Paul and Barnabas Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free Paul and Barnabas Sunday school lesson teaches kids that God sends us to tell others about Him. The Holy Ghost said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them" (Acts 13:2), and the church sent them out to preach. At Lystra, Paul said to a man who had never walked, "Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked" (14:10). When the people tried to worship them, Paul and Barnabas gave God the glory and pointed them to "the living God" (14:15). 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 Stand Up Tall! game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work") with motions, and the healed man to draw and color.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: a Sent Out Two by Two game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Two by Two memory verse game, and Who Can I Tell?
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: a Who Gets the Glory? game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (Barnabas and Saul in Antioch, the church fasting and praying, the man at Lystra, "We also are men"), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: students read Acts 13:1–5 and 14:8–22 out loud themselves, then discuss God's call, faith to be healed, refusing worship, and the crowd that turned. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Acts 13:2 and Psalms 115:1).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: Acts 13:1–5; 14:8–20
• Main point: God sends us to tell others about Him, and we give God the glory.
• Memory verse: Acts 13:2 (KJV), with Psalms 115:1 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about being sent out together, or about who gets the glory.
2. Bible story: the Holy Ghost says, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul" (Acts 13:2), the church sends them out to preach (13:3–5), a man at Lystra who never had walked leaps and walks (14:8–10), Paul and Barnabas refuse to be worshiped and point to the living God (14:11–15), and Paul rises up after he is stoned (14:19–20). 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 Acts 13:2.
5. What this means for us: tell others about God and give Him the glory, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the Paul and Barnabas craft, Who Can I Tell?, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching Paul and Barnabas

• Tell the kids that Saul and Paul are the same man: "Saul, (who also is called Paul,)" (Acts 13:9).
• Explain the old words: ministered means served God, fasted means went without food to seek God, and impotent in his feet means his feet had no strength (14:8).
• The stoning is told in one gentle, true sentence for older kids and left out for preschool. Always end where the Bible does: "he rose up" (14:20).
• The false gods the people named (14:12) are mentioned only in a preteen teacher note. Keep the focus on "the living God" (14:15).
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.