Free Sample Sunday School
Lesson for Children

The following Sunday School lesson for children is a sample Sunday school lesson.
There are many more Sunday School lessons for children available on The Resource Room.

The Good Shepherd

Scripture References:
Memory Verse: , " I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me." John 10:14

Story Reference: Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd."

Printable Bible Phrase Cards: Print out the cards onto card stock, cut them apart, and send one home with each child. KJV Pattern or NIV Pattern. This verse is different than the one on the ABC worksheet below.) (Printing Problems?)

Teaching Concepts: God is like a good shepherd: He knows us, leads us, protects us, and keeps us from harm.

Take Home Letter- Print out the letters, cut them apart, and send home with the children.

Early Arrivals Activity

1. Make a Cotton Ball Sheep

Before class print out the patterns for the sheep. Have your children color the picture first and then glue cotton balls, fiberfill, popcorn, noodles painted white, or crinkled up white tissue paper onto the sheep's body. (If you don't have a local craft store you can buy foam flowers from Oriental Trading Company. Just type in "foam flowers" in the search box to find them.)

This craft can be made two different ways. You can print out the pattern of the whole sheep and just have the children glue on the materials. This works okay but they tend to cover up parts of the head with the cotton. You can also print out the body and head patterns separately. When the children are all done gluing the cotton on, then they glue the head pattern on top of the cotton as shown in the picture above. Whole Sheep Pattern, just the Body of the Sheep Pattern, and the Heads for the Sheep. (Printing Problems?)

2. Lamb of God Cup Craft

What you will need:

9-oz. White Party Cups

Pink Pompoms

Cotton Balls

Blue Paper (Optional)

White Colored Pencils

White Glue, Card Stock, and tape

What to do:

1. Before class print out the Sheep Head Pattern onto cardstock (Heavy Paper) and cut it out.

2. Tape the pattern onto the paper cup matching the edge of the pattern to the bottom edge of the paper cup.

3. Cut out around the pattern, and then fold down the ears.

4. Print out the Background Pattern onto blue paper. (Available to Member Only on The Resource Room.)

5. Cut the cotton balls in half so they are thinner and go farther.

6. In class have your children glue cotton balls onto the sheep pattern, draw a face on the cup, color the legs with white crayon or colored pencil, and glue a pink pompom on for the nose. Then have them glue the cup head to the pattern page.

The Lesson

How would you describe God? What is he like? (Let the children answer and write their answers on the board.)

Here are some of the ways God is described in the Bible: He is our rock He is a shelter from the storm, our hiding place, a gardener, spring of living water, bread of life, friend, light of the world, master, morning star, doctor, King, Judge, Ruler, Savior, Teacher, and our creator.

Today we are going to look at how David describes God. Does anyone remember what David's job was? He was a shepherd before he became king. He described God as the good shepherd in Psalms. Does everyone know what a shepherd is?

If God is our shepherd what does that make us? Sheep.

Did you know that we are a lot like sheep? Can anyone think of a way we might be like sheep? ( Hold up a stuffed sheep and let the children come up with some ideas.)

Sheep need a shepherd to guide them, protect them and help them. We need God to guide us, protect us and help us too.

Tangled up
Sometimes sheep get themselves tangled up in brambles because they aren't looking where they are going. Their fleece is thick and the more they try to free themselves the more stuck they become. The shepherd has to come and cut the sheep free.

Fall over
Sometimes sheep fall over and can't get up by themselves. The shepherd has to come and help them up.

Lost
Sheep don't always pay attention to where they are going. Sometimes they are so concerned about what they are eating that they tend to wander off and get lost and the shepherd has to go out and look for them.

We need God to help just like sheep need a shepherd to help them when they get in trouble. We need God to help us do the right things. Sheep need the shepherd to save them when they are in trouble. We need Jesus to save us from our sins. He died for us so we can be forgiven of our sins and live forever with him in heaven.

We are a lot like sheep. There are so many things going on around us that we sometimes forget about God and what he wants us to do. Instead of reading our Bibles and praying, we wonder off to do other things. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us and remind us about God.

Protection
Sheep can't protect themselves very well. They don't have sharp claws or sharp teeth and they don't run very fast. The shepherd has to protect his sheep from dangerous animals. He carries a rod or stick that he uses to fight off any wild animals. We also need God's protection. We can go to him when we are in trouble or scared and he will comfort us.

God is our shepherd. He is a good shepherd. A good shepherd knows each one of his sheep by name. He not only knows their names, but he knows every thing about them. He knows what they sound like. He can tell by the way they cry if they are in trouble, or lost, or sick. God, our shepherd, knows everything about you. He loves you just the way you are, bad things and all. He knows when you are sad, or happy, or lonely.

A good shepherd never leaves his sheep alone.(Psalm 23:6) God will never leave you because he is your good shepherd. (Matthew 28:20)

The Bible tells us (Open your Bible and read the verse) in John 10:14, " I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me." Use the bulletin board review sheep (below) to review the Bible verse. Put the sheep in order and go over the verse. Mix up the sheep and have the children put them back in order. Save them for next week as a review.

