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Free Bible lesson for kids · In the Beginning

God Made Everything

In six days God made the light, the sky and the seas, the dry land and the plants, the sun, moon and stars, the fish and birds, the animals, and then man and woman in His own image. On the seventh day He rested.

Bible passage
Genesis 1:1–2:3
Big idea
God made everything, and He made it good.
Memory verse
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1 (KJV)
Ages
Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
Time
About 45 minutes
Included, free
Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game

The story

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1). The earth was empty and dark, and the Spirit of God moved upon the waters (Genesis 1:2). On the first day God made light by saying, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3–5). On the second day God made the sky. On the third day He made dry land, seas and plants (Genesis 1:6–13). On the fourth day He made the sun, moon and stars (Genesis 1:14–19).

On the fifth day God made sea creatures and birds (Genesis 1:20–23). On the sixth day He made the animals. Then He made man in His own image: “male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:24–27). God saw everything He had made, “and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). On the seventh day God rested from His work and blessed that day (Genesis 2:1–3).

Read it in the Bible: Genesis 1:1–2:3 (KJV)

1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. 6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13And the evening and the morning were the third day. 14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. 20And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. 24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Questions to ask

  1. What did God make on the first day?

    Light (Genesis 1:3–5).

  2. Who did God make in His own image?

    Man and woman.

  3. What did God do on the seventh day?

    He rested from all His work.

What this story teaches

  • God was already there in the beginning (Genesis 1:1).
  • God made the worlds just by speaking His word (Hebrews 11:3).
  • God made people special, in His own image (Genesis 1:27).
  • Everything God made was very good (Genesis 1:31).
  • God made a day to rest and blessed it (Genesis 2:3).

Jesus Made All Things

Jesus was there at creation with the Father. All things were made by Him, and nothing was made without Him.

John 1:1–3

A 45-minute lesson plan

5 minWelcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Thank God for three things He made.
10 minThe story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next.
10 minTalk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “God made everything, and He made it good.” What does that mean for us?
5 minMemory verse. Say Genesis 1:1 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone.
10 minActivity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions).
5 minPray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week.
  • Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
  • Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
  • Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.

Game time

For kids · game · indoors · about 10 minutes

Creation Days Relay

You need: Seven picture cards for each team (light, sky and water, land and plants, sun-moon-stars, fish and birds, animals and people, rest)

  1. Scatter each team’s cards at the far end.
  2. One runner at a time brings back a card. The team lays them out in the order God made them.
  3. When they’re in order, the team acts out each day together.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” And God saw everything He had made, and it was very good.

For youth group · game · outdoors · about 30 minutes

Creation Photo Hunt

You need: Phones, the list of creation days

  1. Teams must photograph something from each of the six days: light, sky, water, plants, the sun or moon, birds, animals and people.
  2. Bonus points for the most creative shot of each day.
  3. Show the photos and read Psalm 19:1 together.

“The heavens declare the glory of God.” Everything you photographed points back to the Maker.

Pray

Thank God for three things He made.

Questions people ask

What did God make on the first day?

Light (Genesis 1:3–5).

Who did God make in His own image?

Man and woman.

What did God do on the seventh day?

He rested from all His work.