Cain and Abel

After the Fall in the garden of Eden, two sons were born to Adam and Eve. Their names were Cain and Abel. We find their story in Genesis 4.

Key Points:

It is good to obey God.
We cannot lie to God.
We should love our brothers and sisters.

Cain and Abel (A4 British) pdf

Cain and Abel (Letter USA) pdf

Baby and Toddler pack

Lesson Guide – Cain and Abel

Ask the child if they can summarize the creation of the world. Talk about how man fell into sin when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Two of their sons were named Cain and Abel.

When it came time to sacrifice, God rejected Cain’s offering. God rejected Cain’s offering because he did not do what God said. Play a game with your child and ask them to identify obedience. Begin by asking a question such as, “If I ask you to make your bed and you paint the car pink, did you obey?” This will be easy for the child to identify disobedience. As you progress, create harder scenarios such as, “If I ask you to wash the dishes and you take out the trash, did you obey?” Talk about how Cain’s offering was rejected because it was not the offering God had commanded to be given.

Cain tried to lie to God. We cannot lie to God because He sees everything. Play a game of hide-and-seek in the traditional way by closing your eyes and counting. Now, tell the child that this time you will follow them to their hiding place and watch them the whole time. Ask them questions. Was the game fun? Did they succeed in hiding from you? Why didn’t they succeed? Because you watched the whole time. In the same way, God sees everything. We cannot hide anything from Him. We should never lie to God.

Cain killed his brother. When God asked him where Abel was, Cain said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” He did not want to be responsible for his brother, but Jesus said to love our neighbors. What are some ways that we can show love to others? Is it love to share our toys with our siblings? Is it love to yell at a friend?

God loves His children and we should reflect that love to others. Read Matthew 25:34-40. Create a series of simple drawings. Draw someone in prison, sick, unclothed, sad, etc. Now, ask your child to finish the drawing by offering the help the person needs. E.g. On the unclothed person, the child can draw warm clothes. You may also choose to create this game by laying out a series of items on the table such as a coat, food, a smiley face, flowers, etc. Now, begin to act out the people in need either with or without words. Using words, you may say something like, “I am very tired. I wish I had somewhere to lay my head.” The child would then select a pillow. Or pantomime shivering and teeth chattering, and the child might then select a coat or blanket. Allow the child to be creative in their problem solving. E.g., they may choose a smiley face, pillow, or flowers for a sick person. Reiterate that we should always obey God and love others.

Video Bible story for children – Cain and Abel

Games and activities

Balloon Stomp

Inflate some balloons.

Speak with your child about some sins which displease God.

Write one sin on each balloon.

Share how Cain became angry and let the anger grow. We should stomp out our temptations to do wrong.

Allow your child to burst the balloons.

Giving gifts to God

Talk about some ways we can give gifts with a joyful heart. Show that gifts are more than just money or things.

Write some index cards with gifts your child can give.

Helping someone.

Cooking a meal for someone in need.

Giving a toy to a child. Giving some of their pocket money to the local church or missions.

Grow some vegetables

Cain was a farmer and grew his own food.

Let your child experience the joy of growing their own vegetables.

Speak about how we must care for the plants in order for them to grow. Talk about how it is good to enjoy the things we have but we must be careful never to love things more than we love God.