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The Creation Story

Reference: Genesis 1:1–31; 2:1–3

Big Idea: God is the Creator of everything, and His creation reveals His power, wisdom, and goodness.

Teacher Quick Reference

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Lesson: The Creation Story
Scripture: Genesis 1:1–31; 2:1–3
Big Idea: God is the Creator of everything, and His creation reveals His power, wisdom, and goodness.
Three Main Points:
  1. God created everything from absolutely nothing.
  2. God's creation is orderly and intentional.
  3. People are uniquely made in God's image.
Activity: Creation Crafts (Day & Night Plate / Creation Wheel)
Memory Verse: Genesis 1:1
Take-Home Truth:
"Because God created me, I am special and made for a purpose."

Teacher Preparation

Before the lesson, read Genesis 1 and 2 carefully. Prepare the materials for your specific age group’s craft. The goal is to help children understand that God is the powerful Creator of the universe, and that nothing exists without Him.

Opening Activity: I Spy Creation

Start by asking the children to look out the window or around the room.

  • “I spy with my little eye, something God made that is green!”
  • Let them guess (e.g., trees, grass, leaves).
Preschool (Ages 3-5)

Preschool Variation: Bring a bag of physical items (a rock, a leaf, a toy animal, a star sticker). Let them pull one item out of the bag at a time and declare, “God made the [item]!”

Early Elementary (Grades 1-3)

Elementary Variation: Play a quick game of Pictionary on a whiteboard where they have to draw something God created on a specific day (e.g., Day 4: Sun, Moon, Stars).

Teaching the Creation Story

Read or summarize Genesis 1:1 - 2:3.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” — Genesis 1:1-2 (KJV)

In the very beginning, before there was a world, or sky, or oceans, or animals, there was only God. God decided to make a beautiful world! He didn’t use building blocks or tools—He simply spoke, and it happened.

Day 1: Light

God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. He separated the light from the dark, calling the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.”

Day 2: Sky

The waters were everywhere, so God made the sky (the firmament) to separate the waters above from the waters below.

Day 3: Land, Seas, and Plants

God gathered the waters together so that dry land appeared. But the land was empty, so God commanded plants, grass, and fruit trees to grow. God looked at it and saw that it was good.

Day 4: Sun, Moon, and Stars

God made two great lights: the sun to shine during the day, and the moon to shine at night. He also made the stars and put them in the sky to mark the seasons and years.

Day 5: Birds and Sea Creatures

God filled the oceans with swimming creatures and the sky with flying birds. He blessed them and told them to multiply.

Day 6: Animals and People

God made all the land animals—creepy crawlies, wild beasts, and livestock. But He saved His most special creation for last. God said, “Let us make man in our image.” He formed people, Adam and Eve, to rule over the earth and care for it.

Day 7: God Rested

God looked at everything He had made. It wasn’t just good anymore; it was very good. His work was finished, so on the seventh day, God rested and made that day holy.

Discussion Questions

  • What did God use to create the world? (Nothing! He just spoke it into existence.)
  • Why do you think God called His creation “good”?
  • What did God make on Day 6 that was different from everything else? (People, made in His image)
Upper Elementary (Grades 4-6)

Digging Deeper (Older Kids)

  • What does it mean that humans are made in God’s “image”, unlike the rest of creation?
  • How does knowing God is the Creator change how we treat the earth and each other?

Activity Time

Activity Resource: I Spy Creation Game View Standalone →

Materials:

  • A small bag or pillowcase
  • Small items from nature (rock, leaf, flower, stick)
  • A whiteboard and markers (for older kids)

This fun, interactive game gets children moving and thinking about all the amazing things God made.

Setup

  1. If playing the preschool version, hide the nature items inside the small bag.
  2. If playing the elementary version, set up the whiteboard where everyone can see it.

Instructions

Preschool (Ages 3-5)

Preschool: Mystery Bag

  1. Have the children sit in a circle.
  2. Bring out the “Mystery Creation Bag.”
  3. Let one child at a time reach into the bag without looking and pull out one item (e.g., a rock or a leaf).
  4. Have them hold it up, and lead the class in saying, “God made the [rock]!”
  5. Repeat until the bag is empty.
Early Elementary (Grades 1-3)

Elementary: Creation Pictionary

  1. Divide the class into two teams.
  2. Call one child from the first team up to the whiteboard.
  3. Whisper a specific day of creation or a specific created thing to them (e.g., “Sun, Moon, and Stars”, “Birds”, “Trees”).
  4. They have 60 seconds to draw it while their team guesses.
  5. If their team guesses correctly, they get a point. If not, the other team gets one guess to steal!
  6. Remind them after each round what day God created that item.

Craft Time

Activity Resource: Creation Crafts View Standalone →

Materials:

  • Paper plates
  • Yellow and black crayons or markers
  • Star stickers
  • Cotton balls and glue

Templates:

📄 Creation Wheel Template

These crafts help children visualize the different days of the Creation story and remember the sequence of what God made.

Setup

Finished Creation Plate

  1. Pre-cut the paper plates.
  2. Put the crayons and stickers on the table.
Preschool (Ages 3-5)

Day and Night Plate

Instructions:

  1. Have the children draw a line down the middle of their plate.
  2. Color one half yellow for “Day”.
  3. Color the other half black for “Night” and put star stickers on it.
  4. Remind the children that on Day 1, God created light and separated it from the darkness.
Early Elementary (Grades 1-3)

Creation Wheel

Instructions:

  1. Color the 7 sections of the creation wheel, illustrating each day (Light, Sky, Land/Plants, Sun/Moon/Stars, Birds/Fish, Animals/People, Rest).
  2. Cut out the top cover window.
  3. Attach the cover to the wheel using the brass fastener so they can spin and reveal each day.
  4. Have the children practice telling the creation story to a partner using their wheel.

Memory Verse

Genesis 1:1 (KJV)
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

Knowledge Check

Let’s review what we learned about the days of Creation!

Knowledge Check

Question 1 of 5

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Closing Prayer

“Dear God, thank You for making this beautiful world. Thank You for the stars, the animals, and for making each one of us in Your image. You are incredibly powerful and wise. Help us to take care of Your creation and to worship You as our Creator. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”