Cowgirl (Kindergarten) teaches the ten commandments:
The ten commandments are ten rules that God made. He wrote them down on stone tablets. We can read the ten commandments in the Bible. I learned a finger trick from my mom and dad. It helps me understand the ten commandments. You can see the trick in the picture.
- Hold up 1 finger. This means that God comes first. So the first commandment is “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
- Hold up 2 fingers. Two gods is too many gods! If you have two gods, one of them must be an idol. So the second commandment is “Do not worship idols.”
- Hold up 3 fingers. It looks like a “W.” W is for “Watch your words.” God’s name is holy, and we should only use it when we are talking to Him, or about Him. Never in a bad or silly way. So the third commandment is “Do not take the Lord’s name in vain.”
- Hold up 4 fingers. What is the thumb doing? He’s resting! So the fourth commandment, to “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.”
- Hold up 5 fingers. It looks like I’m making a promise. So the fifth commandment is “Honor your parents.”
- Hold up 6 fingers. It looks like the finger is shooting the hand. So the sixth commandment is, “Do not murder.”
- Hold 7 fingers.The fingers look like people getting married. When people get married, they make promises.So the 7th commandment is, “Do not commit adultery.”
- Hold up 8 fingers. It looks like bars to a jail cell. So the 8th commandment is, “Do not steal.”
- Hold up 9 fingers. It looks like the thumb is telling lies about the fingers on the other hand. So the ninth commandment is, “Do not bear false witness.”
- Hold up 10 fingers and wiggle them. It looks like I’m coveting. That means you are saying, “Give me that! Give me this!” So the 10th commandment is, “Do not covet.”
Another Idea from Michelle (Cowgirl’s Mom):
Here is also a fun and catchy song by Mercy Me called “Ten Simple Rules,” from their newest CD, 10
YouTube Direkt
Have fun learning the ten commandments! Be sure to let me know if it works out for you.
Hi Michelle,
This is probably my favorite post! I’ve got 4 little ones and it’s past time we memorized these. Gonna start tomorrow morning. I know my kids will like these hand signals.
Thanks Michelle. Simple and fun (and it worked for me in about 15 minutes).
I am going to try this with my 4th grade Sunday School kids. Figure I will ‘quiz’ them throughout the year until we have it nailed down.
-Joel
Thank you, Joel. :-) I hope it works out well for your 4th graders! God bless, Michelle
Hi Michelle,
We had great success! Our curriculum focused on the Old Testament. So, in addition to teaching it to my 4th graders, I was able to teach it to our entire Sunday School group (3yr through middle school).
A couple highlights…..
1) After class, watching the kids show their parents the hand motions, and telling them the respective commandments. Most of the parents reactions began with an open mouth. Very cool!
2) At the end of the school year, the group went in front of the congregation. Our group leader asked the congregation, “How many people know the 10 commandments?”. Immediately, all the kids raised their hands. Awesome!
3) When I asked the kindergarten group (still in front of the congregation) to tell me commandment No. 7, one of the boys (Trevor) shouts at the top of his lungs “STAY LOYAL!!!”. It was so great to feel the energy that comes from children when they proclaim God’s commandments with confidence.
We had a great time making it fun to learn the hand motions. We would play games in a group to learn them. My favorite was putting 10 pieces of paper below random chairs, each with a number on it, and having the kids check their chairs (this was during our regular group openings). Those with a number told the group the respective commandment.
Thanks again, Michelle.
Your grateful brother in Chirst!
-Joel
Joel, that sounds great! I’m so glad that the kids picked up on it so well! Thanks for updating me on how it worked out for you. God Bless, Michelle
Love this! Thank you so much for this. I knew of a family friend who did something like this to teach her 4 children the 10 commandments, and have been searching for it to teach my 2 LO’s. Such a fun way to remember them. Thanks again. :)
Very similar to the book Hand Commands: The Ten Commandments for Little Ones by Ann Dunagan, which we’ve been reading to our daughter. http://harvestministry.org/hand-commands-explanation
Great ways to teach God’s commandments to our children :o)
I found your blog while searching for ways to help my 4th grade class at church learn the 10 commandments. This is SO cute and helplful! And this song is icing on the cake. Thank you! The girls and I are going to have fun tonight! I will be teaching my 2 and 4 year old tomorrow. Makes me smile that your blog is still being fruitful 3 years after you posted this :)
His,
Natalie
I love the idea. I created a similar hand motions with “time lapse” photographs. I’ve never seen it done this way. I would love to know what you think.
http://benjaminlotter.com/parent/resources/easy-way-to-learn-the-ten-commandments