How to Print or Copy these instructions.

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Prayer

Father, thank you for being our good shepherd. Thank you for protecting us, and guiding us, and dying on the cross so that we might be saved. Forgive us when we don't always follow you. Keep us on the right paths and show us the way you would like us to go. Amen.

Bible Verse Review

Print out extra sheep from the bulletin board display patterns below. Cut out the sheep and glue them onto separate pieces of construction paper. Write one word of the Bible verse, "I am the good shepherd", on each sheet next to the sheep. Use these to review the Bible verse. Put the sheep in order and go over the verse. Mix them all up and have the children try to put them back in order. Use them next week as a review.

Bulletin Board Display

"God is Our Shepherd and We are His Lambs" Bulletin Board Display

What you will: Printer paper, gray and pink crayons, and stapler.

What to do:

1. Print out the following files

1. Sheep pattern
2. Sheep pattern 2
3. Sheep border/ vertical
4. Sheep border/ horizontal
5. Title pattern - Use legal-sized paper for this pattern

2. Cut the rows of sheep apart and staple them one on top of the other or next to each other to make a border around your board.

3. Cut out the title words and glue them onto to the center of two sheets of construction paper that have been stapled in the center of your board side by side.

4. Color and cut out the sheep and place them around the title as shown above and around your board.

How to Print or Copy these instructions.

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Sheep Bulletin Board Display

Sheep Pattern 1, Sheep Pattern 2, Sheep Pattern 3, Sheep Pattern 4, Sheep Pattern 5, Sheep Pattern 6, Sheep Pattern 7, Sheep Pattern 8, Sheep Pattern 9, Sheep Pattern 10

How to Print or Copy these instructions.

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Crafts

1. Make a "God Loves You" Sheep with Noodles or Cotton Balls.

What you will need: Card stock, crayons or markers, macaroni noodles, white paint, and glue.

What to do:

1. Before class spray paint raw macaroni noodles white.

2. Print out the Sheep Pattern onto card stock (heavy paper). (Problems Printing?)

3. In class have the children color the sheep picture and then glue macaroni noodles onto the sheep. 

How to Print or Copy these instructions.

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2. Make a Shaking Head Sheep

This little guy looks great in your car. It shakes its head up and down as you drive.

What you will need: Cotton balls, card stock, black markers, scissors, staples, glue

How to make:

1. Print out the Sheep Pattern onto card stock.

2. Cut out the pattern pieces.

3. Glue or staple the body pattern together to form a cone shape.

4. Cut large cotton balls into smaller shapes and glue them all over the cone shape.

5. Glue the legs and arms onto the sheep's body as shown in the picture.

6. Cut the sheep's mouth open a little bit and glue the sign inside its mouth.

7. Fan fold the sheep's neck and attach it to the inside of the top of the cone. Glue the head to the other end of the neck.  The neck should move up and down when you move the sheep.

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3. Make a Shepherd Boy with Sheep Standup Figure.

What you will need: Card stock, colored pencils or crayons, tape and scissors.

How to make:

1. Print out the Patterns onto card stock and cut them out on the dark lines and around the head. (Printing Problems?)

2. In class have the children color the shepherd and then bring the sides together to form a cone shape so that he can stand up.

 

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Activities

1. Play a Sheep Game.

The children in this game are sheep. The object of the game is to get to the green pasture first by throwing the die and moving forward the amount of spaces indicated on the die. If a sheep lands on a purple situation space, the sheep picks up a situation card and does what it says on the card. The sheep can lose a turn, or move forward or backward spaces depending on the situation.

What you will need: Card stock (heavy paper), scissors, a die, and tape

What to do:

1. Before class print out the game board patterns, trim the edges, and tape them together to make a long board. Pattern 1, Pattern 2, and Pattern 3.

2. Print out the Sheep Game Pieces, cut them apart, fold them back at the fold lines and tape the edges together to make a wedge shape that will stand up on the board.

3. Print out the Situation Cards, cut them apart and place them in a pile next to the board. Cards 1 and Cards 2 (Printing Problems)

4. Give each child a shee game piece and have them write their names on the back. To play have the children take turns throwing the die and moving ahead that many spaces. If a child lands on a purple space, he has to pick up a card and do what it says. If he lands on something other than the purple space he stays there. The first child to reach the new pasture first wins.

Comments:

We played the Lost Sheep game and really enjoyed it. I made little sheep for the game board by using the top left sheep graphic in the coloring page. I printed a number of these out onto cardboard and stuck a cotton ball to the back of it (this was to give it a little stability - though not 100% successful!). I then drew a different colored bow onto each sheep to distinguish them and they looked quite cute. We used a 2 liter juice carton with colored dots on it to make a dice and this was very successful for my age of my girls (preschool). Vicki Budden

You can also have the children be the sheep and make a life-size game area.

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2. Play "Gathering Your Sheep" Balloon Game.

What you will need: Balloons to make "sheep", newspaper, masking tape, two chairs, and an electric fan.

