Leader’s guide · 12 weeks

Leader’s guide: Corrie ten Boom (For Children)

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This guide walks a Sunday school class, homeschool group or family through “Corrie ten Boom (For Children)” in twelve weeks, one chapter a week. It works for a small family around the table or a class of up to twenty, and is best for ages 8–12; younger children can join in if a grown-up sits close by.

Each session takes about 30 minutes. Welcome everyone and say the memory verse together (3 minutes). Read the chapter aloud (5–7 minutes). Talk together using the chapter’s three questions (5–10 minutes). Do the activity (10 minutes). Close by praying the chapter’s prayer, or your own (2 minutes).

To prepare, read the chapter yourself beforehand so nothing in it takes you by surprise, and have paper, pencils and crayons ready. From week 4 the story moves into the war, prison and the camp at Ravensbrück, so read those chapters calmly, answer children’s questions simply and truthfully without adding frightening detail, and keep coming back to the book’s own point: God was with Corrie and Betsie in every place they went.

Week 1 — A House Full of Clocks

We meet the Beje, the tall, narrow house in Haarlem with the family watch shop downstairs, and Corrie, the youngest child, born in 1892. Her grandfather began a weekly prayer meeting for the Jewish people, and the house, crowded with family and aunts, always had room at the table for one more. The big idea: God uses small, everyday prayers and kindness to get us ready for things we cannot yet see.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Those who love her will be blessed.” — from Psalm 122

Memory verse

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They will prosper who love you.

Psalm 122:6

Talk together

  1. What was the Beje?

    The tall, narrow house in Haarlem where the ten Boom family lived, with their watch shop downstairs.

  2. What did Grandfather Willem begin to do every week?

    The family remembered that he gathered friends once a week to pray for the Jewish people and for the peace of Jerusalem.

  3. Who could you make room for, at your table or in your games?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that small, everyday kindness and prayer matter to God, and he can use them in big ways.

Activity

Room for One More

You will need: Paper and crayons

  1. Draw a tall, narrow house with a little shop at the bottom, like the Beje.
  2. Draw a long table inside with your family sitting round it.
  3. Add one empty chair, and next to it draw or write who you could make room for.
  4. Share your house with a neighbour, then take it home as a reminder.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for my home and my family. Help me to pray for other people, and to always make room for one more. Amen.

Read chapter 1

Week 2 — Papa’s Big Bible

Corrie’s father, Casper, was a gentle, praying watchmaker who treated everyone with the same kindness and loved the Jewish people; her mother, Cor, cared for poor neighbours and died when Corrie was twenty-nine. When the young man Corrie hoped to marry chose someone else, Papa told her not to stop loving but to give her love to God and let him show her where it should go. Corrie never married, yet God gave her a huge family of friends and children. The big idea: when we are sad or disappointed, we can bring our hearts to God, and he turns our love towards other people.

“God gives the lonely a family to belong to.” — from Psalm 68

Memory verse

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.

Psalm 34:18

Talk together

  1. What did Corrie’s family do every day?

    They gathered to read the Bible and pray, and Papa read aloud from the big family Bible at mealtimes.

  2. What did Papa tell Corrie when she was heartbroken?

    Not to stop loving, but to give her love to God and let God show her where it should go.

  3. Can you remember a time you were disappointed? What could you tell God about it?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that we can bring our sad hearts to God, and he can turn our love towards other people.

Activity

A Heart Given to God

You will need: Paper and crayons or pencils

  1. Draw a big heart and colour it in.
  2. Draw two hands underneath it, holding it up to God.
  3. Around the heart, draw or write the names of people God might want you to love this week.
  4. Keep your picture to yourself, fold it, and take it home to pray over.

Pray

Dear God, when I am sad or disappointed, help me to bring my heart to you. Show me whom I can love today. Amen.

