Free Bible lessons for kids · 6 lessons
Bible lessons about God’s plan for kids
God is in control of history, and He works all things together for good to them that love Him. Joseph’s story shows God turning what people meant for evil into good, and the whole Bible shows His plan to save through Jesus.
Here are 6 free lessons that help children learn God’s plan from the Bible itself. Every lesson has a story film, a coloring page, a class sheet, a teacher guide, questions with answers and a game, ready to teach.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”Romans 8:28 (KJV)
- Lessons
- 6
- Passages
- Genesis 37:1–11, Genesis 37:12–36, Genesis 46:1–7, Daniel 1:1–21, Esther 4:1–5:3, Luke 2:1–5
- Ages
- Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
- Each lesson
- Story film (KJV), coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game
- Cost
- Free: no subscription, no cost per child, no sign-up to teach
The lessons: 6 stories about God’s plan
The Coat of Many Colours
Genesis 37:1–11 · story film
Jacob loved Joseph more than all his children and made him a coat of many colours, so his brothers hated him. Joseph dreamed that his brothers’ sheaves bowed down to his sheaf, and that the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowed down to him. His brothers envied him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
Big idea: Envy hurts families, but God’s plans are good.
Memory verse:
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1 Corinthians 13:4 (KJV)Ask: What did Jacob make for Joseph? A coat of many colours (Genesis 37:3).
Game: Coat of Many Colours Relay (about 10 minutes)
Sold by His Brothers
Genesis 37:12–36 · story film
Jacob sent Joseph to see whether it was well with his brothers. When they saw him coming they said, “Behold, this dreamer cometh,” stripped off his coat of many colours, cast him into an empty pit, and then sold him to traders for twenty pieces of silver. Jacob wept for his son, but God was with Joseph and was already working out His plan in Egypt.
Big idea: Even when people treat us badly, God is with us and working for good.
Memory verse:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (KJV)Ask: Why did Jacob send Joseph to his brothers? To see whether it was well with his brethren and with the flocks (Genesis 37:14).
Game: Joseph’s Journey (about 10 minutes)
Israel Comes to Egypt
Genesis 46:1–7 · 46:28–30 · 49:1–28 · 50:15–21 · story film
On the way to Egypt God spoke to Jacob in the night: “Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation.” Joseph went up in his chariot to Goshen and wept on his father’s neck, and before Jacob died he gathered his twelve sons, the twelve tribes of Israel, and blessed them; he called Judah a lion’s whelp, and Jesus is “the Lion of the tribe of Juda” (Revelation 5:5). Afterward the brothers were afraid, but Joseph said, “Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”
Big idea: God can turn even the wrong things people do into good for His people.
Memory verse:
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Genesis 50:20 (KJV)Ask: What did God tell Jacob on the way to Egypt? “Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation” (Genesis 46:3).
Game: Family Reunion (about 10 minutes)
Daniel Purposes in His Heart
Daniel 1:1–21 · story film
King Nebuchadnezzar took young men from Jerusalem to Babylon, among them Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, to be trained for his palace on the king’s meat and wine. Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself, and he politely asked for ten days of pulse and water instead. At the end of ten days the four looked healthier than all the rest, and God gave them knowledge and wisdom, so the king found them ten times better than all his magicians and astrologers.
Big idea: Even when we are young and far from home, we can choose to honour God.
Memory verse:
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12 (KJV)Ask: What did Daniel purpose in his heart? That he would not defile himself with the king’s meat or the wine which he drank (Daniel 1:8).
Game: Veggie Taste Test (about 10 minutes)
Queen Esther
Esther 4:1–5:3 · 7:1–6 · story film
Wicked Haman had the king make a law to destroy all the Jews, so Mordecai cried out and urged Queen Esther to go to the king for her people. Going in uncalled could cost her life, so Esther asked all the Jews in Shushan to fast for her three days and said, “If I perish, I perish.” The king held out the golden sceptre, and at her banquet Esther bravely named Haman as the enemy, and God used her to save her people.
Big idea: God puts us where we are for His purposes, and He gives us courage to do right.
Memory verse:
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Psalm 56:3 (KJV)Ask: What did Mordecai say Esther might have come to the kingdom for? “For such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).
Game: Crown Toss (about 10 minutes)
The Journey to Bethlehem
Luke 2:1–5 · Micah 5:2 · story film
Caesar Augustus ordered everyone to be taxed in their own city, so Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, with Mary, just as the prophet Micah had said.
Big idea: God is in charge of history, even of kings and emperors.
Memory verse:
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Micah 5:2 (KJV)Ask: Who ordered that all the world should be taxed? Caesar Augustus.
Game: Road to Bethlehem (about 10 minutes)
Teaching God’s plan at every age
- Preschool: Put together a simple puzzle and say, “God puts everything together for good.”
- Elementary: Trace Joseph’s story on a timeline and mark where God was working.
- Preteens: Read Genesis 50:20 and Romans 8:28, and talk about trusting God when life doesn’t make sense.
6 weeks of lessons on God’s plan
| Week 1 | The Coat of Many Colours (Genesis 37:1–11). Envy hurts families, but God’s plans are good. |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | Sold by His Brothers (Genesis 37:12–36). Even when people treat us badly, God is with us and working for good. |
| Week 3 | Israel Comes to Egypt (Genesis 46:1–7). God can turn even the wrong things people do into good for His people. |
| Week 4 | Daniel Purposes in His Heart (Daniel 1:1–21). Even when we are young and far from home, we can choose to honour God. |
| Week 5 | Queen Esther (Esther 4:1–5:3). God puts us where we are for His purposes, and He gives us courage to do right. |
| Week 6 | The Journey to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1–5). God is in charge of history, even of kings and emperors. |
Each week: welcome and pray, show the story film, talk through the questions, learn the memory verse, then color the page or do the class sheet.
Verses to learn: God’s plan
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,”
1 Corinthians 13:4 · The Coat of Many Colours
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 · Sold by His Brothers
“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”
Genesis 50:20 · Israel Comes to Egypt
“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
1 Timothy 4:12 · Daniel Purposes in His Heart
“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.”
Psalm 56:3 · Queen Esther
“But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
Micah 5:2 · The Journey to Bethlehem
Questions people ask
What does the Bible teach kids about God’s plan?
God is in control of history, and He works all things together for good to them that love Him. Joseph’s story shows God turning what people meant for evil into good, and the whole Bible shows His plan to save through Jesus. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, KJV)
Which Bible stories teach God’s plan?
The Coat of Many Colours (Genesis 37:1–11), Sold by His Brothers (Genesis 37:12–36), Israel Comes to Egypt (Genesis 46:1–7), Daniel Purposes in His Heart (Daniel 1:1–21), Queen Esther (Esther 4:1–5:3), and 1 more on this page.
How do I explain God’s plan to kids?
God has a plan for the whole world, to save through Jesus, and He works in each life for good (Romans 8:28). Joseph’s story is a clear picture (Genesis 50:20).
How do I teach God’s plan to preschoolers?
Put together a simple puzzle and say, “God puts everything together for good.”
Are these lessons free?
Yes. Every lesson, film, coloring page, class sheet and game is free for churches, families and schools, with no subscription, no cost per child and no sign-up needed to teach.
Which Bible translation is used?
The films and memory verses show the King James Version word for word. In the lessons you can switch the verses to the Berean Standard Bible, the ESV or dozens of other English Bibles, every verse is labelled with its translation, and tapping a verse on the film opens its whole chapter.
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