Rehoboam Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free Rehoboam Sunday school lesson teaches kids to listen to wise counsel and speak good words. All Israel came to Shechem to make Rehoboam king and asked him to make his father's "heavy yoke" lighter (1 Kings 12:1, 12:4). The old men told him to "speak good words to them" (12:7), but he "forsook the counsel of the old men" (12:8) and answered roughly, "I will add to your yoke" (12:14). Israel went to their tents and made Jeroboam king, and only Judah followed the house of David (12:16, 12:20). 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 heavy-and-light game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("speak good words to them") with a motion, and a drawing activity.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: the Heavy or Light? game with a bag of books, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, a verse-strip memory game, and a Good Words Toss game.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: a who-would-you-ask game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the heavy yoke, the two kinds of counsel, the rough answer, the kingdom split), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: students read 1 Kings 12 out loud themselves, then discuss servant leadership, advice that just agrees with us, soft and grievous words, and God's rule over people's choices. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (1 Kings 12:7 and Proverbs 15:1).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: 1 Kings 12:1–20
• Main point: King Rehoboam would not listen to wise counsel, and his kingdom was split. We listen to wise counsel and speak good words.
• Memory verse: 1 Kings 12:7 (KJV), with Proverbs 15:1 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about heavy loads or choosing good advice.
2. Bible story: the people ask for a lighter yoke (1 Kings 12:4), the old men's counsel (12:7), the young men's counsel (12:10–11), the rough answer (12:13–14), "to your tents, O Israel" (12:16), and Jeroboam made king while Judah follows the house of David (12:20). 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 1 Kings 12:7.
5. What this means for us: listening to wise counsel, serving like Jesus (Mark 10:45), the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the Rehoboam craft, a Good Words Toss game, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching Rehoboam

• Read 1 Kings 12:7 straight from your Bible. The old men's counsel is the heart of the lesson: serve the people and speak good words.
• Explain the yoke with a picture or a quick sketch: a wooden bar across the necks of two oxen. The people used it to mean the hard service Solomon put on them (12:4).
• The young men's harsh words (12:10–11) and the death of the man over the tribute (12:18) are softened or left out for younger kids; each level has a short teacher note.
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.