Read chapter 2

Week 3 — Tiny Wheels and Open Doors

Corrie and Betsie swap jobs, and Corrie discovers she loves the workbench; she trains carefully and, in 1924, becomes the first woman in the Netherlands to qualify as a watchmaker. She also runs girls’ clubs, teaches people with learning disabilities about Jesus, and the family takes in children who need a home. None of it was famous. The big idea: being faithful and careful in small things, and kind to people others forget, matters very much to God.

“Whoever is faithful in very little things is faithful in big things too.” — from Luke 16

Memory verse

He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is unrighteous in a very little is also unrighteous in much.

Luke 16:10

Talk together

  1. Why did Corrie need tweezers and a magnifying glass?

    Because the parts inside a watch are so tiny: springs as thin as a hair, and very small screws.

  2. Who did Corrie teach in her special classes?

    People with learning disabilities, whom many people in those days kept out of sight. She helped them get ready to join the church.

  3. What is a small job you could do carefully this week?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God sees our faithfulness in little things and uses it to get us ready for bigger things.

Activity

My Careful Clock

You will need: Paper and pencils or crayons

  1. Draw a large clock face and write the numbers 1 to 12 slowly and neatly, like a careful watchmaker.
  2. Choose three of the numbers and, beside each, write or draw a small job you can do well this week.
  3. Draw the clock’s hands pointing to the job you will do first.
  4. Hold up your clocks and say your first small job out loud together.

Pray

Dear God, help me to do even small jobs carefully and well. Help me to notice the people others forget, and to be kind to them. Amen.

Read chapter 3

Week 4 — A Child at Bedtime

In May 1940 the German army takes over the Netherlands, and the Nazis make cruel rules against Jewish people; Papa even wants to wear the yellow star beside his Jewish neighbours. Hearing a Jewish doctor tuck his little girl into bed, Corrie decides to help Jewish people in every way she can, and soon frightened people come to the Beje for food and a bed. Handle this gently: say plainly that some people were treated very unfairly and taken away, without going further than the chapter does. The big idea: God has put each of us in our own place, at our own time, to notice and help people who need it.

“Who knows? Perhaps you have been put in this place for such a time as this.” — from Esther 4

Memory verse

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

Talk together

  1. What did Papa want to do when Jewish people had to wear a yellow star?

    He wanted to wear a star himself, to stand beside his Jewish neighbours, but his family talked him out of it.

  2. What made Corrie decide to help the Jewish people?

    Hearing a Jewish doctor tuck his little girl into bed, and realising that the secret police could come for that family any night.

  3. Who is someone near you who might need help?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God has put each of us in our own place, at our own time, to help the people around us.

Activity

Kindness in Secret

You will need: Paper and pencils

  1. Fold a sheet of paper in half to make a secret plan.
  2. On the outside, write “My secret kindness” and decorate it.
  3. Inside, write or draw one kind thing you will do this week for someone who needs help, without telling them it was you.
  4. Keep the plan in your pocket, and next week tell the group how it went if you would like to.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for putting me where I am. Open my eyes to see who needs help, and give me courage to help them. Amen.

Read chapter 4

Week 5 — The Angels’ Crib

By 1943 people are living in hiding at the Beje, including Hans, Eusie the cantor and Mary, and more than eighty people stay over the months. A builder from the resistance makes a secret room behind a false wall in Corrie’s bedroom, the family practises getting in quickly (followed by cream puffs), and the house is full of music, lessons and laughter. The big idea: the secret room was a good hiding place, but the family’s real hiding place was God, so they could sing even in dangerous times.

“You are my hiding place. You keep me safe from trouble, and you surround me with songs.” — from Psalm 32

Memory verse

You are my hiding place. You will preserve me from trouble. You will surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7

Talk together

  1. Where was the secret room, and how did you get in?

    Behind a false brick wall in Corrie’s bedroom at the top of the house. You crawled in through a little sliding door under the bottom shelf of a cupboard.

  2. What happened after the hiding practice?

    Corrie gave everyone cream puffs. Their fastest time was seventy seconds.

  3. What helps you feel safe when you are afraid?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God himself is our safest hiding place, so we can trust him even in scary times.

