God's Good Rules: A Study for Children on the 10 Commandments - Ministry-To-Children (2024)

The 10 Commandments are important. Children need to understand the directions and rules God gives for life. That’s why it’s so important to teach the 10 Commandments for Kids. This page is the index for our new curriculum that takes a closer look at each of the commandments in a series we call “God’s Good Rules”

“God’s Good Rules” Curriculum for Kids

This series is no longer available on Ministry-To-Children but has been revised and expanded by it’s author as a for-sale unit at the Sunday School Store. Click here for the free sample lesson or purchase the complete 12-Week Curriculum on the Ten Commandments.

A Bible Lesson Series for Kids on the 10 Commandments

1. Why We Have Rules – An introduction to the series the shows how God’s rules are an expression of his love but we all need Jesus to be saved.
2. Who’s Number One? – A study for children on the 1st commandment and putting God first.
3. No Idols – We don’t worship created idols, because we worship the invisible, incredible Creator!
4. God’s Good Name – We keep God’s name holy by our words and our actions.
5. Holy Sabbath Rest – We take a special day each week to rest and worship God.
6. Obey Authority – We honor our heavenly Father by obeying our parents.
7. Value Life – Since Jesus died for us all, we value everyone’s life.
8. Keep Promises – We keep our promises because God is a promise keeper.
9. Don’t Steal – Working hard and giving generously is better than stealing.
10. Tell the Truth – Honesty protects our relationships with our neighbors.
11. Be Content – When we are content, we can have happy relationships with God and with others.
12. Love Rules – When Jesus is in our hearts, we can happily obey the Ten Commandments to show love to God and to our neighbors.

More about these Bible Studies from the Author

I have felt the call to write a series of lessons on the Ten Commandments for a few years now. It felt like quite an overwhelming call, as I wanted to be sure to honor the message of the commandments and teach them in a meaningful, age appropriate way. I have used a variety of devotionals to help guide my own learning. I have also taken time to study the story in Exodus around the Ten Commandments passage to gain contextual understanding, and then researched verses that discuss the laws in other places in Scripture. On occasion, I looked up the original Hebrew to be sure I have a complete understanding of the heart of the law. I hope you enjoy teaching these lessons to your own students, and maybe learn a few things yourself. I certainly have!

10 Commandments Coloring Book

This lesson series was written to accompany our free printable Ten commandment coloring pages. Each lesson plan includes the appropriate coloring sheet, but you can download them all directly if you prefer from the following link:

More Teaching Ideas for the 10 Commandments

• See our printable 10 commandments for kids version
• Compare our single Ten Commandment Sunday School Lesson
• Compare our single Preschool Bible Lesson on the Ten Commandments
• Moses Coloring Page – from the Bible Heroes Coloring Book
• Moses and the Law of 10 Commandments(preschool coloring page)
• PDF Worksheets on the 10 Commandments
• Commandments Preschool Booklet[pdf] andMini Book[pdf]
• Moses Songs for Preschoolers
• Go Fish Guys sing the 10 Commandment Song
• See the 10 Commandments for Kids on Sunday School Works
• Study the background of the Ten Commandments on Wikipedia

Exodus 20:1-17 The Ten Commandments

Then God gave the people all these instructions: ²“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. ³“You must not have any other god but me. ⁴“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. ⁵You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. ⁶But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. ⁷“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. ⁸“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹You have six days each week for your ordinary work, ¹⁰but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. ¹¹For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. ¹²“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. ¹³“You must not murder. ¹⁴“You must not commit adultery. ¹⁵“You must not steal. ¹⁶“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. ¹⁷“You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

Exodus 20:1-17 NLT