Ezekiel 36:26 Sunday school lesson on Emotions
- Eljoh Hartzer, MTh
- Jul 9
- 5 min read
Children need to learn about emotions just as much as (if not more than) they learn about numbers, letters, and how the world works. For them to flourish and grow into the people God made them to be, they need to develop emotional maturity. As the demands of the world on young hearts and minds increase, teaching kids about emotions and what the Bible says about them becomes more and more important.
This printable post can be used as a free Sunday School lesson on emotions for kids. The program elements include an introduction and game, a short Bible verse with questions and answers, a challenge, and a response section including a prayer and a group activity.
May you find space here to pause, reflect, and abide.
Sunday School Lesson on Emotions Overview
Bible Passage: Ezekiel 36:26
Theme: God gives us a soft heart.
Age: 5–11 years
Big Idea: Jesus wants us to bring Him every emotion.
Lesson Length: 30–45 minutes
Supplies Needed:
Bible (yes, the book)
Pebbles
Paper hearts
Tape
Markers
Speaker for music
Kids will learn:
God cares about every emotion.
Jesus understands our feelings.
God gives us soft hearts instead of hard hearts.
Prayer is a safe place for every emotion.
Just a note to facilitators and teachers before you jump into this lesson:
The content taught here is based on the idea that faith is not emotional denial. This lesson teaches kids that God wants them to come alive fully - His desire for them is to live out loud for His Kingdom and to know Him. I suggest that those teaching this lesson journey with the idea of embodied faith and understanding taking emotions to Jesus themselves for about a week before bringing this lesson to the kids. To go deeper with this idea, read how Nehemiah wept before he built.
Vine Creative Studio holds a collection of what I like to call 'encounter tools', resources connecting hearts with Jesus. You're welcome to try one out with my free Workbook on Living as a Wholehearted Follower or Coloring page on the Fishes & Loaves Miracle.
FREE BIBLE LESSON : HELP KIDS BRING THEIR EMOTIONS TO JESUS
INTRODUCTION:
Hello everybody and welcome back to church! Today we are learning about the importance of bringing everything we FEEL to God, because He cares for us! There is no emotion too big or scary for Him to carry. He loves you very much and enjoys hearing all about your day, the things that bother you, and the things that bring you joy.
Do you know what God's favorite sound is?
It's your voice!
When you talk to Him in prayer, He loves to listen to every word you say.
GAME: (optional)
Play a round of charades where the kids have to act out different emotions and the rest of the group needs to guess which one. This could also work for pictionary!
BIBLE:
Today we are learning about our emotions.
Remember that God made you in His image. That means you are made perfectly and like Him. Nothing about you is a mistake - not even your feelings.
Also, remember that Jesus became a human being. He felt lots of joy, excitement - and also anger. Jesus wept. He knows what it's like to feel everything you're feeling.
Let’s hear from the Bible. I am going to read from Ezekiel 36:26 (everybody say Ezekiel 36). Ezekiel was a prophet - a special messenger from God to His people.
The people had turned away from God, but God responded in mercy.
This is what God says to Ezekiel:
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."
OBJECT LESSON: Pick up the pebble that will be used in the craft later on and let the kids see it. Explain to them that this stone is hard, cold, and tough. The world will expect them to be that way. But that's not God's way.
Q: What will God remove from Ezekiel? (A: heart of stone)
Q: Is a heart of stone heavy or light? (A: heavy)
Q: Is stone hard or soft? (A: hard)
Q: Can you think of a time when you felt heavy, or your heart felt hard toward someone? (A:...)
Q: And what will he give him instead? (A: a new heart of flesh + a new spirit)
Q: Is a heart of flesh or a heart of stone better for being alive? (A: a heart of flesh)
Q: What is the new spirit? (A: holy spirit)
Jesus doesn’t expect you to be hard like a stone, he gives you a real beating heart of flesh.
A HEART OF STONE is tough. It pushes emotions aside and sweeps them under the rug.
A HEART OF FLESH can really feel. It beats passionately and allows emotions to come and go.
God wants to help you to come alive fully. He gives us the Holy Spirit to help to open up our emotions and feelings. The Holy Spirit has a few names in the Bible. He is:
God's Helper
Our Comforter
TAKE-HOME CHALLENGE / APPLICATION:
Your challenge for this week: Use the thumb-o-meter one day and talk to Jesus about what you are feeling. Remember to keep a soft heart and truly be open to express your emotions to Him. He cares for you.
Like this:
MINISTRY / RESPONSE:
SETTING:
Have kids go into groups of 3-4 + a volunteer
Spread out across the room
Play some soaking worship music to create a sensory atmosphere that is calming
ACTIVATION:
Pray in groups that stuck emotions can be opened up...
“Dear Jesus,
Thank you for creating me.
Help me open up my emotions.
I want to experience all of you.
Help to come fully alive!”
In big group, all together share stories
Let’s think about a time when we were… happy… sad… angry… ashamed…
Craft for teaching kids about a heart of stone VS a heart of flesh:
Paper Heart Craft for Sunday School: Heart of Stone vs Heart of Flesh
Supplies
Colored cardstock or construction paper
Child-safe scissors
Glue stick or clear tape
One small, smooth pebble per child
Black marker
Crayons, colored pencils, stickers, or glitter (optional)
Instructions
Cut out a large paper heart.
Tape or glue a small pebble to the center of the heart.
Write the words “Let me have a soft heart” underneath the pebble.
Let children decorate their hearts with colors, patterns, or stickers.
Take the craft home as a reminder to ask God for a soft, teachable heart.
Help for Little Ones
Pre-cut the hearts before class.
Use larger, lightweight pebbles or circles cut from cardboard that are easier to handle.
Help children tape the "pebble" securely.
Write the words in pencil first so children can trace over them.
Creative Adaptations for Older Kids
Write or draw ways they can show a "soft heart" around the edge of the heart (e.g., kindness, forgiveness, listening, sharing).
Decorate the heart with tissue paper, paint, or watercolor.
Punch a hole at the top, add ribbon or string, and hang it as a bedroom reminder.
SUMMARY
This lesson takes Ezekiel's words of a heart of stone & a heart of flesh and makes it very easy for kids to understand. The aim of the lesson is that the faith of these kids would be mature and emotionally aware, not stunted, so that they can grow to know Him.
Teaching children about emotions through the Bible helps them discover that Jesus welcomes every feeling they experience. This free Sunday school lesson on Ezekiel 36:26 reminds kids that God replaces hard hearts with soft hearts that are alive to Him and others.
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P.S.
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