Elijah and the Prophets of Baal Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free Elijah and the prophets of Baal Sunday school lesson teaches kids that the LORD is the one true God, that He hears when we pray, and that we can follow Him with our whole heart (1 Kings 18). It comes in four age levels, each a separate printable teacher lesson, plus one take-home sheet for families. Pick the one that fits your class. Everything is in the order you teach it.

Choose your age level

• Preschool (ages 3–5), 20–30 minutes, 3 pages: a counting game with twelve stones, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("The LORD, he is the God") with motions, and a fire-from-God drawing.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 4 pages: the Answer When I Call game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Falling Fire Strips memory verse game, and a build-the-altar game with twelve stones and three pours of water.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: a pick-a-side opening game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (Obadiah, the two opinions, the test, the altar of twelve stones, the prayer, the fire and the rain), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: students read 1 Kings 18:17–24 and 18:30–39 out loud themselves, then discuss following God halfway, standing alone, and how Elijah prayed. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (1 Kings 18:39 and Deuteronomy 6:4).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: 1 Kings 18
• Main point: There is one true God. He is real, He hears us, and He answers when we pray.
• Memory verse: 1 Kings 18:39 (KJV), with Deuteronomy 6:4 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about calling and answering, counting twelve stones, picking a side, or doing things halfway.
2. Bible story: the famine, "How long halt ye between two opinions?", the test of the God that answereth by fire, Baal's silence, the altar of twelve stones, the trench and the four barrels of water poured three times, Elijah's prayer, the fire of the LORD, and the rain. Every fact has its verse reference so you can check it.
3. Questions to ask: with answers, at the right level for each age.
4. Memory verse: a game or motions to help kids learn 1 Kings 18:39.
5. What this means for us: the LORD is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the Elijah on Mount Carmel word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the Elijah on Mount Carmel craft, a build-the-altar game, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching Elijah on Mount Carmel

• Read 1 Kings 18:38 straight from your Bible: "the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench."
• Keep the Bible's numbers: 450 prophets of Baal (18:22), twelve stones (18:31), four barrels of water poured three times (18:33–34), and seven looks toward the sea (18:43).
• The prophets of Baal cutting themselves (18:28) and their death at the brook Kishon (18:40) are left out of the preschool and kindergarten to 2nd grade lessons and told gently and briefly for older kids. Every level has a short teacher note in case a child asks.
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.