Lesson Plans - Sing Shout Jump

The book of Psalms is often referred to as the Bible’s songbook.
In the Psalms we see a full range of emotions

from the Psalmists as they worship the LORD through singing, shouting, weeping, rejoicing and more. In “Sing!
Shout! Jump!” children will get a bigger picture of who God is and what it means to worship Him. Plus, they’ll
see how they can worship the LORD in a myriad of ways.
“Sing! Shout! Jump!” will have multiple 6-lesson units released over time. These 6-week units are perfect to use
as filler between longer series, or individual lessons can be used on their own as lessons don’t really build on each
other.
In this first series of “Sing! Shout! Jump!” kids will be introduced to the book of Psalms and look at the first six
Psalms.
 Psalm 1 – Walk in His Ways

 Psalm 2 – Run to God
 Psalm 3 – Cry Out to God
 Psalm 4 – Lie Down and Trust God
 Psalm 5 – Ask God to Deliver
 Psalm 6 – Plead for Mercy
“Sing! Shout! Jump!” is designed to be used in a self-contained class with a wide range of age groups. The
lessons do not include separate activities for various age groups, but you (as teacher) know your group best and
will be able to determine how best to use the activities with your class. For example, if your class is mainly grades
K-2, you will probably want to read the Psalm to them and highlight a few of the verses, while if your group is
mostly grades 3-5 you’ll want to have them read and discuss more. If you have a small group/ large group format,
you can easily adapt the materials to do the ‘worship through singing’ and ‘story time’ sections together in a large
group and then divide into smaller groups for the activities.
“Sing! Shout! Jump!” is based on a popular series on ministry-to-children.com, with multiple additions and
improvements. In this version, you’ll find memory verses with learning activities, suggested worship songs, more
discussion/ commentary on the Psalm being taught, application activities, memory verse posters, and printables,
including weekly worksheets and coloring pages that can be bound together to form a workbook.
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Sample Weekly Schedule
10:00 Introduction Activity
10:10 Worship through Singing & Story Time
10:30 Cross Connection, Activity, Memory Verse
10:45 Book Work
10:55 Prayer, Bible Skills Games
11:00 Extra Time activities / Dismiss
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PSALM 1 – WALK IN HIS WAYS
Lesson focus: Through the book of Psalms and the worship of the people of Israel, we get a glimpse into the
character of God and how we should rightly respond to Him in worship. In Psalm 1 we see the distinction
between the righteous and the wicked. Through this study, children will see that it’s only because of the blood of
Jesus that anyone is made righteous.
Passage: Psalm 1
Target Audience: Kindergarten-5th Grade
Teaching Time: 1 hour
Materials Needed: Bibles, worksheets/ kid’s books, markers/ pencils, memory verse poster, a large die, beanbag,
INTRO- - THE NAME GAME
Have kids all sit in a circle around the table or on the floor. Play a couple of different name games.
(1) Have kids say their name and the name of a food or an animal or a country that starts with the same letter.
To add interest, kids can toss a bean bag around the circle saying their animal and the animal of the kid
they’re tossing it to.
(2) Play a concentration game where kids clap their hands and say their name, clap again and say someone
else’s name. Then the kid whose name was said says their name and someone else’s name
(3) Sing the name song using names of different kids in the group… “Micah, Micah, Bo-bicah, banana, fana,
fo-ficah, me my mo-icah, micah.” The song can be sung using any name.
WORSHIP THROUGH SINGING
 Delight – Seeds Family Worship

 Walk in His Ways – Seeds Family Worship
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STORY TIME
Explain that in this series you’ll be working through the book of Psalms and seeing God through the Psalms.
Explain that each week you’ll look at a different Psalm and see what that Psalm teaches us about God and that
you’ll have an opportunity to praise God based on what you see in the Psalm.
Introduce the book of Psalms as the Bible’s songbook and talk briefly about how in the Bible we see lots of
different emotions as the writers, or Psalmists, pray to God through these songs.
Define words that will be key for these lessons:
 Psalm – a song/ poem of worship found in the book of Psalms
 Psalmist – a person who writes a Psalm
 Worship – everything we do to show God how great He is. The word worship comes from the same word
as worth, so when we worship God, we are telling Him that He is worthy of all our love and adoration
Have one of the kids in the group read Psalm 1, or have the whole group read it together from their worksheet/
books.
Play the song “Delight” again. Encourage the kids in the group to listen to the words and see what they think the
words of the Psalm are telling us about the character of God, or who God is.
Discuss the Passage-

