YEA Lesson Library
Do Not Steal
About This Lesson
This lesson introduces the Eighth Commandment - no stealing. Instead, it encourages the student to be willing to share what they have with others.
Scriptures
Exodus 20:15
Leviticus 19:11
Proverbs 5:21
Matthew 19:18
Luke 10:30
John 10:10
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Ephesians 4:28
Words to Know
INSISTED - to declare firmly
The Lesson
Jerry and Pete went to the store with their mommy. They walked up and down the aisles of groceries. Cans of soup and vegetables were on the shelves. Cereal boxes were stacked in one aisle. They saw cookies and crackers of every kind. Pete and Jerry were getting hungry.
Finally mommy came to the fresh fruits and vegetables. She picked up a melon and sniffed. She put some oranges in a bag. They walked past a basket filled with juicy looking grapes. Jerry whispered to Pete, “No one would miss them if I ate a few. Tell me if you see someone watching.” Jerry pulled a few grapes and put them in his pocket.
Pete tapped Jerry on the shoulder. “Someone sees you,” Pete said.
Jerry looked around. He didn’t see anyone. He popped a grape into his mouth.
“Someone’s watching,” insisted Pete.
But again, Jerry didn’t see anyone near them.
As Jerry started to pick another grape, Pete said, “Someone sees you.”
Jerry looked behind him. He looked down the aisle. Mommy was busy putting tomatoes in her basket. There was no one else around. “What do you mean, someone sees me?”
Pete answered, “God sees you from above.”
Taking grapes from the store without paying is stealing. And stealing makes God sad. He wants you to give and share with others, not to steal. Giving and sharing makes God happy.
Activity
Teaching the Lesson:
Legacy Lesson: Student book/Teacher book - Teaching Time: 20 mins.
Lesson Prep - Teacher book - Time: 45 mins.
Teacher-Directed Activity: Flower Prints - Time: 15 mins.
Song: “O Be Careful Little Eyes” - page 39 of Kids Classics Collection - Time: 5 mins.
Activity in Student Text: Identify and Color - Time: 10 mins.
Alternate Ways to Present Lesson (YEAH):
Extending the Lesson - Additional Activities - REACH:
Daily Teaching Suggestions for each lesson -
Daily Time: 15-20 mins.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Ephesians 4:28
Monday - Leviticus 19:11
Tuesday - Matthew 19:18
Wednesday - John 10:10
Thursday - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Friday - Luke 10:30
Saturday - Proverbs 5:21
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the children will be able to:
1. Define stealing as taking something, without asking, that doesn’t belong to you.
2. Tell that God sees what you do, even when no one else does.
3. State that stealing is disobeying God’s commandment.
4. State that God wants us to give and share, not take things that are not ours.
Topics & Themes
Generosity
God’s Omniscience
Holy Conduct
Sharing
Stealing
Ten Commandments
Stealing
Preparation
Children learn, very early, the difference between what is right and what is wrong by the consequences for their actions. They must be shown that intentionally doing wrong will yield correction, punishment, retribution, or disapproval. When there are no consequences for wrongdoing, or when the consequences are inconsistent, the child is led to believe that the action is not so bad.
The book of Proverbs tells us to train a child in the way he should go. Teaching the Ten Commandments is part of that training. We cannot earn entrance into God’s Kingdom by keeping the commandments, but adherence to them is foundational to moral and spiritual development and happiness. And, disobedience to them carries consequences.
Before you come to class, enlarge and copy the flower stem and verse onto construction paper. Place several layers of folded paper towel in the bottom of a shallow pie tin. Cover the paper towel with a mixture of tempera paint and a few drops of liquid soap. Place a bowl of candy on a table in plain sight.
Review Questions
1. When you take something that doesn’t belong to you, without asking, what are you doing?
2. What did Dudley steal?
3. Who sees everything you do?
4. When Achan took something he shouldn’t, how did God feel?
5. What does God’s command say?
6. What does God want you to do instead of stealing?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Flower Print
One at a time, press each child’s palm on the paint covered paper towel, then onto their construction paper, making a flower on the stem.
REACH Activity
Letter: ST (Note: Teach this blend as a unit. Color the ST bubble letters as a unit.)
Words: steal, store, stacked, stealing, stay, stand
Sentence: HE THOUGHT HE COULD STEAL FROM THE STORE’S FRUIT STAND.
Song
“O Be Careful Little Eyes” is on page 39 of the Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Lead the children in prayer, asking God to help them share with others instead of stealing things that don’t belong to them.
Printable Pages
