Peter Raises Dorcas 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: “Dorcas was full of good works.”
Dorcas lived in the town of Joppa. Joppa was a town by the big sea. Boats came and went there. Dorcas was a friend and follower of Jesus. She had two names. In one language she was called Tabitha. In another language she was called Dorcas.
Dorcas was always busy doing good. She helped people who needed help. She made tunics – long shirts – and coats. She made them for the widows. Widows are women whose husbands have died. Dorcas was full of good works.
Can you pretend to sew with a needle? In and out, in and out. Pull the thread nice and long. That is how Dorcas made her coats and shirts.
But one day Dorcas got very sick. And she died. Her friends were very, very sad. The widows cried and cried. They missed their kind friend. They washed her gently. Then they laid her in an upper room. That is a room at the top of the house.
Now Peter, a friend of Jesus, was in Lydda. Lydda was a town close to Joppa. In Lydda, a sick man named Aeneas had just been made well. He had not walked for eight years. Peter said, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you,” and the man got up!
The friends in Joppa heard that Peter was near. So they sent two men to him. Let’s count them: one, two! The men walked to Lydda. They begged Peter, “Please come to us, and don’t wait!”
Peter got up and went with them. Step, step, step. They walked all the way back to Joppa. It was not very far. Then they took Peter up to the upper room.
All the widows stood around Peter. They were crying. They showed him the tunics and coats that Dorcas had made for them. This coat. That shirt. And this one too. Dorcas was full of good works.
Then Peter sent everyone out of the room. Shh. Now it was very quiet. Peter knelt down and prayed to God. Can you kneel down and fold your hands, like Peter?
Then Peter turned to Dorcas. He called her by her other name. He said, “Tabitha, get up!”
What do you think happened next? Dorcas opened her eyes! She saw Peter. And she sat up!
Peter gave her his hand. He helped her stand up. Up, up, up! Dorcas was standing on her own two feet.
Then Peter called the widows back in. He called all the friends of Jesus too. Peter showed them Dorcas. There she was, alive! Maybe they cried again – but this time for joy. Dorcas was full of good works.
Soon the news went all over Joppa. Everybody heard about it. And many people believed in the Lord.
Peter stayed in Joppa for many days. He stayed with a man named Simon. Simon was a tanner. He made leather from animal skins.
God cared for Dorcas and her friends. And God gave her life back to her. Dorcas was full of good works.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think the widows felt when they saw Dorcas alive again?
- What kind things could you make or do for someone, like Dorcas did?
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)
Color the 2 men who went to get Peter.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“This woman was full of good works” — Acts 9:36 (This woman → point to a friend; full of → hold your arms in a big circle; good works → pretend to sew, in and out)
Dear God, thank you for kind people like Dorcas. Thank you that you are stronger than sickness. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: Kindness matters to God
Memory verse: “This woman was full of good works and acts of mercy which she did.” — Acts 9:36 · WEB
The Bible story
A kind woman named Dorcas who sewed clothes for the poor gets sick and dies, but Peter kneels, prays, and God brings her back to life.
Talk about it
- In which seaside town did Dorcas live? — Joppa
- How did Dorcas show her love for Jesus? — By helping the poor
- What other name did Dorcas have? — Tabitha
- What did Dorcas make with her busy fingers? — Tunics and coats
- What sad thing happened to Dorcas? — She got sick and died
- Who did the followers of Jesus send for? — Peter
Where is Jesus in this story?
When Peter knelt beside Dorcas and said, “Tabitha, get up,” he used almost the same words he had heard Jesus say years before to a little girl: “Talitha koum,” which means “Little girl, get up” (Mark 5:41). Peter had been in that room. Now the risen Jesus was still at work, and His power over death is the same today.
What God wants to tell us
Dorcas showed her love for God by using her hands to help others, one warm coat at a time. God saw every kind thing she did, and He cared about her so much that He gave her life again. You do not have to do something huge to please God. When you share, help, and love the people around you, you are doing exactly the good works God loves to see. And you can always trust that God is powerful, gentle, and full of love, even on the saddest days.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You for kind Dorcas and for Your amazing power to bring her back to life. Please help me use my hands to help others, just like she did. Thank You that You love me and are always near, even on sad days. I trust You, Jesus. Amen.
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