There was a time when the Ten Commandments were displayed in many public schools—unbelievable to think that they were removed more than 40 years ago, back in 1980. While that changed decades ago, homeschool families and Christian school teachers still have the freedom to teach God’s Word openly. In The Ten Commandments for Kids, you’ll find age-appropriate lessons, free printables, simple explanations, video recommendations, and hands-on craft ideas designed for preschool through 5th grade. These resources make it easy to teach the Ten Commandments in a meaningful way at home, in Sunday School, or in the classroom.
Be sure to explore our other faith-based resources on our Teaching Bible Truths page including Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors.
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I want to say upfront and humbly that I do not claim to fully understand everything God has written in His Word. What I can share is this: the more I read the Bible, the more fascinated and deeply intrigued I become. God gave the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people on two stone tablets on Mount Sinai, as recorded in Exodus 20. Moses presented these commandments to the people as a covenant between God and Israel. Often called the Laws of Moses, the Ten Commandments provided the Jewish people with a clear guide for moral living and obedience to God.
It is important to make sure your children know that there is nothing that we can do as humans to earn the right to be in heaven on our own merit. We are sinners saved by the blood of Jesus. That’s it. Without accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we cannot receive a ticket into the kingdom of God. With that being said, keeping The Ten Commandments or any other set of laws will not grant us salvation or a seat in heaven. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2: 8-9.
First, it’s free. Our Moses and the Ten Commandments lesson pack includes 22 pages with everything you need to teach with confidence, including a teacher’s guide, read-aloud story, scripture reference, song and game ideas, crafts, coloring pages, and student handouts. Be sure to download the Ten Commandment Cards below to use while telling the story or use story board cards from FreeBibleImages.
**Second—and most importantly—**it equips you to clearly teach and answer the most important questions your students may have:
Use these Ten Commandments cards and posters to decorate your classroom or to serve as an engaging story companion while teaching about Moses and the Ten Commandments.For extra durability, print on cardstock and laminate. To make your own set of cards, print four per page, cut them out, laminate, and punch a hole in the corner to keep them together on a key ring. Now you have a hands-on, ready-to-use set that makes learning about God’s commandments fun and interactive!
This Ten Commandments poster and scripture can be displayed anywhere in your classroom or home. For durability, print on cardstock and laminate.
This set of Moses and the Ten Commandments worksheets are ideal for 3rd-6th grade students. The crossword puzzle and the word scrambler is geared for an older crowd. For those of you needing to modify the Moses and the Ten Commandments lesson, these are the activity sheets you are looking for!
Use the Ten Commandments for Kids Coloring Sheets during Sunday School. It is an effective follow-up after reading the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments with younger children. These pages are perfect for reinforcing the lesson, adding a creative element to your activities, and providing a helpful visual reference students can revisit as they learn and discuss each commandment.
Looking for another way to review God’s commandments? We offer three different sets of Ten Commandments Copywork sheets for kids. Two sets are manuscript and one is cursive. Use them to fulfill a family dynamic as you teach multiple ages or use the ones that are most effective for the age you are teaching in Sunday School. Read more about our Ten Commandments Copywork Sheets here!
This easy Ten Commandments craft for Preschoolers is perfect for homeschoolers, Sunday School teachers, and Christian teachers! Crafts are an ideal activity to add to any lesson. It ensures hands-on involvement and increases student engagement.
In years past, I have used brown paper lunch bags that can be purchased in bulk for larger classrooms or you can use a brown grocery bag. Take a section of the bag where there is a crease and then, with the paper back to back, cut a curve off the top. This will cause the paper when opened to look like two stone tablets attached.
Kids love this next part. I ask my student to crinkle the paper up. This helps to make the paper look rugged like stone. Next, trace the student’s hands on either side of the “tablets.”
The next step is where you connect the ten commandments to their hand prints. Explain to the students that God gave us ten fingers to help remind us of the ten commandments in Exodus 20. Then we slowly put sticker numbers on each of our fingers. This is an excellent time to review what each commandment says. I like to use our Ten Commandment cards during this time.
