Jacob and Esau — Birthright and Blessing 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: “Two brothers, as different as can be.”
Isaac and Rebekah were married. But for a long time, they had no children. Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife. And the LORD answered! Rebekah was going to have a baby.
But it was not just one baby. It was two! The babies pushed and kicked inside her. So Rebekah asked the LORD about it.
The LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb. The elder will serve the younger.” A womb is the place inside a mommy where a baby grows. A nation is a big people. The elder is the older one.
Then the twins were born – two babies at once! The first baby came out red and hairy all over. They named him Esau.
The second baby came out holding on to Esau’s heel! They named him Jacob. Can you hold on to your heel? Two brothers, as different as can be.
The boys grew up. Esau was a good hunter. He was a man of the fields. Jacob was a quiet man. He stayed by the tents. Isaac loved Esau, because he liked the meat Esau hunted. Rebekah loved Jacob.
One day Jacob was cooking red stew. Bubble, bubble! Esau came in from the field. He was so hungry! “Please feed me with some of that red stew,” he said.
Jacob said, “First, sell me your birthright.” The birthright was the special gift for the oldest son. The oldest son got the biggest share of everything from his father.
Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?” Esau was not really dying. He was just very hungry. He sold his birthright to Jacob for bread and a bowl of stew. Slurp! Two brothers, as different as can be.
Years later, Isaac was old. His eyes were so weak that he could not see. He asked Esau to hunt and make him a tasty meal of venison. Venison is deer meat. Then Isaac would give Esau his blessing – a special prayer for the oldest son.
Rebekah heard it. She wanted the blessing for Jacob. So she cooked a tasty meal from two young goats. Jacob said, “Esau is a hairy man. I am a smooth man. What if my father touches me?”
So Rebekah dressed Jacob in Esau’s good clothes. She put goat skins on his hands and on his neck. Now they felt hairy, like Esau’s. Can you feel your arm? Is it hairy or smooth? Two brothers, as different as can be.
Jacob went in to his father with the food. He said, “I am Esau your firstborn.” That was not true.
Isaac said, “Please come near, that I may feel you.” Isaac felt his hands. “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau,” he said. And Isaac blessed Jacob. He said, “God give you of the dew of the sky.” Dew is the water drops on the grass in the morning. It helps plants grow.
Just then, Esau came in from his hunting. He brought tasty food too. Isaac said, “Who are you?” Esau said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” Isaac trembled. Someone else had already taken the blessing! Who do you think it was?
Esau cried a loud and bitter cry. “Bless me, even me also, my father.” And Esau wept. Isaac blessed Esau too. But the big blessing had gone to Jacob.
Esau was very angry with Jacob. So Rebekah sent Jacob far away, to her brother Laban. Jacob had to leave home.
But God was not finished with these two brothers. And God would watch over Jacob on his long way. Two brothers, as different as can be.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think Esau felt when he found out what Jacob did?
- What is something different about you and someone in your family?
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)
“God give you of the dew of the sky” — Genesis 27:28 (God give you → hold your hands open; the dew of the sky → wiggle your fingers down like little drops)
Dear God, thank you for my family. Thank you that you can help brothers and sisters make peace. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God's love mends what is broken
Memory verse: “Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept.” — Genesis 33:4 · WEB
The Bible story
Two very different twin brothers, a bowl of red stew, and a secret blessing — discover how God's love brings Jacob and Esau back together again.
Talk about it
- What were Jacob and Esau to each other? — Twin brothers
- Which brother was born first and loved to hunt? — Esau
- How did Jacob get his father's blessing? — He pretended to be Esau
- What special gift belonged to the oldest son? — The birthright
- What was Jacob cooking when Esau came home hungry? — Red stew
- What did Esau trade for the bowl of stew? — His birthright
Where is Jesus in this story?
Esau was hungry, and he traded his birthright for one bowl of stew (Genesis 25:33–34). Jesus was hungry too, after forty days in the desert, when the devil told Him to turn stones into bread. Jesus said no, because people need every word from God, not just bread (Matthew 4:2–4). Where Esau gave in, Jesus stood firm for us.
What God wants to tell us
Jacob and Esau were not perfect. There was tricking, hurt feelings, and years spent far apart. But God never stopped loving either brother, and in the end He brought them back together with forgiveness and joy. God shows us that no mistake is ever too big for His love to mend. When we say sorry and choose to forgive, God helps heal even the hardest feelings and makes families whole again.
Prayer
Thank You, God, for loving me even when I make mistakes. Help me to be honest, to forgive others, and to say sorry when I am wrong. Thank You for the great blessing of Jesus, who welcomes me with open arms. Please help my family to love each other well. Amen.
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