Backpacks are coming off the shelf again, pencils are getting sharpened, and the 2026-2027 school year is right around the corner. If you teach kids on Sunday morning, this is one of the best weekends of the year to speak straight into what your students are actually feeling — the nerves, the new teacher, the new seat, the new friends. Everything below is free, ready to print, and organized so you can grab what you need and get back to your class.
Start Here: The Back to School Devotional for Kids
If you only use one thing on this page, make it this one. It works at home around the kitchen table, in a small group, or as the opening of your Sunday morning hour.
- “Back to School” Devotional for Kids (Proverbs 1:5-7) — A free family devotional on wisdom, with discussion questions, a prayer, and a Bible-navigation activity kids can do with a backpack and a Bible.
Back to School Sunday School Lessons
- Back to School (Sunday School Lesson) Armor of God — A printable Bible lesson that sends kids into the school year knowing God has given them everything they need to stand firm.
- Back to School (Children’s Church Lesson) on Empathy — A children’s church lesson from John 8 about how we treat the kid nobody is sitting with.
- Starting the School Year Right: A Comprehensive Guide to Back to School Sunday School Lessons — The long-form guide to planning your whole back to school teaching series.
- Incorporating God’s Word into Your Back to School Routine — A lesson plan that helps families build Scripture into the new school-year rhythm.
- “Back To School” Sunday School Lessons and Bible Teaching Activities — Printable PDF versions of several of our most-used back to school lessons and object lessons, gathered in one download page.
Back to School Children’s Sermons and Object Lessons
- “Back to School” Children’s Sermon (Jesus, the Sin Eraser) — A five-minute object lesson using paper, a pencil, and an eraser, with a teaching video you can watch before you teach it.
- Back to School Children’s Sermon (Sharp Pencils) Object Lesson — Proverbs 27:17 taught with a handful of pencils and a sharpener.
- “Back to School” Object Lessons (School Supplies Backpack) — Several short object lessons built from the supplies already in the kids’ backpacks.
Need a full four weeks instead of a single Sunday? Download the free 4-week lesson pack from the Sunday School Store and preview a full month of the 2026-2027 curriculum before you commit to anything.
Back to School Sunday School Crafts and Printables
- Back to School Coloring Pages — Three free coloring pages, including a non-religious version you can hand out at a public-school event.
- “Back to School” Free I-Spy Printable — A no-prep printable for early arrivers and the first restless ten minutes of class.
- Craft Ideas: 2 Thessalonians 2, Hope of the Second Coming — Simple hope-themed crafts that pair well with a first-Sunday lesson about trusting God with what is ahead.
Back to School Activities for Sunday School
- 10 Fun and Engaging Back to School Sunday School Activities — Ten low-supply activities, from scavenger hunts to icebreakers, for the first few Sundays of fall.
- How to Make Your Sunday School Lessons Fun and Engaging This Back to School Season — Practical ways to keep a tired, over-scheduled class awake and involved.
Back to School Sunday Ideas and Church Events
- Blessing of the Backpacks (Back to School Event) — How to run the classic backpack blessing, with a simple order of service.
- 7 Back To School Ideas for Church Events — Seven event formats churches of any size can pull off in a couple of weeks.
- Back to School Prayer Calendar — A printable calendar that gives families something to pray over every day of the first month.
Welcoming Kids Back to Children’s Church
- Back To School Ideas for Kids Church — How to fill the empty summer chairs again and make returning families feel expected.
- Helping Preteens: Back to School — What older kids are carrying into the first week, and how to meet them there.
- Back to School — A Good Time to Reflect — An encouraging read for teachers and homeschool parents heading into a new year.
Multi-Week Back to School Curriculum
- Faith-Over-Fear Curriculum for Back To School — A 5-week series for kids who are anxious about the first day.
- Introducing Everyday Heroes — A 5-week children’s ministry curriculum about the ordinary people God uses.
Ready for the Whole Year?
Start with the free 2026-2027 curriculum sample — a full 4-week lesson pack, and teach it before you decide anything else.
If you would rather have your whole back to school season planned in one download, the Back to School Bundle gathers the lessons, activities, and printables into a single set.
However you start this year, may your class walk into their first day knowing God is walking in with them.