Preschool Children’s Church Lesson for Father’s Day
In this FULL, ready-to-use preschool children’s church lesson for Father’s Day, preschoolers celebrate their dads (and special father figures). As preschoolers remember how wonderful their earthly fathers are, use their joy and enthusiasm to celebrate our good, Father God, too.
The following sections each reinforce the Bible point that God is a loving Father:
- Section #1: Introduce the Preschool Lesson—Learn a rhyming fingerplay, then play a version of Simon Says.
- Section #2: Sing a Father’s Day Song—Sing a song about God our Father to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot.”
- Section #3: Teach the Story—Learn about the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and have a “welcome home” party
- Section #4: Experience Protecting Love—Insulate hands before placing them in ice water.
- You’ll need:
- plastic pitchers of ice (1 for every 3 kids)
- extra ice
- quart-size resealable bags (2 per child)
- shortening (3 heaping tablespoons per child, plus some extra)
- tablespoons
- Easy Prep:
- Put ice in the pitchers, and fill them no more than half full of water.
Section #1: Introduce the Preschool Lesson
Welcome kids warmly as they arrive, and ask them how their week went.
Say: Today is Father’s Day! We get to celebrate all the great things about our dads or other dad-like people in our lives. We’ll also discover there’s another dad everyone can celebrate—God. God is a loving Father! Let’s say a special rhyme together, and then we’ll play a game to remember how our dads lead us.
Read the following poem a few times, leading kids in the motions.
God, please bless my dad. (make praying hands)
He holds my hand (clasp hands together)
And makes me glad. (use pointer fingers to point to smiling mouth)
Dad picks me up (point up)
If I’ve fallen down, (point down)
And I love it when we clown around. (hold hands at cheeks while making a silly face)
Dad guides me in what to do. (count with fingers, 1…2…3)
God, I’m thankful for him, and I’m thankful for you! (place hands over heart)
After the fingerplay, launch into the following version of Simon Says.
Say: We know dads love us and want what’s best for us. That’s one reason they tell us what to do. And we show love to our dads by obeying them. Let’s have some fun practicing doing what we’re told.
Have kids spread out around the room. Play for about nine minutes, giving instructions that sometimes begin with “Dad says.” You could even allow kids to take turns giving instructions such as…
- Hop on one foot.
- Dad says, “Put your hands on your head.”
- Clap your hands.
- Dad says, “Twirl in a circle.”
- Touch your toes.
Say: We had some silly instructions to follow in our game. Most of the instructions dads give are not silly; they help us be safe and healthy. God loves us and wants us to be safe and healthy, too. So we can also follow God’s instructions like we follow our dads’ because God is a loving Father.
Section #2: Sing a Father’s Day Song
You’ll need:
What you’ll do:
Say: God is a loving Father. To all of us—even our fathers! The Bible tells us so in the Bible book of 1 John, chapter 3, verse 1. Let’s hear what that verse says!
Read aloud only the first sentence of 1 John 3:1.
Say: Though we may have different fathers here on earth, we all have one Father in heaven. God is a loving Father. Let’s celebrate God today—for Father’s Day—and sing a song for him!
Sing this song to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot.”
I’ve got a Father (point thumb to chest, indicating “me”)
Big and strong. (show muscles)
He loves me my (put hands over heart)
Whole life long. (on each word, point left, center, right)
When I need a hand, (hold out right hand)
Just hear me shout. (hold hands up to mouth and shout the word “shout”):
God in heaven can (point up)
Help me out! (point thumb to chest, indicating “me”)
Say: It’s true…God is a loving Father, and we can talk with him by praying. We can pray any time and about anything. Let’s do that now before we hear a Bible story all about a father’s love.
Gather everyone to sit in a knee-to-knee circle.
Pray: Father God, we’re so excited to know that you’re our Father in heaven! As we celebrate dads today, we also celebrate you. Thank you for being our loving Father and listening when we talk with you. Thank you for your help. We love you, God!
Invite all the kids to shout, “Amen
Section #3: Teach the Story
You’ll need:
The Parable of the Lost Son
Say: To help us understand just how big God’s fatherly love for us is, Jesus once told a story about a loving father.
Open your Bible to Luke 15.
Say: In the story, Jesus said there was a man with two sons.
Lead kids in counting to two.
Say: One of his sons came to him one day and asked for some money. But he didn’t just ask for a little bit of money; he asked his dad to give him a lot of money. He wanted so much money that he could go away from his dad’s house and live by himself.
That made his dad sad. But he still gave his son the money, and the son left.
Share an example of how you felt when someone you love had to leave.
Ask: How do you feel when someone you love has to leave?
Say: The son moved far, far away. The dad must’ve been very sad.
Lead kids in pretending to wipe tears from their faces to show the dad’s sadness.
Say: After moving away, the son spent his money really fast. He used it up on things that weren’t good for him. And pretty soon, his money was all gone.
Guide kids in holding both their palms facing up to show that he had no money left.
The Prodigal Son Faces Hardships
Say: The son had to find a job to earn money. The only job he could find was a job feeding pigs.
Invite kids to make “oink” sounds.
Say: Now that’s a dirty, stinky job! Ew!
Lead the children to pinch their noses to show that it was stinky.