Preparation:

1. Before class blow up some balloons and draw a sheep face, ears, and tails on them with thick permanent markers.

2. Set up the two chairs at one end of the room, and a masking tape start line at the other end.

3. Roll up some newspapers to make rods and tape them so that they don't come apart.

4. Have about three children play at once depending on how much room you have.

How to Play:

1. Tell the children that they are going to pretend they are shepherds and that the balloons are their sheep. Give each child a sheep.

2. Show them the rods and tell them that the object of the game is to be the first shepherd to get his sheep into the fold with the rest of the sheep (between the chairs. Tell them that "Anyone caught hitting someone with their rod will have to sit out of the game."Give each child a rod.

3. Have 3 children stand at the start line with their balloon in front of them. The first child to push their "sheep" across the floor with their "rod" through the "gate" is the winner of that round. Once all the children get a chance to play, make the game harder by turning on a fan.

How to Print or Copy these instructions.

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Copyright 2000 by The Resource Room
Danielle's Place of Crafts and Activities
http://www.daniellesplace.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information or storage retrieval system, except for local church or school use only. This copyright notice must be included on all copies. Requests for permission to copy this material for any other uses should be addressed to Carolyn Warvel, 588 Duran Street, Henderson, NV 89015 or e-mail me at care@daniellesplace.com

Comments

We would love to hear your comments about this lesson. If you have done this lesson with your class we would love to hear how it went, if you changed anything, added anything, what age you taught and was it appropriate. Any comments that would help other teachers would be greatly appreciated and posted here for everyone to read.

I teach the 0 to 5 year old class in Sunday school. Last week, we did The Good Shepherd lesson. I did change some of it to help my children to understand it better, as they are a little younger than the lesson. As an example, to help teach them about one thing a good shepherd does, we played a "Lost Sheep" game. I hid "lost sheep" around the room, and the children had to be "good shepherds" and find them. We did this several times, and the children really enjoyed it. It helped to tie the lesson together. Thank you for such a wonderful lesson!! Theresa Bostick

Hi! I would just like to comment on how well the lesson on The Good Shepherd went in my Sunday School class last week. I teach three to five year olds, but there is one two year old and two six year olds in there also. Anyhow, I made the sock lamb and named him Woolie, because in last weeks class that was the name of our lost sheep in our Lost Sheep lesson. Well, Woolie came out and told the story of the Good Shepherd for me. The children just loved him, and listened to every word. We made the craft of the lamb that says shake your head if you love Jesus, and the kids liked that also. Instead of using the pattern of the body of the lamb, I cut toilet paper rolls in half and painted them white before class. The lamb stood up better that way, and it was easier for the kids to glue their cotton balls to. We also did the memory verse on the flannel board. I wrote the verse on construction paper, glued felt to the back, and cut the words out like a puzzle, so it would be easier to piece together. I also made the board game, and we played it, but we had a little trouble with the pieces getting bumped all over. It was mostly the littler ones. I'm sure it would have worked better if it were just the older ones. We had an awesome jam packed Sunday School that day! Thanks a lot for all the great ideas!!!!!Sincerely, Nichole Adrian

I am very much enjoying your site. I already did The Good Shepherd's program. I combined both the young and older kids versions. A couple of things. The kids loved the shepherd interrupting the service looking for Wooley. They also loved making the bulletin board for our church. We go to a small church, and I had children from 5 to 10 in the group. An idea I had was to have each of the kids that made a lamb for the bulletin board to put their name on the lamb. The children had a very good time and stayed very interested. I look forward to using more of your ideas. Thanks again, Crystal Haglund

Our lesson was on the good shepherd and I decided the best way to teach the kids about being a good shepherd was to let them do it themselves while I told the story. At the beginning of class, I gave each child a certain amount of cotton balls including myself. I told them they were going to be shepherds today and if they were going to be good shepherds they needed to watch over their sheep and make sure none of them disappeared during our lesson. While I told the lesson, we all had our sheep on the table and when I looked the other way a helper would come and take one or two of my sheep or I would purposely knock some off the table. So when we got to the part where I had to count my sheep to make sure they were all safe, some would be missing and the children were thrilled to tell me what happened to my sheep. At the end of the lesson I let them color the sheep page and used glue sticks to glue their sheep to their paper. They really enjoyed the participation. Ramona

My preschool Sunday school class recently completed "The Good Shepherd" lesson. The children colored the ABC coloring sheet and we did a craft from Oriental Trading CompanyOriental Trading Company, (Type in 8/2950, 48/1325, 48/3638, or 48/3653 in the search box at Oriental Trading to find this craft) called "The Lamb of God". The craft was a large cross with a verse on it that had a lamb that you could glue on. It also had ribbons and pearls and was really very pretty. Thanks!Ella Price

I thought the Sheep with Shaking Head was adorable. I made it simple for 4-5 year olds to do by having them glue it to a Styrofoam cup and glue cotton balls to the cup. Here's how it turned out (minus the cotton balls). Melinda Murphy.

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