Solomon's Temple Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free Solomon's temple Sunday school lesson teaches kids that God wants to dwell with His people. King Solomon built the house of the LORD of stone made ready, "so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building" (1 Kings 6:7). He lined it with cedar, covered it with pure gold, and when the ark was brought in, "the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD" (8:11). It comes in four age levels, each a separate printable teacher lesson, plus one take-home sheet for families.

Choose your age level

• Preschool (ages 3–5), 20–30 minutes, 2 pages: a Shh, Builders! block game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("I will dwell among the children of Israel") with a motion, and a golden house to draw.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: a Quiet Builders game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Brick Wall memory verse game, and a Quiet House drawing.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: kids measure in cubits, then look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the size of the house, the quiet building, God's "if" and "then," cedar and gold, the ark and the cloud), 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 6:1–14 and 8:1–11 out loud themselves, then discuss God's conditional promise, quiet and careful work, giving God your best where no one sees, and being the temple of God. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (1 Kings 6:13 and 6:12).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: 1 Kings 6; 8:1–11
• Main point: God wants to live with His people, and He does not leave those who walk with Him.
• Memory verse: 1 Kings 6:13 (KJV), with 1 Kings 6:12 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a quiet building game, measuring in cubits, or "best or leftovers," depending on the age.
2. Bible story: Solomon begins in the fourth year of his reign (1 Kings 6:1), stone made ready so no hammer was heard (6:7), cedar inside and pure gold over it (6:15–22), God's promise to dwell with His people (6:12–13), seven years of building (6:38), the ark brought into the most holy place (8:6), and the cloud of the glory of the LORD (8:10–11). 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 6:13.
5. What this means for us: God came to dwell with us in Jesus (John 1:14), the gospel (Acts 2:38), we are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the Solomon's temple craft, a Quiet House drawing, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching Solomon's temple

• Play the quiet building game first. Kids remember 1 Kings 6:7 when they have tried to build without a sound.
• Read God's promise whole: the "if" in 1 Kings 6:12 comes before "I will dwell" in 6:13. Older kids talk about it.
• Bring the cubit to life: 60 cubits is about 90 feet, so measure it in the hallway or the parking lot.
• The cherubims in 1 Kings 6 are figures carved from olive wood and covered with gold (6:23–28). Stay with what the text says.
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.