Go to the Ant — Wisdom from Small Creatures 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: “Small, but very wise!”
King Solomon was very wise. He wrote many wise sayings called proverbs. In one proverb, he talks to a lazy person. A lazy person sleeps and sleeps and doesn’t want to work.
Solomon said, “Go to the ant, you sluggard.” A sluggard is a lazy person. “Consider her ways, and be wise.” Consider means look closely. So let’s look at the little ant!
An ant is very small. She has six tiny legs. Can you count them on your fingers? One, two, three, four, five, six!
The ant has no boss. No one tells her what to do. But she works and works. In summer, she gathers food for later. When the grain is ripe, she is busy, busy, busy. Small, but very wise!
Ants carry crumbs and seeds home to their nest. Sometimes a crumb is much bigger than the ant! Carry, carry, carry! Can you carry a pretend crumb like a busy ant?
Ants live together in a nest under the ground. It has lots of little tunnels and rooms. They keep their food there, safe and dry, for the cold days.
But the lazy man just sleeps, even when there is work to do. “How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?” “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep.” Snore!
Sleep at night is a good thing. The Bible says God “gives sleep to his loved ones.” But the lazy man sleeps all day long, when it is time to work.
Another wise man in the Bible, named Agur, also looked at small creatures. He said, “There are four things which are little on the earth. But they are exceedingly wise.” Exceedingly means very, very. Let’s count them on our fingers!
Number one: the ants. “The ants are not a strong people. Yet they provide their food in the summer.” Small, but very wise!
Number two: the hyraxes. A hyrax is a small furry animal, a bit like a big guinea pig. “The hyraxes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.” Feeble means weak. But their homes are safe in the rocks. They like to sit on the rocks in the warm sun.
Number three: the locusts. Locusts are big jumping bugs, like grasshoppers. “The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks.” They all move together in long lines. Hop, hop, hop! Sometimes they fly in a big cloud.
Number four: the lizard. “You can catch a lizard with your hands, yet it is in kings’ palaces.” A tiny lizard can live in a king’s house! Lizards can even climb up walls. Small, but very wise!
Four little creatures: one, two, three, four! The ant, the hyrax, the locust and the lizard.
Now it is night. It is time for good sleep, the kind God gives. God made the little ant and the little lizard. And the LORD gives wisdom. Small, but very wise!
3. Talk together (3 min)
- What do you think the busy ant is carrying home?
- Which of the four little creatures do you like best, and why?
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 4 little creatures that are very wise: the ant, the hyrax, the locust and the lizard.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise” — Proverbs 6:6 (Go to the ant → fingers walk like an ant; Consider her ways → hand over your eyes, looking; be wise → tap your head)
Dear God, thank you for the little ants and all the creatures you made. Thank you for giving wisdom. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: Even the Small Are Wise
Memory verse: “Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise.” — Proverbs 6:6 · WEB
The Bible story
Wise King Solomon kneels in the dust to show the children a secret: even the tiniest ant can teach us how to be wise, hard-working and full of hope.
Talk about it
- Who was the very wise king in this story? — Solomon
- What tiny creatures did Solomon show the children? — Ants
- What were the busy ants carrying? — Crumbs and seeds
- Who told the ants what to do? — No one at all
- When did the ants gather their food? — In summer
- Why did the ants store their food away? — To be ready for winter
Where is Jesus in this story?
Solomon told us to learn from the ant (Proverbs 6:6). Jesus also taught with small creatures. He said, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap... and yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26). The ant teaches us to work wisely, and the birds remind us to trust our Father. Jesus shows us how to do both.
What God wants to tell us
God did not save all His good ideas for the big and mighty. He tucked wisdom into the tiniest ant, teaching it to work hard, plan ahead and never give up. When we stop to watch the little creatures God made, we learn that we can be wise too. God loves to give wisdom to anyone who asks Him, even a small child like you. You are never too little to be brave, kind and clever in God's great big world.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You for the tiny ant and all the little creatures You made so wise. Please help me to work hard, to plan ahead and to trust You each day. Thank You that I am never too small for Your love. Please fill my heart with wisdom, just like the wisdom You gave to Solomon. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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