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The Kissing Hand Book
A Bible Lesson on God's Love

The Kissing Hand book is a wonderful read to help children prepare to enter school for the first time, but it has so much more to offer!  

Chester's mother gives him something to remind him he is loved by her even when she isn't with him.  How much more important is it for us to assure our children God's love is with them no matter where they go?!


The Kissing Hand book Bible lesson

Summary of the Kissing Hand Book

Chester Raccoon is about to begin school for the very first time.  He is sad because he will miss his home, his friends, and his mother.  His mother tells Chester how wonderful school will be and he will meet new friends.  Then she tells him a secret she learned from her own mother. It is called "The Kissing Hand."

Mrs. Raccoon holds Chester's hand in hers, spreads his fingers open and then places a kiss right in the middle of his palm.  She tells her son that whenever he feels lonely or needs a little loving from home, to press his hand to his cheek and think - "Mommy loves me.  Mommy loves me."

Once Chester reaches his school in the big oak tree, he takes his mother's hand in his, places a kiss in the center of her palm and says he loves her too as he scampers to catch up to his new friends as they all enter school.


God is love Bible lesson

It begins...


Chester Raccoon stood at the edge of the forest and cried.

"I don't want to go to school, " he told his mother.  "I want to stay home with you.  I want to play with my friends.  And play with my toys.  And read my books, and swing on my swing.  Please may I stay home with you?"


Make a Book into a Bible Lesson

Teach like Jesus did; He loved to tell stories to help his audience receive and remember the lessons He taught.  Reading aloud to a child is a shared experience which can go way beyond the read even in their spiritual understanding.

We've included ways to use The Kissing Hand book as a tool to enhance a child's spiritual development and also their development in other areas such as intellectual, social and emotional.


Read Aloud

Attain a copy of The Kissing Hand book from your local library or it may also be ordered at the bottom of this lesson. 

Calvary Christian College provides an online copy here. You may also listen to the video reading below and tell the story in your own words.

When reading aloud, remember to read slowly giving children time to absorb the meaning as they view the illustrations.  If retelling the story in your own words, use facial and body expressions to instill emotion and visual context for the story.



The Kissing Hand Book
Things to Talk about

Asking questions and recalling facts from a read aloud like The Kissing Hand book, promotes discussion as well as listening comprehension which gives practice for reading comprehension skills.  This also helps the listener relate to the characters within the story.

Ask & discuss:

  • Why was Chester sad at the beginning of the book?  What are some things that make you sad?  How else might Chester have been feeling...afraid? Worried? 
  • Where did Mrs. Raccoon learn the secret of the kissing hand? 
  • How did the kissing hand make Chester feel?  
  • Do you think his mother needed the kissing hand Chester gave her?


Bible Lesson Script - The Kissing Hand Book

The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:8 that "God is love."  And God doesn't just tell us He loves us, He shows it!

"Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  Here is how God showed his love among us. He sent his one and only Son into the world. He sent him so we could receive life through Him." - 1John 4:8-9 NIrV


Some questions we want to answer:

  • If God is love, does that mean He loves me?  
  • Does He love me only when I'm being good? 
  • Can I count on God's love for me when I am lonely or afraid?


1.  If God is love, does that mean He loves me?

Read or quote 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." NIV

This verse assures us God loves the world so much He gave His one and only Son, Jesus!  I would say we each are a part of that world; therefore we could even put our name there and it would still be true.

"For God so loved (your name) that He gave His one and only Son, that when (your name) believes in Him, (your name) will not perish but have eternal life."


2. Does He love me only when I'm being good?

Romans 5:8 goes on to tell us that God didn't wait until everyone was perfect and only did good to send Jesus and show His love, He loves us even while we are sinners...even when we are not obeying or following Him.  God does not take His love away when we are being bad; His love always remains.

"But here is how God has shown His love for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." NIrV


3. Can I count on God's love for me when I am lonely or afraid?

Our last question...can we count on God's love even when we don't feel like He is near?  

This is the heart of The Kissing Hand book.  Chester's mother didn't have to be with him at school for him to remember that she loved him.  She gave him a way to remind him her love would always be with him.

Of course, God is with us wherever we go, but sometimes we forget.  Even as adults we worry or fear or feel lonely at times.  God reminds us of His love for us and His nearness through the Bible and also through His creation. 

Romans 5:5 tells us that when we have Jesus, not only is God always with us through His Holy Spirit, but He also fills our hearts with His love.

