Abraham and Isaac Lesson for Kids

This free Abraham and Isaac lesson for kids teaches that nothing is too hard for the LORD (Genesis 18:14). God promised Abraham and Sarah a son when they were very old, Isaac was born at the very time God said, and when Abraham obeyed God on the mountain, God provided a ram (Genesis 22:13–14). 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 blanket-tent game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("Is any thing too hard for the LORD?") with a motion, and a drawing of baby Isaac at the tent. Genesis 22 is left out at this age.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: the Easy or Too Hard? game, the story in simple words (told gently, with the ram God provided), five recall questions with answers, the Laugh Line memory verse game, and a count-the-stars game.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the visitors at Mamre, Sarah's laugh, Isaac's birth, Moriah and Jehovah-jireh), five thinking questions and three recall questions, a verse scramble, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: students read Genesis 18 and Genesis 22 out loud themselves, then discuss doubting and trusting God, obeying right away, and the Lamb of God. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Genesis 18:14 and Hebrews 11:11).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: Genesis 18:1–15, 21:1–8 and 22:1–19
• Main point: Nothing is too hard for the LORD. God does what He says, and God provides what we need.
• Memory verse: Genesis 18:14 (KJV), with Hebrews 11:11 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about what is too hard for people, or about trusting a promise.
2. Bible story: the three visitors at Abraham's tent, God's promise and Sarah's laugh, the birth of Isaac, and (from kindergarten up) God testing Abraham on the mountain and providing a ram. 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 Genesis 18:14.
5. What this means for us: nothing is too hard for God, the Lamb of God (John 1:29), the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the Abraham and Isaac word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the Abraham and Isaac craft, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching Abraham and Isaac

• Read Genesis 18:14 straight from your Bible. God's question, "Is any thing too hard for the LORD?", is the heart of the story.
• Genesis 22 is told reverently and gently. The kindergarten to 5th grade lessons leave out the binding and the knife (Genesis 22:9–10); the preschool lesson leaves Genesis 22 out. Every level has a short teacher note in case a child asks.
• The Bible does not say how old Isaac was on the mountain. It calls him "the lad" (Genesis 22:5, 22:12), so the lessons do too.
• God provided a ram (Genesis 22:13), not a lamb. Abraham had said, "God will provide himself a lamb" (22:8), and John later called Jesus "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29).
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.