This lesson teaches children that God makes every season of life, happy and sad, and that he is with us in all of them. It is written for children about 5 to 11 years old and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God has a good time for everything, and he is with us in every season, whether we are laughing, crying, growing, or waiting.
Memory Verse
Ecclesiastes 3:1
For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven…
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Stand up tall, then reach both arms up high like branches. Slowly bring them down like leaves drifting to the ground, then stand tall again. Do this each time you say the verse out loud together.
The Story: Ecclesiastes 3 for Kids
Long ago, a wise king named Solomon wrote down what he had learned about life. He looked at all the things that happen to people. Some people are born, and some people die. Some people plant seeds, and some people pull up plants when it is time.
Solomon noticed that life has many seasons. There is a time to cry when someone we love is sad, and a time to laugh when we are happy. There is a time to be quiet, and a time to speak up. There is a time to hug a friend, and a time to step back and give space.
Solomon also saw that people sometimes work hard, but it can feel like their work never ends. He wondered why life can feel so full of hard things. He thought about how God has made everything beautiful in its own time, even if we cannot see the whole picture.
Then Solomon said something simple and happy. He wrote that it is good for people to enjoy the good things God gives them while they are alive. Eating good food, drinking water, and working with joy are all gifts from God. Solomon learned that God is the one who holds every season in his hands.
Solomon also said that people cannot know everything God is doing from beginning to end. We do not have to understand every part of our lives. We can trust that God knows, and that he is good.
Read It Together
Ecclesiastes 3:4
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…
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Point out that God made room for both crying and laughing. Tell children that sad feelings are not wrong, and that God is near us when we feel them. Ask them to name a time they felt like laughing and a time they felt like crying.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their hearts, yet so that man can’t find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.
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Show children that God makes everything beautiful in its time. Ask them to look around the room or outside for something beautiful. Explain that God gives us the ability to notice beauty and to trust him even when we do not understand everything.
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice, and to do good as long as they live. 13 Also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God.
(WEB)
Point out that God gives us good things like food, drink, and work that brings joy. Help children see that enjoying good gifts is a way of thanking God. You can say a simple thank you together for the meal or snack you are about to share.
Talk About It
- What is one season of life you have seen, like a new baby, a birthday, or a time when someone was sick?
- How do you feel when you are sad, and what helps you feel better?
- What is something good God gave you this week that made you happy?
- Why do you think God wants us to laugh and to cry at different times?
- When you do not understand something that happens, what can you remember about God?
Activity Ideas
Four Seasons Drawing
Give each child a sheet of paper folded into four boxes. Ask them to draw one thing for each season of life, such as a happy time, a sad time, a time of work, and a time of rest. Crayons or colored pencils work well. Let each child share one box with the group and say a short thank you to God for that season.
Season Freeze Game
Play music and have children dance freely. When you say “weep,” they should bend low and pretend to wipe their eyes. When you say “laugh,” they should clap and smile. When you say “dance,” they should move around the room. Stop the music now and then and have everyone freeze, then talk about what season they were acting out.
Take-Home Seed Jar
Give each child a small jar or cup, a few dry beans or seeds, and a slip of paper. Ask them to write or draw one season of life they want to remember on the paper and put it in the jar with a seed. Encourage them to watch the seed sprout over the coming weeks as a reminder that God is faithful through every season.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Ecclesiastes 3 shows that human life moves through many seasons, some joyful and some painful, and that we cannot control or fully understand them. The writer is honest about how mysterious life can feel. Yet he also points to God as the one who gives every season its time, and who invites us to receive his good gifts with gratitude.
Avoid telling children that every hard season has a clear reason they will one day see. Children may take that too far and feel confused when pain does not make sense. Instead, focus on the simpler truth that God is with them in every season, sad or happy, and that he is good even when they cannot see the whole picture.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank you that you made every season of our lives. Help us to laugh when we are happy and to cry when we are sad, knowing you are near us both times. Help us trust you when we do not understand. Thank you for good food, good friends, and good work. Amen.
