This lesson teaches children that God gives us what we need each day, just as He fed the Israelites with manna in the desert. It suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God takes care of us every day, so we can trust Him for what we need today.
Memory Verse
Exodus 16:4
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law, or not.
(WEB)
Hold your hands out flat like you are catching something falling from the sky. Then bring them to your heart as you say the words slowly together. Repeat it with the motion three times so the children remember that God gives daily bread.
The Story: Exodus 16 for Kids
The people of Israel had left Egypt, and now they were in a big, dry wilderness. They were tired and hungry, and they started to complain to Moses and Aaron. They said they wished they had stayed in Egypt, where they had plenty of food to eat.
God heard their complaints. He told Moses that He would rain bread from heaven for them. Each morning, the people were to go out and gather just enough for that day. God was testing whether they would trust Him and follow His instructions.
When morning came, there was a thin, flaky, round food lying on the ground, like frost. The people did not know what it was, so they asked, “What is it?” Moses told them it was the bread God had given them. They called it manna. It tasted sweet, like honey.
God gave clear rules. Each person gathered what they needed, and no one could keep extra until the next morning. Some people kept it anyway, and it spoiled and filled with worms. On the sixth day, God let them gather twice as much, so they could rest on the Sabbath, the seventh day. On that day there was no manna on the ground, and God kept His promise.
God told them to keep a jar of manna so that future generations could see the food He had given. The people ate manna for forty years, until they reached the land God had promised them.
Read It Together
Exodus 16:14-15
14 When the dew that lay had gone, behold, on the surface of the wilderness was a small round thing, small as the frost on the ground. 15 When the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they didn’t know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”
(WEB)
Point out the small round flakes lying on the ground like frost. Ask the children to notice that the people did not know what it was, and that Moses explained it was God’s gift.
Exodus 16:18
When they measured it with an omer, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack. They gathered every man according to his eating.
(WEB)
Show how the people shared out what they gathered so that everyone had enough. Explain that God cares that every family in the camp received what they needed.
Exodus 16:29
Behold, because the LORD has given you the Sabbath, therefore he gives you on the sixth day the bread of two days. Everyone stay in his place. Let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.”
(WEB)
Talk about the Sabbath as a day of rest that God gave His people. Help the children see that God provided enough on the sixth day so that they could stop and rest on the seventh.
Talk About It
- What did the people of Israel complain about, and how do you think God felt when He heard them?
- Why do you think God told the people to gather only enough for one day?
- What happened to the manna people kept overnight, and what can we learn from that?
- How did God take care of His people on the day of rest?
- What is one thing God has given you that you did not have to earn?
Activity Ideas
Paper Manna Craft
You will need white paper, glue, a pencil, and cotton balls or small white beads. Have each child draw a simple wilderness scene, then glue small pieces of cotton or beads on the ground to look like manna. Talk together about how God provided this food each morning.
Catch the Manna Game
Gather a bag of soft pompoms or crumpled paper balls to represent manna. Stand the children in a circle, then toss the pieces into the air while they try to catch them. Each child may only keep what they catch in one turn, which shows how the people gathered only enough for one day.
Daily Bread Take-Home Card
Give each child an index card and a marker. Ask them to write or draw one thing they can thank God for today. Encourage them to place the card by their bed or on the breakfast table so they remember that God gives what we need each day.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this passage shows that God provides for His people in daily dependence rather than long-term storage. The complaints of the Israelites reveal a tendency to doubt God’s care when circumstances are hard, while God’s patient provision answers those fears. The Sabbath rest also reminds believers that trusting God includes stopping to rest in Him.
Avoid overstating to children that obeying God always guarantees a comfortable life or that complaining brings immediate punishment. The story shows God’s faithfulness and His call to trust Him, but its specifics belong to Israel’s unique journey, so keep the focus on God’s character.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You for giving us what we need each day. Help us trust You when we feel hungry or worried, and help us remember that You always keep Your promises. Thank You for taking care of us. Amen.