Activity

Hiding-Place Verse with Actions

You will need: Nothing

  1. Say the memory verse slowly together, one sentence at a time.
  2. Make up an action for each part: hands over heads like a roof for “hiding place,” arms around yourself for “preserve me,” and a big circle with your arms for “surround me with songs.”
  3. Say the verse with the actions three times, getting quieter each time, until the last time is a whisper.
  4. Finish by singing a song you all know about God looking after us, as the Beje family loved to sing.

Pray

Dear God, thank you that you are my hiding place. When I am afraid, help me to remember that you are looking after me. Amen.

Read chapter 5

Week 6 — The Day the Police Came

On 28 February 1944 the police come to the Beje and arrest the family, but six people safely hide in the secret room and are never found; two and a half days later, friendly policemen let them out. Betsie points to the little sign “Jesus is Victor,” and that night Willem reads Psalm 91 and Papa prays with the family for the last time. Honestly, not everyone stayed safe: Mary was caught later and died, but Eusie lived. Keep the focus where the chapter does, on God’s presence, not on the arrest itself. The big idea: even when it looks as if evil has won, Jesus is still in charge and goes with us everywhere.

“Whoever lives in the shelter of the Most High will rest in his shadow. I will say of the Lord, he is my safe place.” — from Psalm 91

Memory verse

I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 91:2

Talk together

  1. Did the police find the six people in the secret room?

    No. They searched the house, but the secret room was never found. After two and a half days, kind policemen let the six people out.

  2. What did the family do at the police station that night?

    They lay together on a mattress, Willem read Psalm 91, and Papa prayed for them all.

  3. Why do you think the sign “Jesus is Victor” helped the family?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that even when it looks as if evil has won, Jesus is still in charge, and God stays with us.

Activity

A “Jesus Is Victor” Sign

You will need: Paper and crayons

  1. Fold a sheet of paper in half so it stands up like a little sign.
  2. Write “Jesus is Victor” in big, bright letters on the front.
  3. Decorate it with a border of colours, stars or flowers.
  4. Take it home and stand it somewhere you will see it on a hard day.

Pray

Dear God, thank you that you are always with me, even on frightening days. Please be close to people who are in danger today. Amen.

Read chapter 6

Week 7 — Alone, but Not Alone

Corrie is taken to the prison at Scheveningen, says goodbye to Papa at the gate, and spends weeks alone in a cold cell, where she sings, reads secret Gospels and makes friends with a line of ants. A letter from Nollie tells her Papa has died, only nine days after the arrest; Corrie is very sad, but knows he is with Jesus. Later she is moved and, to her joy, finds Betsie again on the train. Go gently with the news of Papa’s death and let children respond as they need to. The big idea: when we feel all alone, God is right there with us.

“Even if my father and my mother are taken from me, the Lord will hold me close.” — from Psalm 27

Memory verse

Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; don’t be afraid, neither be dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

Talk together

  1. What were Corrie’s little friends in her prison cell?

    A line of ants, which she fed with crumbs.

  2. What did Corrie tell the officer about people with learning disabilities?

    That God loves the weak, and that such a person might be worth more to God than either of them.

  3. When have you felt lonely? How could you talk to God about it?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God comes close to us when we are lonely, just as he did for Corrie.

Activity

A Quiet Prayer for Lonely People

You will need: Nothing (or one sheet of paper for the leader)

  1. As a group, name kinds of people who might feel lonely, such as someone new at school, a grandparent who lives alone, or someone in hospital. Do not name anyone in the room.
  2. Sit still and quiet for one minute, eyes closed, remembering that God is right here with you.
  3. Go round the circle and let anyone who wants to pray one short sentence for one of the people on the list.
  4. Finish by saying the memory verse together.

Pray

Dear God, thank you that you never leave me. Please be close to anyone who feels lonely or sad today. Amen.

