Good Shepherd Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free Good Shepherd Sunday school lesson teaches kids that Jesus is the good shepherd. He calls His own sheep by name, they follow Him because they know His voice, and He gave His life for the sheep: "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). 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, 2 pages: a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, a follow-the-shepherd game where you call every child by name, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("I am the good shepherd") with a motion, and a drawing activity.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Sheep in a Row verse game with five cards, and a Called by Name game with a chair sheepfold.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the setting in John 9, the porter, "I am the door," the hireling and the wolf, and the other sheep), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: students read John 10:1–18 out loud themselves, then discuss knowing Jesus' voice, stranger voices, the one door, and why it matters that Jesus chose to lay down His life. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (John 10:11 and John 10:14).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: John 10:1–18
• Main point: Jesus is the good shepherd. He knows us by name and gave His life for us, so we follow His voice.
• Memory verse: John 10:11 (KJV), with John 10:14 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about knowing and following a voice.
2. Bible story: the shepherd who enters by the door, calls his own sheep by name and leads them out; the sheep who know his voice and flee from a stranger; "I am the door"; and "I am the good shepherd," who gives his life for the sheep while the hireling runs from the wolf. 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 John 10:11.
5. What this means for us: Jesus gave His life for us, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the Good Shepherd word search, a called-by-name game, a drawing, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching the Good Shepherd

• Say every child's name often during this lesson. "He calleth his own sheep by name" (John 10:3) means more when kids hear their own names.
• Keep the wolf and the thief gentle. They are in the story to show how different the good shepherd is (John 10:10–13).
• John 10 doesn't mention a staff or a lamb on the shepherd's shoulders. Teach what this passage says: the door, the voice, the names and the shepherd who gives his life.
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.