Faith is a tricky thing to describe to kids…after all it’s…invisible! So here are 9 great object lessons on faith that I think will make the task a touch easier.

Let me know in the comments which object lesson you ended up using!

1. Fizzy Faith

 

This object lesson demonstrates the life-giving results of believing in Jesus.

 

Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

John 4:14

 

Materials Needed:

• Safety glasses
• 1 liter of diet cola
• A roll of mint-flavored Mentos
• Plastic dish pan

 

Directions:

1. Put on safety goggles. Keep children at a safe distance.
2. Place bottle in dish pan. Unscrew the cap.
3. Drop one Mentos candy into the bottle, and step away.
4. Listen to your audience squeal with delight as fizzy soda shoots up!⁴

 

Tip: Practice beforehand to see how the carbon dioxide in the soda will react.

 

Imagine going to the inner city and meeting a homeless person.  What would you do?  Would you be kind to them?  Or would you ignore them?

 

One day, Jesus went through Samaria, an area of Israel that Jews regularly avoided.  And when He stopped at a well to get a drink of water, He met a woman who had come from a bad past.

 

Now most men would have ignored her.  After all, men and women usually didn’t even talk to each other in public.  And what about Samaritan woman?  They were to be avoided by the Jews at all costs.  Not only that, but this woman was especially looked down upon by others in her town.  In fact, she had such a bad reputation that she had to go out at noon, the hottest time of the day, so that no one in her town would see her.

 

But in spite of her past, He loved her anyways.  And He wanted to have a relationship with her.  In John 4:14, Jesus explained how to go receive eternal life when He said: “Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  Remarkably, the woman put her faith in Christ.

 

Faith in Christ reminds me of this bottle of soda.  First, let me put on my safety glasses You should step back.  Now, let me add a Mentos candy into the soda.  Wow!  That’s incredible!  Look at that geyser of soda!  The reason why it reminds me of faith in Christ is because it’s so powerful.  When you put your faith in Christ, some cool things happen.  First, your sins are forgiven.  Second, the Holy Spirit comes into your life.  Third, you are given eternal life.

 

Do you have eternal life?  If not, I’d like to introduce you to the one who can give you eternal life.  Just as Jesus offered eternal life to the woman at the well, so He offers you that same invitation today.

 

Key Thought: Faith in Christ produces powerful results

 

2. Polished Pennies

 

This object lesson clearly shows how old things can become new with the power of God.

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17

 

 

Materials Needed:

• Old pennies
• White vinegar
• Salt
• Bowl
• Paper towels

 

Directions:

1. Give each child in the audience an old penny.
2. Have them place the pennies into a bowl.
3. Pour vinegar and sprinkle some salt into the bowl.
4. Wait five minutes for the oxidation to happen.
5. Take pennies out and wipe them off with paper towel.
6. See the audience jump up-and-down as they see the old pennies become new again!

 

I gave each of you a penny when you walked in. What does it look like?  It’s old and dirty, isn’t it?  Try to rub the dirt off and make it new again.  Did it work?  No, of course not!  Why don’t you let me help you?  I want you all to come up here and place your pennies into this bowl.

 

Those old pennies are like our lives before we came to know Christ.  Maybe you used to fight with your brother or sister.  Or perhaps you lied to your mom or dad.  All these bad things are called sin.

 

But Christ shed his blood for our sins.  When we turn away from our sins and put our faith in Christ, He cleans us.  Just like this solution of salt and water!  Now take a look at these polished pennies.  They look like new pennies, don’t they!

 

I’m reminded of 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”  You can’t make an old penny new in your own strength, but you can turn to Christ.  And He will make you like a shiny, clean penny!

 

Key Thought: Putting faith in Christ makes old things new

 

3. Pop-Rock Power

 

This lesson gives a graphic demonstration of the amazing effect the Gospel has on people.

