Time to Give: Helping Kids Share God’s Love Through Giving

When we teach learners about giving, it’s easy for them to think of money first. But this Time to Give lesson goes much deeper. It helps kids discover that giving is really about sharing God’s love every day, through helping hands, kind words, and joyful hearts.

Whether you’re teaching Sunday School, a homeschool Bible unit, or a church preschool class, this lesson invites learners to see that giving is one of the most beautiful ways we can spend time with God.

What’s Inside the Time to Give Lesson

This lesson focuses on 1 Peter 4:10:

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.”

Through story, discussion, and simple activities, learners explore how small acts of kindness can grow and spread God’s love. They connect this idea to the story Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson.

Here’s what the lesson includes:

• Opening: Sing Serve Others and introduce the memory verse from 1 Peter 4:10.
• Whole Group Discussion: Talk about how one act of giving can inspire many more. Then, using a ball of yarn, learners share ways they can give and pass the yarn to a friend. The class creates a web that shows how giving connects us all.
• Small Group Activity: Play Giving Blueberries. This fun, tangible game helps learners think about acts of kindness such as sharing toys, using kind words, or helping clean up.
• Song Connection: Use the “Time with God” song to reinforce that giving is another way we spend time with Him.

By the end of this lesson, learners see that giving, big or small, is an act of love that brings joy to others and honors God.

Crafts and Printables That Make Giving Visual

Each printable in this lesson helps learners see generosity in action.

• Helping Hands Craft: Learners trace and decorate their hands, drawing or writing one way they can give to others. Display these as a “Wall of Helping Hands” or hang them as a giving mobile in your classroom.
• My Giving Coupon Book: A student favorite! Learners create mini coupon books filled with ways to give such as cleaning, making a card, or giving a hug.
• Memory Verse Bracelet: Learners trace and color 1 Peter 4:10, then glue the strip into a wearable reminder to serve others.
• Coloring Pages: Great for early finishers or a quiet, reflective activity to end class.

These crafts make giving feel real and remind learners that everyone has something to offer.

Time With God Passport Connection

In this final lesson, learners glue the Give stamp into their Time With God Passport. This step marks a milestone in their faith journey. It’s a simple but powerful way to remind them that giving is one of the ways we stay close to God and share His love with others.

Amazon Tools and Books for Your Lesson

You can find Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed, the Serve Others songbook, and other helpful teaching tools on my curated Time With God Amazon List.

Everything is organized to help you plan easily and spend less time prepping.

Complete the Time With God Bible Unit

The Time to Give lesson closes out the full Time With God Bible Unit, which helps learners build six foundational faith habits. These include spending time with God, praying, studying, remembering, praising, and giving.

Together, these lessons teach children that time with God isn’t just something we talk about. It’s something we live out every day.