Free Bible lesson for kids · In the Beginning
The Garden of Eden
God planted a garden eastward in Eden, with every tree that is pleasant to see and good for food, and a river to water it. He put Adam there to dress it and keep it, and made Eve to be his helper.
- Bible passage
- Genesis 2:4–25
- Big idea
- God gives us good gifts and good work to do.
- Memory verse
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Genesis 2:15 (KJV)- Ages
- Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
- Time
- About 45 minutes
- Included, free
- Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game
The story
The LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). He planted a garden in Eden and put the man there (Genesis 2:8). Every tree that was lovely and good for food grew there, with the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the middle (Genesis 2:9). A river watered the garden (Genesis 2:10).
God put the man in the garden “to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15). He could freely eat from every tree but one (Genesis 2:16–17). God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Adam named all the animals (Genesis 2:19–20). Then God took one of Adam’s ribs, made a woman, and brought her to him (Genesis 2:21–22). Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones” (Genesis 2:23).
Read it in the Bible: Genesis 2:4–25 (KJV)
4These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 6But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 10And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 11The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 14And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 15And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 18And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 21And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Questions to ask
Which two special trees grew in the midst of the garden?
The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
What job did God give Adam?
To dress the garden and keep it, and to name the animals.
What was the one thing God told Adam not to do?
Eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
What this story teaches
- God gave the first man the breath of life (Genesis 2:7).
- God fills our world with good gifts to enjoy (Genesis 2:9).
- God gives us good work to do (Genesis 2:15).
- God gave freely and gave one clear rule to obey (Genesis 2:16–17).
- God made the woman to be the man’s helper (Genesis 2:18, 22).
Jesus Gives Us Life
God gave Adam the breath of life. Jesus came so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly.
John 10:10
A 45-minute lesson plan
| 5 min | Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Thank God for His good gifts and ask Him to help us take care of them. |
|---|---|
| 10 min | The story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next. |
| 10 min | Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “God gives us good gifts and good work to do.” What does that mean for us? |
| 5 min | Memory verse. Say Genesis 2:15 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone. |
| 10 min | Activity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions). |
| 5 min | Pray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week. |
- Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
- Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
- Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.
Game time
For kids · game · indoors · about 10 minutes
Name the Animals
You need: Animal picture cards
- A child draws a card and acts out the animal without words.
- The group guesses, then gives it a silly new name, like Adam naming the animals.
- Pass the cards on until everyone has had a turn.
God planted a beautiful garden and let Adam name every animal. God gives us good work to do in His world.
For youth group · activity · outdoors · about 45 minutes
Creation Care Cleanup
You need: Gloves, trash bags, a park or creek nearby
- God put Adam in the garden to dress it and keep it.
- Spend an hour cleaning up a park, a creek or the church grounds.
- Weigh the bags at the end and pray thanks for God’s creation.
Caring for God’s world is part of the work He gave people from the very beginning.
Pray
Thank God for His good gifts and ask Him to help us take care of them.