"And hope will never bring us shame. That’s because God’s love has been poured into our hearts. This happened through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." NIrV

And that brings us right back to our verses in 1 John chapter 4 which go on to say in verse 16:

"So we know that God loves us. We depend on it. God is love. Anyone who leads a life of love is joined to God. And God is joined to them." 1 John 4:16 NIrV

We can know God loves us and depend on it because God is love!

God's love doesn't stop there!  Because God loves us, we can love others and pass His great love along!

"We love because he first loved us." - 1 John 4:19 NIV


Bible lesson God is love

Give a Kissing Hand

Such a simple thing, but with a powerful impact!  Use a permanent maker to draw a heart in the center of your child's hand. (Don't worry; regular toothpaste can easily erase it later.) 

Talk about how empty the little heart looks; then fill it with red or pink ink using a pen or marker.  As you fill the heart, tell your child you are filling it with your love for them, but it is also to remind them that God is with them and always loves them too.

Like Chester's mother, kiss the palm of their hand and repeat that you love them and that God loves them.  Then close their fingers to wrap around that love to go with them wherever they go.


Use an Object lesson - God Is Love

valentinte1

A Science Object Lesson on God's Love

Items needed:   piece of paper towel for each student, plain pen, red markers, cups or bowls of water

Bible truth:  The point we want to get across to children using this lesson is that - first our hearts are empty without God's love and second that God means for us to share His love with others!

Bible verses:

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."

1 John 4:19 -  "We love because he first loved us."


Other Ideas
for getting the most out of the Kissing Hand Book

Intellectual 

  1. Toddlers will enjoy all the different animals in The Kissing Hand book!  Our 16 month old granddaughter loves to point out animals as she's learning to identify them and make their sounds.
  2. Vocabulary grows with listening to books being read aloud.  There are so many words used in context which we don't normally use in every day conversations.  A few in this book include:  nuzzled, cozy, toasty, tingled, etc.  Preschoolers will love repeating these and will be challenged as they consider what they mean.
  3. If you have a Kindergartener or early reader, point out certain words for them to "read" or repeat as they "I Spy" them throughout the book.  


Social

  1. Chester was worried about meeting new friends.  Practice how to introduce yourself to a new person or questions to begin a conversation.
  2. Talk about relationships with family members, friends or even strangers. Talk about how to treat others and also ways to react if someone makes us sad, angry or afraid.  Remind kids that God wants to have a relationship with us too; He wants to be our good, good Father who loves us!
  3. Have your child name a few things they like about people they already know.  Encourage them to use these as a guide for how they can be a friend to others such as being kind, smiling, helping, etc.


Emotional

  1. Point out that Chester talked to someone close to him when he was sad.  Have kids think about people they trust who they could tell if they were sad, afraid or lonely.  It can help us feel better when we share our feelings with someone we trust.   
  2. Take turns making faces and guessing how the other person feels from their expression.  We can be aware of others and how they're feeling by watching their faces or other body language. 
  3. 'Listening' to our own body cues can help us understand why we may be feeling a certain way also.  We can ask ourselves what is causing us to feel angry, sad or afraid.  It may be due to just being hungry or because of what someone said to us.  These help us clarify our emotions and know better how to handle them.

Physical

  1. Follow Chester's day through the things he liked to do: play with toys, read books, swing on swings. 
  2. Eye hand coordination:  demonstrate how to make a heart with your hands or practice tracing, drawing or coloring hearts.
  3. Play "open/close" with your hands.  Have them open their hands wide when you say "open" or close them into a fist when you say "close."  This strengthens hand muscles and also boosts vocabulary and reaction time listening skills. You make this a game to see if you can touch the heart before they close their hand. 



© Copyright 2025 Susan Smart


If you purchase a copy of The Kissing Hand book through the following ChristianBook.com link, our site as an affiliate will receive a small percentage; this helps us continue offering free Bible Lessons online. 

The Kissing Hand
By Audrey Penn / Tanglewood

A heartwarming classic, this story follows Chester the Raccoon and his fear of going to school. With beautiful illustrations you and your child will find your hearts warmed as you learn of "the kissing hand" and see how you can apply it to your own lives. Included in the back are heart-shaped stickers that say "The Kissing Hand" that you can use to help your little ones know just how much you love them!


More Bible Lessons from Picture Books 


Additional ideas for social and emotional development using The Kissing Hand.


More about the author - Audrey Penn


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