Looking for ideas and Sunday school lessons for kids on praising God? Teaching a child praising God essentials like how, why and when to praise God is an important part of the Christian faith. The Bible is full of praises written to God as well as examples on how to praise God. Lessons for kids praising God are integral to their growing faith.
Ideas for Sunday School Lessons for Kids on Praising God
Christians are to praise God in all circumstances, even if the circumstances are not ideal. Use Sunday school lessons for kids on praising God to teach students what the Bible has to say about worshipping and praising God through discussion and activities related to passages from the Bible.
When Should You Praise God?
Praising God in all circumstances can be difficult when life is not going that well. A real life example of someone who praised God despite difficult circumstances was David. King Saul was hunting David. Use the story of David and some of the Psalms that he wrote as inspiration for your Sunday school lesson.
Set the mood by playing appropriate worship music as the kids come in. Have copies of Psalm 18 available for the kids to read. If you can, obtain the passage in The Message, which will give clearer understanding to the kids about what David was facing.
Open the lesson with a game called, "I Hate It When." Start with a statement that is outrageously silly like, "I hate it when I get peanut butter stuck in between my toes." Have a volunteer come up with another silly thing that she hates and so on, until all the kids have had an opportunity to share. Have a class vote as to which is the "worst." Use this as a springboard for a more serious discussion on what types of things hamper the kids' good days. Getting bad grades in school, having a disagreement with a parent or sibling or even having a fight with a friend are all things that can make people angry and forget about God.
Turn the student's attention to Psalm 18. Read the passage and lead a discussion on what types of things David was facing. Then take a second to compare lists. After leading students to understand that David was facing some very serious issues, talk about how he responded. The whole Psalm describes attributes of God's character and then goes on to praise God showing that David truly praised God in all circumstances.
By focusing on God's character, your students too can always have something for which to praise God even when things do not seem to be going well. End the lesson by having students make a bookmark that lists God's character qualities so that when they use it, they can remember that they always have reason to praise God.
How Should You Praise God?
Psalm 33 talks about how Christians are to sing their praises and shout to God joyfully. The Psalmist talks not only about singing but about using musical instruments with which to praise God as well. Use this Psalm to talk to kids about what it means to praise God joyfully.Open the lesson with worship music from other countries. Ask students to give ideas on ways in which they can praise God in worship. List any appropriate responses on a whiteboard. While there are many good responses, make sure you help bring out the use of instruments and the idea of praising God joyfully.
Have students take turns reading Psalm 33. Ask students what it means to sing joyfully to the Lord. Lead students to discover that God does not want His children to be embarrassed about singing praises to Him, but he wants them to worship skillfully and with all their hearts. If children seem willing, discuss why sometimes it is hard to praise God joyfully. If time permits, show the children pictures of the harp and the ten-string lyre as mentioned in the Psalm.
Have students make their own musical instruments. One easy way is to staple two plastic disposable plates together leaving a small opening at the top. Fill the paper plates with dry rice and beans and then staple shut. Decorate the tambourines with markers, puffy paint or other materials that you have together. End the lesson by leading children in song using their newly created instruments. (Note: If you are going to make instruments with glue or paint that needs to dry, start them at the beginning of the lesson so that they will be dry in time for worship at the end of the lesson.)
Other Resources for Sunday School
Every good Sunday school teacher knows that sometimes a little help is needed to make class truly great. Whether you use Sunday school lessons for kids on praising God or a few extra resources to make your lesson stand out, there are many options.
- Kids Sunday School Place is a nice resource no matter what topic you are tackling with your students. Lessons are organized by grade and the search function on the site can help you find more lessons on praising God.
- Use a model of the tabernacle to talk about the various purposes that each part served and how the Hebrew people praised God.
- Use popular worship music to help encourage kids to sing their praises.
Praising God is a basic concept in the Christian faith. Children of all ages can appreciate God's deeds and wonders on some level.
