John the Baptist Prepares the Way 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: “Get ready! Someone great is coming!”
John lived out in the wilderness – a wild, empty land of rocks and sand. God had a special job for him. The people needed to get ready for the Lord. Get ready! Someone great is coming!
John wore clothes made of camel’s hair. He had a leather belt around his waist. And what did he eat? Locusts and wild honey! Locusts are big grasshoppers. Crunch, crunch. Mmm, honey!
One day God’s word came to John. He went all around the Jordan River and told the people God’s message. He said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Repent means to turn away from wrong things and turn back to God. At hand means very close.
Long before, the prophet Isaiah had written about John. Isaiah wrote, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make the way of the Lord ready! Make his paths straight!” Can you call out loud, like John in the wilderness? “Make the way ready!”
Isaiah also wrote, “Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low.” That is like getting a road ready for a king. Fill the holes. Flatten the hills. Make the bumpy road smooth and straight. Can you make a smooth road with your hands?
Many, many people came out to John. They came from Jerusalem and from all around. They told God the wrong things they had done. And John baptized them in the Jordan River. To baptize means to dip someone in water. It is a sign of being washed clean inside. Splash! Get ready! Someone great is coming!
The people asked John, “What then must we do?” John said, “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise.” Likewise means the same: share it!
Can you count two coats? One for you, and one to give away!
Tax collectors came too. They collected money from the people for the rulers. John said, “Collect no more than that which is appointed to you.” That means: Don’t take too much!
Even soldiers came. “What must we do?” they asked. John said, “Be content with your wages.” That means: Be happy with the pay you get. And don’t take things from others.
Some leaders came too, but their hearts were not ready. John told them, “Produce fruit worthy of repentance!” That means: Show it by the good things you do.
Some people wondered if John was the Christ – the Savior God had promised. But John said, “He who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.” Mightier means stronger and greater. John meant: I am not even good enough to carry his shoes! Get ready! Someone great is coming!
John said, “He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.” John baptized with water. But the one who was coming would give God’s own Spirit!
John was talking about Jesus. God was sending Jesus, just as he had promised. John told the people this good news again and again. Get ready! Someone great is coming!
3. Talk together (3 min)
- What do you think locusts and wild honey taste like?
- How do you get ready when someone special comes to visit?
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 John in his camel’s hair clothes by the river.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“Make the way of the Lord ready! Make his paths straight!” — Matthew 3:3 (Make the way → sweep your hands flat; of the Lord → point up high; Make his paths straight → draw a straight line in the air)
Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus. Please make my heart ready for him. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: Get Your Heart Ready
Memory verse: “Make the way of the Lord ready! Make his paths straight!” — Matthew 3:3 · WEB
The Bible story
Deep in the desert, a man named John calls people to get their hearts ready for Someone very special, and then Jesus himself walks down to the river.
Talk about it
- Where did John the Baptist live and preach? — In the wilderness
- Which prophet long ago promised a voice calling in the desert? — Isaiah
- What did John eat? — Locusts and wild honey
- What special job did God give John? — To prepare the way for the Lord
- What did John tell the people to do? — Turn back to God
- Where did the people come from to hear John? — From Jerusalem and nearby towns
Where is Jesus in this story?
Hundreds of years before John was born, Isaiah promised that a voice would call out in the desert, “Prepare the way for the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3). Matthew tells us John was that voice (Matthew 3:3). John was clearing the road for God himself to come to his people in Jesus. John said it simply: “He must become greater, and I must become less” (John 3:30).
What God wants to tell us
John reminds us that God loves us so much that he sent a helper to get people ready for Jesus. We can get our hearts ready too — by saying sorry, by being kind, and by trusting God. When we make room for him, God fills our hearts with joy and helps us shine his love to everyone around us.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for John, who helped people get ready for Jesus. Please help me get my heart ready too — to say sorry, to be kind, and to follow you every day. Thank you for sending Jesus to show me your great love. Amen.
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