Celebrate dads and explore faith with a meaningful Father’s Day Bible lesson for Sunday School. This engaging lesson includes the powerful story of Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter, helping kids understand what it means to have faith and trust in God. With printable crafts, hands-on activities, and a focus on God as our Heavenly Father, this resource is perfect for teaching kids about love, trust, and the special role of fathers.

Fathers in the Bible

There are many great examples of fathers in the Bible. Though imperfect, these men can teach us important lessons about faith, love, and responsibility.

• Abraham - Abraham trusted God, even when it meant waiting years for a child or being asked to do something difficult. He reminds us to put faith in God first and trust in the Lord.

• Noah - Noah followed God’s instructions even when no one else did. He protected his family and modeled obedience in a world full of doubt.

• Joseph - Joseph cared for Mary and Jesus with humility and quiet strength. He followed God’s direction, even when it was hard or uncertain.

• The Prodigal Son’s Father - This father welcomed his lost son home with open arms. He models God’s love—patient, forgiving, and ready to embrace his children. He reminds us that strong fathers love without conditions.

Fathers in the Bible teach us that true strength is rooted in faith, love, and humility. Whether protecting their families, praying boldly, or showing grace and forgiveness, these men point us toward the character of our Heavenly Father, who leads, provides, and loves unconditionally.

Grab Your Father’s Day Bible Lessons for Kids!

Lead an engaging Father’s Day lesson on faith with easy print-and-go Bible lessons for kids! Check out our printable crafts, discussion questions, and scripted lesson plans for a Father’s Day that’s easy to prepare and fun for kids 3-8 years old.

(Click HERE for the preschool/kindergarten version)

grab father’s day bible lessons for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades!

Lead Father’s Day Lessons with Care

When planning a Father’s Day Sunday School lesson, it’s essential to approach the topic with sensitivity and compassion. While many children are excited to celebrate their dads, others may be grieving the loss of a father, navigating difficult relationships, or growing up without a father figure at home. These holidays can bring up big feelings and may be difficult for some kids.

One way to do this is by shifting the focus from only celebrating earthly dads to highlighting God's love and care as our Heavenly Father. Emphasize that God’s love is constant, strong, and always present, no matter what a child’s family situation looks like.

Jesus Raises Jairus’ Daughter - A Story for Father’s Day

Jairus, a synagogue leader, begged Jesus to heal his dying daughter. On the way to her, they received news that she had died—but Jesus told Jairus to have faith. When they arrived, Jesus took the girl by the hand and brought her back to life.

Jairus was a synagogue leader, and as such, likely a very respected man in the community. He wasn't a priest or rabbi. His duties were things like administration, caring for the building, organizing worship services, and supervising what happened in the synagogue. He likely wasn't paid to do this. The people chose their leaders.

The fact that Jairus went to Jesus for help was a huge act of faith because many people, especially the religious leaders, did not like Jesus. Jairus loved his daughter so much that he was willing to risk the admiration and respect of others. He had faith in Jesus.

This story shows a father’s deep love and bold faith as he seeks help for his child. It reminds us that fathers who turn to God in times of need are strong examples of trust and care—and that God, our Heavenly Father, hears and responds with compassion.

This Bible story can be found in Mark 5:21-43, Matthew 9:18-26, and Luke 8:40-56.

Crafts to go with the story of Jesus raising Jairus’ Daughter

These simple crafts pair perfectly with the Bible story of Jesus healing the little girl. Each one specifically connects to the theme of faith within the story. Both heart-shaped crafts include statements of faith derived from Mark 5:36: “Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, 'Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Torn Paper Heart

Torn paper Bible craft for preschool and kindergarten.

Kids in preschool and kindergarten will make a simple torn paper heart that reads, “I believe in Jesus”. The template for this craft can be found in the preschool and kindergarten version of the Father’s Day Bible lesson.

Before class begins, cut or tear the construction paper into small squares. Give each child a paper with a heart and ask them to glue the construction paper onto the heart. Layering the pieces can make a neat 3D effect. When they’re done, they can trace the sentence at the bottom of the page.

Stained Glass Window Heart

A stained-glass-style paper heart craft for bigger kids.

Bigger kids in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades will make a colorful semi-transparent heart that displays beautifully in a window.

First, trace a heart onto parchment paper. Using glue, fill the heart with pieces of tissue paper. Then, cut out the heart frame, including the center. You might have to assist with this part. Glue the heart frame on top of the tissue paper heart on the parchment. Trim off any excess. Finally, add the "I believe in Jesus" rectangle somewhere on the front of the heart.