Say: Even though he was working, he still didn’t make enough money to pay for food and a place to live. And he was so hungry!
Lead the children in rubbing their tummies like they’re hungry.
Say: He was so hungry that when he looked at the pig food, it looked good to him—yucky, dirty pig food!
Ask: What’s a food you don’t like to eat?
Say: The son was so hungry that he’d eat anything—even yucky pig food or probably any food he didn’t like! Pause. But then he remembered something! The people who worked for his dad had food. They weren’t hungry. So right then he decided to go home and ask if he could work for his dad. He thought maybe his dad would let him live with the other workers after he’d left home and spent all the money his dad gave him.
Ask:
- Show me if you think his dad would want him to come home. Invite kids to show “yes” with a thumbs-up or “no” with a thumbs-down.
- Why did you make your choice?
The Prodigal Son Goes Home
Say: Well, the son walked a long, long way to get home. And his dad saw him coming from far away. And guess what he did—the father ran to his son!
Invite kids to jump up and run in place for about 15 seconds, then sit down again.
Say: The dad loved his son so much! He was so happy that his son came home.
Lead the children in a cheer.
Say: He forgave how his son took his money, because he loved his son no matter what!
Our Father, God, loves us like that! God loves us no matter what. Jesus wanted us to know that through this story he told about a father and a son. It shows us that God is a loving Father.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. The dad was so happy that his son came home that he threw him a big party! Let’s have a welcome home party right now.
Form two groups, and have one group stand along one wall and the other group stand along the opposite wall. Make sure there’s an even number of kids in each group. If there isn’t, have an adult or teen helper join in.
Point to one group, and say: Pretend that you’re the daddies in the story.
Point to the other group, and say: Pretend that you’re the sons in the story.
When I say “go,” you “sons” wave and say, “I’m coming home!” And you “daddies” say, “I missed you!”
Then have all the children run to the center of the room and find someone from the opposite group. As kids run to meet each other, turn on an upbeat song, and show the children how to link arms and skip or walk around in circles to the music for about 30 seconds.
Stop the music, and have the children return to their original walls. Switch roles, and repeat. If time allows, let kids meet in the middle and celebrate several times.
Talk About It
Say: God is a loving Father. And God loves you no matter what.
Ask: What excites you about being loved by our Father, God?
Say: God’s love is strong and caring. God’s love is forgiving, and it’s forever. What a special love to celebrate on Father’s Day!
Section #4: Experience Protecting Love
You’ll need:
- plastic pitchers of ice (1 for every 3 kids)
- extra ice
- quart-size resealable bags (2 per child)
- shortening (3 heaping tablespoons per child, plus some extra)
- tablespoons
Easy Prep:
- Put ice in the pitchers, and fill them no more than half full of water.
Lead the Activity
Say: Today we’re celebrating dads’ love and care. Including God’s because God is a loving Father! Many times, daddies’ love feels like a protecting love—warm and safe. Let’s see what that’s like with a chilly science experiment!
Ask: What are some animals you know of that live in cold places?
Say: Some animals—like big whales and polar bears—have a thick layer of fat under their skin that covers their bodies. The fat is called blubber (pause and giggle with kids at the funny-sounding word).
Blubber protects the animals from the cold. That’s why you won’t see a polar bear wearing a winter hat or a whale wearing mittens—their blubber keeps them warm! Let’s make and test our own blubber to see how well it can protect us from cold.
Form adult or teen-led groups of three, and give each group resealable bags and a pitcher filled halfway with ice water. Invite each child to put his or her hand into a resealable bag, and then have kids take turns lowering their covered hands into the pitcher of ice water for five seconds.
Ask: What did it feel like to put your hand in the ice water?
Say: That was cold! Let’s add something like blubber around our hands to protect them.
Have adult and teen helpers help each trio scoop three heaping tablespoons of shortening into each child’s second resealable bag. Once everyone’s bag is prepped, have kids guess if the “blubber” will help protect their hands from the cold water for a whole 30 seconds.
Have kids put their hands inside their empty resealable bags again and then insert their covered hands into the bags of shortening. Help kids spread the shortening so the inner bags and the kids’ hands are almost completely covered. Then take 30-second turns submerging hands in the ice water again. If hands are still getting cold, add a bit more shortening insulation.
Once everyone’s had a turn testing their blubber bag, have the adult or teen helpers collect and dispose of the bags and put the pitchers away.
Talk About It
Ask: How did it feel putting your hand in the ice water while wearing a blubber bag?
Say: Blubber is pretty amazing in how it protects from the cold. And it’s amazing how dads and other people who take care of us protect us in real life. They try to protect us from getting hurt, sick, too hot or cold, and so much more.
Ask: Tell about a time your dad or another family member or friend protected you.
Say: Dads work hard to keep you safe because they love you so much. God looks out or us, too, and can send helpers to care for us because God is a loving Father.
Need another preschool Father’s Day idea? Check out this “My Little Hands” craft. And if you want a lesson for older elementary kids, check out this Father’s Day message where kids describe their dads using the fruit of the Spirit.
Group offers great ideas for holidays all year long! Check out Seasonal Specials for Children’s Ministry to inspire and educate kids and celebrate 13 popular holidays from a Christian perspective.