After reading the Psalm and hearing it sung, talk through the Psalm. Talk about the differences between those
who are blessed and the wicked. Have kids tell you the things that they see in this passage that describe the
differences between God’s people and other people in the world.
Compare this passage to the story of the wise and foolish builders from Matthew 7:24-27. Have one of the kids
read the passage for you. Help the kids see that the rock, the foundation that the wise builder built on is Jesus’
teaching (hearing and doing them). Help kids see this truth, by pointing out that Jesus says these words at the end
of the ‘sermon on the mount,’ where for 3 chapters He has been talking about how to live as a follower of Jesus.
Talk about how someone could build their lives on the truth of God and how this idea is similar to what the
Psalmist says in Psalm 1 that God’s people should walk, sit or stand with the wicked, but instead should be
planted firmly in God’s Word.
CROSS CONNECTION
Reread Psalm 1:5-6. Ask kids who the sinners/ wicked are and who the righteous are. Read Romans 3:10-12 as a
reminder that we are all sinners, and we are all wicked. Remind kids that the only way to be counted as one of the
righteous is through the blood of Jesus (Romans 3:22, Romans 4:5 & Romans 5:18). Make sure the kids in the
group are clear that this righteous man that is referred to is not righteous because of anything He has done but
only because of faith in Jesus.
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ACTIVITY- FIRMLY PLANTED
Explain that you’re going to play a game to illustrate what it means to be firmly planted.
Have all the kids stand up with space between them where they can’t touch one another. Then on the count of 3,
have them all stand on 1 leg. Walk around between the kids and without touching them, say things like, ‘I hope
you don’t lose your balance, you’re getting wobbly, etc.’ One by one, the kids will start to wobble and touch their
other foot to the ground. As they do, they need to sit down. Once everyone is sitting, talk about how although
some people stood up longer, that eventually they all lost their footing and stumbled. Talk about how this happens
in our lives when we aren’t firmly planted in God’s Word, we get swayed by things people around us say or do
and eventually we all stumble.
Then, have them all stand up and stand on both feet, feet hip distance apart. Walk through the room again talking
about them getting wobbly and even gently touch a few of them on the shoulders, noticing that they are so much
stronger this time with their feet firmly planted on the ground.
OPTIONAL: with older kids (especially boys), you can also illustrate this point with a game of dodgeball. Have
them notice how much harder it is to dodge the ball by standing on just 1 foot and when they are firmly planted on
2 feet, they can dodge the ball (compare this to dodging the things of the world that are opposed to God’s Word).
MEMORY VERSE – ACT IT OUT

Psalm 1:2 - but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Display the memory verse poster and ask one of the students to read it to you. Talk briefly about how this verse
explains what life is like for someone who walks in God’s ways. Ask kids to tell you what the verse says that
someone who is following God should be doing. Define meditate as ‘think carefully about,’ and explain that the
‘law’ refers to the first 5 books of the Bible. Talk about how this doesn’t mean that someone just sits and thinks
about the Bible all day and night without doing anything else, but that they know God’s Word well enough to be
able to think about it whenever and wherever they are. Talk about how if they have memorized a Bible verse they
can think about it in bed, in the shower, on the soccer field, anywhere. Have kids name places and times where
they could meditate on God’s Word.
Work together to make up motions to help you learn the verse. Have the group say the verse with motions
together 2-3 times.
BOOK WORK
Hand out books (or worksheet pages) and help kids find this week’s pages in their books. Hand out pencils,
markers, crayons, etc.
Explain that each week they’ll put 3 things they’ll put in their books:
(1) a verse from the passage that they want to remember,
(2) a reason to praise God that they see in the Psalm and
(3) a drawing of something from the passage that they think is important.
Give kids time to work on their books and then have them share what they have drawn or written on the books.
PRAYER
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Ask the kids in the group to share the truths that they see about God from this passage.
Sing “Praise Him Praise Him all you little children…God is…” including the truths that they saw.
Close the prayer time by praising God for the truths that you see about Him in this Psalm and praying for the kids
in the group that they would really get to know the character of God through this study.
BIBLE SKILLS GAME – OLD TESTAMENT / NEW TESTAMENT
Play the game “Old Testament / New Testament” to review the books of the Bible.
Have all the kids stand up in the middle of the room. Call out a book of the Bible. If it’s in the Old Testament they
must go to your left side and if it’s New Testament they must go to your right side.
To make it even more challenging, you could call out names that aren’t books of the Bible and have them freeze
for those.
EXTRA TIME – ROLL THE DICE
Take turns rolling a die and naming as many books of the Bible as the number shown on the top of the die. Older
kids and teachers can challenge themselves by naming the books in order.
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PSALM 2 – RUN TO GOD
character of God and how we should rightly respond to Him in worship. In Psalm 2 we see God described as a
refuge or shelter. Through this study, kids will come to understand that the greatest problem they have in their life
is sin, and that Jesus is the refuge sinners can run to for forgiveness.
Passage: Psalm 2
Materials Needed: Bibles, worksheets/ kid’s books, markers/ pencils, memory verse poster, verse cards, a couple
of bed sheets, rope, tape, a small item (coin, lego, small ball)
INTRO- - BUILD A SHELTER
Using bed sheets, rope, and tape, along with any tables and chairs in the room, work together to build a fort or
shelter in the room. If the fort/ shelter is big enough, have the rest of the lesson inside the fort.
NOTE: if kids have a hard time concentrating, move out of the fort.
 A Mighty Fortress – Shai Linne

