Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son 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: “The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah.”
Elijah was God’s prophet. A prophet tells people God’s words. One day Elijah went to King Ahab. “There shall not be dew nor rain these years,” he said. Dew is the tiny drops of water on the grass in the morning. Now there would be no water from the sky at all.
God told Elijah to hide by a little stream. “I have commanded the ravens to feed you there,” said the LORD. Ravens are big black birds. Every morning and every evening, the ravens brought Elijah bread and meat. Caw, caw! Can you flap your wings like a raven?
After a while, the stream dried up. There was no rain. So God sent Elijah to a town called Zarephath. “Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you,” said the LORD. A widow is a mom whose husband has died. Sustain means to take care of.
At the town gate, Elijah saw the widow. She was gathering sticks for a fire. Elijah called to her. “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.” As she went to get it, he called again. “Please bring me a morsel of bread.” A morsel is a little bite.
“I don’t have anything baked,” she said. She had only a handful of flour in a jar, and a little oil. That was all the food for her and her little boy.
“Don’t be afraid,” said Elijah. “Make me a little cake from it first.” Then Elijah told her what the LORD says. “The jar of meal will not run out. The jar of oil will not fail.” Meal is flour.
So she did what Elijah said. And every day there was enough flour in the jar. Every day there was enough oil in the jug. Elijah and the widow and her son had food for many days. Can you pretend to scoop flour from a jar?
Then one day, the widow’s son got sick. He got very, very sick. Then there was no breath left in him. The boy had died. His mother was so sad. She cried out to Elijah.
Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” He carried the boy upstairs to his own room. He laid him gently on his own bed.
Elijah cried out to the LORD. He stretched himself over the child three times. Let’s count: one, two, three. He prayed, “LORD my God, please let this child’s soul come into him again.”
The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the boy began to breathe again! He was alive!
Elijah took the boy and carried him downstairs. He gave him back to his mother. “Behold, your son lives,” said Elijah. Can you clap your hands for joy? The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah.
“Now I know that you are a man of God,” the mother said. “The LORD’s word in your mouth is truth.” The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah.
And the jar of flour and the jug of oil did not run out. God kept on giving them food, day after day, just as he had promised.
The LORD gives life. He heard Elijah, and he cared for the widow and her little boy. The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think the mother felt when Elijah brought her son back to her?
- What would you like to tell God when you pray?
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)
Elijah prayed and stretched over the boy 3 times. Color the 3 hearts.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah” — 1 Kings 17:22 (The LORD → point up; listened → hand behind your ear; to the voice of Elijah → hands folded to pray)
Dear God, thank you that you listen when we pray. Thank you that you give life. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God hears us when we pray
Memory verse: “The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.” — 1 Kings 17:22 · WEB
The Bible story
When a kind widow's little boy stops breathing, the prophet Elijah cries out to God in an upstairs room, and something wonderful and full of hope happens.
Talk about it
- Who did God send to stay with the widow? — The prophet Elijah
- What was special about the widow? — Her husband had died
- What did the widow share with Elijah? — Her last meal
- What amazing thing happened with the flour and oil? — They never ran out
- What sad thing happened to the little boy? — He got very sick
- How did the mother feel when her son stopped breathing? — Sad and frightened
Where is Jesus in this story?
Many years later, in a town called Nain, Jesus met a widow walking behind her only son's coffin. He told her, “Don't cry,” touched the coffin, and the young man sat up (Luke 7:11–15). Elijah had to pray and wait, but Jesus simply spoke. The people said, “A great prophet has appeared among us” (Luke 7:16), and Jesus is the Lord of life.
What God wants to tell us
This story shows us that God is close to us, even in our saddest and scariest moments. The widow felt like everything was lost, but God had not forgotten her or her little boy. When Elijah prayed, God listened and answered with love. We can always talk to God, because there is nothing too big or too hard for Him. He cares about our tears, and He loves to bring us hope.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You that You always hear me when I pray. Thank You that nothing is ever too hard for You. When I feel sad or scared, please help me to trust You and remember that You love me. Thank You for giving us hope and new life through Jesus. Amen.
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