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Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ~ Proverbs 22:6 KJV

  • Sunday School Lessons

    Find Sunday School Lessons - Teach kids of all ages with these easy to follow bible stories and lessons.

  • Sunday School Coloring Pages

    Find Sunday School Coloring Pages - Print these FREE coloring pages to use with your lessons or as time fillers.

  • Sunday School Games

    Find Sunday School Games - Teach kids about the bible and help them learn their bible verses with these easy to follow bible games.

    Showing posts sorted by relevance for query joshua. Sort by date Show all posts
    Showing posts sorted by relevance for query joshua. Sort by date Show all posts

    Thursday, February 13, 2014

    I love to read about Joshua in the bible. So many times as I read through his bible story, I wonder what it must have been like to have been him. Imagine, not only did Moses appoint him to take over for him, Jesus himself came to talk to him face-to-face!

    The Sunday school lesson below tells of that one time when Jesus came to Joshua to tell him exactly how he was going to defeat Jericho!

    Instead of having to come up with a complicated (and maybe wrong) plan as to how to overthrow the city, Jesus said, "Listen up, Joshua. This is what we are going to do!"

    While we can't see Jesus face-to-face yet, he still talks to us. We need only to quiet our minds and listen.

    Having a relationship with our heavenly father is more than attending church once a week and reading a bible verse every now and then. It's about talking to him daily and listening as he talks back.

    It may not be the way we hear those here on earth, but it could be in nature all around us, in the verses we read each day, in the whispers we hear in our hearts, in the song that just played, through other people, or any number of other ways God speaks with us.

    As you prepare for this Sunday school lesson, talk with God to ensure that he helps you deliver the bible story the way he wants you to.

    Show your kids the Battle of Jericho Song to get them up an moving!
    You can also find more FREE material about Joshua!

    You are free to print the images on this page to use in your Sunday school class. The license for using these pictures are located at the bottom of this post.

    Joshua in the Bible - Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho Bible Story


    In this Sunday school lesson, we are going to do more than just tell a bible story about Joshua. We are going to engage our kids to think about what it was like all those years ago when the Israelites fought the battle of Jericho!

    You will want to see how to get your kids thinking like Joshua and the Israelites by doing this Sunday school activity!

    Whether you choose to use the link above to get the kids fully involved in the story or not, you can still get them moving by following along with the suggestions in parenthesis below.

    To begin your story, have the kids sit in a circle in the middle of the room or pull their chairs into a circle. You can either stand or sit in the middle to tell your story or even just pull yourself up a chair to sit with them.

    The Bible Story

    The Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years and it was finally time to enter into the land that God had promised to them.

    Of course it hadn't been easy to get to this point and it wasn't going to be easy now.

    They had to cross the Jordan River to get to the other side. Now, that may not seem like a big deal, right? They could just jump on a boat and sail to the other side or find a bridge to cross - wrong.

    They didn't have any boats or any bridges to cross and the river was flooded at the time. Its waters were probably rushing fast and would have swept them away.

    Another thing was that there wasn't just a few people. There were hundreds of thousands of people who had to cross the river. Of course, we can't forget about all the animals and the fact that they had to carry all of their belongings with them. So, how do you think they were going to get across?


    Joshua told the people, "The priests carrying the ark will go first. Everyone will wait and follow along behind the priests.

    Ask the kids, "Joshua said the priests were going first and everyone was going to follow. How do you think they are going to get across?"

    A miracle happened that day. When the priests' feet who were carrying the ark touched the water's edge, the water stopped flowing and was held back. The people got to cross the Jordan River on dry ground!

    As the people crossed, Joshua told 12 men to pick up one rock each from the river's bottom and carry it to the other side. When they reached the other side, Joshua had the men pile the rocks up. Then he said, "This pile of rocks will serve as a reminder to you all. When your children or grandchildren ask why this pile of rocks is here, you can tell them about this time. The time when we crossed the Jordan River on dry ground!"

    The river didn't start flowing again until the priests came out of the river. You see, they had to stand in the middle and wait for all those people to cross before they could come out of the river bed themselves.


    Now, Joshua and the Israelites were faced with another problem. They were to take over the city of Jericho, but the walls were so high and thick they couldn't get over them, or around them, or through them. How were they going to get into the city?

