Kingship
This is the second part of a syllabus designed for 5 to 8-year-olds. In this set of units, the lessons come under the theme of ‘Kingship’. The lessons look at kings in the Old Testament, and how some obeyed God and others disobeyed God. In particular, the lessons focus on King Saul, King David and King Solomon.
King David was previously introduced in ‘Introducing the Bible’ (for ages 3-5). However, the way David is studied in Units 2 and 4 of this syllabus is different in emphasis. These lessons look at how David is a successful king because God was with him, and how he failed, by sinning and disobeying God. So even though David was a great king, he wasn't a perfect king.
Everything then leads up to Jesus as the perfect king. While all the other kings failed, Jesus is the King of kings.
The other two years covered in this 5 to 8 year age group are ‘Promises’ and ‘Salvation’.
If your Sunday School has this age group (5-8 years or te first three years of school) together in one class, then the three-year syllabus can be covered cyclically over the three-year period while children are in the class (‘Promises’ one year, ‘Kingship’ the next, ‘Salvation’ the next and then back to ‘Promises’). Each child will cover the three years of the syllabus in a different order depending on when they join the class. If the children are in separate classes for each year of school, then the first year of school can do ‘Promises’, the second year of school ‘Kingship’ and the third year of school ‘Salvation’.
In all three years, there are lessons on God's word, prayer, living God's way, and missionaries.
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Read the ‘Kingship’ introduction (PDF).
Syllabus
Unit 1: Saul
| 1. The Bible tells us about kings | 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings |
| 2. Who is king? | 1 Samuel 7:15-8:22 |
| 3. God chooses Saul | 1 Samuel 9:1-26 |
| 4. Saul becomes king | 1 Samuel 10:17-25 |
| 5. Saul disobeys God | 1 Samuel 13:5-14, 14:47-15:34 | Sample this lesson (PDF) |
| 6. King Saul—revision | 1 Samuel 8, 9, 10, 15 |
| 7. The next king | 1 Samuel 16:1-23 |
Unit 2: Easter
| 1. Jesus is God's Son | Matthew 9:35, 12:9-14, 22:34-40 |
| 2. Jesus goes to Jerusalem | Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-38 |
| 3. Jesus is alive | Matthew 26-28 | Sample this lesson (PDF) |
Unit 3: King David
| 1. David and Goliath | 1 Samuel 17:1-51 |
| 2. King David | 2 Samuel 5:1-12, 8:15 |
| 3. God's promises to David | 2 Samuel 7 |
| 4. King David disobeys | 2 Samuel 11:1-12:18 |
| 5. King David—revision | 1 Kings 2:1-4 |
Unit 4: King Solomon
| 1. Solomon's wisdom | 1 Kings 3:1-16, 4:20-34, 5:12 |
| 2. The temple | 1 Kings 5-8:21 |
| 3. Solomon's visitor | 1 Kings 10:1-13 |
| 4. Solomon's disobedience | 1 Kings 9:1-9, 11:1-13 |
| 5. King Solomon—revision | 1 Kings 3-11 |
Unit 5: Kings and the King of kings
| 1. Some kings didn't obey God | 1 Kings 15 and 16 |
| 2. Some kings did obey God | 2 Kings 22 and 23 |
| 3. The promised king | 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-5 |
| 4. The King of kings | Revelation 1:5, 17:14 | Sample this lesson (PDF) |
| 5. A servant king | Philippians 2:6-7, John 13:1-17 |
| 6. The greatest name | Philippians 2:9-11 |
| 7. Jesus is king in God's kingdom | Matthew 13:31-32 |
| 8. Our king | Matthew 13:44 |
| 9. We learn about Jesus from the Bible | 2 Timothy 3:14-17 |
| 10. Missionaries tell people about Jesus | Luke 24:47, Acts 1:8, 28:31 |
Unit 6: Learning from Proverbs
| 1. What we say | Proverbs 15:26, 16:24, 21:23 |
| 2. Important things to remember | Proverbs 15:3, 28:25 |
| 3. Being a friend | Proverbs 17:9, 17, 24:26 |
Unit 7: Jesus teaches us ...
| 1. Jesus teaches us to pray—part 1 | Matthew 6:9-10 | Sample this lesson (PDF) |
| 2. Jesus teaches us to pray—part 2 | Matthew 6:11-13 |
| 3. Jesus teaches us to love | Matthew 22:34-40 |
| 4. Jesus teaches us about riches | Matthew 6:19-21,19:16-22 |
Unit 8: Christmas
| 1. Jesus is born | Matthew 1:1-16, Luke 1:26-33 |
| 2. The king's visitors | Matthew 2:1-6 |
| 3. Jesus, the greatest king ever | Matthew 2:1-15 |