God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed life into him. He became a living being. This is Adam. (You might have some dry dirt to show as you teach this part of the story.) Adam lived in the garden that God planted. The garden was full of all kinds of trees and 4 rivers. There were two trees in the middle of the garden: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God commanded man that he could eat from any tree but not from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
God brought all the living creatures to Adam so he could name them. No suitable helper was found to for Adam, so God caused him to fall into a deep sleep. He took one of the man’s ribs and made a woman. This is Eve. The serpent caused Eve to doubt what God had told her about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She ate some and gave some to Adam who was with her. This was the first sin. As a result of that sin choice, the serpent was made to crawl on its belly. Women will have pain while giving birth and man will be forced to work for food.
Adam and Eve were banished from the garden. Because of this, they could no longer eat from the tree of life (second tree in the middle of the garden) and live forever.
There are many different aspects to focus on during this lesson.
Ask the children if they have ever eaten something they weren't supposed to have (like a cookie from the kitchen) without their parents knowing. In a playful way, you can tell them you won't tattle on them to their parents... Ask them if they knew that was wrong. This story is about the very first time a human made that bad choice.
Younger children should be taught the story as a whole, while older children can focus on one or more of the different aspects from the Story Summary. Choose reinforcement activities accordingly.
For younger children, read story from a Children's storybook Bible.
For older children, ready story from an age-appropriate Children's storybook Bible or tell the story yourself.
Scripture for Kids to Read Aloud: Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2:18-23, Genesis 3:1-6, Genesis 3:23
First, ask the children if they have any questions about the story. What to do if you don't know the answer?
Heads up! You might think about doing this outside or in a tiled area
Scripture Then the Lord God formed a man. He made him out of the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into him. And the man became a living person. Genesis 2:7
Supplies Dirt and water - in dish pans or rubbermaid bins
Scripture The Lord God had formed all of the wild animals. He had also formed all of the birds of the air. He had made all of them out of the ground. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give them. And the name the man gave each living creature became its name. Genesis 2:19
Supplies mobile laptop or tablet, or printed animal pictures
Heads up! Be aware of food allergies
Scripture The Lord God gave the man a command. He said, "You can eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden. But you must not eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you can be sure that you will die." Genesis 2:16-17
Supplies fruit, knife, plates
Scripture So the Lord God spoke to the serpent. He said, "Because you have done this, "I am putting a curse on you. You are cursed more than all of the livestock and all of the wild animals. You will crawl on the ground. You will eat dust all of the days of your life. Genesis 3:14
Supplies colored paper cut into 1/2 inch strips, glue, googly eyes, thin piece of paper cut with a v in the end for tongue
Scripture The Lord God had formed all of the wild animals. He had also formed all of the birds of the air. He had made all of them out of the ground. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give them. And the name the man gave each living creature became its name. Genesis 2:19
Supplies Playdoh, animal cookie cutters
Scripture So the Lord God spoke to the serpent. He said, "Because you have done this, "I am putting a curse on you. You are cursed more than all of the livestock and all of the wild animals. You will crawl on the ground. You will eat dust all of the days of your life. Genesis 3:14
Supplies paper plate for each student, scissors for each student, small strips of paper with v cut out at end (for tongue), googly eye or markers to make eyes.
Heads up! You can complete ahead of time or make with students, if time allows
Scripture So the Lord God spoke to the serpent. He said, "Because you have done this, "I am putting a curse on you. You are cursed more than all of the livestock and all of the wild animals. You will crawl on the ground. You will eat dust all of the days of your life. Genesis 3:14
Supplies See ingredients below for various recipes
Scripture Then the Lord God formed a man. He made him out of the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into him. And the man became a living person. Genesis 2:7
Supplies gingerbread dough, sugar cookie dough, person cookie cutter, raisins (or small candy) to decorate
Scripture Genesis 2:19
Supplies Animal crackers/cookies
Scripture So God created man in his own likeness. He created him in the likeness of God. He created them as male and female. Genesis 1:27
Supplies apple for each students (small classes should use same color of apples), basket
Scripture Have you eaten the fruit of the tree I commanded you not to eat?" Genesis 3:11b
Supplies 2 pieces of bread, plastic knife, peanut butter (or other nut butter, if allergies), jelly, plate
Scripture Then the Lord God formed a man. He made him out of the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into him. And the man became a living person. Genesis 2:7
Supplies clay, plastic knives, small pieces of cardboard covered in aluminum foil