A Baby, A Basket, and God’s BIG Plan

When it comes to characters in the Bible, Moses is a pretty big deal and he led a pretty miraculous life. God used Moses to deliver His people out of slavery by performing miracles like sending a plague of locusts and parting an entire sea. God talked directly to Moses and gave him instructions for His people including the ten commandments. Moses was even used by God to write the first five books of the Bible. Pretty impressive! With all the impressive things that happened during Moses’ life, one of the most memorable events happened when Moses was a baby. When his mother placed him in a basket in the river and he was found and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. This incredible story has been told in Sunday School classrooms for many years and, even though most of your students have probably heard it before, there are many reasons why we should continue to teach it today.

1. A Story of Divine Protection and Providence
   • God had a plan for Moses’ life from the moment he was born and we can know that God has a plan for each of us as well.
2. The Power of Courage and Faith
   • Moses’ mom showed tremendous courage and faith when she carried out her plan to save her son’s life.
3. God Uses Unlikely People for Great Purposes
   • Moses was a Hebrew baby who was supposed to be killed – not exactly hero material. Yet God used someone so unlikely to carry out His plan. God can use each of us regardless of our circumstances.
4. Foreshadowing of Jesus’ Deliverance
   • When teaching from the Old Testament, it’s important to show how it points us to Jesus. This story about an unlikely baby being saved so that he could grow up to deliver the Isrealites from slavery parallels that of an unlikely Baby born in Bethlehem who would grow up to save us all.

While this story is not only important to teach, it also can be a lot of fun! This complete lesson plan and activities takes all the legwork out of preparing for a successful Sunday School Lesson on Moses as a Baby for elementary-aged students.

Along with reading the story about Moses as a baby in Exodus 1 and 2, here are some fun ideas to incorporate with your lesson

Use Baby Pictures

Before the lesson, ask for baby pictures of adults who are on staff at your church and see if the students can guess who they are. You could also get baby pictures of the students with a little help from their parents or even find baby pictures of celebrities your students would know. This is a fun activity for the students but also helps them to think of how an important figure such as Moses was once just a baby like we all were.

Make a Moses Basket Craft

Allowing the students to make a craft at the end of the lesson allows for hands-on engagement. Having a tangible craft to take home may also help the students remember what they learned in class. This simple template only requires scissors and glue to make an adorable basket for students to take home. 

Play Hide-and-Seek

To reinforce the idea of Moses being found while he was hidden among the reeds of the river, students could play a simple game of hide-and-seek. Another idea is for you to hide a doll or another object in the room somewhere for the students to hide.

Video and Song

If you have a TV available in class, videos can be a great tool for visual learners to watch after reading from the Bible. This video by VeggieTales provides a fun reenactment of the story. Auditory learners may benefit from a song about Moses and this video has a catchy tune that these students would love.

Whether it’s through song, games, or crafts I hope you enjoy sharing this story with your students!

If you’re looking to teach an entire unit on Moses’ life, check out my cost-saving bundle with 6 complete lessons and corresponding activities.