 God is Our Refuge – Sovereign Grace
STORY TIME
Remind kids that in this series you’ll be working through the book of Psalms and seeing God through the Psalms.
Have one of the kids in the group read Psalm 2, or have the whole group read it from their books.
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Discuss the Passage -
Hand out the kid’s books/ worksheets and have them underline names/ titles/ characteristics of God that they see
in this passage. It would be helpful to go through the Psalm one sentence at a time, by reading the sentence to
them, having them name things that are talking about God, and then underline them.
As you go through the various names/ descriptions of God that they see, talk briefly about each one. Help kids to
see that God is the King over the whole earth, the Judge over the whole world, and the One in whom His people
can take refuge.
Ask kids to share stories of times they’ve been scared and where (or to whom) they went for refuge (shelter)
Then talk through some of the truths seen in the passage using these points:
1. Verses 1-3 – The nations have rebelled against God. The people and kings of the earth make bad
decisions, they plot evil, they only think about their own ways. They don’t know that God is sovereign
(God rules overall).
2. Verse 4-9 – God is sovereign and has a plan to deal with the sin of all people. While the people make all
these plans, God is there seeing it all and laughing at these kings and peoples trying to make their own
plans.
God says that He has put His king on His holy hill. Ask kids who they think God’s king is? Talk about
how this was written a long time before Jesus came to earth, but that Jesus is the Forever King. Talk
about how God has placed David on the throne in Jerusalem (the holy hill), so he is currently God’s king,
but that ultimately David is writing about Jesus, the Messiah, who will come and rule as the forever king.
3. Verses 10-12 – Man must submit to God’s anointed King. God has a plan of redemption. God is
sovereign and rules overall and one day Jesus will reign forever. This is a warning to repent and turn to
God. The Psalm looks forward to the day of judgement, where Jesus will judge the nations, but gives
hope that all people who run to God and take refuge in Him will be saved.
CROSS CONNECTION
Have one of the kids read verse 12 again. Ask the kids what they think it means to take refuge in God. Remind
them of the fort that they built earlier and how it is like a refuge, a place to hide and be protected and be safe.
Read Psalm 18:2 as another reminder of taking refuge in God. Then ask kids what people need protection from
and guide the conversation until someone says that we all need protection from the wrath of God against our sin.
Read Romans 6:23 as a reminder of what all people deserve.
Then ask, “how can God protect us from His own wrath?” Read Romans 5:8 and remind kids that even though
we all deserve the wrath of God, we can take refuge in Him instead because Jesus took the punishment that each
of us deserve when He died on the cross in our place.
ACTIVITY- WHERE ARE YOU HIDING?
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As a quick way of reviewing the truth that we need to run to God and find refuge in him, play a quick game. If
you have lots of space and time, you can play a traditional game of ‘hide and seek.’ After playing, talk about
where good hiding places are and what may not be such good hiding place.
If time or space is limited, you can play a less active game that involves hiding and seeking. Choose a small item
(coin, small ball, lego, etc.) and show the item to the whole class. Send one kid out if the class. Have the rest of
the class stand or sit in a circle holding hands. They should pass the item around the circle, while keeping it
hidden in their hands. Kids who don’t have the item should pretend to be passing it to the next person. Call the
remaining student back into the room and have them guess where the item is.
MEMORY VERSE – VERSE REFUGE

Psalm 2:12b - Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Before class, hide the verse cards around the room (taped under chairs, behind posters, etc.).
Show the verse poster and have the kids read it together. Review quickly how taking refuge in God means
running to him for salvation/ protection and that what we all need protecting from is God’s just punishment for
our sin.
Explain that all around the room, words of our verse have taken refuge (they have been hidden). Divide kids into
pairs and have them work together to find as many of the verse words as they can, then all the kids can work
together to put the verse together and say it together a couple of time.
BOOK WORK
PRAYER
Ask the kids in the group to share the truths that they see about God from this passage. Pray together by praising
God for the truths that you see about Him in this Psalm and praying for the kids in the group that they would
really get to know the character of God through this study.
BIBLE SKILLS GAME – GOSPEL 4 CORNERS
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Assign the 4 corners of the room as being Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. Explain to the kids in the group that the
whole Bible teaches us about Jesus, but that those 4 books of the Bible talk about the years that He lived on earth.
Choose one kid to stand against a wall (or outside of the room) with their eyes closed. The rest of the kids will
choose one of the corners of the room and stand there. The kid with his eyes closed will name one of the Gospels
and everyone in that corner is out. Continue with different kids closing their eyes until all kids are out.
If you have time after all the kids are out, have a “gospel sword drill.” Call out verses from the gospels and have
them race to find them in their Bibles.
EXTRA TIME – NAME THE BIBLE CHARACTER
Think of someone in the Bible and give clues for them to guess who you’re thinking of. Try to think of Bible
characters that you know they’ll be familiar with and some that will stretch their thinking. You can encourage
them to guess after each new clue is given.
Example: “I’m a man. I’m in the Old Testament. You can read about me in the book of Genesis. I had a twin
brother. I was the youngest of the twins. My father is Isaac. I lied to trick my brother out of His birthright…. I am
Jacob.”
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PSALM 3 – CRY OUT TO GOD
character of God and how we should rightly respond to Him in worship. In Psalm 3 we see God displayed as a
shield who protects His people. Through this lesson, kids will learn that the ultimate way that God shields His
people is through Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross which shields His people from His wrath.
Passage: Psalm 3
Materials Needed: Needs/ Wants poster, Bibles, worksheets/ kid’s books, markers/ pencils, memory verse
poster, paper plates, strips of paper, blank paper
INTRO- - NEEDS VS. WANTS
Before class, enlarge the Needs/ Wants poster and tape it on the wall.
Point out the poster and tell the group that they have 5 minutes to fill the page with words or pictures that describe
things that are either needs or wants.
(If your group is mostly K-2nd grade, instead of doing this as a group, provide a page per child and consider
having magazine/ clip art cut outs they can place on either column).
After they have finished, chat with them about how they decided what was a need and what was a want. Suggest
other things that they may not have put on the page and have them decide if those things are needs or wants.
Finish by saying… the Bible, church, singing and worshipping God. Use this as a transition to your time of
worship.
 Sing for Joy – Seeds Family Worship

 O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer – Sovereign Grace
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STORY TIME
Remind kids that in this series you’ll be working through the book of Psalms and seeing God through the Psalms.
Have one of the kids in the group read Psalm 3, or have the whole group read it from their books.
Discuss the Passage –