 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…

Romans 1:16

 

 

 

Materials Needed:

• Soda bottle
• Balloon
• Pop rocks
• Nerds’ candy
• Nerds’ candy

 

Directions:

1. Insert funnel into the balloon.
2. Pour a packet of pop rocks into the balloon.
3. Add a small box or two of nerds’ candy into the balloon.
4. Open the soda and remove the lid.
5. Attach the balloon carefully to the soda.
6. Hear your audience squeal with delight as the balloon begins to blow up!
7. Clean up any mess.

 

Tips: Experiment beforehand to see how many boxes of nerds and packets of pop rocks it takes!  

 

Has anyone ever blown up a balloon with a soda, some nerds candy, and a packet of pop rocks?  I have!

 

Well, I’m sure that caught your attention.  I need someone to help me.  Sally, will you help me?  I need you to pour the nerds candy and the pop rocks into the balloon.  And then I’ll open the soda and carefully and attach the balloon.

 

Awesome!  Look at how the pop rocks and the nerds really help the balloon inflate!

 

Like pop rocks that and nerds candy, the gospel is powerful!  In fact, God’s Word says “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”

 

When you come to believe in Christ, He cleanses you from sin and fills you with the Holy Spirit.  Not only that, but He gives you boldness to share the gospel with others.  And when you step out in faith to share the gospel, the results will literally blow your mind!

 

Key Thought: When you have faith to share the gospel amazing things will happen

 

4. Colorful Clouds

 

In this object lesson, children make rain fall through the clouds, reminding them of Noah trusting God in the ark.

 

By faith Noah…built an ark to save his family…

Hebrews 11:7

 

 

Materials Needed:

• Clear vase or jar
• Water
• Small toy boat
• Dropper
• Food coloring
• Shaving cream

 

Directions:

1. Fill vase or jar with water until it’s three-fourths full.
2. Place toy boat on top of water.
3. Spray shaving cream on top of water.
4. Drizzle drops of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple food coloring over shaving cream.
5. Hear your audience exclaim, “pretty colors” as colorful rain clouds and raindrops appear in the vase!

 

Tips: This makes a great project for the entire class.  Just bring enough pint-sized mason jars with lids for everyone!  Also, it helps to put the food coloring in a syringe or eyedropper. 

 

Noah and his family had never seen rain; yet when God told him to build an ark, he did!  We read in Hebrews 11:7, “By faith Noah…built an ark to save his family.”  Noah believed what God said and had faith in God.

 

To help you to learn more about faith in God, I’m going to show you what it’s like to experience your very own rainstorm.  Here’s Noah and his family inside their ark.  Then a cloud came.   And the rain is going to start.  Wow, it’s really beautiful, isn’t it?  No doubt it was scary, but Noah really trusted God.  We can put faith in God, too.

 

Key Thought: Trust and have faith in God and he will never steer you wrong

 

5. Blind Faith

 

This is an excellent object lesson showing how to follow God’s voice when you don’t know where you are going.

 

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed;
blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:29

 

 

 

Materials Needed:

• Blindfold

 

Directions:

Find a helper in your class and bring them to the front. I’d suggest asking for someone that is ‘brave’. You don’t want someone shy to help you with this.

 

Have them stand to one side of you and pull out a blindfold that the kids haven’t seen before. (it works well to not let them anticipate what is going to happen)

 

Explain to the class that you are demonstrating what faith is like. Faith is not being able to see (like your helper can’t see). Faith is listening to God and trusting Him that He will help you and lead you where you should go.

First, spin them around a few times so that they are now disoriented and don’t know which way is safe to walk.

 

Then, give the blindfolded kid instructions where to walk as she makes her way across the room. Give her instructions every once in a while so it looks like she might run into something, but when she gets close have her turn and avoid running into anything.

 

The object here is to have everybody watching a little worried whether or not your helper is going to make it without falling down or running into something.

As your helper nears the other side of the room tell her that when you give the command you want her to sit down. She is not allowed to feel if there is anything to sit on, she just has to have faith and sit down.

 

As you are explaining this very quietly bring out a chair or stool and position it so she will be able to sit in it. Cue your audience not to make any noise. Remember, when your helper started there was no chair to sit, she doesn’t know if there will be a chair when she sits down.

 

Lastly tell your helper to sit down. When she is safely seated in the chair take off the blindfold and have everyone give her a big hand.

