Name the four places the seed fell.

The wayside, stony ground, among thorns, and good ground.

Free Bible lesson for kids · Ministry in Galilee

The Parable of the Sower

Jesus told a story about seed that fell on the wayside, on stony places, among thorns and on good ground. Only the seed on good ground brought forth fruit.

Teach this lesson: film, sheets and guide Print the coloring page

Bible passage: Matthew 13:1–23 · Mark 4:1–20 · Luke 8:4–15
Big idea: Let God’s Word grow in a good heart.
Memory verse: But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. Luke 8:15 (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

Jesus sat in a boat and taught a great crowd in parables (Matthew 13:2–3). A sower went out to sow. Some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds ate it (Matthew 13:4). Some fell on stony places and sprang up, but it withered in the sun because it had no root (Matthew 13:5–6). Some fell among thorns and was choked. Other seed fell on good ground and brought forth fruit (Matthew 13:7–8).

Jesus explained, “The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11). By the wayside, the devil takes the word away (Luke 8:12). On stony ground, people receive it with joy but have no root and fall away (Luke 8:13). Among thorns, cares, riches and pleasures choke it (Luke 8:14). But good ground is people with “an honest and good heart,” who hear the word, keep it, and bear fruit (Luke 8:15).

Read it in the Bible: Matthew 13:1–23 (KJV)

¹The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. ²And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. ³And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; ⁴And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: ⁵Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: ⁶And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. ⁷And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: ⁸But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. ⁹Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. ¹⁰And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? ¹¹He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. ¹²For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. ¹³Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. ¹⁴And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: ¹⁵For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. ¹⁶But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. ¹⁸Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. ¹⁹When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. ²⁰But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; ²¹Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. ²²He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. ²³But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Read it in the Bible: Mark 4:1–20 (KJV)

¹And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. ²And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, ³Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: ⁴And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. ⁵And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: ⁶But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. ⁷And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. ⁸And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. ⁹And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. ¹⁰And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. ¹¹And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: ¹²That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. ¹³And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? ¹⁴The sower soweth the word. ¹⁵And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. ¹⁶And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; ¹⁷And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. ¹⁸And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, ¹⁹And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. ²⁰And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Read it in the Bible: Luke 8:4–15 (KJV)

⁴And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: ⁵A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. ⁶And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. ⁷And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. ⁸And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. ⁹And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? ¹⁰And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. ¹¹Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹²Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. ¹³They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. ¹⁵But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Questions to ask

What does the seed stand for?
The word of God.
Name the four places the seed fell.
The wayside, stony ground, among thorns, and good ground.
What happens to seed on good ground?
It springs up and bears fruit.

What this story teaches

God’s Word is like seed that can grow in our hearts (Luke 8:11).
The devil wants to snatch God’s Word away from us (Luke 8:12).
Faith needs deep roots to last through hard times (Matthew 13:21).
Worries and riches can choke out God’s Word (Matthew 13:22).
A good heart hears God’s Word, keeps it, and bears fruit (Luke 8:15).

Jesus Helps Us Bear Fruit

Good ground bears fruit. Jesus said whoever abides in Him will bring forth much fruit, for without Him we can do nothing.

John 15:5

A 45-minute lesson plan

5 min	Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Ask God to make our hearts good ground.
10 min	The 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 min	Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “Let God’s Word grow in a good heart.” What does that mean for us?
5 min	Memory verse. Say Luke 8:15 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone.
10 min	Activity. 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 min	Pray 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

Good Soil Toss

You need: Four areas taped on the floor (the path, the rocks, the thorns, the good soil), bean bags as seeds

Tape four areas on the floor and label them. Put the good soil farthest away.
Kids take turns tossing a “seed”.
Wherever it lands, the child says what happens to that seed: the birds eat it, it dries up, the thorns choke it, or it grows and bears fruit.
Good soil earns a cheer and a point for everyone.

The good soil is a heart that hears God’s Word, understands it and keeps it.

For youth group · activity · outdoors · about 45 minutes

Good Ground Service Day

You need: Gloves, garden tools, flowers or seeds

Pick a garden bed at church or the yard of an older neighbor.
Pull the weeds, loosen the soil and plant something new.
While you work, talk: what are the “thorns” that crowd God’s Word out of your life?

Seed on good ground brings forth fruit. Let God’s Word grow deep in you.

Pray

Ask God to make our hearts good ground.