Lesson

Handwriting on the Wall Sunday School Lesson for Kids

A free handwriting on the wall Sunday school lesson (Daniel 5) in four age levels, preschool to preteen, with a game, Bible story, questions and a take-home.

Preschool–Grade 6

Handwriting on the Wall Sunday School Lesson for Kids

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Ages: Preschool (3–5), Early Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5), Preteen (5–6)
Time: 20–60 minutes (depends on the age level)
Scripture: Daniel 5:1–31
Bible story: The Handwriting on the Wall

What you need

A Bible (mark Daniel 5:5 and Daniel 5:27)
Bibles for the kids to look up verses (3rd grade and up)
Two paper lunch bags, a few toy blocks and a tissue (opening game, preschool and kindergarten to 2nd grade)
4 paper strips, a marker and tape (memory verse game, kindergarten to 2nd grade)
A whiteboard or large paper and a marker (3rd grade and up)
Paper and pencils (3rd grade and up)
Printed take-home sheets, one per child
Printed handwriting on the wall word search and crayons for early finishers

This free handwriting on the wall Sunday school lesson teaches kids to humble their hearts before God. King Belshazzar drank from the holy vessels of God's house and praised idols, and in the same hour "came forth fingers of a man's hand" and wrote upon the wall (Daniel 5:5). Daniel read it: "Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting" (5:27). It comes in four age levels, each a separate printable teacher lesson, plus one take-home sheet for families. Everything is in the order you teach it.

Choose your age level

Preschool (ages 3–5), 20–30 minutes, 2 pages: a heavy-or-light game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("Thou art weighed in the balances") with a motion, and a drawing activity.
Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: the Heavy or Light? game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Tip the Balance verse game with four paper strips, and a Human Balance game.
3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: a secret code game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the feast, the writing over against the candlestick, Daniel's warning, MENE, TEKEL, PERES), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: students read Daniel 5:17–22 and 5:24–31 out loud themselves, then discuss knowing the truth versus bowing to it, holy things, courage and humility. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Daniel 5:27 and James 4:10).

Lesson at a glance

Bible passage: Daniel 5:1–31
Main point: Humble your heart before God, because the most high God rules over everything.
Memory verse: Daniel 5:27 (KJV), with James 4:10 added for preteens
Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

Opening game: a short game about weighing, heavy and light, a secret code or pride and humility.
Bible story: Belshazzar's feast with the vessels of God's house (Daniel 5:1–4), the fingers of a man's hand writing on the wall (5:5–6), Daniel brought in (5:13–17), "hast not humbled thine heart" (5:22), MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN (5:25–28), and that night the kingdom taken (5:30–31). Every fact has its verse reference so you can check it.
Questions to ask: with answers, at the right level for each age.
Memory verse: a game or motion to help kids learn Daniel 5:27.
What this means for us: humbling our hearts, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the handwriting on the wall craft, a human balance game, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
Prayer.

Tips for teaching the handwriting on the wall

Read Daniel 5:22 straight from your Bible. It is the heart of the story: the king knew all this, and still did not humble his heart.
Bring a real scale or two bags to weigh, so kids can feel what "weighed in the balances, and found wanting" means.
Tell the hand gently. It was God's message to a proud king, and each lesson gives you a short answer for a child who is scared.
Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.

Frequently asked questions

How long does this handwriting on the wall lesson take?

It depends on the age level. The preschool lesson takes 20 to 30 minutes, the kindergarten to 2nd grade lesson about 45 minutes, and the 3rd to 5th grade and preteen lessons 45 to 60 minutes. For a short class, do the story, three questions and the memory verse.

What is the main point of the handwriting on the wall for kids?

Humble your heart before God. King Belshazzar knew how God had humbled the king before him, but Daniel told him, "thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this" (Daniel 5:22). He used the holy vessels from God's house at his feast and praised idols instead of God (5:3–4, 5:23).

What did the handwriting on the wall say?

"MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN" (Daniel 5:25). Daniel read it to the king: MENE, "God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it"; TEKEL, "Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting"; PERES, "Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians" (5:26–28).

Is the handwriting on the wall too scary for little kids?

Not when it is told gently. The preschool and kindergarten lessons keep to what the king saw (the fingers of a hand writing on the wall, Daniel 5:5) and how Daniel read it, and they tell the end of the king in one plain sentence (5:30). The point for kids is that God is in charge and we should be humble before Him.