Prepare
Prepare your heart to teach.
Plan for the lesson.
Materials Needed for Small Group:
Forgiveness Wash
Inside-Out Glasses
God’s Purpose Path
Heart Change Craft
Hands Section
Materials Needed for Large Group:
Materials Needed for Games:
Game: Blindfold Road Walk
Game: Heart Change Relay
Game: Light or Night? Freeze Game
Connect
Connect with the kids and make them feel heard and cared for.
Small Group Session 1
Distribute name tags and snacks. Choose one of the following activities to do together while children eat their snack.
Share and Listen
Option 1
Ask the children to share their highs and lows (the best and worst things that happened to them either today or from the past week).
Option 2
Ask the children to take turns sharing how they are feeling today using the “How Are You Feeling?” chart.
Pray Together
Collect prayer requests from the students. The leader or a student can pray for the entire group, or a leader can pair up students and invite them to pray for one another.
Opening Questions
- “Have you ever done something you wish you could undo?”
- “Have you ever broken something that you couldn’t fix?”
- “Did you get in trouble for it?”
Activity: Forgiveness Wash
Objective: Kids will explain that forgiveness is for everyone.
Materials Needed:
Write “mean,” “selfish,” or “hurt others” on the board.
Ask:
- “Do you think someone who does these things can be forgiven?”
Then erase each word as you say: “Yes! Jesus forgives us when we trust in him and ask for forgiveness. It doesn’t matter what we have done, how many times we have sinned or failed, it doesn’t even matter how big our mistakes are, when we come to Jesus he forgives us.”
- “Why do you think it’s important to forgive others?”
- “Who do you know that needs forgiveness—even you?”
“Today we will learn about a man named Saul who did some terrible things but once he met Jesus his life changed.”
Head
Teach kids the story of the Gospel.
Large Group
Welcome the students to Crossroads and tell them you are glad they came this week.
Optional Starters
“Who is Jesus” call and response
Prayer Prompt: “God, you are powerful because…”
(Share what reminds you that God is powerful—like the stars, the oceans, or miracles you read about.)
Opening Song: “Superstar” by Go Fish
Opening Prayer
Tell kids that closing their eyes and folding their hands together can help keep them focused and not distract those around them.
Opening Questions
“Raise your hand if you’ve ever changed your mind about something.”
- “Like a food you didn’t like before but now you do?”
“Today we’re going to hear about someone who changed way more than his mind—Jesus changed his heart!
Saul was a man who didn’t like Christians. He wanted to take everyone who followed Jesus and throw them into prison. He asked the people in charge to let him go to the city of Damascus to find Jesus’ followers. If he found any, he wanted to arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem and put them in prison.”
The Story: Powerful Meeting
Materials Needed:
Hold up or display each image as you move through the story. Use big expressions and dramatic pauses to help kids visualize what’s happening.
- Saul (Picture of Saul)
“Saul didn’t believe in Jesus. He wanted to stop anyone who followed Jesus and even throw them in prison.” (Acts 9:1) - Road to Damascus (Road image)
“Saul was walking on the road to Damascus. He was going to hurt people who loved Jesus.” (Acts 9:3) - Bright Light (Sun image)
“Suddenly, a bright light from heaven surrounded Saul” (Acts 9:3) - Jesus Speaks (Sun with Cross + Speech Bubble)
“Jesus spoke from the light! He asked, “Why are you hurting me?” It was Jesus!” (Acts 9:4-5) - Saul is Blind (Eye with X)
“When the light was gone, Saul couldn’t see. He was blind! After a few days God sent another Christian to pray over Saul and heal his blindness.” (Acts 9:8) - Heart Change (Heart image)
“Saul’s heart was changed. He believed in Jesus and told everyone about him!” (Acts 9:19-20)
Once you have gone through the story, mix up the pictures and ask a student to come up and retell the story using the picture.
Once they are done retelling the story, if time allows, let other students come and retell the story.
Have students return to their seats.
“Wow! What an amazing story! Saul was someone who didn’t believe in Jesus at all. In fact, he was trying to stop people who did. But Jesus met Saul on the road and completely changed his life. Saul went from hurting others… to helping others. From not believing… to telling everyone about Jesus!
And here’s the really cool part—Jesus can change our hearts too! You don’t have to see a bright light or hear a voice from heaven. When we listen to Jesus, trust him, and follow him, he changes us from the inside out.”
Close in Prayer
“Dear Jesus,
Thank you for loving us, even when we make mistakes.
Thank you for changing Saul’s heart and helping him follow you.
Please help us listen to your voice and trust you every day.
Change our hearts to be more like yours—full of love, kindness, and truth.
Help us tell others about you, just like Saul did.
We love you. Amen.”
Games
Interactive games that bring lesson concepts to life, helping children understand and remember what they’re learning. By connecting play with education, kids can explore ideas in a fun way that strengthens their understanding.
Games
Game: Blindfold Road Walk
Materials Needed:
How to Play:
- Kids take turns being “Saul” by wearing a blindfold.
- A partner (representing Ananias or a friend) carefully guides them through the “road” using only voice commands (no touching).
- After the course, remove the blindfold and let the “Saul” shout, “Jesus changed me!”
