Pentecost: The Church Begins 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: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus was alive again! One day he was with his friends near the city of Jerusalem. “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father,” he said. To depart means to go away.
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,” Jesus said. “You will be witnesses to me.” Witnesses are people who tell what they saw.
Then, as his friends were looking, Jesus was taken up. A cloud hid him from their sight. His friends kept looking up into the sky.
Suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. “Why do you stand looking into the sky?” they said. “This Jesus will come back in the same way as you saw him going.”
So the friends went back to Jerusalem. They went up into an upstairs room. Peter was there, and John, and James, and Andrew, and more. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was there, and other women too. They prayed together, day after day. Can you fold your hands and pray, like Jesus’ friends?
Then came a feast day called Pentecost. A feast day is a big holiday. Jesus’ friends were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound came from the sky. Whoosh! It was like a mighty rushing wind. It filled the whole house where they were sitting. Can you make the sound of a big wind?
Then something like little flames of fire appeared. One sat on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
And they began to speak in other languages. A language is the words people speak in a land. Some people say hello. Some say hola. Some say bonjour. Can you say hello in another language? God’s Spirit gave Jesus’ friends the words to speak. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
Many people from far-away lands were in Jerusalem. Some came from Egypt. Some came from Rome. Some came from Arabia. They heard the sound, and a big crowd came together.
Each one heard Jesus’ friends speaking in his own language! They were amazed. “We hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!” they said. “What does this mean?”
Peter stood up with the other friends. He spoke in a loud voice. “Listen to my words,” he said. He told them that God had promised this long ago. God had said, “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.” That means on all people. Now it had happened! They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
Then Peter told them all about Jesus. “This Jesus God raised up,” he said. “We all are witnesses.” That means: we saw him alive!
The people asked, “What shall we do?” Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you. For the promise is to you and to your children.” Repent means to turn back to God. Did you hear that? The promise is for children too!
That day about three thousand people were baptized. Three thousand! That is more people than we can count.
This was the start of the church, God’s big family. They listened to the teaching of Jesus’ friends. They ate together in their homes and prayed together. They shared what they had, so everyone had what they needed.
They ate their food with glad hearts, praising God. And day by day, the Lord added more people to his family.
God gave his Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- What do you think the people in the house thought when they heard the big wind?
- What things do you like to do together with God’s family at church?
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)
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” — Acts 1:8 (you will receive power → make strong arms; the Holy Spirit → wiggle your fingers down like wind; has come upon you → hands on your head)
Dear God, thank you for sending your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your big family, the church. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God gives you a Helper who is always with you.
Memory verse: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” — Acts 1:8 · WEB
The Bible story
Jesus had gone back to heaven — but He sent a wonderful Helper, and on that day the very first church was born in a whoosh of wind and fire.
Talk about it
- Before going to heaven, what did Jesus promise to send? — The Holy Spirit
- While they waited, what did Jesus' friends do? — Prayed together
- At Pentecost, what came to rest on each of them? — Tongues of fire
- What could they suddenly do? — Speak in other languages
- Who bravely preached to the crowd? — Peter
- Many people that day chose to... — Follow Jesus
Where is Jesus in this story?
Before Jesus went back to heaven, He did not leave His friends all alone. He sent the Holy Spirit as our Helper, giving us power to be brave, to love, and to tell others about Him. Everything the church does — the caring, the sharing, the good news spreading all over the world — flows straight from Jesus' love poured out at the cross. The little flame that rested on each friend at Pentecost is Jesus keeping His promise: "I am with you always."
What God wants to tell us
Jesus' friends felt small and unsure — but the Holy Spirit gave them courage, love, and joy. The same Helper is a gift for you too. When you feel shy or worried or too little to do something big, you are never on your own. God's Spirit is right there inside you, helping you to be brave, to love others, and to shine His light wherever you go.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for keeping Your promise and sending the Holy Spirit as my Helper. When I feel afraid or too little, please make me brave like Peter. Help me to love others and to tell them about Jesus. Thank You that You are always, always with me. Amen.
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