The Creation and the Fall of Man | Adam, Eve and Original Sin

This past week’s catechism lesson was a follow up to the story of creation and Adam and Eve.

We dug into what happened after Adam and Eve ate the apple and the effects of original sin on us today.  It’s tempting to blame them for our current conditions but the truth is, we make decisions everyday that cause us to sin.

I think we are all guilty of shifting the blame for our poor decisions.  In a world full of temptations it’s easy to do.  We justify our actions and say that it’s too hard to stay good in a world full of bad.  Certainly, if Adam and Eve had a hard time resisting temptation in a world full of only good, how much harder is it for us now?

But that doesn’t excuse us from trying.  And we must teach our kids valuable skills at resisting those temptations by making them aware of how we got here in the first place.

So that leads us into the consequences of original sin and how it has developed into a modern society full of rampant sin.  Although it may be impossible to always stay on the right track, understanding how easy it is to fall into those temptations might help us to stay vigilant.  Especially children, who are already vulnerable to peer pressure.

Fortunately for us, God gave us not only Jesus to set the right example, but He also gave us Our Blessed Mother Mary.  Born without original sin, she is the perfect example of what we would be like without original sin.  By her example, we can still make decisions that are according to God’s will.  She is always there to lead us to God and be our guiding light on perfect obedience, just as her Son and our Savior Jesus is.

Slide Show 

This slideshow of the Fall of Adam and Eve was created in Canva and it can be played in the browser or accessed and modified in Canva, as well as printing a PDF.

Discussion 

• ‌What was God’s greatest gift to man before our fall?
• Were humans supposed to die before Adam and Eve disobeyed God?
• What would happen to them after their life on earth was over?
• Was there any suffering before their sin?
• Why do we have suffering now?
• Did Eve ask for God’s help in resisting the devil’s temptation?
• What is Adam and Eve’s sin called?
• Who was born without original sin?
• What does the Immaculate Conception mean?
• Who came into the world to redeem us from our sins?
• Were humans allowed into heaven after Jesus died?
• What is the place called where those who died had to wait before Jesus died?
• Are we guaranteed to get into heaven?

Activities 

The Temptation of Adam and Eve Fill in the Blank

The Fall Bible Lesson for Younger Kids by Trueway Kids

The Fall Teen Bible Lesson by Trueway Kids

Sin or Donut Sin Game – This is a game I developed that teaches kids the importance of our decisions and how the wrong choices cover us in sin until we are no longer recognizable.  

Each child gets a chocolate donut and a powdered sugar donut and they place them in a ziploc bag.  They then take turns pulling a statement from a jar that is either a sin or not a sin.  Every time they pull one that is a sin, they shake their bag.  

At the end, they can visibly see that the chocolate donut is now covered in powdered sugar, just as sin covers our souls if we don’t put a stop to it.  The more sins we have, the more covered up it is.

The object of the lesson is to illustrate how sin changes us a little at a time.  Every choice or influence leads to more destruction.