    One evening, Joshua walked by himself trying to figure out a way to take over the city.

    To his surprise, a man holding a sword appeared out of nowhere! Joshua asked, "Are you for us or against us?"

    The man said, "I am the captain of the Lord's host." Does anyone know who the captain of the Lord's host is?

    It was Jesus before he ever came to earth as a baby! Joshua was talking to Jesus himself!

    Jesus told Joshua to take off his shoes because the ground where he was standing was holy and Joshua did as he was told. Then, Jesus said, here is how you are going to defeat Jericho."

    (Tell everyone to stand up on the outside of the circle of chairs or a make believe circle of chairs.)

    Jesus said, "On the first day, the people will walk around the city walls one time. They are not to speak at all. On the second day, they are to do the same. They are to do this every day for six days. On the seventh and final day, they are to walk around the city walls seven times. On the last time, the priests will blow their horns loud. When the people hear the horns, they are to SHOUT very loud!"

    Jesus went on to tell Joshua not to worry or be afraid. Jesus was going to go before Joshua and he was going to be right with him through the whole thing. Joshua had nothing to fear!


    (Have the kids walk around the chairs seven times without speaking. This will be hard. Stress how it must have been for all those people to walk around the great city of Jericho seven times without talking. On the last time, have the children shout!)

    Joshua followed Jesus orders and on the seventh day when they walked around the city walls of Jericho seven times, the people shouted when they heard the priests blow their horns and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down!

    The people of Israel overtook the city.






    Photos of Joshua courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing.
     
    Joshua fought the battle of Jericho is a very well known bible story that kids love to hear. Our Sunday school kids normally say, "Tell it again" just as soon as I've finished. While I love that they want to hear it again, we very seldom have time to tell it again.

    That's why I've come up with the Sunday school activities below.

    Give the kids more than just a bible story - give them the excitement of learning the word of God!!

    Here's the FREE Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho Sunday school lesson.

    Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho Sunday School Activity

     
    You'll need a few items before getting started.

    • cardboard boxes or other building materials (pillows, paper bags, etc.)
    • empty toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, or wrapping paper rolls to use as horns (you can also purchase real horns at your local dollar store or order them online)
    • chairs
    • rocks (real or pretend)
    You can either choose to do this activity during the story or after to reinforce what the kids have learned depending on how much time you have.

    First, you'll need to line up chairs in two rows. Leave only enough room between the lined up chairs for the kids to walk through easily.

    Next, place the rocks halfway down the row of chairs in the floor.

    This is going to serve as your Jordan River and the rocks in the center of it.

    You can choose to already have the walls of Jericho built using the cardboard boxes or other building material (hint: you can also use small plastic chairs) or let the kids help you make a round wall.

    Now, have the kids walk through the Jordan River just like in the Sunday school lesson of Joshua picking up one rock on their way through.

    After they have passed through all the chairs, have the place their blocks in a pile just as Joshua did.

    Now, give the kids their horns.

    Have them walk around the 'walls of Jericho' six times quietly, then on the seventh time have them blow their horns and SHOUT!

    After they shout, let the kids knock down the walls!

    If you have time, reset and start again.



    Photo courtesy of erix! on Flickr.


     

    Thursday, August 15, 2013

    The book of Joshua is an amazing book of the bible. Even though many parts of it isn't widely taught for Sunday school lessons, most kids know the bible story and the song "Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho".

    Our kids love that song because we march in a circle holding hands and when it comes to the part about the 'walls come tumbling down', we all fall to the ground. I think the kids just like seeing us fall to the ground, but it works and it's fun!

    Watch the "Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho" video!

    Print more FREE coloring pages for your class!

    Book of Joshua - Free Coloring Page for Kids



    (double-click to print)


     

    Thursday, February 13, 2014

    Here is a Sunday school coloring page you can use as a quick, easy and fun craft for younger kids. All you need to do is print out the coloring sheet below and have a few other items ready for the kids to use.

    The coloring page below is basic and simple on purpose. It is designed to let the kids express their creativity!

    Get the FREE Joshua Sunday school lesson!

    First Sunday School Craft Idea


    If you have smaller kids, go ahead and cut out the rocks as a whole below. There is no need to cut the rocks out separately.

    If your kids are old enough to cut themselves, let them color Joshua's memorial rocks below first. Then, let them cut them out and paste them to a colored piece of construction paper.