Talk through the Psalm using the following talking points:
1) This is a Psalm of lament. Lament Psalms are about 1/3 of the Psalms. A Psalm of lament is where the
Psalmist is having a crisis, or a bad problem and he is crying out to God for help because of what is going on
around him. In lament Psalms, the Psalmist tells God the problem, because they know that only God can help
them. Lament Psalms help us learn how to deal with bad situations.
2) Notice that before the Psalm starts it says that David wrote this while he was fleeing from his son Absalom.
His own son has run him out of Jerusalem and is chasing him. His own son wants to kill him.
3) In this Psalm, David does 5 things:
a) He calls out to God – verse 1 – calls God LORD
b) He tells God his problem – verses 1-2 – he has lots of enemies
c) He shows that he has confidence in God – verses 3-6 – God is his shield, God sustains him, God hears his
prayer, etc.
d) He asks God to help him – verse 7 – actually asks God for help
e) He praises God- verse 8 – he knows that salvation belongs to God
4) The whole Psalm focusses on the truth that God can save David. God delivers His people and ultimately God
will deliver/ rescue/ save all His people when Jesus dies on the cross in our place.
After briefly discussing the passage, ask the kids what they heard in these verses about who God is and what He
does.
Point out that 2 of the major truths that this Psalm points out about God is that He is a shield who protects His
people and that He sustains His people, and that God does both things because as verse 8 says, “salvation belongs
to the Lord.”
Explain that you’re going to think about God’s protection as a shield a little later, but first you’re going to think
about God sustaining His people. Ask if anyone knows what the word sustain means. Define sustain as ‘keep or
give what you need.’
Have one of the kids reread verse 5. Ask them if they ever think about what God does while they’re sleeping.
Have all the kids lie on the floor with their eyes closed. Ask them to tell you what they are doing. Give them clues
until they start naming things like breathing, heart beating, blood pumping, etc. Then, ask them what they had to
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do to make those things happen. Help them to see that this is one of the things we mean when we say that God
sustains us. He keeps our heart beating, He keeps our lungs working so we can breathe, He keeps giving us the air
we need, He keeps us going so that we can sleep and rest, etc.
CROSS CONNECTION
Read Acts 17:24-25. Remind the kids that they just heard that God sustains our physical life, and even gives us
life in the 1st place. We wake up each morning because God is sovereign (in charge/ control) over all things, and
God chooses for us to wake up. We breathe because God chooses for us to be able to breathe.
Then ask, “this is what God does for all people, but how does God sustain (or keep) the life of His chosen
people?”
Move into a discussion of God giving new life through Christ and sustaining the spiritual life of His people as
well. Remind the kids in the group that on our own we are all sinners who deserve to die for our sin (Romans
3:23 & 6:23), but through faith in Jesus and believing that He died for our sins God gives His people eternal life
(John 3:16). Remind kids that salvation is a free gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9) and that it’s nothing we
deserve, and we can’t do anything to earn it. God gives His children the gift of eternal life.
ACTIVITY- MAKE A PRAISE SHIELD

Read through Psalm 3 again and point out what David says about God in verse 3. David says that God is a shield
who protects Him. Show pictures of shield or bring in a toy shield if you have one.
Hand out the paper plates and explain that you want them to fill the bottom (not the side you put food on) of the
plate with words or pictures that describe who God is or what God is like. Then, give each kid a strip of paper that
can be stapled onto the top (the food side) of the plate to form a handle. (If you choose not to use paper plates,
there is a shield pattern in the activity pages. This can be printed on cardstock or enlarged onto poster board.
With older kids, you could consider enlarging it onto poster board and working together to make a life size
shield.)
As kids work, talk about how God acts as a shield protecting His people physically, but also how knowing God
protects us in various situations.
Examples: knowing that God heals is a comfort to someone who is sick, or knowing God is sovereign is a
comfort when things seem to be out of control around you, etc.
Have kids share a few of the things that they put on their shield and how knowing that truth about God could
protect you. Close the activity by talking about how the ultimate way that God protects His people is protecting
them from His own wrath by sending Jesus to die on the cross in our place.
MEMORY VERSE – GOD HEARS OUR CRIES

Psalm 3:4 - I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill.
Read the memory verse from the verse poster. Point out how in this verse David shows that he knows that God
hears our prayers. Play a quick game to show the importance of being heard.
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Have kids sit in a circle and whisper a short phrase (EX: The Bible is God’s Word, or I like to come to church and
learn about God) into the first child’s ear. Have them whisper what they heard to the next person, all the way
around the circle. When it gets back to you, say out loud what you heard. Talk about how we don’t always hear
and listen well, but we can be sure that God hears our prayers.
WARNING – older boys have been known to ‘mishear’ on purpose to say something silly or rude. If you think this
will happen with your group, stick to funny phrases so they don’t have a chance to turn Bible truths into rude
comments.
Play one last time with the Bible verse.
BOOK WORK
PRAYER
really get to know the character of God through this study. Be sure to praise God for being our salvation through
Jesus and thank God for hearing us when we pray.
BIBLE SKILLS GAME – NAME THAT BOOK

This is a “20 Questions” style Bible review game. You start by thinking of a book of the Bible and have kids ask
YES or NO questions to figure out what book you’re thinking of.
(EXAMPLE – Luke – is it in the Old Testament- no, Is it in the New Testament- yes, Is it a gospel? - yes, was it
written by a doctor? – yes, Is it Luke? - yes)
Another way of playing this game, is to give clues about the book one at a time until someone guesses which
book of the Bible you are thinking of.
EXTRA TIME – THE TELEPHONE GAME

If you have any extra time at the end of class, play the telephone game (from the memory verse activity) again.
Have kids think of phrases to pass around the circle. With older kids you can try tongue twisters or more Bible
verses. End with the reminder that God always hears us when we cry out to Him.
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PSALM 4 – LIE DOWN AND TRUST GOD
character of God and how we should rightly respond to Him in worship. In Psalm 4, we’re confronted with the
difference between the righteousness of God and the sinfulness of man and are reminded of the way we all seek
after ‘false gods.’ Through this study, kids will be challenged to see the false gods in their lives and will be
reminded that salvation is through Christ alone.
Passage: Psalm 4
Materials Needed: Bibles, worksheets/ kid’s books, markers/ pencils, memory verse poster, blindfolds
INTRO- - 2 TRUTHS AND 1 LIE

