Abram was a descendant of Shem (Noah's son). His father was Terah. For many years, Abram lived in Haran with many of his relatives. Haran is in modern-day Turkey. Canaan is in the area of modern-day Israel, Lebanon and Palestine.
God called Abram to leave his country and his people and go to a land that he would show him (Genesis 12 and Acts 7:2-4). Abram was married to Sarai. At this point in the story, they did not have any children. Abram left as the Lord told him. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot and all their possessions.
God promised Abram that he would make him into a great nation (Genesis 12:2 and Genesis 15). "I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust , then your offspring could be counted." Genesis 13:16 He confirmed this covenant again in Genesis 17:4. God changed Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah (Genesis 17:5-6). Abraham means "father of many nations".
get your kids talking and engaged
Ask the children if they have ever moved. Were they nervous? Was it scary? Imagine if you packed up your house and started moving before you even knew where you were going! In this lesson, we learn about a man who did just that.
teach a holistic story
The key things to focus on in this lesson are:
Read story from a Children's storybook Bible for younger children.
For older children, you can read Genesis 12:1-9 directly from a Bible (especially an easy-to-understand version like the NIrV)
give them basic Bible skills
Scripture for Kids to Read Aloud: Genesis 12:1-5, Genesis 15:1-6
make sure they understand the story
First, ask the children if they have any questions about the story. What to do if you don't know the answer?
help them apply the story to their lives and open up a conversation about faith and the gospel; close with prayer
hide God's Word in their heartIf you believe, you will receive what you ask for when you pray. Matthew 21:22