Week 2: Thank You, God, for Food!

This lesson goes with week 2 of the All for His Glory sermon series, so kids and parents learn the same truth on the same Sunday.

1. Welcome game (10 minutes)

Food Relay: Put pictures of foods (or play food) in a pile. Make two baskets: “Grow food” (fruit, vegetables, beans, eggs, milk, whole-grain bread) and “Sometimes food” (candy, chips, soda). Teams race to sort them.

Keep it positive: “Sometimes food” isn’t bad or sinful. It’s just not what helps our bodies grow strong every day.

2. Bible story (10 minutes)

Daniel was a boy who loved God. But one day, soldiers from the land of Babylon came and took Daniel and his friends far away from home to the king’s palace.

The king wanted to train them to be his helpers. He gave them fancy food and drinks from his own table. But Daniel knew some of that food was not what God wanted him to eat. Daniel decided in his heart to obey God, even far from home.

So Daniel asked kindly, “Please test us for ten days. Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then see how we look.” The man in charge was worried, but he said yes.

For ten days, Daniel and his friends ate vegetables and drank water. And guess what? At the end of ten days, they looked healthier and stronger than all the others! God blessed Daniel for obeying Him, and God gave him wisdom too.

The Bible says that whether we eat or drink, we can do it for God’s glory. We can thank God for our food, and we can choose foods that help the bodies He made grow strong.

Talk about it

1. Where was Daniel taken? Who gave him fancy food?
2. What did Daniel ask to eat and drink instead?
3. What happened after ten days?
4. What is one way you can “eat for God’s glory”? (say thank you, try a new vegetable, share)

3. Memory verse (5 minutes)

“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

Pass the plate: Sit in a circle and pass a paper plate. Each child says one word of the verse when they get it. Go around until the whole verse is said, then try it faster!

4. Craft or coloring (10 minutes)

Thank-you placemat: Give each child a sheet of paper. Have them draw their favorite healthy foods and write (or you write) “Thank You, God, for food!” across the top. They can use it at home for mealtime prayers. Or use the coloring page and draw food on the plate.

5. Snack time (5 minutes)

Rainbow cups: Small cups with cut vegetables of different colors: carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes (cut in half for younger kids), with a spoon of hummus or ranch. Serve water to drink, just like Daniel!

6. Pray together

Dear God, thank You for our food. Thank You for farmers and cooks and for everyone who makes our meals. Help us to eat in a way that makes You happy, and to always say thank You. Amen.