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1. Dive Deeper: For God So Loved the World (John 3:16)
- Collected Joys
- Sep 25, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 17, 2025
About our Dive Deeper Series
Welcome! This post accompanies our newest book, Memory Verses in Action —created to help kids not only memorize Scripture but also live it out in daily life.
Each post of our Dive Deeper series includes extra resources for every verse in the book—featuring activities, songs, teaching videos, and reflection questions to help kids understand and apply God’s Word.
To learn more about the book and explore all the available resources, click here.
Dive Deeper: John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16 (NIV)
In this verse, kids learned that God showed His great love by sending His Son, Jesus, so that everyone who believes in Him can have eternal life. It’s one of the most important and well-known verses in the Bible—a perfect place to start learning about God’s love and salvation.
Below you’ll find fun ways to explore this verse even more, including a simple activity, a couple of videos, and additional discussion questions to help kids understand what it means that God gave His Son for us.
Activity Idea: God’s Gift Exchange
Help kids understand that Jesus is God’s greatest gift!
Option 1: Hands-On Gift Activity
What You Need:
A small box or gift bag
Simple items that represent what Jesus gives us, such as:
A heart (God’s love)
A small cross or paper cross (forgiveness)
A paper dove (peace)
A star (hope)
A small card with the word “Life” or “Eternal Life”
What to Do:
Place the items inside the box or bag.
Open the “gift” together and take out one item at a time.
For each item, talk about what Jesus gives us and why God sent Him.
Read John 3:16 together after opening the gifts.
Option 2: Draw-It-Yourself Gift Activity
What You Need:
Paper and crayons or markers
What to Do:
Draw a large gift box on the paper and label it “Jesus.”
Inside or around the box, draw or write things Jesus gives us, such as:
A heart representing love
A cross representing forgiveness
A dove representing peace
A star representing hope
Eternal Life
Connection: Explain: “God gave us Jesus because He loves us. Jesus is the greatest gift we could ever receive. Through Jesus, God give us love, forgiveness, peace, and eternal life.”
Additional Discussion Topics and Questions
In the Live It Section, we learned: John 3:16 is one of the most important verses in the Bible because it tells us about God’s amazing love. God gave us the greatest gift—His Son, Jesus—so we can live with Him forever.
It can be helpful to break this verse down into four big truths:
God loves. His love is bigger than we can imagine. He loves every person in the world, including you.
We sin. Sin is when we choose to do wrong things—like lying, disobeying, or being unkind. Everyone sins, and it separates us from God.
God gave. God didn’t leave us in our sin. He gave His Son, Jesus, the greatest gift, to take the punishment for our sins on the cross.
We believe. When we believe in Jesus—trusting Him as God’s Son who died and rose again—we are forgiven and receive eternal life with Him.
Additional discussion questions:
What gift did God give the world? (Jesus—His one and only Son.)
How does Jesus show us God’s love? (By coming to earth, teaching us, caring for people, and giving His life for us.)
Why did Jesus die on the cross? (To take the punishment for our sin.)
Why is it important that Jesus rose again? (Because He defeated sin and death and gives us new life.)
What is sin, and how does it affect our relationship with God? (Sin is when we choose to disobey God or make choices that don’t follow Him. Sin separates us from God.)
What does John 3:16 say happens when we believe in Jesus? (We have eternal life.)
What do you think eternal life with Jesus is like? (Being with Jesus forever, where there is no sadness or fear—only joy, peace, and God’s love.)
Do you believe that Jesus died for you? (Invite a gentle, personal response.)
What helps build your faith? (Reading the Bible, praying, worshiping, learning about God.)
How can you share God’s love with someone this week? (Showing kindness, helping, sharing encouraging words, forgiving.)
Do you know who said this verse? (Jesus.)
🎶 Song / Video
Singing Scripture helps it stick in children’s hearts. Here's a catchy song by New Life Kids Worship to help your kids memorize John 3:16! The first video is the song only. The second video features the song and motions.
Closing Thought
John 3:16 is often called the heart of the Bible because it shows us the whole story of God’s love in one verse: God loves, we sin, God gave, and we believe. Jesus is God’s greatest gift, and when we trust Him, we receive eternal life.
As you practice this verse with your child—through songs, activities, and prayers—remind them that God’s love is not just for today, but forever. Encourage them to deepen their faith by reading God's Word and praying as well as look for ways to share His love at home, at school, and with friends this week.
✨ Next Dive Deeper:
Joshua 1:9 – Be Strong and Courageous
In the next Dive Deeper lesson, we’ll explore how God encouraged Joshua to be brave and trust Him in every situation. You will find activities, videos, and reflection questions that help kids understand what it means to be strong and courageous because God is always with them.
Click below to begin the next lesson, or visit our Dive Deeper page for more tools and resources that go along with Memory Verses in Action.
Our Favorite Kids’ Bibles & Devotionals
Looking for more ways to help your child grow in God’s Word? Here are a few of our favorite Bibles, devotionals, and faith-building books for kids! These are wonderful tools to use alongside the Memory Verses in Action series and to encourage everyday conversations about faith at home.
Please note: This section contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we personally use and love!
This is one of our top recommendations! All the verses in Memory Verses in Action come from the NIV translation (except for Philippians 4:13), so kids can easily find and follow each passage in this Bible. It’s filled with colorful illustrations, fun facts, and “Live It!” features that help kids apply God’s Word to daily life. This is a great Bible for elementary-aged readers!
In addition to the standard version, check out this adorable personalized edition. Add your child’s name to make their Bible extra special!
➡️ Explore More Faith Resources
Please visit the links below to see all of our recommended resources:
Thank you for joining us!
Find more resources for Memory Verses in Action below.
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