Exploring Psalm 23 With Children: A 15 Lesson Bible Series

"The Lord is my Shepherd" Psalm 23

When I was planning out my year of teaching in the fall, I penciled in Psalm 23 for January. The psalm is well known and well loved, but I had never taught it with children before. I knew we could spend a few weeks exploring this Bible passage. I knew the descriptions would connect with children, and I hoped they’d find a deeper connection to God through them.

And, let’s be honest, who isn’t drawn to the image of cute sheep?

What I didn’t know, when I picked this psalm, is that once I sat down to write the lessons, it would grow into a 15-lesson bible lesson series. We ended up spending over 4 months reciting the poem, exploring its words, and letting it soak into our hearts. From “The Lord is my shepherd” to “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” there was so much to notice, wonder about, and enjoy. Writing the lessons and creating all the activities was genuinely joyful.

The full series is now available for others to use, but before I move on to the next thing, I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on what stood out for me—and maybe for the kids too.

Every age was all in.

These lessons were written with elementary students in mind, but in our small church we meet in a multi-age room. Preschoolers join our elementary crew, and once kids graduate from elementary school, they tend to keep coming back. That means our ministry space is a mix of preschool, elementary, and teens (who weave in and out of participating and volunteering as they choose).

Yarn Sheep Craft

From the silliest tiny sheep crafts to more sophisticated art projects and interactive games, every age group got completely caught up in the story. They learned the psalm using sign language, conversation, and activities. No joke, one day a three-year-old and a teenage boy both proudly introduced me to their yarn-made sheep with the same expressions of excitement on their face. On other weeks we'd see preschoolers and teenagers standing side by side, equally determined to learn the whole psalm by heart.

In the middle of chaos, I’m learning to listen for God’s voice.

Teaching kids is a ministry of excitement and chaos. A well-crafted lesson can create moments of connection but the real magic happens in the unpredictability of real life with children. In one session, we were imagining the final stanza of Psalm 23 and wondering what God’s house might look like. The room was a sea of cardboard and chaos with art supplies scattered across tables, laughter ringing out, kids hollering for help. Ideas flowed as fast as the glue: God’s house shaped like a giant french fry container, or filled with favourite Nintendo characters. It was loud and joyful and holy in its own way. Even the silliest suggestions made me smile—God, after all, welcomes the playful spirit of children, and so do we. Every child takes a turn being silly, and every idea has a place.

God's House Planetarium

And then, in the middle of the laughter, come the moments that take my breath away. One girl created a planetarium so that in God’s house, we can still see the people and animals we love, and so God can always see us and know what we need. In another corner, a preschooler handed me a house with what looked like a scribble inside. But when I paused and asked, he explained it was a conveyor belt. On the belt was a box filled with God’s love, travelling down a pipe and out through a chimney so it could reach the whole world.

These are the moments that stay with me and the moments where children speak God's voice into the room. May we all be chimneys of God’s love to the world around us!

Storytelling really is the best way to teach.

In this series, I got to tell lots of stories (including two storybooks I wrote to go with the lessons). And I was reminded, again and again, how stories do most of the work. They rarely need much explaining and they speak straight to the heart.

Page from "Jesus Feeds the 5,000"

There were so many meaningful conversations that grew out of shared stories. One time, as we read a story about compassion and comfort, the whole room responded with an audible “awww.” In another session, we looked at an illustrated version of Jesus feeding the 5,000. One child paused on the image of the boy who shared his lunch. After the crowd had eaten, the boy was standing quietly, looking out at the people, content. That image became the child’s favourite page. “It really does feel good when there’s something you can do to help people,” she said. I didn’t teach her that. The story did. And she heard God’s voice in it.

I’m committed to slow.

This isn’t new for me. Years ago, when I first learned about repetition through a rotation-style ministry, my teaching was forever changed. I don’t do a traditional rotation model anymore, but one of its most powerful principles stuck with me: go slow, and let kids sit with a story.

Child with their food art.

It took us 18 sessions to get through 15 lessons and that’s because kids loved some of the activities so much, they asked to do them again. The food art was a hit for four straight weeks. The “rod and staff” golf course idea became an obsession where kids built their own mini-golf holes to help guide their sheep through the green pastures. I think this might inspire a full church event one day!

Spending extra time in activities also meant more chances to recite the psalm, to revisit stories from earlier weeks, and to deepen our conversations. It was never wasted time.

And maybe this is another reason why I love small church ministry.

Because we're in a smaller setting, we could take our time and not worry about getting off track. This is a gift I know many people don’t have, but it’s one of the things I treasure most about small church ministry. Our main goal isn’t the program. We’re not running an entertainment show. We’re hanging out with kids in the most organic way—building relationships, listening closely, and immersing ourselves in God’s story together.

Psalm 23 will stay with me in a new way now. Each stanza carries memories of shared laughter, thoughtful questions, creative moments, and quiet glimpses of faith. But more than just remembering the words differently, I’ve discovered God in new ways too. His character came alive through the children who were meeting their Shepherd—curious, playful, trusting—and in the process, we were all being gently led together as His flock.

I’m so glad to be able to share this lesson series with you, and I pray it will be a blessing to your community as well. I share more about this series and my experiences on my instagram page and you can also purchase the lesson series here.