Paul and Silas in Prison Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free Paul and Silas in prison Sunday school lesson teaches kids that we can praise God even in hard times, and that God can use it to bring others to Jesus. Beaten and locked in the stocks, "at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them" (Acts 16:25). After a great earthquake, the jailer asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" and that same night he "was baptized, he and all his, straightway" (16:30–33). 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 Shake and Freeze game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God") with a motion, and a drawing of the prison with music notes.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 4 pages: a Feet Stuck Fast game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Open the Doors memory verse game, and Midnight Praise.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: a Who Is Singing? game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the girl set free, the stocks, the earthquake, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?", and Paul standing up as a Roman), five thinking questions and three recall questions, an Earthquake Scramble verse game and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: students read Acts 16:16–34 out loud themselves, then discuss praising God at midnight, who is listening, kindness to the jailer and how believing and baptism go together in Acts. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Acts 16:25 and Psalms 34:1).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: Acts 16:16–40
• Main point: We can praise God even when things are hard, and we can tell others about Jesus.
• Memory verse: Acts 16:25 (KJV), with Psalms 34:1 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 stuck, shaking, or hearing someone sing.
2. Bible story: the girl set free "in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 16:18), Paul and Silas beaten and put in the stocks (16:22–24), singing at midnight (16:25), the great earthquake (16:26), "Do thyself no harm: for we are all here" (16:28), "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (16:30), and the jailer baptized with all his house that same night (16:31–34). 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 16:25.
5. What this means for us: praise God in hard times, believing and obeying go together, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the Paul and Silas craft, Midnight Praise, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching Paul and Silas

• Read Acts 16:25 straight from the Bible. It is the heart of the story: hurt, locked up and in the dark, they prayed and sang.
• Tell the beating and the jailer's sword simply and gently. The preschool lesson leaves out the sword and the girl with the evil spirit; the other levels have a short teacher note.
• Don't stop at "believe." The jailer believed, heard the word of the Lord and was baptized that same hour (Acts 16:31–33). Each level connects it to Acts 2:38.
• Singing fits this story. Let kids sing a song they know, softly and then louder: "the prisoners heard them."
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.