Read chapter 7

Week 8 — The Back of the Embroidery

Corrie and Betsie are sent to the camp at Vught, where Betsie starts a “no grumbling” club and the women worship together on Sunday afternoons. When something terrible happens to some of the men prisoners, Corrie asks God why, and senses that she can bring the sadness to him and leave it there; she pictures the back of an embroidery, tangled and messy, while the front shows a beautiful picture. In September the sisters are taken by train to Ravensbrück in Germany. You do not need to add any detail to what the chapter says. The big idea: we often see only the tangled back of life, but God sees the whole picture and is making something good.

“When you pass through the deep waters, I will be with you.” — from Isaiah 43

Memory verse

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Talk together

  1. What club did Betsie start at Vught?

    A club whose members promised to try not to grumble, not to say unkind things about anyone, and to encourage each other.

  2. What does the back of a piece of embroidery look like?

    A messy tangle of threads. But on the right side there is a beautiful picture.

  3. What worry would you like to give to God today?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that we don’t have to carry every sadness alone, because God sees the whole picture.

Activity

Tangles and Pictures

You will need: Paper and crayons

  1. Fold a sheet of paper in half.
  2. On one half, scribble a messy tangle of lines using three or four colours.
  3. On the other half, use the same colours to draw a beautiful picture, like flowers, a sunrise or a tree.
  4. Write “God sees the whole picture” under the picture, and quietly tell God one worry you are giving to him.

Pray

Dear God, when I don’t understand what is happening, help me to trust you. I give you my worries now, and I leave them with you. Amen.

Read chapter 8

Week 9 — A Bible in Barracks 28

Ravensbrück is a huge, crowded, cold camp, but Corrie keeps her small Bible hidden, and she and Betsie read it to the women in Barracks 28 from many countries. Betsie says to thank God even for the fleas, and later the sisters find the guards stay away because of them, so the Bible readings go on; Corrie’s little bottle of vitamin drops keeps giving for weeks. Keep the description of the camp short and simple; the chapter’s focus is on sharing and thanksgiving. The big idea: even on the hardest days, we can find something to thank God for and something to share.

“In everything give thanks.” — from 1 Thessalonians 5

Memory verse

In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Talk together

  1. How did Corrie keep her Bible at Ravensbrück?

    She hid it under her dress. The guards were searching everyone, but they did not search her.

  2. Why did Betsie want to thank God for the fleas?

    Because the Bible says to give thanks in everything. Later the sisters found that the guards stayed away, so the Bible readings could go on.

  3. What is something you can thank God for today, even if the day is hard?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that we can look for God’s goodness and give thanks in every situation.

Activity

Thankful Even for Fleas

You will need: A large sheet of paper and crayons

  1. Write “Thank you, God” at the top of a big sheet of paper.
  2. Take turns adding things to thank God for: first easy ones, then everyday ones you usually forget.
  3. Try adding one thing that seemed hard or annoying at first but turned out to have something good in it.
  4. Read the whole list aloud together as a thank-you prayer.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for your Word, the Bible. Help me to thank you even on hard days, and to share what I have with others. Amen.

Read chapter 9

Week 10 — Betsie Goes Home

Betsie, gentle and deep in faith, makes plans with Corrie for after the war: a home for people with nowhere to go, and journeys to tell what God has done. She grows very ill and dies in the camp hospital on 16 December 1944, and Corrie finds her face peaceful and young. That night Corrie makes room in Betsie’s place for a Russian woman with nowhere to sleep. This is a sad chapter: give children space to feel it, be ready for some to think of someone they have lost, and never ask anyone to share their own grief aloud. The big idea: for everyone who belongs to Jesus, death is not the end, and God’s love is deeper than the deepest place.

“If I go up to heaven, you are there. If I go down to the deepest place, you are there too.” — from Psalm 139

Memory verse

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4

Talk together

  1. What plans did Corrie and Betsie make together?

    To open a house for people coming out of the camps with nowhere to go, and to travel to America to tell what God had done for them.

  2. What did Corrie do for the Russian woman who had nowhere to sleep?

    She made room for her in the place where Betsie used to lie.

