God Parting the Red Sea Sunday School Lesson (Exodus 14 Crossing)

Use this Red Sea lesson from Exodus 14 with 3rd to 5th grade kids in Sunday school or children’s church. Kids hear how God opened a way through the sea, talk through review questions, then make a parted-sea craft and play a crossing game.

Title: God Parts the Red Sea
Scripture: Exodus 14
Target Age Group: 3^rd-5^th grade
Main Point: God Opens a Way of escape
Supplies: Construction paper, scissors, glue, markers
Coloring Page: Moses Parting the Red Sea Crossing by Mandy Groce

Red Sea Bible Story Summary for Kids (Exodus 14)

Pharaoh let the Israelites go, then changed his mind and chased them with his army (Exodus 14:5-9). With the sea in front of them and the Egyptians behind them, the people were terrified and cried out to the LORD (14:10). Moses told them to stand firm and watch the LORD’s salvation (14:13-14). God told Moses to lift up his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea, and the Israelites went through on dry ground, with walls of water on both sides (14:16, 21-22). When the Egyptians followed, the waters flowed back and covered Pharaoh’s army (14:27-28). That day the LORD saved Israel, and the people believed in Him and in His servant Moses (14:30-31).

Lesson Opening: Trusting God

Ask: Have you ever been in a situation where you had to completely trust God to protect you or save you?
Ask: Is it ever difficult to trust God? Why or why not?
Say: We’ve been hearing the story of God showing His power to Pharaoh and all of Egypt. Through the 10 plagues God had shown that He was more powerful than the false Egyptian gods, and only He is worthy of being worshipped.
Ask: If you were an Israelite and had witnessed all of the plagues, how do you think you would have felt about God?
Say: In today’s story we’ll hear how God finally brought His people out of Egypt. God provided a way of escape for them in an amazing way.
Pray that God would open our hearts to His word this morning and we would be amazed at His provision for the Israelites and reminded of how He has provided a way of escape for us today.

Tell the Bible Story

Say: After God sent the 10 plagues upon Egypt Pharaoh finally relented and allowed the Israelites to leave. They were finally freed from slavery after being in Egypt for 430 years.
Ask: Does anyone remember the name of the man who led the people out of Egypt? (Moses.)
Say: That’s right! Moses led the Israelites from the land of Egypt into the wilderness. They were completely dependent on the Lord to show them where to go. They eventually came to the shore of the Red Sea where God told Moses to set up camp. Meanwhile, back in Egypt Pharaoh began to regret letting his Israelite slaves go. Now who would do all their hard labor? Pharaoh readied his army to chase after the Israelites and bring them back.
Ask: How do you think you would have felt if you were an Israelite and you looked up to see Pharaoh’s army on one side of you and the sea on the other? They had nowhere to go!
Say: They were afraid and said to Moses, “What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!’” The people didn’t trust God, but He was about to provide a way of escape for His people.
Say: Let’s read from God’s Word to hear what Moses said to the Israelites.
Read Exodus 14:13-14: But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (BSB)
Say: Then God told Moses to lift up his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea. Moses did, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind. The waters were divided, and dry land appeared in front of the people, with walls of water on their right and on their left! What a miracle! Moses led the people through the middle of the Red Sea safely to the other side.
Ask: What do you think the Israelites might have been thinking as they walked through the sea? (Allow time for kids to respond.)
Say: Pharaoh’s army continued to pursue God’s people, but as soon as the last of the Israelites was safely on the other side of the sea, God caused the waters to come back together, covering over the Egyptian soldiers.
Say: Let’s read from God’s Word again to hear how the Israelites responded to God’s protection over them.
Read Exodus 14:31: When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses. (BSB)
Say: God showed the people that they could trust Him. He is a good God and loves His people! He wanted to take care of them and see them brought out of slavery so He could give them a better life in the land that He would provide for them.
Ask: Did you know that we are a lot like the Israelites?
Say: The people in the story were trapped by Pharaoh’s army and the Red sea. We might not be facing an army, but we are trapped by sin! Sin holds us all captive, but thankfully God provides a way of escape for us too. God saves us by sending Jesus to die for our sins. When Christ was crucified He took all our sin and shame on himself and took the punishment that our sin deserves. When He was raised back to life Jesus defeated sin and death! Now when we put our trust in Jesus we can be freed to live the life that He wants for us!
Say: We can trust God to protect us and always provide a way for us to escape sin!

Review Questions

• How were the Israelites trapped? (The Red Sea was before them and Pharaoh’s army behind them.)
• What did God tell Moses to do? (Lift up his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea.)
• How did God save His people? (They crossed the sea on dry ground and the waters swallowed up the Egyptian army.)
• Do you think it would have been hard for the Israelites to trust God? Why or why not?

Craft: Red Sea Craft

 Supplies: Pieces of blue and brown construction paper, scissors, glue)

• Have the kids cut the blue sheet in half and make 3-inch cuts down each edge. Use the scissors to curl each of the cuts so they look like waves. Glue the blue pieces onto the brown so it looks like parted waves with dry ground underneath.
• Have the kids write “God provides a way of escape for His people” on the brown piece that shows through.

Game: Crossing the Sea                                 

Supplies: Construction paper (enough sheets to have one more than the number of kids in your class.)

• The class will line up on one side of the room with the goal of getting everyone safely to the other side. The trick is, the kids can only step on the construction paper as it’s laid down in front of them. The first child will lay down a page and step on it, then will reach behind them as the next kid hands them another sheet. The first child will lay it down, step on it, and the second child will step on the first sheet. Have the class continue in this way, laying down new sheets and traveling one child at a time till everyone is across.