Give Mom a Hand! Mother’s Day Sunday School Object Lesson
Main Objective: We know that it is important to honor our parents, and that God has entrusted us with mothers and fathers to care for and love us. It’s helpful to communicate to kids that God has actually commanded us to respect our parents, because He has placed them in our lives to help and watch over us. Even if we don’t have the best moms, we can celebrate the leaders that God gives us. This message reminds children that God loves and cares for us, and gives us others who do the same.
Law/Gospel Theme: Honoring our parents isn’t only for the sake of obedience to the law or to family wishes. God gives this commandment with a promise: that it may go well and we will live long. He knows that honoring our parents will ultimately bless us. He is the one who has given us those in authority over us. They will care for and provide for us, and we can give thanks to God for the leaders He provides.
Object Lesson Materials: Pictures showing mothers of well-know historical or popular figures; Bibles
Bible Lesson Passage: Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 4:1-4
Teaching Setting: Use this children’s message for Mother’s Day in Sunday School, in Children’s Sermon moment, or in your Children’s Church Lesson. Teach children age 6-12 about honoring their mothers – adaptable for elementary and preschool age children
Mother’s Day Bible Lesson
Teaching Note: As with most messages, the details of how you choose to communicate this are adaptable and should cater to timing and your audience and student needs. Use your judgment and ideas to serve students best.
Greet the children, and discuss mothers…
Hello, children of God!
I have some pictures here of special people. I want to see if you can identify who is in each of these. Are you ready? Show children various photos depicting mothers of famous individuals, either from history or popular culture. After showing the picture of just the mother, who will probably not be recognized, show a picture of the famous person. You might want to include one of your own mother, as well.
So you might not be too familiar with these people on their own. They’re notable as being mothers of famous figures. But mothers don’t always get a lot of attention or fame just for being mothers. Moms work hard, but sometimes we forget to honor them.
It’s Mother’s Day, so we are celebrating those special women today. We should honor our moms every day, though, not just because they work hard our cook our macaroni and cheese. God commands us to honor our parents. It’s actually one of the Ten Commandments laid out for us, and it’s also one that has a special promise attached. God tells us that when we honor our parents, we will be blessed. It will go well with us and we will actually have long life! God knows that honoring our parents will bless us because honoring our parents honors Him.
How do we honor our mothers and fathers? We know how much they love and care for us. We honor them in return by loving them, and by respecting them and obeying what they ask. When we obey and respect them, it’s like we’re doing the same for the Lord. He loves us more than we can imagine, and He is the one who places authority figures in our lives to help us and provide for us. He gives us leaders to guide us and teach us.
But what if we don’t have a great relationship with our mom? Sadly, there are people who might not know their moms very well, if at all. Some don’t live with their birth mothers or don’t have great examples of God’s love shown by parents. Some have mothers who have passed away or moved away. The good news is that God gives us many opportunities to know adults who care. Parents are not the only “parental figures” we have. God also gives us special leaders like aunts, cousins, grandparents, teachers, pastors, and friends. When we respect and obey those special adults in our lives, we show respect for God, too. He is the one who places people in authority over our lives. He does this to help take care of us, out of His great love.
So remember to honor your mother (or mother figures), not just one day out of the year, but always. Show them how much you appreciate them. Give your mom a hug, a piece of chocolate, or a special compliment. And give thanks to the Lord for them!
Why don’t we say a prayer now and thank God for parents?
Prayer:
(Have kids repeat each line)
Dear God,
Thank you for giving us moms and dads.
Please help us to love and honor them
And to honor you.
Help us obey and respect our parents.
Thank you for your love
We love you, God!
In Jesus’s name, Amen!
Bible Verses/story to Reference:
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. –Exodus 20:12
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. –Ephesians 4:1-4
More Mother’s Day Sunday School Lessons
See free honor your mother lesson ideas from Sunday School Works, Ministry-To-Children, and Youth Group Ministry.
This lesson plan includes activities and scriptural references that underscore the importance of respecting parents. It explains the divine mandate to honor one’s parents and outlines the blessings linked to this commandment. Additionally, the lesson motivates children to express gratitude to their mothers and other maternal figures.
The Bible teaches that honoring our mothers is not just a crucial directive from God—it is also one of the Ten Commandments accompanied by a unique promise. Observing this commandment brings divine blessings, promising prosperity and longevity. This respect is a form of homage to God, recognizing the role He assigns to mothers in providing love and care. By honoring our mothers, we also demonstrate our love and respect for God and show appreciation for all that our mothers contribute to our lives. Thus, cherishing our mothers is an excellent expression of our devotion to God.