  3. How does it help you to know that God’s love is deeper than any dark place?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that nothing, not even death, can take us away from God’s love.

Activity

A Comfort Card

You will need: Paper and crayons

  1. Fold a sheet of paper in half to make a card.
  2. On the front, draw something gentle and hopeful, like a sunrise, a light or flowers.
  3. Inside, write “God’s love is deeper than the deepest place” and sign your name.
  4. Quietly think of someone who is sad or missing someone, and give them the card at home if you like. You do not need to say who it is.

Pray

Dear God, thank you that your love is deeper than the deepest place. Please comfort everyone who is missing someone they love. Amen.

Read chapter 10

Week 11 — Free!

Corrie is called out and released, though she must first wait in the camp hospital, where night after night she tells a very ill girl named Oelie about Jesus until Oelie can say that Jesus loves her. Corrie travels home through Germany with almost no food, and in Groningen a nurse who once led one of her girls’ clubs feeds her, bathes her and gives her a real bed. Years later Corrie heard her release might have been a mistake, but she never doubted that God set her free. The big idea: God helps us even when we don’t know how, and we can always thank him for it.

“We have escaped like a bird from a trap. The trap is broken, and we are free!” — from Psalm 124

Memory verse

Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare. The snare is broken, and we have escaped.

Psalm 124:7

Talk together

  1. Who was Oelie, and what did Corrie do for her?

    A very ill young girl with a learning disability. Corrie told her about Jesus every night, until Oelie could say that Jesus loved her.

  2. Who did Corrie meet at the hospital in Groningen?

    A nurse who had once been a leader in Corrie’s girls’ clubs.

  3. What is something God has helped you with that you can thank him for?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God sets us free and helps us, even when we don’t understand how.

Activity

Welcome, Guest!

You will need: Nothing (chairs if you have them)

  1. Talk about how the nurse in Groningen welcomed Corrie with food, a bath, clean clothes and a bed.
  2. In pairs, take turns being the guest arriving at the door and the friend who welcomes them.
  3. As the welcomer, greet your guest by name, offer them a seat, and ask, “What would help you feel at home?”
  4. Swap roles, then share as a group one way you could welcome someone new this week.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for every time you have helped me, even when I didn’t know how. Help me to use my life to help others. Amen.

Read chapter 11

Week 12 — A Hand Held Out

After the war Corrie writes to the man who betrayed her family, telling him she forgives him, and opens homes for people hurt by the war, even one in Germany. In 1947 a former Ravensbrück guard holds out his hand to her; she cannot take it on her own, prays, and as she does, feels God’s love fill her heart so she can forgive. She spends over thirty years telling the world about God’s love and dies on her ninety-first birthday in 1983. Forgiveness can be a tender subject, so keep any personal reflection private. The big idea: forgiving can be very hard, but God gives us his love so that we can forgive.

“Love your enemies, and pray for those who hurt you.” — from Matthew 5

Memory verse

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32

Talk together

  1. What did Corrie write in her letter to the man who betrayed her family?

    That she forgave him, that she was praying for him, and that Jesus could make him new.

  2. What happened when Corrie asked Jesus to help her shake the guard’s hand?

    As she held out her hand, she felt God’s love fill her heart, and she was able to forgive him.

  3. Is there someone you need God’s help to forgive?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that forgiving can be very hard, but God gives us his love so that we can forgive.

Activity

My Private Forgiveness Card

You will need: Paper and crayons or pencils

  1. Fold a sheet of paper in half and draw an open, outstretched hand on the front.
  2. Inside, write: “Jesus, please help me to forgive, and fill my heart with your love.”
  3. If there is someone you find it hard to forgive, you may add their name or initial inside, but no one else will look.
  4. Fold the card closed, keep it somewhere safe at home, and pray the words when you need them.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for Corrie and Betsie ten Boom, and for all that you did through them. When I find it hard to forgive, please give me your love. Amen.

Read chapter 12