Father’s Day Craft: Whole World Handprint

A printable Father’s Day card for kids in preschool and kindergarten.

Kids in preschool and kindergarten can make a simple earth-themed printable card that says, “You are the best father in the whole world!” After decorating and coloring the card, help kids paint a handprint in the space provided. This special keepsake card is a precious reminder to dads of the little hands in their care. You can find all the handprint cards in Father’s Day Bible Lessons for Preschool and Kindergarten.

(P.S. This lesson also includes a template that says, “You Make the World a Better Place”. This version is perfect for giving to other caregivers or using outside Father’s Day weekend.)

Father’s Day Craft: Toolbox of Love

This printable toolbox craft is for kids in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades. Each tool has a short prompt to help kids share kind words to their dads.

This printable craft for bigger kids in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades reminds us that Fathers are a blessing from God. Kids will make a toolbox full of compliments for their dad or caregiver. It’s simple to put together - just cut out the tools, add kind words about dads on each one, and assemble the toolbox using a stapler or glue! This printable craft makes a simple gift for dads that can be assembled quickly! You can find all the pieces in Father’s Day Bible Lessons for Bigger Kids.

(The craft also includes an option that says "Thank You for Loving Me." This version is perfect for alternate caregivers or use outside Father’s Day weekend.)

YOUTUBE VIDEOS ABOUT JESUS HEALING JAIRUS’ DAUGHTER

YouTube can be a great resource for helping visual learners connect better with a story. Here are a couple of suggestions for YouTube videos about Jairus’ miracle. As always, preview all YouTube videos in their entirety before showing them to your kids.

• Saddleback Kids - Jesus Raises Jairus’ Daughter

• Crossroads Kids Club - Jesus Heals a Woman and a Girl

Celebrate dads and explore faith with a meaningful Father’s Day Bible lesson for Sunday School. This engaging lesson includes the powerful story of Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter, helping kids understand what it means to have faith and trust in God. With printable crafts, hands-on activities, and a focus on God as our Heavenly Father, this resource is perfect for teaching kids about love, trust, and the special role of fathers.

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Looking for more Bible lessons for kids?

Be sure to check out our 52-week Bible curriculum for both preschoolers and kindergarteners, as well as older children in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grades. These lessons cover stories from the New and Old Testaments, including: Genesis, Moses and the Exodus, the prophets, the life of Jesus, parables, and Jesus’ miracles.

Are you seeking an engaging Bible lesson for kids in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades this Thanksgiving? Teaching the story of Jesus Healing Ten Lepers is a powerful way to help kids understand the importance of gratitude. This miraculous healing not only shows Jesus' compassion but also highlights the significance of giving thanks, as only one of the ten healed lepers returned to express gratitude. Discover creative ways to teach this story through kid-friendly videos, engaging activities, fun crafts, and lesson plans. These resources will help children grasp the key lessons of thankfulness and the joy of expressing gratitude to God.

The Story of the healing of ten lepers

In Luke 17:11-19 we are told the story of when ten lepers approached Jesus as he was traveling on his way to Jerusalem. Along the road, ten lepers approached Jesus and said, “Jesus, have mercy on us.” Jesus told them to go and present themselves to the priest. As they were walking away, they were healed! Only one of the men returned to thank Jesus, throwing himself at Jesus’ feet with gratitude. 

Thanksgiving Bible Lessons for Kids

Are you looking for an easy way to teach about gratitude this Thanksgiving? Grab a scripted lesson, easy activity, and printable craft perfect for 3-8-year-olds.

(See the preschool/kindergarten version HERE!)

shop the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade version

What is Gratitude and Why is it Important? 

Gratitude is feeling thankful and appreciative of the good things in your life. It is taking time to stop and think about things that you can be thankful for, such as physical items, people, and even life circumstances.

The most common way to express gratitude is by saying “thank you” and showing appreciation with your actions. However, showing gratitude for a gift isn’t just saying “thank you; it’s also treating the gift with care.

What the Bible Says About Gratitude

The Bible clearly outlines that gratitude is important. Here are just a few verses:

• “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

• “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” Psalm 95:1-2

• “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 NIV. 

