Heaven Lesson for Kids (Free Sunday School Lesson)

This free heaven lesson teaches kids what the Bible itself says about heaven, and nothing more. Jesus promised His disciples, "In my Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you… I will come again" (John 14:2–3). John saw "a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1), where "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (21:4). 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 Find the Pearls game, a short Bible teaching with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("I go to prepare a place for you") with motions, and a river-and-tree drawing.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: the A Place Ready for You game, John 14 and Revelation 21–22 in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Build the House memory verse game, and a Twelve Gates game.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: a Draw What John Saw game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles (the twelve gates and foundations, the foursquare city of twelve thousand furlongs, the river and the tree of life), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: a Bible or Not? game, students read John 14:1–3 and Revelation 21–22 out loud themselves, then discuss trusting Jesus' word, God wiping away tears, the Lamb's book of life and living ready for His coming. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (John 14:2 and Revelation 21:4).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: John 14:1–3; Revelation 21:1–22:5
• Main point: Jesus is preparing a place, and He will come again. Heaven is God's promise of hope.
• Memory verse: John 14:2 (KJV), with Revelation 21:4 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about getting a place ready, counting twelve pearls, or telling Bible facts from made-up ideas.
2. Bible teaching: Jesus' promise (John 14:1–3); the new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1); "God himself shall be with them" and "God shall wipe away all tears" (21:3–4); the holy city with twelve gates, three on each side, each gate one pearl (21:12–13, 21:21); the street of pure gold "as it were transparent glass" (21:21); "the Lamb is the light thereof" (21:23); the river of water of life and the tree of life (22:1–2). 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 14:2.
5. What this means for us: the Lamb's book of life (Revelation 21:27), the gospel (Acts 2:38), "whosoever will" (22:17), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the new heaven and new earth craft, a Twelve Gates game, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching about heaven

• Say only what the Bible says. No clouds and harps, no people turning into angels, no one checking names at a gate. If a child asks about something the Bible doesn't say, answer kindly: "The Bible doesn't tell us that. Here is what it does tell us."
• Every level has a short teacher note for a child who is grieving: listen, say it is all right to be sad ("Jesus wept," John 11:35), share Revelation 21:4, and never guess about where any person is now.
• "My Father's house" and "the Lamb" are Bible words. Each level explains them simply: Jesus is God who came as a man (1 Timothy 3:16), "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
• Count with the Bible: twelve gates, three on each side (Revelation 21:13), twelve foundations (21:14) and twelve kinds of fruit on the tree of life (22:2).
• Short on time? Do the Bible teaching, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.