Use this Sunday school lesson to help elementary-age kids deal with grief. Find more great Sunday school lessons to help kids grow in their faith.

Elementary Sunday School Lesson: Dealing With Grief

1. Discuss how a leaf can represent grief.

You’ll need:

• a mitten
• sunscreen
• an umbrella
• sunglasses
• a small hand rake
• a leaf
• package of hot chocolate
• paper grocery bag

Put all the supplies in the paper grocery bag.

Say: I’m going to show you an object and you tell me which season of the year it reminds you of. (Go through all the items, except for the leaf.) Read aloud Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

Say: Just as there are different seasons of the year, there’s a time for everything. These verses say there is a time to be born and a time to die. Everything that is born lives and eventually dies.

Ask:

• What happens to this leaf in the fall?
• Why has it fallen?

Say: When someone we love dies, we’re usually very sad. God can help us while we grieve or feel sad over someone’s death.

2. See how Jesus dealt with grief.

You’ll need:

• a robe or large piece of fabric to drape around shoulders

Say: Jesus understands our sadness when we grieve. He had a friend named Lazarus who died. This made Jesus very sad. In John 11:35, the Bible says that Jesus cried. This is the only time in the Bible that it says Jesus cried.

Dress up in biblical attire like Jesus. Or have a young person or adult do so. In costume, tell the story of Lazarus from John 11:1-46. Involve children by allowing them to interview Jesus. Have the storyteller “Jesus” talk about how he felt when his friend died and about the hope we have because Jesus came to die for our sins.

Ask:

• How do you think Lazarus felt? Mary? Martha?
• How would you have felt if your brother had died? if Jesus had brought your brother back to life?
• Why do we feel such sadness when someone we love dies?
• How can Jesus help us when we’re sad?

3. Experience hope.

You’ll need one per child of the following:

• slip of paper
• pencil
• yellow balloon

Give each child one slip of paper, a pencil, and a yellow balloon. Have children each write on their piece of paper something that gives them hope when they’re sad. Explain that hope is the ability to look forward to something even when we’re hurting. Have kids each slip their paper into their balloon, blow up the balloon, and tie it off. Put all the balloons in a pile in the middle of a circle.

Say: Pick out one balloon. On the count of three, sit on your balloon and pop it. 1-2-3 POP! Go around the circle and have each child read the message of hope on their slip. Read aloud John 3:16.

Tip

If you have children with noise sensitivities, instead of sitting on the balloons and popping them loudly, distribute scissors to all of your helpers so kids can bring balloons to them to carefully snip a small hole in the balloon near the tied off end. This will allow the air to escape slowly and without distressing noise.

Say: Jesus promises to give eternal life to people who choose to follow him. We may be sad when people die, but we can have hope because of Jesus’ amazing love. A friendship with Jesus means a forever life and forever friendship with him in heaven.

4. Make a snack about hope in Jesus.

You’ll need:

• heat-and-serve breadsticks
• no-stick cooking spray
• sugar
• cinnamon
• a knife
• cookie sheets

Say: When we’re sad, we can remember that Jesus is always with us! Jesus cares about our hearts and he’s close and ready to listen to you—you can tell him anything and exactly how you’re feeling. The cross helps us think about Jesus when we’re experiencing grief because someone has died.

Give each child one and a half breadsticks. Have children pinch the long and the short pieces together to form a cross. Have the children sprinkle the top of the cross with sugar and cinnamon. Spray a cookie sheet with no-stick spray. Place crosses on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Then enjoy the sweet reminder of Jesus’ caring love.

Elaine Friedrich served as a director of elementary ministries in Texas.

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