God Makes Jacob’s Flocks Grow 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: “God was with Jacob.”
Jacob lived far from home, with his uncle Laban. Long ago, he had gone away from his brother Esau. Now Jacob had a big family. He had two wives, Leah and Rachel, and many children. His newest baby boy was named Joseph.
For many years Jacob took care of Laban’s sheep and goats. He worked for Laban with all his strength.
One day Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away. Let me go to my own place, to my own country.” Jacob wanted to go home.
But Laban said, “Stay here, for the LORD has blessed me for your sake.” That means: God has been good to me because of you.
Jacob said, “It was little which you had before I came. Now it has grown to a multitude.” A multitude is a very big crowd. Before Jacob came, Laban had only a few animals. Now he had very, very many! God was with Jacob.
So Jacob made a deal with Laban. “You don’t have to give me anything. Every speckled and spotted goat, and every black sheep – that will be my pay.” Speckled and spotted means covered with little dots. Laban said, “Let it be according to your word.”
But that same day, Laban took away the spotted goats and the black sheep. He gave them to his sons. They took them far away, a three days’ walk away. Now Jacob had none at all! What do you think happened next?
Baby goats were born – speckled, spotted, and streaked! Streaked means with stripes. Can you draw dots on your hand with your finger? Dot, dot, dot! Now draw a stripe!
Jacob’s flocks grew and grew. He had big flocks of sheep and goats. He had camels and donkeys. He had servants too. God was with Jacob.
Laban’s sons said, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s.” And Laban’s face was not friendly to Jacob anymore.
Then the LORD spoke to Jacob. “Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives. I will be with you.”
Jacob called his wives, Rachel and Leah. They came out to the field. He told them, “Your father has changed my wages ten times. But God didn’t allow him to hurt me.” Wages means pay. Let’s count to ten on our fingers! Ten times!
Jacob said, “When he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your pay,’ the babies were speckled. When he said, ‘The streaked ones,’ the babies were streaked.” God was with Jacob.
Jacob told them about a dream. In the dream, God’s angel spoke. “I have seen all that Laban does to you. I am the God of Bethel.” Bethel was the place where Jacob once dreamed of a stairway up to heaven.
Jacob said, “God has taken away your father’s livestock, and given them to me.” Livestock means farm animals. Rachel and Leah said, “Whatever God has said to you, do.”
So Jacob put his wives and children on camels. He took all his animals. Baa! Maa! And off they went toward the land of Canaan, to Jacob’s father Isaac.
God saw everything that happened, and God took care of Jacob. God was with Jacob.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think Jacob felt when he saw all the spotted baby goats?
- What do you think the long trip home on the camels was like?
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 Jacob’s goats with lots of spots, dots and stripes.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“And I will be with you” — Genesis 31:3 (I will be → point up high; with you → hug yourself)
Dear God, thank you that you are with me, like you were with Jacob. Thank you for taking care of me. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God takes care of you
Memory verse: “The LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers, and to your relatives, and I will be with you."” — Genesis 31:3 · WEB
The Bible story
Jacob worked years for tricky Uncle Laban, yet no matter how he was fooled, God quietly blessed him until his small flock grew into a mighty herd.
Talk about it
- Where did Jacob long to go? — Home to his own land
- Who did Jacob work for? — His uncle Laban
- What animals did Jacob care for? — Sheep and goats
- When Jacob asked to leave, what did Laban want? — For Jacob to stay
- What pay did Jacob ask for? — The spotted animals
- What sneaky thing did Laban do that night? — Hid the spotted animals
Where is Jesus in this story?
Jacob told Laban how he had cared for the flocks: burned by heat by day, frozen by cold at night, and paying himself for any sheep wild animals killed (Genesis 31:38–40). Jesus is an even better shepherd. He said, “The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep” (John 10:11), and that no one can take His sheep out of His hand (John 10:28).
What God wants to tell us
Even when Laban tried to trick him again and again, Jacob did not need to worry or fight, because God was quietly looking after him the whole time. God turned an unfair situation into a big blessing. When things feel unfair to you, remember that God sees everything and loves you dearly. You can trust Him to take good care of you, just like He took care of Jacob and his growing flocks.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for taking such good care of Jacob, even when others were unfair to him. Please help me to trust You the way he did, knowing You are always with me and You keep every promise. Thank You for loving me so much. Amen.
Read the story · Coloring page 1 · Coloring page 2 · Quiz · All lessons
Home · All stories · Topics · Coloring pages · Quizzes · Sunday school lessons