 

I’d also suggest giving her a small prize. Maybe a little gift card or something. Surprise her and the class with this reward. This will add a little drama to the end and subtly encourage all the kids to have a little more faith!

 

As you wrap this object lesson up explain that just like your helper had to listen for instructions to know what to do, that we have to do the same thing.

 

When God says “honor your father and mother” we have to trust Him that He knows what ‘s best even if you’re parents aren’t always perfect! When God says to “love your enemies” we have to have faith in him that he knows what is best.

 

When we read what God asks us to do in the Bible we have to trust Him that He knows what’s best. Even when we can’t see the end result.

 

Key Thought: Faith is not being able to see but trusting the One who can

 

6. Pencil Poke

 

This mind-blowing demonstration shows how to do something you thought was impossible!

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

Proverbs 3:5

 

 

Materials Needed:

• Plastic bag
• Water
• Sharpened pencils

 

Directions:

You mostly fill a plastic bag with water and then sharpened pencils will go right through it.

 

Trusting God is not always easy, especially when we don’t know what the outcome is going to be. It’s in those times we have faith and trust that God knows what is best, and DO what He asks us to do.

 

As you talk about doing what God has asked, despite our reservations, begin doing what seems ‘impossible’…. poking the pencils through the bag of water!

 

Key Thought: The impossible becomes possible when you trust God

 

7. Can Can Go

 

This object lesson shows the children what invisible power can do.

 

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1

 

 

 

Materials Needed:

• PVC pipe
• Aluminum can (soda can)
• Cloth

 

Directions:

Rub the PVC pipe with the cloth. Lay the can on its side. Hover the pipe over the can and move the can with static electricity.

 

Static Electricity is an invisible force— we can’t see it, but we can see what it does. Following Jesus by faith is like that. We can’t see Him, but we follow Him, and we can observe His works. People might make fun of Christians because they seem to obey Jesus “blindly”. Some wonder how Christians can believe in someone they can’t see. However, no one doubts static electricity just because it can’t be seen! As your students observe the can following the stick, remind them that following Jesus is about faith, and faith is about believing in what you can’t see.

Key Thought: Faith in God is believing in the unseen

 

8. Shaken Still

 

This demonstration shows how shaking can produce miracles.

 

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,
and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.

At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.

Acts 16:25-26

 

 

Materials Needed:

• Unopened soda can (must be regular, not diet)

 

Directions:

(as you shake the can)

 

Paul and Silas had caused quite the disturbance. They were thrown in jail and as far as the people in charge were concerned, they could stay there.

 

(as you shake the can)

 

The one night, an earthquake shook the jail and all the prisoner’s shackles were broken, and everyone was free.

 

(begin to flick the sides of the can as you rotate it)

 

But when the guards panicked…worried for their lives because all the prisoners had escaped, Paul spoke up…

 

(open the can, with no explosion!)

 

We are all here! No one has escaped.

 

Relieved, the jailer immediately asked about Paul and Slias’ faith…hoping to have for himself what supernatural strength they had living in within them!

 

 

See this page for more explanation of the soda experiment

 

Key Thought: Faith produces earth shaking miracles

 

9. Unseen Obedience

 

 

This object lesson demonstrated that God is working unseen for our good  all the time!

 

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

Daniel 6:10

 

 

 

Materials Needed:

• Two coins
• Toothpick
• Clear plastic drinking cup
• Inflated balloon
• Hand towel (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Stand the two coins up on their edges, keeping them together, and balance the toothpick across the tops of the two coins.
2. Cover this with the clear plastic cup.
3. As you talk about Daniel in Babylon and how he was surrounded by people who ate, drank, and believed differently than he did, begin to rub the balloon with hair or hand towel to create static electricity.
4. Then describe how Daniel, when asked to eat like everyone else in the palace did, decided to obey God instead of those around him.

Daniel was obeying God, someone he could not see, but who he knew was in ultimate control.

 

As you do this, move the balloon over the toothpick, causing the toothpick to move!

 

 Key Thought: God is working even when we can’t see it

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