Jacob’s Ladder Preschool Sunday School Lesson (Free, Ages 3–6)
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: “Jacob was not alone.”
Jacob had tricked his brother Esau. Now Esau was very angry with him. Jacob’s mother Rebekah said, “Flee to Laban, my brother.” To flee means to run away to be safe. Laban was Jacob’s uncle, and he lived far away.
Jacob’s father Isaac blessed him before he left. “May God Almighty bless you,” Isaac said. Then Jacob set off on his long trip, all by himself.
Jacob walked and walked. When the sun went down, he stopped. There was no house and no bed. Jacob took a stone and put it under his head. Then he lay down to sleep. A stone for a pillow! Jacob was far from home. But Jacob was not alone.
That night Jacob had a dream. He saw a stairway. It stood on the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Angels of God were going up and down on it. Up and down, up and down! Can you make your fingers climb up and down a stairway?
The LORD stood above the stairway. He spoke to Jacob. “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I will give the land you lie on to you and to your offspring.” Offspring means your children and grandchildren.
God said, “Your offspring will be as the dust of the earth.” That means Jacob’s family would grow so big, no one could count them!
God said they would spread out. West and east, north and south! Can you point to all four sides? This way, that way, this way, that way!
God said, “Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go. For I will not leave you.” To keep you means to take care of you. God also promised to bring Jacob home again one day. Jacob was not alone.
Jacob woke up. “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I didn’t know it,” he said. He was afraid. “How awesome this place is!” he said. “This is none other than God’s house, and this is the gate of heaven.” Awesome means great and wonderful, so great it makes you a little afraid.
Early in the morning, Jacob took the stone from under his head. He stood it up tall. He poured oil on top of it. That was a way to remember God. Jacob called the place Bethel. Bethel means “God’s house.”
Then Jacob made a promise to God. “If God will be with me, and will keep me,” he said. Jacob spoke of bread to eat and clothes to wear. He spoke of coming home again in peace. “Then the LORD will be my God,” Jacob said.
Jacob also said he would give God a tenth of everything. A tenth means one out of every ten. Let’s count ten fingers – and hold up just one!
Then Jacob went on his long way. He was still far from home. But God was with him, wherever he went. Jacob was not alone.
God watches over us when we walk, and when we lie down to sleep. Jacob was not alone.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- What do you think Jacob thought when he saw the angels on the stairway?
- Where are some places you go where God is with you too?
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)
“I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go” — Genesis 28:15 (I am with you → hug yourself; will keep you → cup your hands together; wherever you go → walk your fingers far away)
Dear God, thank you that you are with me wherever I go. Thank you that you never leave me. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God is always with you
Memory verse: “Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go.” — Genesis 28:15 · WEB
The Bible story
On a lonely night far from home, tired Jacob rests his head on a stone and dreams of a stairway reaching up to heaven, with angels going up and down on it.
Talk about it
- What was Jacob doing at the start of the story? — Walking on a long journey
- Night came and Jacob had no bed. What did he use for a pillow? — A smooth stone
- What did God give Jacob while he was sleeping? — A wonderful dream
- In the dream, what did Jacob see reaching up to heaven? — A shining stairway
- Who was moving up and down the stairway? — Angels of God
- Who did Jacob see standing at the very top? — God
Where is Jesus in this story?
Long after Jacob's dream, Jesus told us that He is the true stairway between heaven and earth. Just as the shining ladder joined the ground to the sky, Jesus came to bring God's family close to Him again. Through Jesus, the door to heaven is always open, and God's love reaches all the way down to hold us tight.
What God wants to tell us
Even when Jacob was far from home and felt all alone, God was right beside him. God showed Jacob that He never sleeps and never leaves, and that His love reaches all the way from heaven down to us. Wherever you go and whatever happens, God is watching over you too, holding you safe and close in His loving care.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You for being with me wherever I go, even when I feel alone. Thank You for loving me from heaven all the way down to me. Help me remember that You never leave my side, and help me to trust You the way Jacob did. Amen.
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