Commandments:
First 
Second
Third
Fourth
Fifth
Sixth
Seventh
Eighth
Ninth
Tenth
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

DFMKIDS.COM
a division of DragonflyMinistries.com

Click here for a printable version 
of the Ten Commandments.

Boys and girls – I would like to encourage you to begin learning The Ten Commandments.  The word “commandment” means “things God wants you to do.”  These are ten very important things God wants each of us to do.  Now, open your Bible to Exodus 20:3. (Hint:  Exodus is the 2nd book in the Bible.)  The first commandment says “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Let me ask you a question – if you could have anything you wanted, what would it be?  You might say you would like to have lots and lots of toys or a new bicycle or a new pair of roller blades.  That’s great – just as long as those things are not the most important thing in your life.  God wants to be the most important in your life – more important that anything else you have or want.

And, if God is most important in your life, you will think first of him and what He wants you to do.  That will make you a kind and loving person – the kind of person God wants you to be.  Just remember, God wants you to love him most.

Have you ever broken a bone and had to have an X-ray?  An X-ray allows the Doctor to see the broken bone so that it can be put into a cast.  Without an X-ray, we can’t see inside of us.

The second commandment has lots of words.  However, I want to make it easier for you to memorize – so let’s remember it this way:  “You shall not worship any idols.”  What is an “idol”?  In today’s world, an idol could be money, cars, possessions, jewelry or ANYTHING that we worship instead of God.

Did you know that God can see what is in your heart?  He doesn’t need an X-ray machine.  He can see if you love something more than Him.  God wants you, in your heart, to love and praise and worship and follow Him.  Remember God knows what is in your heart.

Hi boys and girls.  Let’s open your Bible to Exodus 20:7.  This verse talks about misusing God’s name.  Here is an easy way to remember it – “You shall not take the name of God in vain.” 

In this commandment, God tells us not to use his name in a wrong way.  Whenever we use God’s name, it should be to talk to Him, to talk about Him, or to praise Him.  You should never use God’s name because you are angry or upset.  You wouldn’t want someone to use your name when they got upset.  For example, what if they said “For Mike’s sake, don’t do that!”  What if they said “I swear to Suzy, it’s true!”  I know this may sound silly, but people do that to God.  And you know, it is not cute or funny. 

I want you to remember to treat God’s name with honor and reverence.  Using God’s name correctly shows that we are respecting Him.

Open your Bible to Exodus 20:8.  Do you remember the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd  Commandments?  Let’s read the 4th Commandment:  “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.”

Do you like grapes?  I love grapes!  They are probably my favorite fruit.  If I had a handful of grapes and you took a grape, I probably wouldn’t even miss it.  I would still have a bunch left.  If I had 7 grapes in my hand and you took one, one out of seven is hardly missed.  The 4th commandment says that God wants us to give Him one day out of seven.  One day out of seven is not much to ask.

Why does God want us to do that?  He knows we need to rest at least one day out of seven.  Yet more importantly, God wants us to spend this day thinking about Him, remembering Him, going to Church and singing songs about Him.  That makes Sunday a happy day.  Remember this, the word “sun” is part of Sunday.  It is a “sunny” day because it is God’s day.

Open your Bible to Exodus 20:12.  Have you already memorized the first 4 Commandments.  Now let’s read the 5th Commandment:  “Honor your father and your mother.”

Let’s say that you and I were talking and I handed you a very beautiful vase.  It is a bright blue color and it cost a lot of money.  It is very old and that makes it worth even more money.   It was my Mother’s vase and I would be very sad to lose it and if it dropped it would break into hundreds of pieces.  How does this make you feel?  If you had to hold this vase for a long time, it would be a big job!

You know, God has given your parents an even BIGGER job.  He has given you to them to hold and to take care of.  This job will last at least 18 years.  That is why this Commandment tells you to honor them.  What does honor mean?  It means to love them, to do what they say, and to try to make them happy.  This will make their job a little easier. 

Let’s do our best for our parents because they do their best for us.

Open your Bible to Exodus 20:13.  Let’s read the 6th Commandment:  “You shall not kill.”

Have you ever seen a little kitten.  They are so cute and cuddly.  They are sweet and so helpless.  This little ball of fur with cute little eyes makes you want to be kind and gentle.  It makes you want to care for it and protect it.

God wants us to have kindness for people.  The 6th Commandment means more than “You shall not kill.”  It means that God wants you to have a kind and gentle spirit for everyone, even people who are not nice to you.  Yes, it’s easy to have a kindness towards sweet little kittens and cheerful, nice people.  However, it’s not so easy to feel and act kindly toward mean people and bullies, but that is the best way to be. 

Remember, God wants us to be gentle and kind.

Open your Bible to Exodus 20:14.  Let’s read the 7th Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.” 

Have you ever attended a wedding ceremony?  Weddings are very special especially for the bride and groom.  At a wedding, the bride and groom make a promise to love each other.  Did you know that many years ago, the church bell would ring each time one of the three biggest events in life took place?  Those three events were 1) being born, 2) getting married, and 3) dying.  So you can see that marriage is a big event. 

It is so important to choose someone you will love forever.  The seventh commandment tells us to take our wedding seriously.  When it is time for you to get married, you will promise before God to love only that person, to care for that person, and to think about the needs of that person. 

Remember, God wants us to take marriage seriously.

Open your Bible to Exodus 20:15.  How are you doing on memorizing the Commandments?  Well, let’s talk about the 8th Commandment today which says, “You shall not steal.”

Have you ever found something that didn’t belong to you?  What should you do?  Should you keep it or should you try to find out who lost it?  If your new puppy ran away and somebody found it, should they keep it?  If you dropped your new pencil when you got up and left the room, should I keep the pencil?  No!!!  I shouldn’t keep it.  I should give it back.

Remember, God wants us to be honest and not take or keep something that belongs to someone else.

Open your Bible to Exodus 20:16.  This Commandment has some big words in it.  Let’s read it “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”

Have you ever had anyone tell a lie about you?  How did it make you feel?  Probably not too good.  It may have made you feel sad.

In the 9th Commandment, God tells us not to tell stories about our friends.  It can get them into trouble and it can get you into trouble.  Did you know that it is also wrong if the story is only partly true?  When I was growing up, my Mom used to always say, “If you can’t say something nice about a person, then don’t say anything at all.” 

Let’s promise God that we will think before we say something about a person.  If it’s not true, let’s not say it.  If it is true, let’s make sure it is something good to say.

Open your Bible to Exodus 20:17.  This verse is really long so let’s say the first part “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.”  Do you know what the word “covet” means?  It means to “want something that belongs to someone else.”  When the verse talks about our neighbor’s house, it doesn’t just mean “house”; it means our neighbor’s possessions.

Have you ever wanted a new pair of shoes?  Not just any pair of shoes, but the latest and the greatest pair of shoes.  Well, you go to school and one of your best friends has the pair of shoes that you wanted.  Oh, how you want those shoes!  You begin to think about how much you want those shoes.  Soon that becomes all you think about.  Then you become mad at your friend for buying the shoes that you wanted.  Do you think that is how God intends for us to act?

Well, the 10th Commandment tells us not to want something that belongs to someone else.  If we do covet someone else’s possessions, we can become mean and selfish.  God doesn’t want that; He wants us to be happy with what we have and not waste time wanting things that belong to someone else. 

Let’s remember to study God’s Commandments and memorize them so we can live them each day.