    Have the kids cut out the words at the top and paste it on the construction paper.

    Second Sunday School Craft Idea


    Another option is a bit messy, but is sure is fun! If it is warm outside, you may want to do this craft outside!

    You will need to have the kids cut out the rocks and glue them to the construction paper. Next, have the kids put glue on one rock at a time. Have colored sand ready for the kids to sprinkle onto the glue making different colored 'sandy' rocks!

    See idea number three down the page!



    Third Sunday School Craft Idea


    Follow the first part of the craft above, except have tissue paper or small cut up colored paper for the kids to glue onto the rocks instead.

    Find more Joshua Sunday School material!

     

    Thursday, August 15, 2013

    'And the walls came tumbling down..."
    Photo: Wikimedia Commons
    To go along with the Book of Joshua FREE coloring pages for kids, we wanted to add an extra resource. While this isn't our video, it is a great one for younger kids to watch as it is filled with kids their own age.

    The song is played while the kids sing along to the lyrics on the screen. If you want to teach the 'Battle of Jericho' bible story, you can find it in the Book of Joshua chapter 6.

    We hope to have this Sunday school lesson up really soon and will link it here when we do. For now, we hope you enjoy the song.

     Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho Song and Lyrics




    Thursday, February 13, 2014

    We loving having extra stuff for our kids to do in Sunday school. We especially love extra games and printouts that not only reinforces what they've learned in class, but it's great when they can take the sheet home to tell their parents or other family members what they've learned.

    This is our first criss-cross puzzle we've done. We hope you like it.

    There are two different versions below. One is for younger kids who are in their early reading years and the other is for middle grade kids and teens. You can also use the bottom one for adults if you'd like.

    Get your FREE Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho Sunday school lesson!!

    Tell us what you think so we can make more of the criss-cross puzzles. Also, tell us what you'd like to see on our site so we can help you as you teach children about the word of God.


    Easy Criss-Cross Puzzle
    Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho
     
     
     
     
     
    Older Kids Criss-Cross Puzzle
    Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho
     
     
     
     
     
    Get more FREE Sunday school Games and Sunday school activities for your class. 
     

    Monday, February 16, 2015

    The name of Jesus is all too often overlook when teaching kids about the bible. We normally stick to bible verses, bible stories, and parables. But, teaching deeper meanings is the bible can start your Sunday school kids into a life long journey of discovering all that the bible has to offer us as believers.

    Below is a Sunday school lesson submitted to us by Jonathan Garner. Feel free to share it with anyone you feel will benefit from it - everyone!!! You can read more about Jonathan at the end of this lesson.

    Jesus Christ. It’s a name everyone knows. Unfortunately, unless we’re in a church, it’s a name we’re more likely to hear abused than glorified. Even as Christians we may sometimes forget just how special His name is.



    Here are seven important facts to remember about Jesus’ name.

    1. Jesus means “the Lord saves.” And truly He does save, for though He is God, He came to earth as a man and took away our sins on the cross.

    2. The name of Jesus was chosen by God, His Father. God picked a name to perfectly describe what Jesus would accomplish with His life: Salvation for all believers.

    3. Jesus is a Greek version of the Hebrew name Joshua. Just as the noble Joshua led the Israelites to the peace of the Promised Land, so Jesus leads us to the peace of salvation.

    4. Jesus’ name should never be used irreverently or as a curse. It is the name of the Almighty God who deserves our worship, and the name of the Savior who suffered so much for us.

    5. Everyone who has ever lived will bow before the name of Jesus. While some people misuse and even despise Jesus’ name, the Bible prophesies that will one day change.

    6. Jesus is the only name by which we will be saved. No other religious figures have brought salvation, and no other gods exist. But Jesus is real, and He is mighty to save.


    7. Jesus is the name of Someone we can know personally. It’s not merely the name of a historical figure who lived long ago. Jesus loves us. He is with us now, and He will never leave us.


    Author Bio:Jonathan Garner’s writings have been published in more than half a dozen magazines, including Havok and The Bible Advocate, and in the anthology Strange Summer Fun. In addition to reading and writing in a variety of genres, he enjoys innovative music and exploring the many wonders of nature. Continue reading Jonathan's work at Christian Magazine Today.