Read. Talk. Make.
Creation: Thanking God for His World
A story to share, little things to wonder about, and something to make together.
Day 1 · Light & darkness
Light in the darkness
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty and without shape. Darkness covered the deep waters, and God’s Spirit hovered over them. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light! God saw that the light was good. He separated the light from the darkness. He called the light day and the darkness night. There was evening, and there was morning: the first day.
Genesis 1:1–5
Day 2 · The sky
Room for a wide, wonderful sky
God spoke again. He made a space between the waters, separating the waters below from the waters above. God called that space sky. There was evening, and there was morning: the second day. The world was taking shape as God spoke.
Genesis 1:6–8
Day 3 · Land, seas & plants
A world begins to grow
God gathered the waters together, and dry land appeared. He called the dry land earth and the gathered waters seas. God saw that it was good. Then he told the earth to grow plants. Grass, seed-bearing plants and fruit trees grew, each with seeds to grow more of its own kind. God saw that it was good. There was evening, and there was morning: the third day.
Genesis 1:9–13
Day 4 · Sun, moon & stars
Lights for day and night
God made lights in the sky to separate day from night and to mark the seasons, days and years. He made the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars too. God set these lights in the sky to shine on the earth. He saw that it was good. There was evening, and there was morning: the fourth day.
Genesis 1:14–19
Day 5 · Sea creatures & birds
Life fills the sea and sky
God filled the waters with living creatures, from the great sea creatures to the many smaller creatures that swim and move. He made birds to fly across the sky. God saw that it was good. He blessed these creatures and told them to have young, filling the seas and the earth with life. There was evening, and there was morning: the fifth day.
Genesis 1:20–23
Day 6 · Land animals
Creatures great and small
God spoke, and the land filled with living creatures. There were livestock, wild animals and creatures that move along the ground, each of its own kind. The earth that had been empty was now full of life. God saw that it was good. But his work on the sixth day was not yet finished.
Genesis 1:24–25
Day 6 · People in God’s image
People, precious to God
God created human beings in his own image. He made them male and female, and he blessed them. God gave people responsibility for the earth and its living creatures. He gave seed-bearing plants and fruit trees for food, and green plants for the animals. Then God looked at everything he had made. It was very good! There was evening, and there was morning: the sixth day.
Genesis 1:26–31
Day 7 · A holy day of rest
The world was complete
The heavens and the earth were finished, with everything in them. On the seventh day, God rested from his work of creation. He blessed the seventh day and made it holy. The story that began with darkness and empty waters ends with a world full of good things and a special day of rest. We can look at the world God made and say thank you.
Genesis 2:1–3
Today’s big idea
God made a good world. We can thank him and care for it.
Let’s talk
A few things to wonder about together.
What did God call good?
Look back through the pictures. Can you name something God made on each day?
What makes people precious?
Genesis says God made people in his image. How could that help us care for one another?
What can we thank God for?
Choose one part of creation you noticed today. What would you like to say thank you for?
Let’s make something
Seven-Day Creation Wheel
Retell the seven days with a colourful wheel of your own.
paper plates or plain paper circles · pencils or crayons · scissors · split pin or string
Make your creation wheel
- Draw or divide a circle into seven sections and label them Day 1 to Day 7.
- In each section, draw what the passage says God made or did on that day.
- Cut a pointer arrow from spare paper and attach it with a split pin, or simply turn the circle and point with a finger.
- Take turns moving through the days and saying one thank you to God for that part of creation.
The wheel helps children follow the order of Genesis 1:1–2:3 and respond with gratitude for the good world God made.
For younger children, prepare the sections and help with scissors and split pins. You can use a finger to point instead.
A little prayer
Dear God, thank you for the wonderful world you made. Help us notice its goodness, care for it and care for one another. Amen.
For parents & teachersTeaching notes, timings and adaptations
Teaching this lesson
In this lesson, children hear how Genesis 1:1–2:3 describes God making the world step by step, calling it good, and resting on the seventh day. They will practise naming parts of creation and thanking God for them.
Before you teach
This passage begins with God creating the heavens and the earth. It then repeats a pattern of God speaking, things coming to be, and God calling them good. The passage ends by saying creation was finished and that God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.
Students will be able to name the seven days in Genesis 1:1–2:3, identify that God called creation good, and say one specific thank you to God for his world.
