During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Before class, locate the body picture at the end of this lesson. Tear it out or be prepared to show it during the Connecting activity.
God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be.
If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body?
1 Corinthians 12:18–19
In the church there are many people who do many different things. They are each valuable members of the church, and the church needs each of its parts in order to function. Let’s think about this verse. God created us in His image, so it makes sense that He would place each part carefully within our physical bodies. We need each of our body parts in order to do the things our bodies are supposed to do. Our toes do not seem very important, but they help us balance and walk. Our tongues help us taste and speak. Each part is valuable and important!
It is important to understand your body because that helps you to know what to do when something is wrong with the inside or the outside of your body. Being aware of your body can be both helpful and unhelpful. Knowing when something in your body is wrong is helpful. Being critical of the appearance of your body can be unhelpful. That is why it is important to remember that God created your body just the way it needs to be. Even if you have what you consider flaws or imperfections that you do not care for, you can trust that God has a plan that includes you just the way you are. God is good, and He needs different people just like you to do His work!
Encourage families to talk to their children about what the head and neck do. Ask families to share facts they know about the head and neck with their children.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
As you welcome the children to class, ask each of them to name a body part they can see. This could include the head and parts of the face, arms, chest, stomach, hips, and legs. It is okay for them to repeat parts.
We will talk about the different parts of the body today. As you entered our teaching space today, you named several body parts.
Have children point to each part of their bodies as you name them. Parts to name include:
Now that we named the parts of our bodies, let’s sing a song to help us remember them. When you hear a part of the body, you will place your hands on that part of your body.
Do the following actions as you explain them to the children.
For example, if you hear the word “head,” you will tap the top of your head with both hands. If you hear the word “chest,” you will put your hands at the top of your chest, just below your neck.
Create a simple song or clap a rhythm for the following words. Do the actions with the children so they can follow you. If your children know a song about body parts, sing that song instead.
Let’s sing the song again. Sing it with me if you can!
Repeat the song with the children.
Now that you know the major parts of your body, let’s learn what each one does.
God created people in His image. He made us with many different parts.
Read these verses directly from your Bible.
God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.
1 Corinthians 12:18–20
We would look very silly if we were made up of many arms! It is important for us to have the body parts that God made us with. Sometimes, people are born without certain parts of their bodies, like arms and legs. Some people are born without the ability to move or control certain parts of their bodies, like people who are not able to walk. These people are just as important to God as those who are born with all of these parts.
God created people’s bodies in a way that He knew would help them to do what they needed to do. For example, we have knees that bend in the middle of our legs so that we can walk. Think for a moment about your body. Move 1 part of your body to show how it works.
Move your head from side to side, bend your elbow to move your arm, or move another body part to demonstrate what you want the children to do. Allow about 20 seconds for the children to move.
The Bible tells us that God thought about how to make our bodies. In doing so, He created us in amazing ways.
You created the deepest parts of my being. You put me together inside my mother’s body. How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well.
Psalm 139:13–14
God created our bodies so that each part works with all of the other parts of the body to allow us to do things. God made us in amazing and wonderful ways! We have many parts, and it is important to understand how each part works and how they all fit together. Let’s start with your head.
What parts does your head have that makes it special?
Answers may include: eyes that see, ears that hear, tongue that tastes, nose that breathes and smells, a mouth for eating, and a brain to think and feel.
Your head is very special! The outside of your head is made of bone to protect your brain, which helps the rest of your body to work. Everyone tap gently on the top of your head to feel the bone that is your skull.
Your eyes, ears, mouth, and nose are also parts of your head. Your head is where most of your senses can be found. Your head helps you to see, hear, taste, and smell. The only sense you do not usually use your head for is touch.
Below your head is your neck. Your neck holds your head. At the front of your neck, there is a special bone that helps your tongue to work. This also helps you to breathe, swallow, and speak. Take a moment to find this special bone by gently placing 2 fingers on your neck right under your chin. We cannot feel this bone on the outside of our bodies, but if you swallow, you can feel it working near the top of your throat. Try to swallow and see if you can feel the bone at work.