Explain to the kids in the group that you’re going to go around the group and each person will say 3 things about
themselves. Two of the things they say must be true and one must be a lie.
(EX: I am 7 years old, I’m in 3rd grade and I play baseball. All 3 of them should sound believable).
Then, the group will try and guess which one is the lie. After everyone has had a chance to say their 3 things, tell
the group that one of the things that we’re going to see in our Psalm this week is that God is righteous, which
means that everything He does is right, true, and good.
If you primarily have younger kids you may need to explain that although it is wrong to lie, that for this game it’s
more like you’re acting or pretending something and that outside of this game they should never tell lies.
 Cast Your Cares - Seeds Family Worship

 Make a Joyful Noise – Rizers (Psalm 100:1-2)
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STORY TIME
Remind kids that in this series you are working through the book of Psalms and seeing God through the Psalms.
Have one of the kids read Psalm 4 or go around the circle each reading 1 verse each.
Discuss the Verse:
Point out the following truths as you talk through the passage:
1) Just like Psalm 3, this is a Psalm of lament. This means that in this Psalm, David will tell God a problem he’s
having and ask for God’s help.
2) It seems like David is talking to God and talking to people in this Psalm
a) Verse 1 – David talks to God – He asked God to hear him and have mercy on him and says that God is
righteous. Righteous means ‘right, true, good.’ Everything that God does is right. It’s important that
David says this, because in hard times it would be easy to blame or question God, but David says God is
righteous.
b) Verse 2-3 – David talks to people. David asks them ‘how long’ they turn the good things David does into
shameful things. It seems like people are talking badly about David. But David knew that God had set
him apart for God’s glory and that God would hear his prayer.
c) Verses 4-5 – David talks to himself to calm himself down. David reminds himself not to sin in his anger.
David reminds himself to meditate (think about) on God’s goodness, worship God and trust God. These
are reminders we all need.
d) Verse 6-8 – David talks to God and reminds himself of God’s care for him. David says that his happiness,
his food and even his sleep are all gift from God and David thanks God for caring for him.
As you talk through the passage, get out a piece of paper and list everything that the Psalm says that God is, or
God does. Next, look back at verse 4-8 and on a 2nd sheet of paper, list the things that David reminds himself to do
in response to who God is; the things he does because He is set apart for God.
Then, ask the kids what God expects of His people. Read Leviticus 19:2 and talk about how God expects His
people to be holy. Ask if anyone can think of other places in the Bible where we can read about what God expects
of His people. When someone mentions the 10 commandments, read through them from Exodus 20.
Talk about how verse 5 (put your trust in the Lord) in many ways sums up how God’s people should live. We
should live like we are trusting Him. One way we show we are trusting God is to worship only Him. Talk about
how in David’s day a lot of people worshipped a lot of fake gods, and these fake gods couldn’t be trusted, they
weren’t righteous, they didn’t provide for their people. Only GOD can do these things.
CROSS CONNECTION
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Reread Psalm 4:3. Ask the kids what they think it means that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself. Then,
ask the kids if anyone is godly or can be godly on their own. Have one of the kids read Romans 3:10-12 and
discuss what the Bible says is true of all people – no one is righteous, no one does good. This shows us that no
one is godly. Then read Romans 3:23-24 and have kids tell you how someone becomes godly (or how they can
be made righteous). Remind the kids in the group that no one can justify themselves or make themselves godly,
but this is only possible by God changing their heart to allowing them to believe in Jesus by faith. Read
Ephesians 1:4-8 to show the progression of God’s work in the lives of His children. Then, reread Psalm 4:3 and
ask how God sets apart the godly. Explain that before the creation of the world, God chose and set apart His
children, those He would make godly through faith in Jesus’ death in their place.
ACTIVITY- FAKE GOD/ TRUE GOD

Remind the kids in the group of the previous discussion about ‘fake gods.’ Tell kids that they may not know it,
but they are probably in some ways following fake gods, even though they aren’t bowing down to them.
Have the kids help you make a list of fake gods that they might worship or seek after. Gear the discussion based
on the age of the kids in your group. Some of the things that you might want to add to the list are popularity,
friends, sports, good grades, celebrity, cars, technology, tv, etc. Remind the kids that none of these things will
lead to salvation.
Read John 14:6 as a reminder that Jesus is the only way to be saved. Then, talk about how good things could
become ‘fake gods’ in our lives- things like being good, obeying your parents, serving at church, even reading
your Bible, if you’re doing them to make yourself look good to others.
Play a game (similar to ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’) to help emphasize this point. Have the kids sit in a circle and
choose one child to be IT. The child that is IT will walk around the circle tapping kids on the head naming ‘fake
gods’…. friends, iPhone, games, football, etc. Then, they should tap a child on the head and say ‘Jesus.’ That
child chases them back to their seat and then they are IT next. Continue as long as kids are interested and then
finish by reminding them of the truth that there is only One True God and Jesus is the only way to be saved.
MEMORY VERSE – GOD HEARS OUR CRIES

Psalm 4:8 - In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Read the memory verse from the verse poster. Talk briefly about how when someone isn’t safe it’s hard for them
to sleep, because they are worried about things that could happen. For example, if there is a bad storm outside,
you might wake up scared and run to your mom and dad. In this situation you can’t sleep because you don’t feel
safe. But in our verse, David prays to God and says that because God keeps him safe, he can sleep.
Have kids work together to act out this verse to help them remember it. For example, one child can lay on the
ground, a couple of children can be their safety (like shield) while other kids try to get to the sleeping child. Then
say the verse together a couple of times.
BOOK WORK
17
PRAYER
really get to know the character of God through this study. As you pray, focus on the righteousness of God as
opposed to the sinfulness of man and pray that kids would realize their need for forgiveness and salvation.
BIBLE SKILLS GAME – SWORD DRILL

