The Floating Axe Head Preschool Lesson
Preschool lesson (ages 3–6, 20 minutes)
1. Welcome (3 min)
Sit in a circle, greet every child by name and show one thing from the story to touch.
2. The little story (5 min)
Teach the refrain first: “Nothing is too small for God.”
Elisha was a man of God. He was a prophet – a man who told people God’s words. A group of men lived with him. They were called the sons of the prophets. They were learning to serve God. Elisha was their teacher.
Elisha had done many wonders with God’s help. Once he made a pot of bad stew good again. Once twenty loaves of bread were enough for a hundred men!
The men lived and met together with Elisha. But their house was too small for all of them. One day they said, “See now, the place where we live is too small for us.”
Too small! Can you squeeze yourself up very small, like in a tiny house? Squeeze!
“Please let us go to the Jordan,” they said. The Jordan is a big river. Many trees and bushes grow along its sides. “Each man can take a beam from there – a big, long log. Then we can build a new place to live.”
Elisha answered, “Go!” One of them said, “Please come with us.” And Elisha said, “I will go.” So Elisha went with them.
They all came to the river. They began to cut down trees. Chop, chop, chop! Each man wanted his own long log. Can you swing your arms and chop like a woodcutter?
An ax has a long wooden handle. On top sits the ax head. The ax head was made of iron – a hard, heavy metal. In those days iron cost a lot. Not everyone had an iron ax.
One man was cutting down a tree. Chop, chop! But then the iron ax head came off the handle. Splash! It fell into the water. Down, down, down it sank, to the bottom of the river.
“Alas, my master!” the man cried. “For it was borrowed.” Alas means “Oh no!” Borrowed means it belonged to someone else. And now it was gone, deep under the water. Nothing is too small for God.
The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” The man showed him the place in the water. What do you think Elisha did next?
Elisha cut down a stick. He threw the stick into the water, right there. And then – look! Up came the heavy iron. It floated on top of the water!
Iron does not float. Iron sinks. But this iron floated, right there on the water. Nothing is too small for God.
Elisha said, “Take it.” So the man put out his hand and took it. Can you reach out your hand and grab it too? Grab!
The man held the ax head in his hand again. The lost iron was found. The borrowed ax head was safe again. Now it could go back to its owner. Nothing is too small for God.
A lost ax head is only a little thing. But God cared about it. God cares for us, in big troubles and in small ones. Big troubles, like a hungry time. Small troubles, like a lost ax head. Nothing is too small for God.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think the man felt when the ax head sank?
- What do you think the other men said when they saw the iron float?
4. Move (3 min)
Refrain Freeze: move around the room; when you say the refrain, everyone freezes and says it together.
5. Make (4 min)
Draw a line to who said it.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“Threw it in there, and made the iron float.” — 2 Kings 6:6 (threw it → throwing motion; made the iron float → flat hand rises slowly up)
Dear God, thank you that you care about big things and small things. Thank you that you care about me. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God Cares About Little Things
Memory verse: “But the very hairs of your head are all counted. Therefore don't be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.” — Luke 12:7 · WEB
The Bible story
When a borrowed axe head slips off and sinks deep into the river, one worried young man learns that God cares about even our smallest troubles.
Talk about it
- Who did the young man ask to come along to the river? — Elisha
- Why did the young men want to build a new home? — Their place was too small
- Which river did they go to? — The Jordan
- What did the young men do first at the river? — They chopped down trees
- What was special about the young man's axe head? — It was borrowed
- What happened to the iron axe head? — It fell into the river
Where is Jesus in this story?
The young man was upset because the axe head was borrowed (2 Kings 6:5). It seems like a small problem, but God cared about it. Jesus taught the same thing when He said, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). No worry is too small to bring to God, because Jesus showed us what a caring Father He is.
What God wants to tell us
Sometimes we think our problems are too small to bother God with, or we worry that a mistake is too silly to matter. But this story shows us that God cares about everything in our lives, even a borrowed axe head that fell into a river. There is nothing too tiny and nothing too big for God to help with. When we feel worried, we can always tell Him, and He will listen with a loving heart, just as He helped the young man that day by the water.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for caring about the little things in my life and the big things too. When I am worried or make a mistake, help me remember that You are always ready to listen and help me. Thank You for loving me so much. Amen.
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