"The Holy Spirit Mystery" Bible Lesson for Kids

This is the first in a series of four Bible lessons for children teaching them about the Holy Spirit.  Click here to see the series index.
This lesson first prepared for a Children’s Church setting, but would be ideal for a kids Sunday School.  Through object lessons, a small group study of multiple verses, and a memory verse game, students will learn who the Holy Spirit is, as part of the Trinity of God.
Bible Story: “The Holy Spirit?  An Egg-citing Mystery”
Scripture: Multiple scriptures explaining the Holy Spirit; focus on Isaiah 9:6
Target Age Group: 1st – 6th grade
Time: 45-60 Minutes
Introduction: As you ask the students the following questions, be the first to raise your hand to encourage their own participation. How many of us have ever done something wrong?  How many of us felt sorry about it?  How many of us have ever been brave when we could have been afraid?  How many of us need help making the right decisions?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, you may have had a little help from the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit, you say?  Who is He anyway?  What does He do?  Is He an egg?  Did He come from a chicken?  Is He like water?  Or is He like the wind? Maybe you’ve heard these comparisons before.  So how do you get Him?  Will He give us super powers?  (I have always wanted to ________ (fly, walk through walls, throw spider webs on bad people, turn my brother into a kitten, etc.)
Let’s discover more about Him today!
Learning Activity #1:  “The Holy Spirit: Like an Egg, Water, or Wind?”  (Object Lesson)

Supplies needed: an egg, a bowl, and a towel for your hands, clear cup or bottle of water, ice cubes
Okay.  We know Who God is.  He created us.  We know Who Jesus is.  He saved us.  So who is the Holy Spirit anyway?
Some of you have heard that God is three persons in one. God is the Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  How can we explain it?  Well, this egg right here has three parts.  There is the shell, (crack open), the yolk, and the white stuff.  It has three parts, but it is still one egg.
Or, we could use the water analogy.  There is water in its liquid form (pour or drink), there is water in its solid form which we call ice (show cubes), and there is water as a gas which we call water vapor.  That’s the steam that fogs the mirror in your bathroom when it’s hot in there.
You may have also heard that the Holy Spirit is like the wind.  The wind comes and goes as it pleases, but we never actually see the wind itself.  We see its affects when the branches sway, leaves blow, and when your cat gets launched across the yard in a really bad storm.  The Holy Spirit is kind of like the wind.  You can’t see Him, but you do see His affects in people’s lives.
God is three persons in one.  We explain that by using the three parts of the egg and the three forms of water.  We explain the Holy Spirit as one of these parts and also like the wind.  But, He is NOT like an egg, water, or the wind in any other way.   He is a mystery.  He is not like anything we know.  We can’t draw Him, explain Him, or compare Him.  But we can trust Him and we can know that He is good.
So if He’s so hard to understand, what do we know about Him then?
Learning Activity #2:  “Crack the Code” (Small Groups)
Supplies needed:  Bibles (one for each team), pencils, fill in the blank statements; Optional:  statements written on small slips of paper and put into plastic eggs for fun
Divide your students up into small groups of varying age levels and abilities.  There should be three to a group.  Designate the following roles or have the students select:  the reader (reads the passage), the writer (fills in the blanks), and the presenter (tells their team’s findings.)
Clearly explain student roles and the importance of working together as detectives, solving a puzzle. Distribute materials.
1.      Who is the Holy Spirit?  (Isaiah 9:6)
The Son (Jesus) is called Wonderful _____________, ___________ God, ______________   ______________, and __________ of Peace.  The Holy Spirit is a part of the Trinity of God.
2.      How do you get the Holy Spirit?  (Acts 2:38)
___________ of your sins.  This means to turn from sin, to change direction from wrong to right, and to follow Jesus.
3.      Where does He live?  (John 14:16-17)
The Father will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of ___________.  The world will not accept Him, but you know Him because He lives with _______ and will be in you.
4.      What does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?  (Acts 1:8)
You will receive ________ when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the _________ of the earth. (He gives us courage to tell about Jesus!)
5.      What does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?  (John 14:26)
The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, will ___________ us all things and will remind us of everything He has said to us.
6.      What does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?  (John 14:27)
He gives us ________.  We do not have to be troubled or afraid.
7.      What does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?  (John 16:8)
He  _________ the world of guilt.  That means that He makes us sorry for our sin.
8.  What does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?  (Galatians 5:22-23)
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, ________, patience, ________, goodness, faithfulness, ____________ and self control.  (We become people who have these characteristics in our lives.)
Give students time to work in their teams.  Help as necessary.  Regroup to go over each team’s findings.  Have the presenters read each question and answer.  Clarify as needed.  Celebrate students’ efforts when finished.
Learning Activity #3: “Don’t Drop that Egg!”  (Memory Verse Game)
Supplies Needed:  plastic egg (or hard-boiled egg), spoons (1 for each student), Isaiah 9:6b posted, large enough for students to see
Practice Isaiah 9:6 (the second part) with the students multiple times.  Discuss how Jesus is referred to as God and the Holy Spirit, emphasizing the Trinity, and briefly explaining the names of God.
Once students get a grip on the verse, divide into two teams (we had the eggs and the chickens).  Each team should be split in half, across the room from their teammates in a straight line.
Demonstrate balancing an egg on a spoon, walking it across to the teammate first in line, saying the verse, and handing off the egg carefully.  The student receiving the egg then walks across the room to say the verse and give it to the next person in line.  If a student drops an egg, have them pick it up quickly and continue playing.  Play continues until all students have received a turn.
The first team finished should sit down to signal their completion.  Play the game again if time remains.

For more help, read this post by Justin Taylor about explaining the Trinity to a child. You may also find the Big Thoughts series of books helpful.