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Prodigal Son Play for Kids: A Father's Day Skit for Church

A free 6-minute prodigal son play for kids church and Father's Day. A narrator reads Luke 15:11–32 from the KJV while children act out the father who ran.

Preschool–Grade 5

Prodigal Son Play for Kids: A Father's Day Skit for Church

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Free to print and copy for your church, classroom, VBS and home. Please don't resell or re-post our files; link to the page instead.

Ages
Preschool (3–5), Early Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5)
Time
6 minutes (two 20-minute rehearsals)
Scripture
Luke 15:11–32; 1 John 1:9
Bible story
The Prodigal Son

What you need

  • A Bible or this script for the narrator
  • A small bag of play coins for the younger son
  • A robe, a toy ring and a pair of sandals for the servants to bring
  • Bathrobes, towels and rope belts for the father, the sons, the citizen and the servants
  • Pink paper ears or noses for the swine

Steps

  1. Give every child a part. The swine and the servants can be any number, so nobody is left out.
  2. Rehearse twice, about 20 minutes each. Practice walking to each spot more than the lines.
  3. The narrator reads the Bible verses slowly and nods when it is a child's turn.
  4. End with everyone saying 1 John 1:9 together, then sing the first verse of Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling.

A prodigal son play for kids that fits Father's Day. A narrator reads Jesus' story straight from the King James Bible while the children act it out: the father, his two sons, the citizen in the far country, the swine and the servants. Most children have one short line or a simple motion, so it works with two rehearsals.

How it runs (about 6 minutes):

  1. The younger son leaves with his share and wastes it in a far country (Luke 15:11–13).
  2. In the far country a famine comes, he feeds swine, and he comes to himself (Luke 15:14–17).
  3. The father runs to him while he is "yet a great way off", and calls for the best robe, a ring and shoes (Luke 15:20–24).
  4. The older son is angry, and his father comes out to him (Luke 15:25–32).
  5. Finale: everyone says 1 John 1:9, the memory verse of our prodigal son story set, and sings Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling (public domain).

Tips

  • Lines are short on purpose. If a child freezes, the narrator says the line with them.
  • Costumes: bathrobes, towels and rope belts for everyone. Keep every costume modest.
  • Practice the run. Tape an X for the father's spot and one for the far country, and let the father really run.
  • The swine steal the show. Give your youngest ones pink paper ears and let them crawl around the younger son.
  • It's faithful to Luke 15. The narrator reads the King James words, the children say a few of the story's lines simply, and verses 25 and 30 are left out. The play adds no events and ends where Jesus ended the story, without saying whether the older son went in.

Use it in our Father's Day program for church, follow it with the Father's Day devotional, or play the Father's Day left right game, which tells the same story.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this prodigal son play?

About 6 minutes. The narrator carries the story with the King James words of Luke 15:11–32, and the children say one short line each or do a simple motion.

How many children can be in it?

Anywhere from 6 to 25. The father, the two sons and the citizen are single parts; the swine and the servants can be as many as you have.

Why does it fit Father's Day?

Jesus' story is about a father who saw his son "a great way off", ran to him and forgave him (Luke 15:20). It shows what a good father is like, and what God is like.

Does the play leave anything out?

The narrator reads most of Luke 15:11–32 in the King James words, the children say a few of the story's lines in simple words, and verses 25 and 30 are left out. It adds no events, and it ends where Jesus ended the story.

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