Raise your hand if you felt this bone move.
Below your neck is your torso. Your torso holds all of the parts of your body that help you to eat and process food. It also holds your lungs—which help you breathe—and your heart, which pumps blood around your body. Your torso is very important because it is designed to protect all of these soft, delicate parts called organs. We will talk about our organs and how they work in another lesson.
Think for a moment about your torso, which begins where your neck meets your body and ends where your legs connect to the rest of your body.
What can you tell me about your torso?
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
Your torso helps you to do many things! The back of your torso is very strong because that is where all of the bones that protect your organs are found. These bones are called your ribs, spine, and hips. The front of your torso is more delicate because there are fewer bones and the bones that are there are designed to move when you breathe.
No one should ever touch the bottom of your torso unless you are sick or hurt. For the parts where you wear underwear or swimsuits, only a doctor or an adult who cares for you should ever look at or touch these parts. This means for boys and girls, no one should touch the parts of your body between your legs. If you are a girl, no one should touch your chest either.
If it is necessary for a caretaker or doctor to look at or touch these private parts of your body, it should only be for the purpose of making sure there is nothing wrong with these parts or to help you. You should not be ashamed of these parts, but it is important to know that they need to be protected from people looking at or touching them.
We will talk about the next parts of your body together because they do many similar things. Your arms and legs bend and move to help you do many things.
Point to your arms. Your arms are connected to the top of your torso.
Raise your hand if you can tell me 1 thing you do with your arms.
Allow 4–5 children to share.
Your arms help you to do many things. They can help you to get and eat food, write, play sports, and carry things. At the bottom of your arms are your hands. Your hands are made for holding objects and communicating. Our hands help us to touch objects, and this touch communicates to our brains what something feels like. Our hands can also help us to communicate with other people.
Much like our arms, our legs help us to do many things.
Raise your hand if you can tell me 1 thing you do with your legs.
Allow 4–5 children to share.
Our legs help us to stand, run, walk, and move in other ways. At the bottom of our legs are our feet. When Jesus was alive, people’s feet were often washed when they arrived at a place they had walked to because they got very dirty. Our feet still get very dirty, especially when we do not wear shoes!
Have the children move with you as you teach them how to sing the song that follows.
God made us with many parts. Let’s sing a song to help us remember where these parts are and what they do. Stand in a circle with me. I will name a part of the body, and you will reach it out into the circle. For example, I might say, “Put your arms in.” Let’s all reach our arms into the circle. Then I will say, “Put your arms out,” and you will reach your arms outside of the circle. We will then put our arms back into the circle and shake them. Once we are done moving our arms, we will then dance where we are standing and repeat the song with a different part of our bodies.
You may sing this as a song that is familiar to your children, or you may choose to just read and move with the words.
After the song, lead the children in clapping together in celebration of the amazing ways God made us. Ask the children to sit in their normal places for the end of the lesson.
Now that you know all of the parts of the body, let’s draw a body with all of its parts.
Give each child scrap paper or cardboard and paint or mud to draw a person. Show the children the example picture from the end of this lesson.
Make sure you include each of these parts on your person:
Once you have drawn your person, you can also draw eyes, noses, mouths, hair, and add clothes on your person.
Give the children 5–7 minutes to complete their drawings. If time allows, you may also choose to have the children show their drawings to those sitting near them.
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, give the children scissors to cut or allow them to tear out the pieces of their puzzles. Give them 3 minutes to put their puzzles together.
Today, you learned about different parts of the body. God created our bodies to work in ways that help us to move and live. Our memory verse reminds us that God also had plans for us when He created us.
God wants us to be safe. Our memory verse today says:
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
“I know the plans I have for you,” announces the Lord. “I want you to enjoy success. I do not plan to harm you. I will give you hope for the years to come.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Go through all the following motions with the memory verse once. Repeat the motions with the children 3 times.
End class by saying this blessing, based on 1 Corinthians 12:18–20, over the children.
Blessing: May you know that God cares so much about you that He made you with many parts. May you believe that God created you to be the person you are.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
