

This craft will work well for younger children (Kindergarten or Younger).

What you will need: Cardstock (Heavy Paper), Jumbo Craft Sticks, Scissors, and Glue or Tape

What to do:

1. Before class print out the stick puppet patterns onto card stock and cut them out.

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2. Glue a jumbo craft stick to the back of the happy face pattern and then glue the sad face to the back of the happy face so that you have a reversible puppet.

3. In class, have your children color the puppets, and help act out the story.

 

 

What you will need:

White Paper, Colored Paper, Crayons or Markers, and Stapler

 

What to do:

1. Before class, print out the cover pattern onto colorful paper. Cut it out and make a back cover the same color and size.

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2. Cut white paper to fit inside the book.

3. In class, give your students a cut sheet of paper and tell them to draw a picture of something they are thankful for. Tell them that you will be making a class book, and that they will be sharing their pictures with the class after storytime.

4. Write the class name and date on the cover.

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Preparation

The Lesson

What do you say when someone gives you something special?

What do you say when someone does something for you that makes you feel happy?

What do you say when someone does something to show they love you?

Did you ever forget to say thank you? I bet your mother said, "What do you say?" and reminded you to say thank you. Our story today is about some men who forgot to say thank you, but there was one special man who remembered.

Our story comes from Luke 17. (Open your Bible to Luke 17 and tell the story in your own words.) Once there were ten very sad men. (Point to the stick puppets.) They were unhappy because they all had a terrible disease called leprosy. Leprosy was a terrible disease because there was no cure for it and it was very contagious. That means that it could be spread from one person to another very easily. If someone got leprosy, he had to leave town and everyone he loved, and go live with other people who had the disease. Leprosy would make your skin turn white and eventually you would lose your fingers and toes. These men where sad because they didn't have much hope.

But things would soon change for these sad men.

One day they saw Jesus walking down the road on his way to Jerusalem. They couldn't come close to Jesus, but they called out to him, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." When Jesus saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." They did as Jesus told them and went to the priests. On their way to the priest, they were healed! All ten of them were healed! They were so excited. They didn't waste any time going back to their families.

But one of the men was different than all the rest. When he was healed, even thought he was very excited, he remembered to do something very important. He ran back to Jesus, shouting, "Praise God, I'm healed!" He fell, face down, on the ground by Jesus' feet, and thanked Jesus for what he had done.

Jesus looked around and asked, "Didn't I heal ten men? Where are the other nine men who were healed?" Jesus said to to the man, "You may get up and go. Your faith has made you well."

How do you think Jesus felt when only one man came back and thanked him?

Do you like to be thanked when you take the time to do something nice for someone?

How would you feel if you spent a long time making something for someone and when you gave it to them, they didn't even say thank you?

Why should we say thank you? (To show the person who did something nice that you appreciate it.)

Do you think Jesus likes to be thanked when he does something? Of course, he does.

Sometimes we don't even think about all the good things that God gives us. It is easy to forget, just like the nine men in our story. Sometimes we don't even realize everything that God has given us or how important his blessings are until something happens. For example, we don't realize how important it is to have a healthy body until we get sick. We should thank God for keeping us healthy.

There is always something we can thank Jesus for. The Bible tells us to give thanks in all circumstances. That means that we should not only thank him for the good things, but also the bad. Remember, God makes everything turn out for the good for those who love him.

(Pick ten children to act out the story while you read the following poem. Line them up in a row. Have them hold the sad face side of their puppets in front of them.)

 

Ten sad lepers all in a row,
covered with rags from head to their toes.
(Tell the children to make crying and whining noises like they are in pain.)

Then they saw Jesus walking by.
They got excited and started to cry.

(Tell the children to make their puppets jump up and down and shout,
"Help us Jesus. We don't want to die!"

Then Jesus told them to go to the priest.
They ran off towards the northeast.
(Tell the children to move their puppets up and down like they are running.)

