Gideon Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free Gideon Sunday school lesson teaches kids that God can use anyone who trusts Him: God chose Gideon, who called himself the least in his father's house, and won the battle with just 300 men so Israel would know the victory came from God (Judges 6–7). 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 hidden-wheat hunt, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit") with a motion, and a trumpets-and-lights activity with paper cups.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 4 pages: the Do What I Do game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Pitcher Verse game with five paper cups, and a stand-in-your-place game.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the altar of Baal, the fleece, 32,000 to 10,000 to 300, the barley bread dream, the trumpets, pitchers and lamps), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: a "Who would you pick?" opening, students read Judges 6:11–16, 7:1–8 and 7:16–22 out loud themselves, then discuss courage, taking credit and God's strength in weakness. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Zechariah 4:6 and 2 Corinthians 12:9).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: Judges 6:1–7:22
• Main point: God can use anyone who trusts Him. The victory comes from God, not from being big or strong.
• Memory verse: Zechariah 4:6 (KJV), with 2 Corinthians 12:9 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about following the leader, a team that gets smaller, or who God would choose.
2. Bible story: the Midianites, Gideon threshing wheat in hiding, the angel of the LORD, the altar of Baal, the fleece, the army going from 32,000 to 10,000 to 300 (Judges 7:3–7), the barley bread dream, and the trumpets, pitchers and lamps (7:16–20). 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 motion to help kids learn Zechariah 4:6.
5. What this means for us: God uses the weak, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the Gideon word search, the Gideon crossword, the Gideon maze, the Gideon worksheet, the Gideon craft, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching Gideon

• Read Judges 7:2 straight from your Bible. It is the heart of the story: God made the army small so Israel could not say, "Mine own hand hath saved me."
• Get the numbers right: 22,000 went home and 10,000 stayed (Judges 7:3), so Gideon started with 32,000. Then 300 lapped the water (7:6–7).
• The battle is told gently: the men blew trumpets, broke their pitchers, held up their lamps and stood in their places, and the LORD made the enemy run (7:20–22). Each lesson stops at 7:22 and gives you a short answer if a child asks what happened next.
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.