Jesus and Thomas - Bible lessons for kids

In this lesson, we will explore when Jesus appears to His disciples and Thomas in John 20:19-31. We will discover how Jesus met His followers, even in their doubts and fears.

Main Points:

Jesus appeared to His disciples after He rose from the dead.
Thomas didn’t believe until he saw Him with his own eyes.
We can ask Jesus to help us believe in Him and trust Him.

Jesus and Thomas (A4 British) pdf

Jesus and Thomas (USA) pdf

Jesus and Thomas 5+ lesson pack pdf

TEEN Lesson

Lesson Guide – Jesus and Thomas

Ask the children if they have ever heard the phrase “seeing is believing.” Discuss with them what this means and why people might say it. Then ask them if they have ever believed in something without seeing it, like the wind or electricity.

Talk about how Jesus died on the cross and His disciples were very sad and scared, and they felt like they needed to hide. Share how sometimes we might feel scared too. Have the child share some things which scare them. When we feel scared, we might feel like hiding or running away. It’s important to remember that we can talk to Jesus about our fears and ask Him to help us feel safe.

Share how Jesus appeared to His disciples after He rose from the dead, they were filled with joy and amazement. To help a child understand how the disciples might have felt, you can do a simple activity. Have the child close their eyes and imagine that they lost their favourite toy. How do they feel? Sad, upset, maybe a little bit scared? Then, have them imagine that they found their toy again. How do they feel now? Happy, excited? Use this activity to help the child understand how the disciples might have felt when they saw Jesus again.

Talk about how Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus appeared to the other disciples and that Thomas didn’t believe them. Share how sometimes, it’s hard to believe something that we can’t see for ourselves.

Share how trusting without seeing means having faith in something or someone even when we can’t see or touch it. It’s like believing that the sun will rise tomorrow, or believing that our parents love us, even when they’re not with us. Think of other things we trust as true but can’t see or touch.

Talk about how when we accept Jesus as our Saviour, He promises to always be with us. Even though we can’t see Him with our eyes, He is always with us.

Think about how Jesus appeared to Thomas even when he doubted. In the same way, each Christian has a personal testimony of how we met Jesus for the first time. Take some time to share your personal testimony with your child of how you met Jesus. Show how your relationship with Jesus is real and that He wants to have a personal relationship with each one of us.

Share how Thomas exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” when he saw Jesus. Talk about how we must confess Jesus as “My Lord, God, Saviour, …” Hold up some images of objects that are general and personal to the child. For example, a picture of a house and a picture of the child’s house. A Picture of a pet and a picture of the child’s pet. Have them say ‘That is my ….” and reinforce the difference a personal relationship with it makes.

Pray together to end the study.

Jesus and Thomas – Bible story for kids

Games and Activities

Believe without seeing

For this game, you will need a blindfold and small objects such as toy cars, blocks, or stuffed animals.

Blindfold the child and have them sit on the floor.

Place an object in the blindfolded child’s hand and have them guess what it is without seeing it. You may suggest an answer and ask if they believe you or not.

Hide and Seek Disciples

Talk about how the disciples were hiding then Jesus appeared to them.

Play a simple game of hide and seek.

Talk about things we try to hide from.

Talk about how Jesus always knows where we are and cares for us.

“I Believe” Game

Start by saying, “I believe in [something you believe in].”

Then, invite each child to take a turn saying, “I believe in [something they believe in].”

Encourage the children to be creative and share things they truly believe in, such as “I believe that my mommy and daddy love me” or “I believe in being kind to others”.

If a child is struggling to come up with something they believe in, offer prompts such as, “Do you believe in being honest?” or “Do you believe in taking care of your friends?”

Talk about how even though we can’t see some of these things, we can see evidence that they are true.