Preschool Sunday School Valentine’s Day Lesson
Use this preschool Sunday school Valentine’s Day lesson to learn about Jesus’ love. Find more great Sunday school lessons to help kids grow in their faith at childrensministry.com.
1. Warm Fuzzies
You’ll need:
Form a circle and put the teddy bear in the center.
Ask:
- Do you have a favorite stuffed animal?
- Why do you like it?
Give the bear to a child. Ask that child to tell one thing their parent or family member does that shows them they’re loved. For example, a child might say, “My dad hugs me.” Have the child pass the bear to the next child in the circle for the same purpose.
After children have shared, say: God loves you. God loves you more than we love our teddy bears. God’s love is warm and fuzzy and makes us feel good.
2. Valentine’s Day: God’s Love
You’ll need:
Sit in a chair several feet from the children. Hug and talk to the teddy bear. Tell the children they have to watch; they can’t come near you. Tell the teddy bear how much you love it.
One at a time, have children come and sit next to you. The other children must stay back until their names are called. As a child sits next to you, let that child hug the teddy bear as you name one thing you appreciate about that child. For example, you could say, “Manuel, I love that you are a good friend” or “Emma, I love that you put others first.”
After you’ve individually affirmed each child, gather the kids near you. Read aloud Mark 10:13-16.
Ask:
- What was I doing when you had to stay away from me?
- Did you like having to stay away?
- How did you feel when you got to sit near me and hold the teddy bear?
Say: One day, some children wanted to see Jesus. But Jesus’ disciples wanted the children to go away. Jesus told the children that they could stay, and he was kind to them. Jesus loves children.
3. Acts of Kindness Book
You’ll need:
- crayons
- 3X5 cards
- a stapler
Say: Valentine’s Day is a great time to tell people how much you love them. We’re going to make Acts of Kindness Books for special people in our lives. The book could be for your mom, dad, sibling, grandparent, or special friend.
Give each child ten 3X5 cards. Have kids color pictures on their cards. Help kids pile the 10 cards on top of each other and staple them together like a book.
Say: You listened to the story about Jesus showing love to children. Jesus likes it when we show how much we love the special people in our lives. Doing small acts of kindness is a great way to show love to other people. Acts of kindness could be things like giving your mom a hug or helping your dad carry in the groceries. An act of kindness could even be letting your sibling have the last cookie in the jar.
Ask: What are some ways you can show love and kindness to the people in your lives?
Say: Those are all great ways to show love to people! On Valentine’s Day, give your Acts of Kindness Book to the special person in your life. Then, whenever that person tears a page out of that book and gives it to you, that’s your reminder to do an act of kindness for them.
Send home instruction sheets that explain the purpose of the Acts of Kindness Book. The instruction sheets could look something like this:
“Hi grown-ups! Today your kids learned about showing love and kindness like Jesus did. They’re bringing home something called an ‘Acts of Kindness Book.’ On Valentines Day, your kids plan to give you the book they made. When you tear out a page of that book and give it to your child, that’s your kid’s cue to do an act of kindness for you. Maybe your child will give you a hug or help you carry in groceries. Whatever it is, be sure to thank them for showing love like Jesus does. (And if your kid needs help thinking of acts of kindness, you are welcome to give ideas!) Wishing you and your family a happy Valentine’s Day!”
Close in a prayer of thanks for the special people in kids’ lives.
4. Valentine’s Day Snack
You’ll need:
- message heart candies (make sure to check for allergies AND ensure that the messages on the candies are kid-friendly)
Have kids each find at least five candies that give them ideas of ways to show love to their families. Then allow them to eat the candies.
Mike Gillespie served kids as a Christian educator in Kentucky.
Need more Valetine’s Day ideas? You can find lots of fun and practical ideas in the book
Looking for even more great Valentine’s Day ideas? Check out all our Valentine’s Day posts.
