Free Bible lesson for kids · Noah and the Nations
The Tower of Babel
After the flood the whole earth had one language. On a plain in the land of Shinar the people made bricks and began to build a city and a tower whose top might reach unto heaven, to make a name for themselves. The LORD came down, confounded their language so they could not understand one another, and scattered them abroad, so the place was called Babel.
- Bible passage
- Genesis 11:1–9
- Big idea
- All the glory belongs to God, not to us.
- Memory verse
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
Psalm 115:1 (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
Long ago the whole earth had one language and one speech (Genesis 11:1). In the land of Shinar the people said, “Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly.” They used brick for stone and slime, a sticky tar, for mortar (Genesis 11:2–3). Then they planned a city and a tower “whose top may reach unto heaven,” to make a name for themselves so they would not be scattered (Genesis 11:4).
The LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people were building (Genesis 11:5). He confused their language so that they could not understand one another’s speech (Genesis 11:7, 9). So the LORD scattered them abroad over all the earth, and they stopped building the city (Genesis 11:8). The place was called Babel (Genesis 11:9). People wanted a great name for themselves, but glory belongs to God’s name alone (Psalm 115:1).
Read it in the Bible: Genesis 11:1–9 (KJV)
1And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
Questions to ask
What did the people build with?
Brick instead of stone, and slime (a kind of tar) for mortar (Genesis 11:3).
Why did they want to build the tower?
To make themselves a name, so that they would not be scattered abroad (Genesis 11:4).
What did the LORD do?
He confounded their language and scattered them abroad upon the face of all the earth (Genesis 11:7–8).
What this story teaches
- God sees everything people plan and do (Genesis 11:5).
- Pride wants glory for ourselves instead of for God (Genesis 11:4).
- God stops proud plans that leave Him out (Genesis 11:8).
- God is in charge of all the nations of the earth (Genesis 11:8–9).
- All glory belongs to God’s name, not ours (Psalm 115:1).
Jesus Has the Highest Name
The people at Babel wanted to make a name for themselves. God gave Jesus the name above every name, and every tongue will confess He is Lord.
Philippians 2:9–11
A 45-minute lesson plan
| 5 min | Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Ask God to help us be humble and give Him the glory. |
|---|---|
| 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: “All the glory belongs to God, not to us.” What does that mean for us? |
| 5 min | Memory verse. Say Psalm 115:1 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 8 minutes
Babel Whisper
You need: Nothing
- Sit in a circle. The leader whispers a short sentence to the first child, such as “Let us build a tower up to heaven.”
- Pass it around the circle in whispers. The last child says it out loud. Did it change?
- Play again with a verse: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
The people wanted to make a name for themselves, so God confused their language. God wants us to make His name great, not our own.
For youth group · game · indoors · about 15 minutes
Tower of Gibberish
You need: 40 paper cups for each team
- Teams race to build the tallest cup tower in four minutes.
- Round two: nobody may speak a real word. Gibberish and pointing only!
- Compare the towers and laugh about it.
When God confused their language, the building stopped. Only God’s name deserves to be lifted high.
Pray
Ask God to help us be humble and give Him the glory.