Have all the kids hold their Bibles closed in their hands or on the table in front of them. If not all the kids have
Bibles with them, have them share Bibles and work together.
To begin, name a book of the Bible and say GO for them to race to find any page in that book, and hold the Bible
up in the air.
After several rounds of just looking for books, start challenging them with looking up chapters and verses. If kids
are having a hard time with this, then go back to naming a book, when they have their Bibles open to the book,
name a chapter and then a verse.
EXTRA TIME – BUDDY TRUST GAME

If you have any extra time at the end of class, play a quick game to illustrate what it means to trust someone (like
the Psalm says that David puts his trust in the Lord. Pair kids up and blindfold one of them while their partner
leads them through a series of obstacles (around chairs, etc.). Talk about how the blindfold person has to trust
their partner to keep them from getting hurt.
18
PSALM 5 – ASK GOD TO DELIVER
character of God and how we should rightly respond to Him in worship. In Psalm 5 we see God as one who hears
His people and protects His people. Through this study, kids will talk about the truth that they can talk to God
with confidence that God hears them when they pray. Kids. will also focus in on the truth that when God protects
His people, and that the greatest danger He protects them from is His own wrath, and that this protection comes in
the form of Jesus dying on the cross in our place.
Passage: Psalm 5
Materials Needed: Bibles, worksheets/ kid’s books, markers/ pencils, memory verse poster, a set of Bible book
cards, strips of paper (2.5- 3 inches wide), blank paper, beach balls
INTRO- - BIBLE VERSE TELEPHONE

Before playing, choose a verse from the Psalm that you want the kids to really focus on (verse 4 might be a good
choice since it’s our memory verse for the week).
Have the group sit in a circle and whisper all or part of the verse in the first child’s ear who will then whisper it in
the next child’s ear, etc. When the verse gets back to you, repeat what you heard from the last child.
Assuming it’s all messed up, comment that we can’t always hear and understand, but that this morning, we’re
going to talk about someone who always hears and always understands and always responds, even when we don’t
know it’s happening. If the verse happens to come back correctly, congratulate them on listening well, and tell
them that this morning you’re going to hear about someone who always listens well.
 Shout - Seeds Family Worship

 The God of Wow – Rizers
19
STORY TIME
Tell kids to listen for 2 truths about God in this Psalm.
(1) God hears His people and
(2) God protects His people.
Discuss the Verse:
Use these concepts and outline to talk through the passage:
1. Psalm 5 is another lament song where David is telling God his problem. This time, the problem is that
David’s enemies are attacking him with their words by lying about him and saying bad things about him.
a. Verses 1-3 – David calls out to God
b. Verses 4- 7 - Shows his confidence in God, specifically in God destroying His enemies.
c. Verse 8-10 – David tells God his problem and asks for God’s help.
d. Verse 11-12 – David praises God
2. The basic theme of this Psalm is deliverance. David asks God to deliver him, or rescue him, or save him.
After reading the passage, chat with the kids in the group about what they heard in these verses about who God is
and what He does.
Talk about how verses 1-3 talk about God listening to His people, specifically David asking God to listen to Him.
Ask the kids how we talk to God and what David was talking about when He said that he lays his requests before
God.
Talk briefly about how prayer is our way to talk to God and remind kids that God always hears us when we pray.
Read Philippians 4:6 as a reminder that we should pray about all things.
If you think you have time, tell the kids that you want to tell them a story about a time that the Bible tells us about
when God says that He heard His people and responded to their need. Read Exodus 2:23-25. Remind the kids that
God’s people had been in Egypt since the time of Joseph when God had used Joseph to rescue His people from
starvation, but that now there were so many of them that the kings of Egypt had made them into slaves and as
slaves they cried out to God, and He heard them and responded. Ask what their biggest need was…. They needed
to be delivered or rescued. Just like David is praying for deliverance or rescue.
Then, tell the story (with the help of the kids) of God sending Moses to rescue the people, the plagues, the exodus,
etc.
CROSS CONNECTION
20
Reread verses 4-10. Talk about how these verses describe people. Ask the kids who “the wicked” are. Point them
to Romans 3:23 as a reminder that “the wicked” can refer to all people without God, because we are all sinners.
But, as verse 7 points out, because of God’s great mercy His people (David in this case) can enter His house (or
His presence). Point kids to Romans 5:8 which reminds us that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. Talk
about how this verse is God’s mercy, and how because of Jesus those who have repented and believed in Jesus
can be close to God again. Remind them that because of sin we are all separated from God and that the only way
we can be reunited with God is through Jesus.
ACTIVITY- GOD ALWAYS HEARS HEADBAND

Read through Psalm 5:1-3 again and voice a prayer of praise to God for hearing when His people call on Him.
Explain that you’re going to make something to help you remember that God hears His people. Give each child a
piece of paper and have them fold it in half (like a card). Have them draw a giant ear on one 1/2 of the page. (an
ear is basically a “C” with a smaller “c” inside of it). The ear should fill most of the 1/2 page.
Then, with your help and with the page still folded, they should cut out the ear so that they now have 2 ears. Give
each child enough strips of paper (about 2 1/2 – 3 inches wide) to fit around their head. Help them tape the paper
strips together to make one long strip and help them tape or glue the ‘ears’ on the strips so that they fit above their
ears.
Finally, on the paper strip they should either write out the words to Psalm 5:1 or write ‘God hears me when I
pray.’ Help them fit the headbands on their heads and tape them in place.
MEMORY VERSE – EVIL CAN’T DWELL WITH GOD