Your 30-minute teaching plan
Welcome: Notice God’s world
5 minWelcome the children and briefly introduce the lesson: Genesis says God created the heavens and the earth, and what he made was good. Ask children to quickly name things they can see in the world such as sky, plants, birds, animals, and people. Explain that today they will hear how the passage orders these gifts across seven days.
Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1:10, Genesis 1:12, Genesis 1:21, Genesis 1:25, Genesis 1:27
Read and explain: What God made each day
8 minRead the passage in selected parts, pausing to trace the order. Day 1: light and darkness. Day 2: sky. Day 3: dry land, seas, and plants. Day 4: lights in the sky. Day 5: sea creatures and birds. Day 6: land animals and humans. Day 7: God rested. Point out the repeated words: God said, it was so, and it was good.
Genesis 1:3, Genesis 1:8, Genesis 1:10, Genesis 1:12, Genesis 1:16, Genesis 1:21, Genesis 1:25, Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2:2
Discuss: What does ‘good’ and ‘very good’ show?
6 minGuide children to notice that God did not call only one small part good. He called light good, land and seas good, plants good, living creatures good, and then everything very good. Help them see that gratitude fits this passage because the world is presented as God’s work and gift, not as something people made for themselves.
Genesis 1:4, Genesis 1:10, Genesis 1:12, Genesis 1:21, Genesis 1:25, Genesis 1:31
Make and respond: Seven-day creation wheel
8 minChildren make a simple wheel with seven sections or a folded circle and draw one part of creation for each day. As they draw, prompt them to add one spoken thank you, such as thanking God for light, trees, birds, animals, food, or people. Keep the focus on what the passage actually names.
Genesis 1:5, Genesis 1:8, Genesis 1:13, Genesis 1:19, Genesis 1:23, Genesis 1:31, Genesis 2:3
Closing: Rest and thankfulness
3 minFinish by revisiting the seventh day. Explain that the passage says God finished his work, rested, blessed the seventh day, and made it holy. Invite each child to say one thing from Genesis 1 they are thankful for. Close with a short prayer of thanks.
Genesis 2:1, Genesis 2:2, Genesis 2:3, Genesis 1:29
Questions to explore
What words keep repeating through the chapter, and what do they teach us about creation?
Look for the pattern that God said something, it happened, and God called it good.
Genesis 1:3, Genesis 1:7, Genesis 1:9, Genesis 1:12, Genesis 1:18
On which day does the passage say creation was ‘very good’, and what had just been made?
Find the verse that says ‘very good’ and notice it comes after the making of humans and the rest of the living world.
Genesis 1:26, Genesis 1:27, Genesis 1:31
How is the seventh day different from the first six days in this passage?
Compare the verses about God finishing, resting, blessing the day, and making it holy.
Genesis 2:1, Genesis 2:2, Genesis 2:3
Seven-Day Creation Wheel
What you’ll need
- paper plates or plain paper circles
- pencils or crayons
- scissors
- split pin or string
Try it together
- Draw or divide a circle into seven sections and label them Day 1 to Day 7.
- In each section, draw what the passage says God made or did on that day.
- Cut a pointer arrow from spare paper and attach it with a split pin, or simply turn the circle and point with a finger.
- Take turns moving through the days and saying one thank you to God for that part of creation.
The wheel helps children follow the order of Genesis 1:1–2:3 and respond with gratitude for the good world God made.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, pre-draw seven sections and let them choose from simple prompts such as light, sky, plants, stars, birds, animals, rest.
- For older children, ask them to match each drawing with a short phrase from the passage such as ‘it was good’ or ‘God said’ and explain why that phrase matters.
Optional closing prayer
Optional prayer: ‘God, thank you for making the heavens and the earth. Thank you for light, land, plants, animals, and people. Please help us remember that your creation is good and to give thanks to you. Amen.’
Read alongside the lesson
Read or listen to the shorter Creation story →The illustrated text above is a children’s retelling. Read the source passage below together. The pictures are artists’ illustrations, not additional details from Scripture.
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Genesis 1
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3 God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
7 God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
8 God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9 God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so.
10 God called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”. God saw that it was good.
11 God said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it, on the earth;” and it was so.
12 The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with their seeds in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years;
15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth;” and it was so.
16 God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars.
17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth,
18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 God said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”
21 God created the large sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good.
22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind;” and it was so.
25 God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.
26 God said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.
30 To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so.
31 God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
Genesis 2
1 The heavens, the earth, and all their vast array were finished.
2 On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.
3 God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.