Our easy Ten Commandments craft for elementary students is a modification of the one for preschoolers. It is still a perfect craft for homeschoolers, Sunday School teachers, and Christian teachers! You will follow the same steps as mentioned above using brown paper from a lunch bag or grocery bag to cut out the stone tablets. Students will crunch their paper up to look more beat up like a rock. Next, I encourage the students to write one of the commandments. I like to use the first commandment which I print out for them. This printout can be downloaded in the Moses and The Ten Commandments Lesson Pack above.
An excellent resource to support you in teaching the 10 Commandments to your children is a set of mini-movies called Kid’s 10 Commandments. Each mini-movie focuses on two commandments for a total of five films. Watch the first one on YouTube to get a sense of its quality. It is called “The Not So Golden Calf.” Enjoy!
If you have never seen The Ten Commandments with Charles Heston, then you should. It would be appropriate for your older children. I would recommend watching it in two or three parts. After each set, discuss key elements and reference them back to God’s word. To purchase, click here.
Recently, it came to my attention that The Ten Commandments may not apply to us (Christian Gentiles) today. It is humbling to admit that even though I have been a Christian for nearly 30 years, there are many theological topics that I have never questioned or looked into for myself. When I became a Christian in high school, I can remember helping in the 2-3 year old Sunday School class where I taught toddlers about the Ten Commandments. Fast forward a couple of decades and I found myself still teaching the Ten Commandments to the same age classroom. Not until as of late, I have never questioned who Moses was talking to or who the Ten Commandments applied to. So, how have my thoughts changed on the validity of the Ten Commandments and do they apply to us today?
Yes and no. The Ten Commandments established a covenant with the Jews, not Gentiles. It was when Jesus shed His blood for our sin, a new covenant was made. Even though the Ten Commandments were not presented to us like they were during Moses time, nine of the ten commandments are reestablished for believers to follow in the New Testament amongst others. You can read more about this topic in an intriguing article written by Harold Hancock. Read the article along with the scripture references to gauge for yourself the truth.
The one commandment that is not restated for believers to follow is, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Even though we are not commanded to follow the Sabbath in the New Testament, we are commanded in several areas of scripture to fellowship, break bread, and have communion. Some such verses are Acts 20:7, Acts 2:42, and Hebrews 10:25.
Many Christians would say that the Sabbath calls us to rest as God did on the 7th day of creation. In Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Another verse to consider can be found in Mark 2: 27. In this scene, Pharisees were accusing Jesus and his disciples of working on the Sabbath since they were pulling heads off of grain in a field. Jesus’ replies, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.”
There are many other incidences in the New Testament where Jesus is being condemned by the Pharisees for breaking the Sabbath. I am led to believe that the Sabbath became something that God did not intend. He wanted His children to find rest, however, it seems to have become a burden due to the rules attached by Jewish law. It created a sense of legalism rather than rest. Furthermore, Paul writes in Colossians 2: 13-17 (specifically verse 16) to not let men judge you based on the Sabbath. To read more about this subject as a whole, you may appreciate this article.
In the New Testament, the Lord also commanded us to seek forgiveness of our sin through repentance and be baptized (Acts 2:38 and I John 1: 7-9). To inspect other commands given to Christ followers, check out this exhaustive list of New Testament commands. You may also want to read, “Are the Sabbath laws binding on Christians today?“
For my family, teaching the ten commandments is still pertinent and applicable. I believe that the Ten Commandments should be taught with the insight of New Testament verses as well as scripture from the Old Testament. Let them see the whole picture and not just a list of do’s and don’ts. In the end, you want your children to recognize what a Christian looks like by the example Jesus gave us and the words He directed to his disciples. No matter what, read the scripture for yourself. You and your kids will learn so much just by diving in together to discover the Ten Commandments. Be blessed…
To create a more structured Bible time, take a look at these Bible resources. Whether it is a workbook, devotional, or full Bible curriculum, there are lots of options for you and yours to choose from. Take a look at some of these popular options.
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