Why The Ten Commandments Are So Important

Tammy Fernando • August 5, 2026

Help Your Kids Understand the 10 Commandments!

Jesus told His disciples in the Gospel of Mattew that the way to please God can be summarised as a) loving God and b) loving your neighbour, Matthew 22:35-36. The Jews of Jesus’ times would have easily understood this was a summary of the ten commandments that God handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai, because they knew them so well! Jesus the goes on to say,

“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”

Matthew 22: 40, The Catholic Prayer Bible

Following God hangs on following the two main commandments, which are really made up of ten individual commandments.

Let’s help our children know each of the ten commandments well too! Let’s help them examine each one in a fun way!

Girl in green scout uniform holding a magnifying glass up to her eye outdoors, with another scout behind her

Student in a white school uniform and red tie holding a magnifying glass outdoors, looking closely at the camera.

Two scouts in green uniforms, one using binoculars while the other reads a Scout Field Book outdoors

The Ten Commandments are found in three different places in the bible and Catholic Christians number them differently to our Protestant brothers. It’s probably easier to see this in the table below rather than trying to explain it:

As Catholics we have absorbed the Protestant commandment 2 into our commandment 1. This means that when we worship the one, true God, it is implicit in this that we won’t be making graven images of any other God and worshipping them-unlike the Israelites who made the image of a golden calf when Moses went up the mountain to receive the ten commandments. This golden calf represented one of the Egyptian false gods, something they would have been used to seeing while they were slaves in Egypt. Of course, we don’t worship any graven images. Protestants might think that we worship the statues of saints. But of course, we don’t.

Commandment 10 in the Protestant version is the Catholics commandment 9 and 10 put together. So, we have the same 10 commandments, but they are numbered differently!

Please show this song to your child over the next ten days to help them learn the Ten Commandments in a fun way!

“Ten Commandments — Not Eleven! | Catchy Christian Kids Song About God’s Rules”

I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange gods before me.
On day one, after having a go at singing this song, read out commandment one and show your child how you, as a family, believe in the one, true God. E.g. you all worship the one, true God in Mass every Sunday when you pray the Creed. Show them also that God is the Holy Trinity made up of 3 persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You might like to use the first part of this ‘shorts’ video:

A Child Whispers What Hell Fears Most: The Nicene Creed
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
On day two, you can sing the ‘friars’ song’ above and then discuss why we keep the name of Jesus holy. (commandment 2). Help them paint the name of Jesus, the second person of the Holy Trinity and decorate it to make it beautiful and fit for the King of all Kings that He is! They could use paper/ card/ wood/ collage!

Child walking toward colorful “CREATIVE” letters on a white wall

Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.

Ornate church interior with pews, patterned floor, and altar at the far end, lit in warm gold tones

On day three, before you sing the friars song with your child, ask them to listen out for commandment 3.

Talk about how we keep Sunday holy. Sunday is the day that Jesus, our Lord, rose from the dead and we keep His day holy by spending time with Him at Mass. We listen to His words from the bible and when we are old enough, we receive the special gift of His Body and Blood at Holy Communion. Till they are old enough, they can receive a blessing from the priest. Jesus is blessing them through their priest and touching them in an invisible way!

Ask them to tick all the Sundays in the month on your calendar and to count how many sleeps till the next Sunday.

Hands writing on a paper calendar with a blue pen beside a keyboard and laptop

Honour your father and your mother

On day four, you can sing the friar’s song and ask then to listen out for commandment 4.

You could ask them what they could do to make mummy and daddy happy? Then if it seems appropriate to you both, allow them to do this for you. It could be as simple as a kiss on the cheek, or a tickle on your tummy. Remember to respond to your child’s gift with a, “Thank you!”

Two people lying on a bed, smiling and sharing a kiss in a cozy bedroom.

You shall not kill.
On day five and before they sing the friars song, ask them to listen out for commandment 5. The friars don’t mention killing, what they say is:
“Do not hurt, be kind, respect all life, be kind”
Ask your child to tell you how they will be kind to someone or to an animal today? I am sure they will have great ideas!

Boy in red soccer jersey gently holding a dog outdoors

You shall not commit adultery.
On day six, before you sing the friar’s song with your kids, ask them to listen out for commandment 6. The friar’s song says:
“When you marry, love and stay. Faithful hearts are Heaven’s way!”
You can say that when we marry in the Catholic church we promise to love and honour the person we are marrying….in good times and bad, whether he/she is healthy or sick, for all the days of his/her life.
The Vow:
I, [Name], take you, [Name], for my lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
Ask them to paint a picture of a bride and groom at the altar with the priest. Or they might like to dress up and act out saying the vow above while you pretend to be the priest!

A couple kissing outdoors, with the woman in a pink dress and the man in a white shirt and orange bow tie.

You shall not steal.
On day seven, before you sing the friar’s song ask you kids to listen out for commandment 7. Then talk to your kids about not taking anything that is not theirs. This short video below might help send this message home.

Why it's important not to steal

You shall not bear false witness.
On day eight, before you sing the friar’s song, ask your children to listen out for commandment 8. Then, once you have had a discussion about telling the truth, this short video might help too.

The Big Little Lie | Children's Christian Stories with Morals | Telling The Truth

You shall not covet your neighbour's wife.
On day nine, ask your child to listen out for commandment nine in the song.
Don’t panic! With the friar’s song we can get around the whole ‘coveting/lusting after your neighbour’s wife’ thing without needing to be explicit! The friar’s song says: “Do not grumble, gripe or groan, be content with what you own”
Perhaps this could be a good opportunity for your kids to say they are happy with their own face and body. This is so important in the world that we live in where people are so dissatisfied with their looks and have surgery to change it. It will also be a great opportunity for you to build up their self-love. Here is one example below:
You can ask your child,
“Do you love your gorgeous brown/blue/green eyes?”
They can answer:
“Yes, I LOVE my gorgeous brown/blue/green eyes!