Joshua and the Battle of Jericho Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free Joshua and the battle of Jericho Sunday school lesson teaches kids to obey God's plan all the way, even when it seems strange. God's people went around Jericho once a day for six days and seven times on the seventh day, with seven priests blowing trumpets of rams' horns before the ark, and when the people shouted, "the wall fell down flat" (Joshua 6:20). 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.

Choose your age level

• Preschool (ages 3–5), 20–30 minutes, 3 pages: a tiptoe walk game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, an act-it-out wall of blocks to push down flat, and a shortened memory verse ("Be strong and of a good courage") with a motion. The end of the city is left out, with a teacher note on what to say if a child asks.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: the Not a Sound game, the story in simple words from Rahab and the spies to the wall falling down flat, five recall questions with answers, and the March Around the Wall memory verse game with seven sheets of paper.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (Rahab and the scarlet line, the six quiet days, the rereward, Hebrews 11:30), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: students read Joshua 6 out loud themselves, then compare Israel's faith and Rahab's faith (Hebrews 11:30–31; James 2:25). Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Joshua 1:9 and Hebrews 11:30).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: Joshua 6 (with Joshua 2 for Rahab)
• Main point: God's people obeyed God, and God did what He said.
• Memory verse: Joshua 1:9 (KJV), with Hebrews 11:30 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about staying quiet and waiting, or about a plan that seems strange.
2. Bible story: Rahab hides the spies and binds the scarlet line in her window. God's people go around Jericho once a day for six days without a word, then seven times on the seventh day. The priests blow the trumpets, the people shout, and the wall falls down flat. Rahab and her family are saved. 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 Joshua 1:9.
5. What this means for us: obeying God, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the walls of Jericho word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the walls of Jericho craft, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching the walls of Jericho

• Read Joshua 6:20 straight from your Bible: "the wall fell down flat." It is the heart of the story.
• Keep to what Joshua 6 says: seven priests with seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark, once a day for six days, seven times on the seventh day. The priests blew the trumpets as they went (6:9); it was the people who stayed silent until the shout (6:10).
• Tell the end of the city gently. The preschool and kindergarten to 2nd grade lessons leave it out, the older levels say it in one sentence, and every level has a teacher note on what to say if a child asks.
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.