LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS
In Genesis 11:1-9, the people of the earth all spoke one language and decided to build a great city with a tower that reached into the sky. Their goal was to make a name for themselves. They wanted to be famous, powerful, and in control. This was not a neutral building project. It was an act of pride and disobedience. God had told people to spread out and fill the earth, but instead they gathered together and tried to do things their own way, leaving God out of their plans entirely. In response, God confused their language so they could not understand one another, and He scattered them across the earth. The tower was never finished.
For preschool children, this lesson teaches God is in charge, not us. When people tried to be the boss instead of listening to God, things did not go well. But God’s plan was still good. He wanted people to spread out and fill the whole world with people who love Him. We can trust that God’s way is always the best way, even when we don’t understand it. This lesson gently introduces the ideas of pride, obedience, and trusting God’s plan over our own.
PLAY ROOM 10:15–10:30
Children will be dropped off in the playroom between 10:15–10:30 a.m. Allow them to play freely as they arrive. Transition them to the classroom at 10:30 a.m.
OPENING ACTIVITY 10:30–10:45 | License to Follow God
Items Needed
- License to Follow God Template
- Crayons
- Double sided tape (or glue)
- Stickers (optional)
Print one sheet per child and hand out crayons or markers. Kids draw their photo in the box, then fill in their name, age, church, and date. They color the entire card and cut out both sides and then glue it together.
Tell them that in our story today, the people in a town called Babel chose to follow their own plans instead of following God. This license reminds kids they are “authorized to follow His Word” instead. After teaching the Tower of Babel story, remind each child their license as a commitment to always follow God’s ways instead of our own ways. It helps kids understand that true identity comes from being a Child of God, not from building their own way.
WORSHIP IN SONG 10:45–10:55
PRAYER 10:55–11:05 a.m.
Lead the children in a simple prayer: “Dear God, thank You that You are in charge of everything. Help us to listen to You and trust Your plans. We know Your way is always the best way. We love You, God. Amen.”
Invite children to pray as they feel led.
BIBLE STORY 11:05–11:15
Where does our Bible story come from? Old Testament.
Which book? Genesis!
A long, long time ago, there were a LOT of people on the earth.
[Spread your arms out wide and say, “A LOT of people!”]
All the people spoke the same language. They could all understand each other perfectly.
[Point to your mouth and say, “We can talk to each other!”]
One day, the people had a big idea. They wanted to build a giant tower. They wanted it to reach all the way up to the sky.
[Stretch your arms way up high and say, “Up, up, UP!”]
They started stacking bricks higher and higher and higher.
[Pretend to stack bricks with your hands and go higher and higher!]
But there was a problem. The people were not building the tower for God. They were building it for themselves. They wanted to be famous and great. God saw what they were doing. God knew their hearts were proud. That made God sad. [Put both hands over your heart.]
So God did something amazing. He gave all the people different languages. Suddenly, nobody could understand each other!
One person said, “Pass me a brick!” Another person heard, “Blah blah blah!”
[Turn to a friend and say something silly that makes no sense!]
The people were so confused. They stopped building the tower.
[Put both hands up like a stop sign and say, “STOP!”]
Then the people spread out all over the earth, just like God had planned.
[Let’s walk around the room and everyone sit down in a different spot!]
God was always in charge. God always has a good plan. God wants us to follow His plans, not our own. When we trust God, we are always on the right path.
[Fold your hands and say together, “God, we will follow YOU!”]
[Close by asking the kids, “Can you think of one way we can follow God today?” Let kids shout out answers like pray, obey, be kind, help others, and love!]
THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS
- Why did God mix up the people’s language? (Because the people were being proud and not listening to Go, they were trying to do things their own way instead of God’s way.)
- Who is really in charge, us or God? (God is in charge. God is always in charge of everything.)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
- Have you ever wanted to do things your own way instead of listening? (Accept all answers warmly.) What happened?
- How can we show God that we trust His plan? (By listening, obeying, and praying to Him.)
BIBLE CRAFT 11:15–11:30 | My Tower of Babel Picture
Items Needed
- Pre-drawn outline of a tower on cardstock (one per child)
- Erasers (1 per child)
- Paint
Have children dip their erasers in paint to create the their own “brick” colorful Tower of Babel. As they paint, remind them of the story and how God’s plan is always best.
SNACK TIME & BIBLE STORY VIDEO 11:30–11:40
Pass out snacks and allow kids time to eat while watching the Bible story video.
BIBLE STORY GAME 11:40–11:55 | Build it Up, Solo Cup
Items Needed
- Open floor space
- Solo Cups (stacks for small groups of kids)
Split kids into small teams and give each team a stack of plastic cups. Tell the kids to build their tower as high as they can. Then yell out “Knock it over” and have them knock it over before rebuilding it. Talk about how the people in the story thought their tower would reach the sky, but God had a different plan.
BONUS ACTIVITY | Hello Around the World
Play this video, pausing to help kids say the word in different languages.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE | Genesis 11:1-9 (ESV)
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
PARENT TAKE HOME SHEET
Today’s Lesson: God’s Plan Is the Best Plan Scripture: Genesis 11:1-9
What We Learned: A long time ago, all the people on earth spoke the same language. They decided to build a huge tower to show how great they were, but they forgot about God. God mixed up their languages and scattered them all over the earth, just like He had always planned. We learned that God is always in charge, and His plan is always the best plan!
Talk About It: THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS
- Who made all the people in the world? (God made every person in the whole world.)
- What were the people at Babel trying to do? (They were trying to build a tower to make themselves famous — they wanted to be the boss instead of trusting God.)
- What did God do when He saw the tower? (God mixed up the languages so the people couldn’t understand each other, and they scattered all over the earth.)
- Was God surprised by what the people did? (No — God sees everything and He is always in charge.)
- Can anyone stop God’s plans? (No! God’s plans always happen, even when people try to do things their own way.)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
- Have you ever tried to do things your own way instead of listening? What happened? (Accept all answers.)
- How does it feel when you don’t understand someone? (Accept all answers — connect to how confusing Babel must have been!)
- Why is it important to listen to God? (Because God loves us and His way is always the best way.)
- How can you show God you trust Him this week? (By obeying, praying, and asking for His help.)
- Who can you tell about the Tower of Babel this week? (Encourage children to share the story with a friend or family member.)