  • God gives good gifts, and He is worthy of our thanks!

brainstorm things to be thankful for

For many kids, the question, “What are you thankful for?” can be quite overwhelming. I suggest breaking it down into categories to help your kids think through all of the blessings in their lives. I like to talk about…

• People we are thankful for

• Things in nature that we are thankful for

• Things in our house that we are thankful for

• Things in our community that we are thankful for

• Something we are thankful that we can do

Try writing these down on a piece of paper or adding them to a thankful tree. This particular tree template is a part of this Thanksgiving Lesson for 1st-3rd Grade.

Printable Thankful Craft

After we have brainstormed everything we are thankful for, it’s time for a printable craft! In this craft, kids will cut out the pieces to make a flower. On each petal, they will write (or draw) one thing that they are thankful for. This printable craft is included in both the Preschool/Kindergarten thanksgiving lesson as well as the 1st-3rd grade version.

more activities to build thankfulness and gratitude

• Sing Songs: There are some awesome songs about giving thanks to God. Here are a few examples:

• Thank You, Lord, for Making Me by Vince Parlow is a delightful song for preschool-aged students.

• Thankful from Roar! VBS by Group Publishing

• Elevation Worship’s Grateful

• Elevation Worship’s Praise

• Thank You Cards: Take a moment to write (or draw) a thank you card to God, telling Him all the things you are thankful for

• Thankfulness Popcorn: Do a quick activity where kids crouch on the ground. Then, they take turns popping up like popcorn and saying something they are thankful for. The beauty of this activity is kids can take multiple turns or stay silent, but it will help them brainstorm ideas.

• Thankful Journals: Take time to have kids write about or draw pictures of what they are thankful for.

YouTube videos About the Ten Lepers

When teaching the story of Jesus Healing the Ten Lepers, it’s always fun to have a video on hand. These are some of the best video versions available.

• Check out Crossroads Kids Club’s God Story: Jesus and the Ten Lepers for a great story overview. The video also delves into ways to say thank you.

• Crossroad Kids Club has another video about this story, entitled "We can thank God!" This slightly longer video explains the importance of giving thanks and also explains the story of the Ten Lepers.

• The Thankful Leper by Saddleback Kids is a short video about the story.

Whether it’s at home, in a faith-based school, or Sunday School, thankfulness is such a beautiful concept for kids to learn and the story of the Ten Lepers is a great reminder of the importance of showing gratitude to God.

The lead up to winter break can be a busy time in any elementary classroom.  Class parties, music concerts, special events, field trips... and actual academic work!  It's a miracle any teacher survives to mid-December.

As winter break approaches, there are so many things to be done.  Crafts to be made, art projects to complete, gifts to plan (depending on if your class celebrates Christmas), and more!  Planning in advance and having winter activities ready to go is key to 'surviving' the holiday hustle.  Here are a few things I like to have ready to go in advance. Remember, don't re-invent the wheel.

Have a Classroom Craft Ready to Go

Tea Light Snowmen Ornaments, a great winter craft. (Photo credit: One Little Project) I absolutely love this snowman ornament craft from One Little Project.  It's adorable and almost fool-proof. Check out her blog for step-by-step instructions and an easy shopping guide for activity prep.  It does take a significant amount of hot-glueing, so my third-grade students completed theirs alongside their older buddies.  It could also be done with a few parent volunteers, or in a single-teacher classroom over a few days at a slower pace.

Be Ready With a No Prep Winter Workbook

The one thing that is certain about the pre-holiday season is that anything can happen.  Your much-anticipated guest speaker could cancel.  Your field trip bus could be two hours late.  The music concert may run way over.  There is always time to fill somewhere! I like to be prepared with some kind of quick winter themed workbook that keeps my students engaged and is available on the fly for any unplanned emergency.  

These Winter and Christmas Themed Workbooks from Poet Prints do the trick every time! 

Elf Yourself For a Little Holiday Fun

Elf Yourself is a web-based movie maker is a quick and fun option to add some holiday cheer to your classroom. It is a free platform from Office Depot and Office Max, so there are some links to both websites on the site, but they aren't too obtrusive.

Turn your students into animated and goofy elves in mini north pole themed movies.  (Note: some movies may be mildly inappropriate for younger audiences or conservatives schools, screen each movie first). 

Do you have any classroom routines or things you like to do before students head off for winter break? Let me know in the comments below! 

Taking the time to study and celebrate Thanksgiving in an elementary classroom is a great way to create an environment of thankfulness.  When students are lead to practice gratitude it can help to build a mindful classroom.

However, being thankful does not come easy for all.  Whenever I ask my students to brainstorm what they are thankful for, I inevidably get the same three things:my family, my home, food.