On the way their leprosy disappeared.
They ran home both far and near.
(Tell the children to turn their puppets to the happy face side and move them up and down again.)

They forgot about Jesus and didn't look back.
But one young man didn't follow the pack.
(Have the first child in the row move his puppet towards you.)

He went to Jesus and fell down on his face.
He gave him thanks for his saving grace.
(Have the first children place his puppet face down.)

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Older children will enjoy making a puppet show using their paper dolls.

1. During class have your children make the leper stick puppets (above) and make this Jesus stick puppet.

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2. Make a simple puppet stage by turning a table sideways. Record the puppet skit and then show the video to your students as soon as they are done. Let them perform the skit again if they aren't satisfied with their first attempt.

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Prayer

 

Before you start the prayer tell the children that each of them will have a chance to give thanks for something. Have them stand in a circle. Tell them that you will start the prayer, and that the person on your left can then say something that he is thankful for. If a child doesn't want to pray, he can squeeze the hand of the child next to him to let him know.

Father, help us to remember to be thankful. Everything we have comes from you. I would like to thank you for ______________.

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Activity

 

1. Review the "Thank You" Book

Show your children the finished book. Go through the pages one at a time asking the children to explain what they drew and are thankful for.

 

 

1. Place the same amount of chairs in the center of the room as you have children. On some of the chairs tape different colors of construction paper.

2. Play some music and have the children walk around the chairs.

3. When the music stops all the children should find a seat. All the children who are sitting on a seat with a piece of construction paper must think of something they are thankful for that is the matching color. For example, if a child sits on a seat with an orange sheet of paper, he must think of something orange that he is thankful such as a pumpkin, orange, orange paper, orange crayon, orange paint, etc.

 

 

Children circle the things that they are most thankful for.

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4. Look up Bible Verses and Decide What the Verse is Saying We Should be Thankful For

When a verse is read, write down the reference and a few words that describe what we should be thankful for. You can assign each child, or group the children, a verse.

Psalm138:2 - Praise for loving kindness and truth.
1 Thess.1:2 - Give thanks for you.
1 Tim. 2:1-2 - Thanks for all men, kings, and all who are in authority.
2 Corinthians 9:15 - Thanks for his unspeakable gift.
1 Corinthians 15:57 - Thanks for victory through Jesus.
1 Thess. 5:16-18 - Give thanks in all circumstances.
Psalm 136:26 - Thanks for his mercy.
Colossians 1:12 - Thanks our inheritance.
John 6:11 - Thanks for food.
Daniel 2:23 - Thanks for wisdom and strength.

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Copyright

Copyright 2003, Digital by Design, Inc.
www.daniellesplace.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information or storage retrieval system, except for local church or school use only. This copyright notice must be included on all copies. Requests for permission to copy this material for any other uses should be addressed to Carolyn Warvel, 588 Duran Street, Henderson, NV 89015 or e-mail me at care@daniellesplace.com

Comments

We would love to hear your comments about this lesson. If you taught this lesson, we would love to hear how it went, if you changed anything, added anything, what age you taught and was it appropriate. Any comments that would help others teach this lesson are welcome.

I used the Ten Leper Lesson that you provided. The children were happy to act out the story and that way they really understood what was being taught! Thanks, Heather

We did this lesson this week and the children enjoyed it. One thing I added that was a lot of the fun was giving the children "leprosy" by putting stickers all over their face and hands. I guess you could try face painting also, but I wasn"t that brave. Thanks for your site. Mr. Ricky

I taught this lesson last week to my Sunday School class. They loved it. They really enjoyed making the little lepers and they turned out so cute. Thank you so much for this site. Tina Russell

I did the Ten Lepers Lesson a couple the weeks before last and it was great. We used the story from the Beginner's Bible and make the Popsicle stickleper you suggested. I can't thank you enough for your great ideas on your website. Thanks again! Katherine

 

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