This lesson teaches children that God has always been our home, and that He helps us use our days wisely. It suits children aged 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, including the activity.
Big Idea
God is our home forever, and He helps us live each day in a wise and happy way with Him.
Memory Verse
Psalm 90:12
So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
(WEB)
Teach the children to hold up ten fingers, one at a time, as they say the verse together. Then have them cup their hands over their hearts on the words “a heart of wisdom.” Repeat it three times, faster each time.
The Story: Psalm 90 for Kids
Long, long ago, Moses wrote a special prayer-song to God. Moses was a leader who knew God very well. He had walked with God through many years, through good times and hard times. In his song, he remembered that God had been their home in every single generation.
Moses told God that God was there before the tall mountains were born. God was there before the earth and the whole world were made. God has always been, and God always will be. That is a big and wonderful truth for little hearts to hold.
Moses also noticed that people’s lives are short, like grass in the morning. The grass springs up fresh and green, but by evening it is dry. Moses said, “Teach us to count our days.” He wanted to spend every day wisely, not wasting a single one.
Moses asked God to show His kindness in the morning, so that His people could sing and be glad all their days. He asked God to make them happy for as many days as they had hard times. He prayed that God’s good work would be seen by His servants and by their children after them.
At the end of his song, Moses asked God to bless the work of their hands. He wanted God’s favor to rest on their families and on everything they did. Moses trusted that God would make their work strong and lasting.
Read It Together
Psalm 90:1-2
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations. 2 Before the mountains were born, before you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
(WEB)
Point out that God is called our “dwelling place,” which means our home. Ask the children where they feel safest at home, then connect that feeling to being safe with God forever.
Psalm 90:14
Satisfy us in the morning with your loving kindness, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
(WEB)
Show the children that Moses asked God for kindness “in the morning,” which means a fresh start every day. Talk about how a new morning can bring a new chance to be glad with God.
Psalm 90:17
Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.
(WEB)
Explain that Moses wanted God to bless the work of their hands, even small jobs. Help the children name one simple job they do each day that they could ask God to bless.
Talk About It
- What is one thing that reminds you that God has always been with His people?
- How do you think a person could count their days in a wise way?
- When you wake up in the morning, what could you say to God to start your day well?
- Why do you think Moses compared people’s lives to grass that dries up?
- What is one small job you do that you could ask God to help you do well?
Activity Ideas
Paper Grass and Sunshine Craft
You will need green construction paper, scissors, glue, and a sheet of yellow paper for the sun. Have each child cut strips of green paper and glue them to a bottom strip to make grass. Then have them draw a sun above it and write or draw one thing they want to thank God for each morning.
Morning Movement Game
Ask the children to crouch down low like sleeping seeds. Count slowly to three, and on each count, have them rise a little higher, like grass springing up in the morning. Finish by standing tall with arms raised and saying “Good morning, God, my home!” together.
Take-Home Day Counter
You will need a paper plate, a marker, and a few paper strips. Help the child write “Today I will use my day wisely” on the plate. Each evening for a week, they can add a strip to a paper chain or stick a sticker on the plate, and talk together about one way God helped them that day.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses that holds together God’s eternal nature and the brevity of human life. It moves from God as our constant dwelling place to a humble request that we learn to number our days with wisdom. The psalm is honest about sin and sorrow, yet it ends with a hopeful plea for God’s favor on our work.
With children, avoid overstating the topic of God’s anger and human sinfulness in the psalm. Keep the focus on God’s faithfulness, His kindness each morning, and the joy of living with Him. Let the difficult parts be simple and gentle, and let the hope be what children carry home.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank You for being our home in every season and every generation. Help us to count our days wisely and to start each morning with You. Show us Your kindness, and let us be glad in You all our days. Bless the work of our hands, so that we can love and serve You. Amen.
