Kid's Corner - Parents Guide - Daniel

Daniel in the Lion's Den

Dear Mom and Dad,

We applaud you for following Proverbs 22:6 by helping your child understand the Bible. Below, you will find some Teaching Tools to guide you in showing your child the truths of God’s Word and in helping your child apply them in his life.

Ages 3 to 6
Even if your children are older than six, we encourage you to lead them through this material before moving on to the content for their age group.

Ages 7 to 10

What we will learn
• God wants you to believe in Him. He doesn’t want you to be jealous of others
(or to be angry when others do what is right).
• When you pray to God, He hears and answers.
• God will help you work hard and do what He says.

LEARN ABOUT DANIEL

In this section, help your child understand why Daniel was so important in the plan of God. Daniel’s story shows that God is strong and will help you when you ask Him.

Teaching Tool #1:
When your child wonders why the government officers did not want Daniel to have a special job, explain that . . . they were jealous of Daniel; they saw that Daniel was one of the king’s favorites, and were angry. They wanted to be one of the king’s favorites too.

Teaching Tool #2:
Take this opportunity to teach your child that we don’t have to be jealous of what other people have or when our friends do good things. If we want what they have, we can ask God if it’s okay to want it. He may have something different that He wants us to have. God makes different plans for different people.

We can be happy for our friends when they do something right or have a special skill. When we see people do something good, it is always because God has helped them. So instead of being jealous of others when they do good things, we can thank God for helping them.

We can also ask for God to help us work hard and do what He says. When we believe God and pray to Him, He always hears and answers.

Teaching Tool #3:
When your child wonders why Daniel prayed to God even though it was against the king’s new law or rule, explain that . . . obeying the law (or rules) is good and right. Help your child draw pictures to reflect the rules that he needs to obey at home and church. Daniel had always obeyed the king’s other laws. But Daniel knew that this law was not what God wanted. Daniel knew he needed to talk to God and listen to Him in order to make good choices.

Learning Concepts and Unfamiliar Words

Not only has your child learned a fundamental truth about God’s character (that God answers us when we pray), but he has also learned the meanings of the following words: jealous and law.

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Parents' Guide

Dear Mom and Dad,

If you have children that are older (ages 7 to 10) and may enjoy learning more about Daniel, help them understand the following questions. You may want to help your child write his answers in a journal.

What we will learn
• When you pray to God, He hears and answers.
• God will help you work hard and do what He says.
• God does not want you to be mean to anyone—even if that person is mean to you.

HOW TO APPLY WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT DANIEL

Daniel made the most of everything God had given him. Daniel was so good at doing certain things that he worked for the king, and he worked hard. Instead of bragging about the good things he did, Daniel chose to take care of the special things God had given him the ability to do. King Darius saw how hard Daniel worked, and that is why he wanted to give Daniel a special job. We too can work hard with whatever skills or talents (things we are good at doing) God has given us.

Journal: What kinds of things are you good at doing? Are you good at helping your parents, at being kind to your friends, at creating artwork, or at playing a sport? Write down all the things you can think of. Now, thank God for each skill or talent He has given you.

Journal: Are you—like Daniel—using your skills and talents to work hard so that God’s goodness can shine through you? Write down one way you can use your talent or skill this week to help someone else see how good God is. Ask God to help you do it.

Even though it meant breaking the king’s new law, Daniel obeyed God by praying. He did not let people around him change his mind about doing the right thing.

Journal: Have there been times when you have done the right thing, something you knew God wanted you to do, even though your friends thought it was dumb? Write it down. Now, thank God for helping you obey Him.

Journal: Has there been a time when you knew what the right thing to do was, but you chose not to because of the people around you? Ask God to forgive you for not doing what He told you to do. Now, pray and ask for help so that next time you will obey God no matter what anyone else says or thinks.

Daniel understood how important it was to pray all throughout the day.

Journal: Do you talk to God all through the day? Write down things you can talk to him about silently when you’re at school, when you’re playing with friends, or when you’re at home. Do you have a test this week that you need help studying for? Ask God. Has God helped you be nice to someone at school even though that person was mean to you? Thank Him. You can pray to God all through the day.

When the other officers in King Darius’ government were mean to Daniel, Daniel did not let it get to him. He simply kept doing what he knew was right by praying to God.

Journal: Has someone ever been mean to you? How did you react? Write about it here. God does not want you to be mean—no matter how mean someone else is toward you. Instead, ask God for help when you want to treat someone unkindly. God always answers and will help you do what is right.

Since Daniel asked for help and believed that God would help him do what was right, God saved Daniel from the lions.

Journal: Do you believe in God? Have you ever asked Jesus into your heart? If you want to know how to ask Jesus into your heart, ask your mom or dad to help you read about "how to be God’s friend."

Lessons from Daniel’s life:

God wants us to pray—talk to and listen to Him—all the time, not just when we need or want something from Him. Daniel prayed three times a day.
God wants us to be kind to those who are mean to us.
God wants us to obey Him even when our friends think we are dumb for doing what He says to do.
God wants us to use our skills and talents to let others know how good God is.
God keeps us safe when we do what He says.

Memory Verse: "He (God) delivers His people, preserving them from harm . . ." (Daniel 6:27).

Remember Rhyme

Daniel loved God

He prayed three times a day

Daniel believed God

And everything He had to say.

Some men did not like Daniel

So they came up with a plan

To make Daniel seem as if

He was not a faithful man.

An exception from the law

King Darius could not give,

So Daniel was taken away

To the place where lions live.

When the morning came

Darius ran to the lions’ cave

He was very happy

To see that Daniel’s life was saved.

God is powerful

God is strong

He kept Daniel safe

All night long.

Learning Concepts and Unfamiliar Words

Not only has your child learned a fundamental truth about God’s character (that God answers prayer and keeps us safe), but he has also learned the importance of asking for help and believing God. Your child has also had a chance to learn the meanings of skills and talents, and apply biblical truths to his life while remembering the story of Daniel through Scripture and song.

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