Ruth and Naomi Lesson for Kids

This free Ruth and Naomi lesson for kids teaches loyalty: when Naomi went home to Bethlehem, Orpah turned back, but Ruth said, "whither thou goest, I will go; … thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God" (Ruth 1:16). God took care of them through the kindness of Boaz, and Ruth became the great-grandmother of King David. 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, 2 pages: a follow-the-leader game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("whither thou goest, I will go") with motions, and a barley gleaning game.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 4 pages: the Follow Me game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Follow the Footprints memory game, and the Handfuls of Purpose gleaning game.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: a stay-or-go loyalty game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the choice on the road, Mara, gleaning, handfuls of purpose, the city gate and the shoe), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: students read Ruth 1, 2 and 4 out loud themselves, then discuss the cost of loyalty, God at work behind the scenes, kindness on purpose, and redemption (1 Peter 1:18–19). Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Ruth 1:16 and Proverbs 17:17).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: Ruth 1–4
• Main point: Ruth stayed loyal to Naomi and chose Naomi's God, and God took care of them. We can be loyal and kind too.
• Memory verse: Ruth 1:16 (KJV), with Proverbs 17:17 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: follow the leader, a stay-or-go game, or a what-does-it-cost game.
2. Bible story: the famine and the move to Moab, the choice on the road (Orpah went back, Ruth stayed), "whither thou goest, I will go," gleaning in the field of Boaz, the handfuls of purpose and the ephah of barley, Ruth 3 told briefly, the city gate, and the birth of Obed, the grandfather of David. 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 motions to help kids learn Ruth 1:16.
5. What this means for us: be loyal and kind, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the Ruth and Naomi word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the Ruth and Naomi craft, a gleaning game, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching Ruth and Naomi

• Read Ruth 1:16 straight from your Bible. Explain whither (where) and lodgest (stay the night) before kids try to learn it.
• Ruth chapter 3 is told briefly in every level, and left out for preschool. Keep to what's written: Ruth asked Boaz, a near kinsman, to help (3:9), and he did it the right way at the city gate (4:9–10).
• The story starts with three deaths (Ruth 1:3–5). Tell it gently, and show how God cared for Naomi in the end (4:14–16).
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.