Psalm 5:4 - For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.
Read the memory verse from the verse poster.
Briefly talk about how this verse reminds us that God is holy and set apart from wickedness. Explain that
wickedness isn’t just the really, horrible bad guys on TV that do really bad things, but wickedness is another word
for sin and the Bible tells us that we are all sinners. We are all wicked.
Play a silly game to help review this truth. Pull out a beach ball and explain that this beach ball represents
wickedness, and they will represent God and His people. You will throw the ball at them (dodge ball style) and
they have to avoid it. Remember that wickedness and God cannot dwell together. If they get hit by the ball, they
need to sit out. Play until only 1-2 people are left standing. Explain that this is just a silly game, but that you hope
they’ll remember the truth that God doesn’t dwell/ live with wickedness/ sin.
Say the verse together a couple more times.
BOOK WORK
21
PRAYER
really get to know the character of God through this study. Pray that the kids in your class who worship God for
who they see Him to be in the Psalm and would tell God all of their problems knowing that God is the only one
who can deliver.
BIBLE SKILLS GAME – GET IN ORDER

For this game you’ll need a set of Book of the Bible cards.
Randomly hand out the cards, one to each kid in the group and on the count of 3, they should try to get their cards
in order… (it could be…. Exodus- Ruth- Proverbs- Malachi- Acts- 2 Timothy). Make sure they know that they
won’t necessarily have books that are right next to each other.
With younger kids, you may want to choose books that are in order.
Mix the cards up, hand out new cards and play again as long as time permits.
EXTRA TIME – FREEZE TAG

If you have time at the end of the session, play a game of freeze tag. The twist on the game is that once a child is
frozen by IT they must yell out, “deliver me.” Then the teacher, or an appointed child goes over and tags them to
unfreeze them. Ask kids to remind you why you’re saying, “deliver me” and talk about how God is the only one
who rescues/ delivers His people and that He hears us when we pray.
22
PSALM 6 – PLEAD FOR MERCY
character of God and how we should rightly respond to Him in worship. In Psalm 6 we see we see the anger and
just wrath of God on sin. We also see the psalmist, David, crying out to God to not discipline him in anger. David
knows that he deserves discipline, and that God is just and righteous. But David also knows that God is merciful,
and in His mercy, He will save His people from His wrath.
Passage: Psalm 6
Materials Needed: Bibles, worksheets/ kid’s books, markers/ pencils, memory verse poster, a large die/ dice,
stopwatch (or timer on your phone)
INTRO- - PUNISHMENT STORIES

Ask kids to share stories about the worst punishment that they ever received. Encourage them to include what
they did wrong and what the punishment was. Be prepared to share your own story of punishment, especially if
you have one that was really over the top, but from which you learned your lesson.
NOTE: Be sensitive to children who may not come from the best home situations. Talk about how the Bible tells
parents to discipline their children and that God disciplines His people as children, and that discipline means to
teach. Sometimes discipline happens through punishments, but it’s punishment and teaching and the right
behavior. Explain that sometimes people take punishment too far and don’t discipline in love.
 If We Confess - Seeds Family Worship

 Jesus Came to Save Sinners – Village Church
 He Will Hold Me Fast – Getty Music
23
STORY TIME
As you go through the Psalm, have a signal for the kids in the group to make (like a time-out signal- – a T with
your hands) every time they hear another truth about who God is and/ what God is like. Each time you take a
time-out, briefly talk about that characteristic of God
Discuss the Verse:
Use these concepts and this outline to talk through the passage:
1. Psalm 6 is the first of seven penitential psalms –These are songs of confession and humility before God.
2. In this Psalm David is humble before God. He knows he has sinned and he’s asking God not to disciple
him in wrath. He’s asking God for mercy.
a. Verses 1-3 – David feels God’s anger. He knows that God is righteous and good, and God’s
discipline of His people is good, but at the same time David asks for mercy.
b. Verses 4-7 – David tells God everything that’s going on. David feels separated from God, David
is tired and isn’t sleeping. David asks God to return to Him and deliver him. It’s important to note
and remind kids that God is always there even when we don’t feel like He is.
c. Verse 8-10 – David has confidence that God has heard him and forgiven him.
Talk about the word discipline:

Discuss and define the word discipline. Write the word “discipline” on a piece of paper and around the word write
some things that kids think of when they hear the word.
Talk about how discipline can be equated with punishment (example - you got out of bed to play after your dad
warned you 3 times, so he disciplined you with a spanking), and that the word can be equated with training
(example - John is so disciplined that he gets up at 4 am every morning for a 5K jog before reading his Bible for
an hour).
Explain that even though it doesn’t always seem like it, but that being disciplined for something you do wrong
and disciplining yourself to do something good are both about training. Talk about how parents and teachers and
others give rules that are designed to help you grow into a better person (and usually to keep you safe while
you’re doing it).
Example: Your parents set a bedtime and punish you when you sneak out of bed to play because they know that
you need sleep to grow and that without sleep you won’t be able to concentrate in school.
Explain that in this Psalm, David asks God to not discipline in His anger. David knows that He deserves God’s
anger and deserves punishment for His sin, but He cries out to God for mercy. Elsewhere in the Bible (Hebrews
12:6) we read that God disciplines and punishes those He loves.
24
CROSS CONNECTION
In verse 1, David asks God not to discipline him or rebuke him in His anger, but instead cries out to God for
mercy. David knows that He deserves death for His sin (Romans 6:23), as all of us do. But if we keep reading in
Romans 6:23 we see that instead of giving us what we deserve, God sent Jesus to take the punishment that we all
deserve so that whoever repents and believes in Him will not die but will be forgiven and have eternal life (John
3:16).
Also point the kids in the group to verse 4 where David asks to be delivered and help the kids to see that ultimate
deliverance comes from Jesus and that God delivers His people out of love (1 John 3:16 & 4:8-10).
ACTIVITY- OBSTACLE COURSE

