Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19
This is the story most commonly celebrated on Palm Sunday and is usually referred to as the "Triumphal Entry". We refer to this as the "Entry into Jerusalem" to give children easy words to use, but you can certainly teach them the traditional title of this story. We strongly encourage you to read all 4 tellings of this story (references are in "Background Scripture" above). Each version has nuances in it that are important, but we chose the Mark telling of the story because it is the most concise.
To put this story in context, see this visualization of the chronology of Holy Week.
Here are some important highlights of this story:
get your kids talking and engaged
Ask the students if they could meet one famous person, who would they like to meet? Why?
In today's lesson, we are going to learn about when crowds of people followed Jesus around and worshipped him.
teach a holistic story
This story is short enough that it can be read directly from the Bible for all ages. You can bring out some of the highlights we've listed in the "Story Summary" above as you think your children will understand them.
give them basic Bible skills
Scripture for Kids to Read Aloud: Mark 11:1-11
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 heartWhatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23