One of the most dreaded requirements of any religious education program is when children are asked to learn the Commandments, or even worse, memorize them. Most students are intimidated by this endeavor, and most children are so relieved after they’ve passed their test that they instantaneously seem to forget every single one. In our program, most of our students aren’t expected to memorize the Commandments so that they can be recited, but they are required to have enough of an understanding where they can identify them on a multiple choice test. And still, the chapter on the Ten Commandments is probably one of the most intimidating chapters in the book…second only to the chapter on the Beatitudes.
At OLMC, I’ve tried to make this chapter as enjoyable as possible, and I’ve adopted an activity for learning the Ten Commandments, as well as the Great Commandment identified by Jesus Christ in the New Testament, that most of my children really enjoy.
Begin by teaching them about the Ten Commandments- where they came from, who they were presented to, etc. Consider reading the class the Bible story, which can be found in the book of Exodus. Explain how Moses, after leading the Hebrews out of Egypt, led them through the desert in search of the Promised Land. Moses climbed to the top of Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments directly from God Himself. While he was with God, the Hebrews were left on their own, and when Moses returned to them, he found them worshiping a false god. He was so enraged by their actions that he actually took the stone tablets that had the Ten Commandments written on them and broke them. Once he had calmed down and realized what he had done, Moses actually had to climb Mt. Sinai to get another set of tablets for the people. They celebrated God’s mercy and forgiveness, as well as His love, and placed the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments inscribed in them in a beautiful golden box called the Ark of the Covenant. The Hebrews were the Chosen People of the Lord, and in exchange for their faithfulness, God promised to lead them to the land that He had prepared for them. This land was Canaan, and it took them a very long time to reach it. Moses, by now an old man, died before ever stepping foot in the Promised Land, and his successor Joshua was given the task of actually leading the Hebrews into Canaan.
Though the list of the Commandments as it is given in the Bible does not quite match the one that it typically learned, every Commandment that we learn can be found in that list in one form or another. After you have explained the history of the Hebrew people receiving the Ten Commandments, go through the Ten Commandments one by one and explain them to the children:
1.) I am the Lord, your God, and you shall have no other gods besides Me. There should be nothing that is more important than God. When we put other things- like video games, money, or anything else- before God, we are breaking the First Commandment.
2.) Do not take the Lord’s name in vain. When we say God’s name, we should be talking to Him, or about Him with reverence. We should always think twice before saying something like, “Oh my God!”
3.) Keep holy the Sabbath. We should go to Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday, and we should dedicate this day to friends, family, and doing good works.
4.) Honor thy father and mother. This one is pretty self-explanatory.
5.) Thou shall not kill. In addition to not killing, we should never hurt anyone, physically or mentally.
6.) Thou shall not commit adultery. This means that we should treat our bodies, and the bodies of others, with respect.
7.) Thou shall not steal. Also self-explanatory.
8.) Thou shall not bear false witness. This is a very fancy way of saying that we should not lie.
9.) and 10.) Thou shall not covet they neighbor’s wife or goods. ‘Covet’ is another word for ‘to be jealous,’ so this Commandment tells us that we should be jealous of other people and what they have.
I would also suggest having them written out and showing them to the students as you cover each one. This will help you in the second part of the activity. After explaining each Commandment, tell them that Jesus Christ talks about the Ten Commandments in the New Testament as well. When asked how to get to heaven, His first answer was that we should follow all the Commandments. Normally, I admit to the class that many people have a hard time memorizing all the Commandments, but Jesus wanted to make it easy for us to learn them. I often tell my students that even if they can’t learn all Ten Commandments, they at least have to learn the Great Commandment that Jesus taught His followers. He tells them that the Greatest Commandment is this: “You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul, and you should love your neighbor as yourself.” This Great Commandment is twofold: love God and love your neighbor. And who is your neighbor? Everyone.
Begin the actual activity by telling the children that every one of the Ten Commandment can be fit into one of the two parts of the Great Commandment, either loving God or loving our neighbor. Put up a chart that has two columns: one that says, “Love God” and the other that says, “Love Your Neighbor.” Take each of the Commandments that you reviewed earlier and ask them to put them in the column that they think is correct. You might want to do the Commandments out-of-order, just so that it takes them a bit longer to see the pattern. Once all the Commandments are on the board, ask the students what they see. Hopefully, they will realize that the first three Commandments have to do with loving God, while the last seven have to deal with loving our neighbor. Finish the lesson by reminding them that even if they can’t remember every single Commandment, if they can remember the Great Commandment that Jesus Christ gave us, we’re well on our way to heaven.
Religious Education Resources 
[…] be used to make this task easier and more enjoyable for them. You can find one such activity here. Other Ten Commandment themed activities can be found […]