BIBLE LESSON FOR KIDS ON ANGER

Here is a free children’s Bible lesson on the topic of anger, based on James 1:19-20. 

Big Idea: I should be slow to anger, because godly desires, thoughts, and decisions don’t grow out of human anger!

Includes a fun opening game to set up the lesson.

Enjoy!

Looking for children’s ministry curriculum? Check out the…

ONE YEAR CHILDREN’S MINISTRY CURRICULUM, VOL 1 – Save 72% on one year of children’s ministry curriculum for 1st-5th grade helping kids fall in love with Jesus and discover what it means to follow him!

BIBLE LESSON FOR KIDS ON ANGER

Bible: James 1:19-20

Bottom Line: I should be slow to anger, because godly desires, thoughts, and decisions don’t grow out of human anger!

GAME SUPPLIES:

• Blindfolds
• Pencils
• Blank paper
• Timer

GAME PREP:

Create blindfolds using strips of cloth (or by cutting up plastic tablecloths).

Make sure each child has a pencil and a blank sheet of paper (keep the blindfolds hidden until they are needed).

If you’re concerned about tables getting marked up when the kids are blindfolded, cover the surface with a disposable plastic tablecloth.

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME: 

Say: Today we’re going to play a game that will teach us about how anger can affect our decisions. It’s called “Blind with Anger.”

On one side of your paper, I want you to draw exactly what I ask you to:  

Draw a man standing beside a tree near a house on a sunny day.

Give them a few minutes to work on this. Consider setting a timer to keep them on task, making sure they draw everything you’ve asked.  After the timer ends …

Say: Time’s up! Take a look at your masterpieces. Those look great!

This picture represents your desires, thoughts, and decisions when you’re not angry. 

Now flip your papers over. We’re going to do the same thing again, only this time you’re going to be blindfolded!

Hand out blindfolds to children, helping those who cannot tie them on themselves.

Say: Once again, I want you to draw exactly what I ask you to:

Draw a woman in a boat catching a fish beside a mountain.

Give them the same amount of time to draw as you did before, reminding them of the drawing prompt as needed. After the timer ends …

Say: Time’s up! Take off your blindfolds and look at your masterpieces!

Ask: Which of your pictures came out better?

Say: In the same way that a blindfold can prevent you from drawing a good picture, human anger can prevent us from having good desires, thoughts, and decisions!

TEACH

Ask: Have you ever heard someone say that someone has a “short fuse”? What do you think they meant by that?

Give kids an opportunity to answer.

Say: A “fuse” is what we call the string or cord that’s attached to an explosive device, like dynamite or TNT.

These explosive devices can be very useful – like when they’re used to break up rock on a mountainside so a new road can be built.

But these devices can also be very dangerous!

For the person lighting the device, it’s important that they use a long fuse.

Ask: Why do you think it’s important to have a long fuse?

Give kids a chance to respond.

Say: Short fuses are dangerous because, once lit, they don’t give the person who lights them much time to get away before the explosion! 

By lighting a long fuse, however, they have plenty of time to get to safety before the device explodes.

So a long fuse is a good thing, but a short fuse could be a big problem!

A person with a “short fuse” is someone who “explodes” with anger very quickly, which can sometimes cause them to hurt the people around them with their words or actions.

Read James 1:19-20.

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” 

Ask: Have you ever been so angry that you said (or did) something that you regretted later? Why did you regret it?

Give them an opportunity to share. You may also consider sharing a time you let your anger get the best of you too.

Say: The Bible teaches that God wants to grow good things in us, things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Each of these things must grow in our heart so that they also show themselves in our actions.

But James warns us that these things can’t easily grow in an angry heart.

For that reason, he says that we should be “slow to become angry.” 

In other words, we shouldn’t have a short temper because human anger prevents us from thinking good thoughts and making good decisions that are pleasing to God.

Anger may get the best of us at times, but here’s the good news: There are a few ways the Bible says that we can lengthen our fuse!

First, James tells us to be “quick to listen” and “slow to speak.”  If we really take the time to listen to other people, especially if we find ourselves getting into an argument, we may come to understand them better.

And if we understand them better, we may never get angry with them in the first place!

Ask: Can you think of a time someone got mad at you over a misunderstanding? How did that make you feel?

Give them a chance to respond. Then, consider sharing an example of when this happened to you.

Say: Jesus also taught us to defeat anger with forgiveness. Rather than letting our anger get the best of us every time someone makes a mistake, we should remember that we all make mistakes!

Ask: Can you think of a time someone forgave you for something you did to them? What happened?

Give them a chance to respond.

How did you feel before you were forgiven? How about after?

Again, give them time to respond.

Say: Lastly, we should remember that God himself is slow to anger – which is great news for all of us! 

God is patient with us even when we sin, so we should be patient with others when they sin against us.

Remembering who God is – and remembering how loving, patient, kind, and forgiving He is toward us – is perhaps the very best way to train our own hearts to be loving, patient, kind, and forgiving toward others!

Ask God to help you be slow to anger, and give your godly desires, thoughts, and decisions a chance to grow!

(End Lesson)

Looking for children’s ministry curriculum? Check out the…

ONE YEAR CHILDREN’S MINISTRY CURRICULUM, VOL 1 – Save 72% on one year of children’s ministry curriculum for 1st-5th grade helping kids fall in love with Jesus and discover what it means to follow him!

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