Connection to Lesson: Helps kids experience Saul’s moment of being blind and learning to trust guidance.
Game: Heart Change Relay
Materials Needed:
How to Play:
- Divide kids into teams.
- Place all the “angry face” cutouts on one side of the room.
- Kids race one at a time to pick up an “angry face” and swap it for a “happy heart” at the other end.
- First team to change all their faces into hearts wins.
Connection to Lesson: Visualizes Saul’s transformation from hate to love, reminding kids that Jesus can change our hearts too.
Game: Light or Night? Freeze Game
Materials Needed:
How to Play:
- Kids walk or dance around the room.
- When the leader calls “Light!” kids freeze with arms up like they’re surprised by the bright light.
- When the leader calls “Night!” kids sit down and close their eyes like Saul did when he was blind.
- Play several rounds.
Connection to Lesson: Reinforces the dramatic encounter Saul had with the light of Jesus and how it changed him.
Game: Who Said It? (Voice Game)
Materials Needed:
How to Play:
- One child stands in the middle with eyes closed.
- Leader silently chooses a player to say, “Saul, why are you hurting me?” in a disguised voice.
- The “Saul” in the middle tries to guess who said it.
- Repeat with different kids.
Connection to Lesson: Reminds kids of how Jesus spoke to Saul, and reinforces that Jesus speaks to us today too—even if it’s not through a loud voice.
Heart
Facilitate activity and study to help kids know and love Jesus.
Small Group Session 2
Share the Key Takeaway: When I meet Jesus, my life changes.
Object Lesson: Inside-Out Glasses
Materials Needed:
“These are just regular glasses (or sunglasses), right? But what if I told you they could show how someone sees the world—before and after they meet Jesus?”
Put the glasses on.
“Let’s pretend I’m Saul before he met Jesus. I thought I was doing everything right. I didn’t like people who followed Jesus. I didn’t understand who Jesus really was. It’s like I was seeing the world the wrong way.”
Take the glasses off.
“But then Jesus met me. Everything changed! I started to see people with love, not anger. I wanted to help people, not hurt them. It was like I could finally see things clearly—the right way.”
Discussion Questions:
- “Why do you think meeting Jesus changed Saul so much?”
- “Can you think of ways Jesus helps us see things differently?”
- “What’s one thing you could start doing differently because you know Jesus?”
“When Saul met Jesus, his whole life changed. He didn’t just believe something new—he lived differently. Jesus wants to help us live His way too.”
Activity: God’s Purpose Path
Objective: Children will recognize that God has a plan and purpose for each one.
Materials Needed:
Instructions:
- Create a path on the floor using tape or dots.
- As kids step through the path, they pick up a card and read it aloud.
- Each card shares something God might want us to do with our lives.
“God had a big plan for Saul. When Saul met Jesus his heart changed and he now went around telling everyone about Jesus.”
- “Did you know he has a plan for you too?”
- “What do you think God might want you to do?”
Activity: Heart Change Craft
Learning Objective: Children describe one way they can live differently because of knowing Jesus.
Materials Needed:
Give each child a heart.
On one side, have them draw or write what Saul was like before he met Jesus (angry, mean, didn’t believe).
On the other side, have them write or draw one way they want to live differently because they know Jesus (kind, helpful, tell others about Jesus).
Ask:
- “How did Jesus change Saul’s heart?”
- “What’s one thing Jesus is helping you change?”
“Wow—you all did such a great job today! We heard the story of Saul, a man who made a lot of bad choices. But then something incredible happened… Saul met Jesus. And when he did, everything changed. His eyes were opened. His heart was different. He started living a new way—and he never went back.”
And guess what? Jesus wants to do the same for us! He wants to forgive us, give us a new purpose, and help us live in a way that shows others his love.”
Going Deeper
- “Why do you think Jesus chose to speak to Saul, even though Saul was doing so many wrong things?”
- “What does that show us about Jesus’ love and forgiveness?”
- “What do you think it really means to have a “changed heart”?”
- “Have you ever had a moment where you realized you were wrong about something important—like Saul did?”
- “What helped you see things differently?”
- “How do you think it felt for Saul to be forgiven and given a new purpose after everything he had done?”
- “How do you feel when someone forgives you?”
- “If Jesus has a plan for each of us, how can we figure out what that is?”
- “What’s one thing you think Jesus is asking you to do right now?”
Hands
Lead kids to live out the mission of the Gospel.
Ending Together
“Just like Jesus forgave Saul, He forgives us too. No mistake is too big for Jesus to forgive when we trust in him.
God had a plan for Saul—and he has a plan for you too. That plan might be to help others, be kind, or share Jesus with a friend.
When we know Jesus, our hearts start to change. We don’t just believe something—we live it out in the way we treat others and follow God’s path.”
Response and Reflection
- Give each child a sticky note or small piece of paper.
- Have them complete the sentence: “Because I know Jesus, I can…”
(Examples: be kind, forgive, help others, tell the truth, pray for someone) - Let them stick their note on a poster or wall space as a visual reminder of the change Jesus can bring.
“These are all ways we can live differently because of Jesus. This wall shows how Jesus changes hearts—just like he changed Saul’s!”
Close in Prayer
Your Feedback Matters To Us!
Tried this lesson in your club?
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