This lesson teaches children that God made people on purpose, gave them a home, and made them to need friends and family. It is best for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God made the world with care, made people to live with him, and saw that it was good for us to have friends and helpers.
Memory Verse
Genesis 2:7
The LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
(WEB)
Have children cup their hands together in front of their chest, then slowly open them wide while taking a big breath in, as if God is breathing life into them. Do it together three times while saying the verse words in their own simple way.
The Story: Genesis 2 for Kids
When God finished making the heavens and the earth, he rested on the seventh day. He looked at everything he had made and called that day holy, which means special and set apart for him. God’s work was finished, and he enjoyed a quiet day to rest and celebrate.
Next, God planted a beautiful garden in a place called Eden. He filled it with trees that were pleasing to look at and good to eat. A river flowed through the garden and watered everything growing there. God also made a tree of life in the middle of the garden.
God took a handful of dust from the ground and formed a man. Then he breathed into the man’s nose, and the man began to live. God gave the man a job to take care of the garden and look after it. God told the man he could eat from any tree except one, and he warned him about that tree.
God looked at the man and said, “It is not good for you to be alone. I will make you a helper.” So God brought all the animals and birds to the man. The man gave each one a name, but none of them was the right helper for him.
Then God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. God took one of the man’s ribs and made a woman from it. When the man woke up and saw her, he was so happy. He said, “She is part of me, and she will be called woman.” God made people to join together in marriage and become one family.
The man and the woman were both naked, but they did not feel shy or ashamed. They lived together happily in God’s beautiful garden.
Read It Together
Genesis 2:2-3
2 On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. 3 God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.
(WEB)
Point out that God rested on the seventh day, and that rest is good for us too. Ask children what they like to do on a day off, and remind them that God made a special day for rest and worship.
Genesis 2:8-9
8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground the LORD God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
(WEB)
Show children that God planted the garden and made it full of good things to see and eat. Ask them to name something God made that they enjoy, and talk about how God provides for us.
Genesis 2:18
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
(WEB)
Explain that God noticed the man needed someone to help him and to be with him. Help children see that God cares about our need for friends and family, and that people are better together.
Talk About It
- What is one thing God made in the story that you think is really cool?
- Why do you think God wanted the man to have a helper?
- Who are the helpers and friends God has given you in your family or class?
- How did God take care of the man and the woman in the garden?
- What is one way you can help someone this week, just like the man and woman helped each other?
Activity Ideas
Garden Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw the garden of Eden with trees, a river, animals, and the man and woman. Let them add their own favorite plants and animals. Display the pictures on the wall so children can point out what God made.
Animal Name Game
Gather some stuffed animals, toy figures, or pictures of animals from around the house. Let children take turns giving each animal a new name, just as the man did. Then have them act out one animal’s movement, like hopping, swimming, or flying, while the others guess the name they chose. Talk about how God gave people the job of naming creation.
Helper Jar at Home
You will need an empty jar, paper strips, and a pen. Write simple ways to help family members on the strips, like setting the table or making a bed, and place them in the jar. Each day, have a child pick one strip and do that helpful task. Remind them that helping others is one way we reflect the way God cares for people.
Teacher Notes
This chapter shows that God made people with purpose and intention. The creation of Adam and Eve reveals that humans were designed to live in relationship with God, to work and care for the world, and to be in community with one another, especially within marriage. The seventh day rest also points to God’s own rhythm of work and rest, which is good for us to remember.
Be careful not to overstate the details of the garden or the rivers to children, since the text gives only some geographic information and much of it is not fully known. Focus instead on the clear truths that God made everything, that people are made for relationship, and that God is good and caring toward us.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you for making the world and everything in it. Thank you for making us and giving us friends and family to help us. Help us care for the things you made, and help us be good helpers to the people around us. Amen.
