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Year 1

The story of the Lost Son

I can retell the Parable of the Lost Son.

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New
New
Year 1

The story of the Lost Son

I can retell the Parable of the Lost Son.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Jesus taught using parables.
  2. Parables are stories with a deeper meaning.
  3. An example of a parable is the Parable of the Lost Son.
  4. The Parable of the Lost Son tells the story of father with two sons.

Keywords

  • Parable - a story with a deeper meaning

  • Lost - something that cannot be found easily

  • Forgive - putting aside our anger towards someone because of something they have done or said

Common misconception

Jesus only taught stories to his followers that were simple to understand.

Sometimes Jesus told stories that contained a challenging message for the audience.


To help you plan your year 1 religious education lesson on: The story of the Lost Son, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Tell the story in a creative way: for example, using props or drama. Pupils could hot seat the characters and get them to explain what is happening at different points. Retelling the story creatively will help to make it memorable.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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4 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is an example of a fable rather than a fairy tale?
Correct answer: The Ant and the Grasshopper
Cinderella
Correct answer: The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The Gruffalo
Q2.
The story of the Good Samaritan is an example of a ...
Correct answer: parable.
fairy tale.
fable.
Q3.
Christians might read about Jesus' parables in their special book, which is called the ...
Correct answer: Bible.
Qur'an.
Fable.
Q4.
Match the stories below to their deeper meanings.
Correct Answer:The Boy Who Cried Wolf,no-one believes a liar
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no-one believes a liar

Correct Answer:The Ant and the Grasshopper,finish your work before you play
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finish your work before you play

Correct Answer:The Good Samaritan,love your neighbour
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love your neighbour

4 Questions

Q1.
In the Parable of the Good __________, one of the sheep gets lost.
Samaritan
Correct answer: Shepherd
Son
Q2.
A parable is ...
a type of fable.
a story that really happened.
Correct answer: a story with a deeper meaning.
a story told for fun.
Q3.
The message of the story of the Good Shepherd reminds Christians that ...
there are parables in the Bible.
sheep sometimes get lost.
Correct answer: God is kind and caring.
Q4.
Put the Parable of the Lost Son in the correct order.
1 - The younger son left home.
2 - The younger son spent all the money.
3 - When he ran out of money, the younger son went back home.
4 - The father welcomed his son back home.

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