This lesson teaches children that love is more important than any gift, talent, or skill, and that love is patient, kind, and always chooses what is good. It works well for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach, including the story, questions, and an activity.
Big Idea
God’s love is the most important thing we can have, and we can show that love to others every day by being patient, kind, and honest.
Memory Verse
1 Corinthians 13:13
But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.
(WEB)
Hold both hands over your heart when you say the first words, then open your arms wide on the word “greatest.” Then point to your heart again on “love.” Do this motion each time you say the verse so children remember that love comes from the heart and is the greatest thing of all.
The Story: 1 Corinthians 13 for Kids
A man named Paul was writing a letter to the friends in the church in Corinth. The people in that church were excited about special gifts from God. Some could speak in many languages. Some could share messages from God. Some had great faith. But Paul noticed something important was missing from many of them.
Paul told them that even the most amazing gift means nothing without love. He said that if someone could speak like an angel but did not have love, their words would sound like a loud clanging cymbal, noisy and empty. Giving away everything you own is good, but without love, it does not help you very much.
Then Paul described what love looks like. Love waits patiently when others are slow. Love is kind when it would be easier to be unkind. Love does not show off, does not get puffed up with pride, and does not keep score when someone does something wrong. Love tells the truth and is happy when good things happen to others.
Paul said that love never fails. Some gifts will someday end, but love will last forever. When we were little, we thought and talked like little children. Now that we are growing up, we put those childish ways aside. Right now we see God only a little, like looking into a dim mirror. One day we will see him face to face and know him fully.
So Paul finished with the most important words of all. Faith, hope, and love will remain. Out of these three, the greatest one is love. He wanted the Corinthians to know that love should be the thing that guides everything they do.
Read It Together
1 Corinthians 13:4-5
4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 5 doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil…
(WEB)
Point out the words “patient” and “kind” and ask the children to act out being patient while waiting in line and kind to someone who is sad. Explain that these are actions we choose, not just feelings we wait for.
1 Corinthians 13:7
Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
(WEB)
Show children how love keeps going even when things are hard. Talk about how love keeps trusting, keeps hoping, and keeps standing by someone even when it is difficult, just as we can trust God to stay with us.
1 Corinthians 13:11-12
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.
(WEB)
Explain that as children grow, they learn new and better ways of thinking and speaking. Remind them that one day we will know God completely, and until then we can trust his love even when we cannot see everything clearly.
Talk About It
- What is one way you can show patience to someone in your family this week?
- Why do you think Paul said that a gift without love is like a loud noise with no meaning?
- What does it look like to be kind when you really don’t feel like being kind?
- How can we tell when someone is showing love and not just being nice to get something?
- Who is someone in your life who has shown you love that never gives up on you?
Activity Ideas
Heart Collage Craft
You will need paper, crayons or markers, scissors, and glue. Ask each child to draw a large heart and write one word inside it that describes love, such as patient, kind, or honest. Then let them decorate the heart with stickers, drawings, or colored paper. Hang the finished hearts somewhere in your home or classroom as a reminder of what love looks like every day.
Love Is Patient Relay
Set up a simple course with cups, a spoon, and a bowl of dry beans or small objects. Each child carries one item from one spot to another, passing it to the next person slowly and carefully. Before the game starts, remind everyone that patience means waiting calmly and encouraging others. Cheer for each other as you go, and talk about how love helps us work together.
Love Notes at Home
You will need small slips of paper, a pencil, and an envelope or jar. Have each child write or draw one loving act they will do for someone at home this week, such as helping with dishes or saying a kind word. Place the notes in a jar on the kitchen table. Each day, invite the children to pick one note and carry out the act of love it describes.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that spiritual gifts, knowledge, and even sacrifice have no lasting value if they are not rooted in love. Paul describes love as a character quality we grow into, shown through patience, kindness, humility, honesty, and perseverance. It also reminds us that our present understanding of God is partial, and love is what will last into eternity.
When teaching children, avoid making love sound like a feeling they must always have or a test they can fail. Instead, present love as something God gives us and something we can practice with his help. Be careful not to suggest that children must earn God’s love by behaving perfectly, since God’s love is a gift, not a reward for good behavior.
A Prayer to Close
Dear Jesus, thank you for loving us patiently and kindly every day. Help us to show that same love to our families, our friends, and everyone we meet. Teach us to be honest, to be kind, and to keep hoping in you. Help us remember that love is the greatest thing we can ever have. Amen.
