The Exiles Come Home — Rebuilding the Temple 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 had made them joyful.”
For many years, God’s people had lived far from home, in Babylon. Their city, Jerusalem, was broken down. God’s house there was gone.
But God had made a promise through Jeremiah the prophet. “After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you.” Seventy years is a very long time. Children grew up and became grandmas and grandpas. But God would bring his people home!
Then the LORD stirred up the heart of Cyrus, the king of Persia. Stirred up means God moved his heart. King Cyrus sent a message to everyone. “The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth,” he said. “Let him go up to Jerusalem, and build the house of the LORD.”
God’s people could go home! Their neighbors gave them silver and gold and animals. King Cyrus even gave back the gold and silver bowls from God’s house. There were thousands of them! The LORD had made them joyful.
It was a long way home. Step, step, step. Can you walk in place, all the way to Jerusalem?
In Jerusalem, the people gathered together as one man. First they built the altar of God. An altar is a place to bring gifts to God. They gave thanks to the LORD every morning and every evening.
They kept the Feast of Booths too. For seven days, God’s people lived in little huts made of branches. It helped them remember how God cared for them long ago.
Then they got ready to build God’s house. They paid the stone cutters and the carpenters. Men from the cities of Sidon and Tyre brought big cedar trees from Lebanon. The trees came by sea, all the way to the town of Joppa.
Then the builders laid the foundation of God’s house. A foundation is the strong bottom part of a house. The priests blew trumpets. Toot, toot! Others played cymbals. Crash, crash! Can you clap like cymbals?
They sang to one another, “For he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.” Loving kindness means God’s love that never stops. Let’s sing it like them. I say, “For he is good!” You say, “His loving kindness endures forever!”
All the people shouted with a great shout! The LORD had made them joyful.
But some old men cried out loud. They remembered God’s first house, from long ago. Maybe they remembered how big and beautiful it had been. Some people shouted for joy, and some people cried. The noise was heard far away!
The people kept on building. It took a long time. Haggai and Zechariah, God’s prophets, helped them keep going. And at last, God’s house was finished! The LORD had made them joyful.
They gave the house to God with joy. Then they kept the Passover feast together. For seven days they ate flat bread, baked without yeast, with joy.
God had kept his promise. He had brought his people home, and his house stood again. The LORD had made them joyful.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- Why do you think some of the old men cried when they saw the new foundation?
- What do you think it sounded like when everyone shouted and played music?
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 from each helper to what they did.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“For he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever” — Ezra 3:11 (For he is good → thumbs up; loving kindness → hug yourself; endures forever → draw a big circle in the air)
Dear God, thank you that you are good. Thank you that your love lasts forever. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God always keeps His promises
Memory verse: “For he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever toward Israel.” — Ezra 3:11 · WEB
The Bible story
After many years far from home, God's people are set free to travel back and rebuild His temple with joyful songs, brave hearts, and busy hands.
Talk about it
- What did God do to King Cyrus's heart? — Stirred it to help
- What had God promised to do for His people? — Bring them home again
- Which king said the people could go home? — King Cyrus
- What did King Cyrus want the people to build? — A temple for God
- What special treasures were given back to the people? — Golden cups and bowls
- How did the people feel as they journeyed home? — Happy and singing
Where is Jesus in this story?
The returned exiles rebuilt the temple, and God promised through Haggai that the glory of this new house would be greater than the old one (Haggai 2:9). That came true when Jesus Himself walked into it. Jesus even called His own body a temple (John 2:19–21), because in Him, God came to live among His people.
What God wants to tell us
Sometimes we have to wait a long time for something good, and waiting can feel hard. But this story shows us that God never forgets what He has said. He watched over His people even when they were far away, and at just the right time He brought them home and helped them rebuild. You can trust that God remembers you too, and that He is always working to keep His loving promises.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You that You always keep Your promises, even when we have to wait. Help me to trust You when things feel hard, and to remember that You are always bringing me closer to You. Thank You for loving me and never forgetting me. Amen.
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