Let's be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with these three.  Those are absolutely things that we can, and should, be thankful for.  But I think it can go deeper.  Thankfulness can be more than the 'big three'. It can extend to specific characteristics, qualities, people and the 'little things' in life.  In every season there is always something to be thankful for.  I have taught in both high and low-income schools, and the practice of showing gratitude is not limited to any particular socioeconomic status.

This year, my grade three students were particularly thankful for their Grade Eight Buddies.  I teach in a K-12 school.  My class is both 'big' buddy to a class of Grade One students, and 'little' buddy for a class of Grade Eight students.  Their Grade Eight buddies visit them every second Friday during math, and it is just so welcomed.  Each of my littles gets one-on-one time with someone who can help to coach and encourage them through tricky concepts. It's also a great way to build multi-age friendships in such a diverse campus.

As part of our Thanksgiving unit we wrong Thankful Letters to our Grade Eight buddies.  We got the change to express gratitude for the way they show us patience, and how they faithfully encourage us to keep working hard even when we just don't get it. (Yet!)

In an already jam-packed curriculum, there is hardly any time for seasonal unit study... but I feel like a focus on thanksgiving is just so important.  I make sure that it integrates with my Language Arts outcomes so my students are still meeting provincial standards while also taking time to develop their character.

We follow my  "We Are Thankful" unit on Teachers Pay Teachers:

It is a Print-and-Go Unit  for First, Second, Third, and Fourth Grades that is Available Here

You won't believe the stories my students come up with for the "How to Escape Thanksgiving" writing lesson:

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving in your classroom?  Have you ever practiced showing gratitude to another grade, or teacher in your school?  Let me know in the comments below!

I remember my very first Mother’s Day as a brand-new teacher. I was working at a school in a lower-income area, full of sweet and spirited students. I can still picture myself eagerly prepping for what I thought would be a heartwarming, crafty celebration. I planned a super-cute project—complete with glue, glitter, and a beautiful card titled something like “Why I Love My Mom.”

I waltzed into the classroom the week before Mother’s Day, beaming with excitement, ready to guide my students through what I was sure would be a meaningful activity. I gathered the kids on the carpet and introduced the project with enthusiasm, expecting them to be just as thrilled as I was.

But what I got wasn’t excitement. It was confusion. A few hands shot up, and then came the questions and quiet comments:

• “What about my stepmom? Can I make something for her instead?”

• “I only have a foster mom. What do I do?”

• “I live with my auntie.”

• “I don’t have a mom… she died last year.”

That moment stopped me in my tracks. It was sobering, to say the least.

What I had envisioned as a joyful celebration quickly turned into one of the most uncomfortable teaching moments of my career. In my rush to plan something “cute and fun,” I had completely overlooked how emotionally complex Mother’s Day can be for many children. I hadn’t paused to think about the wide range of family situations my students were experiencing—many of them far more complicated than I had considered.

Needless to say, the activity didn’t go as planned. I look back on it now as one of those teaching “flops” that sticks with you—not because it was a failure, but because it was a lesson. A real one. For me.

That experience became a turning point. I let it be a teachable moment for myself. I learned that meaningful classroom celebrations need to be inclusive and sensitive, especially when it comes to days like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. I started asking more questions, being more thoughtful, and ensuring that every child could see themselves and their family honored in some way.

This year, we’re doing Mother’s Day flipbooks that are much more inclusive. And yes—dads will be getting their very own versions come June!

The activity still includes drawing a picture of Mom, filling in fun sentence starters about her favorite things, brainstorming adjectives to describe her, and writing a short and heartfelt letter. Fingers crossed that what we end up with is sweet, quirky, and full of those little gems that only kids can come up with.

But here’s the biggest change: I’ve created three versions of the flipbook. One is for moms, another is for stepmoms, and a third is intentionally designed to work for any special person in a child’s life. That could be an aunt, a grandma, a foster mom, a neighbor, or even a mentor.

Because while not every child has a traditional “mom,” every child deserves the chance to express gratitude and connection to the people who love and care for them.

So now, instead of planning blindly, I approach Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day) with a different mindset: one that’s flexible, compassionate, and inclusive.

How do you handle days like these in your own classroom? Do you have activities or traditions that help honor different kinds of families? I’d love to hear what you do to make your space welcoming for every child—especially on days that can bring up big feelings.

Let’s keep learning from one another.

Want to use these inclusive Mother’s Day flipbooks in your own classroom? You can download all three versions—for moms, stepmoms, and any special person—for free! Just click below to grab your copy and help every child feel seen and celebrated.