Jesus Visits the Temple | Bible Lessons for Kids
Looking for creative ways to teach kids about the Bible story of Jesus visiting the temple as a boy? This powerful story offers a wonderful opportunity to help children understand Jesus’ wisdom, obedience, and desire to learn more about God, even at a young age. Keep reading to find engaging, kid-friendly ideas to bring the story to life, including printable lesson plans, hands-on crafts, fun activities, and YouTube video suggestions. Whether you're a teacher, a homeschooler, or a Sunday School leader, these resources will make learning about young Jesus both meaningful and memorable.
THE STORY- Jesus visits the temple
The story of Jesus as a boy at the temple can be found in Luke 2:41-52. Jesus and his parents (along with many, many other people) headed to Jerusalem for the Passover celebrations. When Passover was finished, his parents started the journey home, but they didn’t realize that Jesus had stayed behind.
When evening came, they could not find Jesus anywhere, so they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days, they found him in the temple, learning from the religious leaders.
Jesus Visits the Temple as a Boy Bible Lessons for Kids
Are you looking for a simple way to teach about Jesus as a boy in the temple? Our scripted lesson plans, discussion questions, and printable crafts are perfect for children aged 3 to 8.
Why was Jesus’ family in Jerusalem? Why didn’t they notice he was gone?
Jesus’ family was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. His family lived in Nazareth and traveled to Jerusalem for the celebrations. This would have been over 100 kilometers (about 64 miles) of travel! Usually, people traveled in groups to be safer.
This is likely why it took so long for Mary and Joseph to realize that Jesus was not with them; they were traveling with a group. Then, it took three days to find Jesus because they had to travel back to Jerusalem and search a city full of people.
hands-on activity: Can you find Jesus?
Play a simple game with kids in which they have to find Jesus. Print out an image of Jesus from the Internet or use the image provided in Jesus Visits the Temple for Older Kids.
Place the picture of Jesus somewhere in the room and have the kids search for Jesus. The first kid who finds Jesus gets to hide it the next time.
While the game is fun, please emphasize that Jesus did not actually hide from his parents, but his parents did have to search because they didn’t know where he was.
JESUS AT THE TEMPLE PRINTABLE CRAFT FOR PRESCHOOL
‘Jesus in the Temple’ printable craft for preschool and kindergarten
Jesus’ parents searched everywhere for him and finally found him in the temple. To help young learners with the retelling of the story, create a simple printable craft showing Jesus behind the doors of the temple.
Use the template pieces provided in Jesus Visits the Temple as a Boy for Preschool. Have kids color and cut out the temple and Jesus templates. Then, attach the pieces, ensuring you do not glue the two pieces entirely together. (You want the door to flap open.) Kids will enjoy lifting the temple doors to see Jesus inside the temple!
JESUS AT THE TEMPLE PRINTABLE CRAFT FOR OLDER KIDS
‘Jesus in the Temple’ 3D printable craft for bigger kids.
Older kids will enjoy a slightly more challenging craft in Jesus at the Temple for Older Kids. They will create a temple scene with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The three figures have tabs at the bottom that allow them to stand.
When doing this craft, emphasize that kids must not cut off the little tabs by the figures’ feet because those are what will keep the figures standing up.
Gluing a scroll into Jesus’ hands will add extra detail to the picture. The scroll will remind kids that Jesus was reading and learning about Scripture in the temple.
OTHER ACTIVITIES TO TEACH ABOUT JESUS AS A BOY IN THE TEMPLE
Lego and Play-Dough Dioramas: Have kids build a temple out of Lego (or blocks of some variety), and construct people from Play-Dough. Then use the pieces to reenact the story.
“Ask Your Questions”: Jesus was learning about God and Scripture at the temple. He asked questions to the religious leaders and listened to their answers. Encourage your kids to write down their questions or ask them. Then, take time to talk about them.
“Ask Your Questions” Journal: Instead of discussing their questions as a group, have kids write journal entries starting with prompts like “A question I have about God is….”, “Something I wish I could ask God is…”, or “I want to learn more about….” They could bring this paper home to discuss with their families, or you could take these papers and discuss them later.
YOUTUBE VIDEOS ABOUT JESUS AS A BOY IN THE TEMPLE
Below are some suggestions for YouTube videos about this story. Please preview any videos you show your kids to ensure they are age-appropriate and match what you want to teach.
WANT TO CONTINUE LEARNING ABOUT JESUS’ LIFE?
This lesson is part of a five-week series on stories from Jesus’ life. The other stories include Jesus as a Boy in the Temple, Jesus is Baptized, The Sermon on the Mount, The Widow’s Offering, and Jesus Teaches Us to Pray.
These Stories about Jesus lessons are also included in the 52-week Bible curriculum for little kids in preschool/kindergarten and bigger kids in first, second, and third grades.
There are not many stories in the Bible about Jesus as a kid, aside from the stories of his infancy. So, this story allows kids to be curious about what Jesus was like when he was their age, and can help them connect with him in a more personal way. There are many ways to make this story engaging as kids learn about studying God’s Word and forming a relationship with Him.