Create an obstacle course in your classroom area using tables, chairs, etc. Think about how kids will move
through it (over, under, around, etc.).
Remind kids that discipline is used to talk about both punishment and training, so to help us remember this truth
that you’re going to run an obstacle course. Show the course and explain what they will do. Then, have kids start
running the course while you time them and note their times. (You know your group best and if it would be
helpful or not to share their times.)
After everyone has gone once, ask if anyone thinks that practice and working on it will make them faster. Have
kids practice harder parts of the course (climbing on something, crawling under, etc.). Then, give those that want
a chance to run the course again and see if they can beat their first time.
At the end of the activity talk about how the discipline of practicing and working hard paid off and made them
stronger and faster at the challenge.
MEMORY VERSE – TURN AROUND

Psalm 6:4 - Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
Read the memory verse from the verse poster. Note the first word of the verse, TURN. Talk briefly about why
you would turn around; maybe you’re going the wrong way, maybe you see lots of traffic, maybe you forgot your
lunch at home, etc. Explain that in this Psalm, David has acknowledged that God is right to judge sinners and that
he deserved judgement. But, in this verse David asks God to turn away from judgement and save him instead.
Play a game where the kids all start saying the verse together (off the poster) while walking across the room. Tell
them that when you say TURN, they have to race back to the wall and start the verse over. What you don’t tell
them is that you’re going to yell TURN a lot. Have them start the verse and yell TURN after 3 words, then after 4-
5, then after 6-8, etc. Finally, have them say the whole verse, yell TURN and have them say the whole verse 1
more time.
25
BOOK WORK
PRAYER
really get to know the character of God through this study. Pray that kids would see their sin and turn to God in
repentance.
BIBLE SKILLS GAME – ROLL THE DICE

For this game you’ll take turns rolling a large dice and naming as many books of the Bible as the number that
comes up on the dice.
Ways to make the game more challenging:

(1) have kids name books in order
(2) write down the books that are named and don’t let those books be named a 2nd time until all other books have
been named
(3) if they roll and odd number, they have to name Old Testament books and if they roll an even number, they
have to name New Testament books.
EXTRA TIME – GOSPEL 4 CORNERS

Assign the 4 corners of the room as being Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. Explain to the kids in the group that the
whole Bible teaches us about Jesus, but that those 4 books of the Bible talk about the years that He lived on earth.
Choose one kid to stand against a wall (or outside of the room) with their eyes closed. The rest of the kids will
choose one of the corners of the room and stand there. The kid with his eyes closed will name one of the Gospels
and everyone in that corner is out. Continue with different kids closing their eyes until all kids are out.
If you have time after all the kids are out, have a “gospel sword drill.” Call out verses from the gospels and have
them race to find them in their Bibles.
26

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The book of Psalms is often referred to as the Bible’s songbook.

In the Psalms we see a full range of emotions

 Psalm 1 – Walk in His Ways

10:00 Introduction Activity

10:10 Worship through Singing & Story Time

10:30 Cross Connection, Activity, Memory Verse

10:45 Book Work

10:55 Prayer, Bible Skills Games

11:00 Extra Time activities / Dismiss

INTRO- - THE NAME GAME

WORSHIP THROUGH SINGING

 Delight – Seeds Family Worship

Define words that will be key for these lessons:

 Psalm – a song/ poem of worship found in the book of Psalms

 Psalmist – a person who writes a Psalm

Discuss the Passage-

MEMORY VERSE – ACT IT OUT

BIBLE SKILLS GAME – OLD TESTAMENT / NEW TESTAMENT

EXTRA TIME – ROLL THE DICE

INTRO- - BUILD A SHELTER

WORSHIP THROUGH SINGING

 A Mighty Fortress – Shai Linne

Read Romans 6:23 as a reminder of what all people deserve.

ACTIVITY- WHERE ARE YOU HIDING?

MEMORY VERSE – VERSE REFUGE

BIBLE SKILLS GAME – GOSPEL 4 CORNERS

EXTRA TIME – NAME THE BIBLE CHARACTER

INTRO- - NEEDS VS. WANTS

WORSHIP THROUGH SINGING

 Sing for Joy – Seeds Family Worship

Discuss the Passage –

3) In this Psalm, David does 5 things:

a) He calls out to God – verse 1 – calls God LORD

b) He tells God his problem – verses 1-2 – he has lots of enemies

e) He praises God- verse 8 – he knows that salvation belongs to God

ACTIVITY- MAKE A PRAISE SHIELD

MEMORY VERSE – GOD HEARS OUR CRIES

Play one last time with the Bible verse.

BIBLE SKILLS GAME – NAME THAT BOOK

EXTRA TIME – THE TELEPHONE GAME

INTRO- - 2 TRUTHS AND 1 LIE

WORSHIP THROUGH SINGING

 Cast Your Cares - Seeds Family Worship

Discuss the Verse:

ACTIVITY- FAKE GOD/ TRUE GOD

MEMORY VERSE – GOD HEARS OUR CRIES

BIBLE SKILLS GAME – SWORD DRILL

EXTRA TIME – BUDDY TRUST GAME

INTRO- - BIBLE VERSE TELEPHONE

WORSHIP THROUGH SINGING

 Shout - Seeds Family Worship

Discuss the Verse:

Use these concepts and outline to talk through the passage:

a. Verses 1-3 – David calls out to God

d. Verse 11-12 – David praises God

ACTIVITY- GOD ALWAYS HEARS HEADBAND

MEMORY VERSE – EVIL CAN’T DWELL WITH GOD

Read the memory verse from the verse poster.

Say the verse together a couple more times.