Sunday School Lesson Directions
Bible Adventure
Open your Bible to Daniel 6:1-23, and show the passage. Say that
the story of Daniel in the lions' den is true because it comes
straight from the Bible. Explain that Daniel was so good at being a
leader that King Darius put him in charge of the whole kingdom.
That made the other leaders jealous. They knew Daniel loved God and
prayed every day. So they convinced Darius to make a law saying
that no one could pray to anyone except the king. Anyone found
praying would be thrown into the lions' den. But Daniel continued
to pray, and you know what happened? He was thrown in with the
lions!
Choose someone to play Daniel. Let everyone else surround Daniel
and open and shut their lion-face crafts like hungry lions. Then
ask everyone to close their eyes and imagine they're all alone in a
dark place. They hear the sound of lions' paws walking across the
room. They hear the sound of rumbling growls.
Then discuss the following questions. ASK:
• What thoughts do you think were going through Daniel's
head?
• When is a time you were in a really scary
situation?
• How did you trust God in that situation?
Explain that Daniel trusted God in the lions' den, and God shut
the lions' mouths.Have everyone shut his or her card with a snap.
Say that Daniel followed God even when it was hard, and God
protected him.
Bible Craft
1. Hold a sheet of construction paper vertically. Fold the paper
in half, side to side, and crease.
2. Fold the paper in half again, top to bottom, and crease. Open
the paper to how it was after step 1.
3. On the folded edge, make a 2-inch cut about 3 inches down
from the center fold (halfway between the fold and the bottom edge
of the paper).
4. Carefully fold back the cut edges to form two triangles. Make
sure all the creases are crisp.
5. Open the paper all the way; then refold horizontally. The
pop-up triangles form a mouth. When the folded sheet is folded over
again like a card, the triangles should open and lay flat against
the two card sides. When the card is opened, the triangle mouth
closes. (You may need to help the paper pop up the first time you
open the card.)
6. Now draw a lion's head around the mouth, adding eyes, nose,
mouth, and mane.
Hold the card with the mouth facing away, one hand on each side
of the card, and open and close the lion's mouth by opening and
closing the lion craft card. Add roaring sound effects for extra
fun. Explain that God protected Daniel by closing the lions'
mouths.
Bible Application
Place cardboard under the sheet or pillowcase. Demonstrate how
to dip an apple half in the paint, flat side down. Then press it
onto a sheet of newspaper first to get rid of excess paint; and
then press it onto the sheet or pillowcase. This will leave a print
of the apple with a star shape in the center. Let an adult use a
blow-dryer to dry the paint. Then turn the apple print into the
head of a lion, using the markers. Use the illustration in the
margin as a guide.
Write a word or phrase near the print that tells a time you'll
trust God in a hard situation. Keep making lion prints and writing
more situations. (It doesn't matter if things are upside-down or
sideways.)
As you work, discuss these questions. ASK:
• What's the hardest part about standing up for
God?
• What happens when we stand up for God?
• How can we encourage others to trust God and stand up
for him?
Say that God wants us to trust him and stand up for him, and
he'll always be there to help us!
Creative Prayer
Give each person a paper strip. Dip and glue the pompoms to the
paper strip. Make unique patterns using all three colors. Let the
bracelets dry. Then help each person wrap the bracelet around his
or her wrist, and staple or tape it in place.
When everyone is finished, read aloud Daniel 6:1-23. Then ASK:
• Why do you think Daniel prayed three times each
day?
• What kinds of things do you think Daniel talked to God
about?
• What can you talk to God about?
Explain that the three colors on the bracelets are reminders to
pray three times each day. Yellow is for prayer in the morning,
when the sun comes up. Blue is for prayer at noon, when the sky is
bright. Black is for prayer at night.
Pretend it's first morning, and then noon, and then night, and
let everyone pray three times, just as Daniel did. SAY: Remember that prayer helps us
follow God no matter what!
