Joseph in Prison — God Is Still with Joseph 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 still with Joseph.”
Joseph was far, far away from home. He was in a big land called Egypt. His brothers had sold him to traders. Now Joseph had to be a servant. A servant is a helper who must do what his master says.
Joseph’s master was a man named Potiphar. Potiphar was an important man. He worked for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.
Joseph was far away from his father. But he was not really alone. The LORD was with Joseph. God was still with Joseph.
Joseph worked hard. And God made everything Joseph did go well. Potiphar saw it. So he put Joseph in charge of his whole house. Joseph took care of everything!
God blessed Potiphar’s house because of Joseph. That means God gave it many good things. Good things in the house. Good things in the fields.
But then something sad happened. Potiphar’s wife wanted Joseph to do something wrong. Joseph said no. He did not want to do wrong against God.
So she told a lie about Joseph. A lie is when someone says something that is not true. Potiphar believed the lie. He was very angry. He put Joseph in prison. A prison is a place with locked doors. Joseph had done nothing wrong!
But even in the prison, God was there. The LORD was with Joseph and showed him kindness. God made the keeper of the prison think well of Joseph. God was still with Joseph.
Soon the keeper put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners. Joseph took care of everything there. And whatever Joseph did, God made it go well.
One day two new men came to the prison. One was the king’s cupbearer. He brought the king his drinks. The other was the king’s baker. He baked the king’s bread. The king was angry with them. So they were put in prison too. Joseph took care of them.
One night, both men had a dream. In the morning Joseph came in. He saw that they were sad. Can you make a sad face? Joseph asked them why they were so sad.
They said they had each had a dream. But no one could tell them what the dreams meant. What do you think Joseph said?
Joseph said, “Doesn’t the meaning of dreams belong to God? Please tell it to me.” That means: God knows what dreams mean. God was still with Joseph.
So the cupbearer told his dream. He saw a vine. A vine is a plant where grapes grow. It had three branches. Let’s count them: one, two, three! Then ripe grapes grew on it.
The cupbearer squeezed the grapes into the king’s cup. Can you squeeze grapes with your hands? Squish, squish! Then he gave the cup to the king.
God showed Joseph what the dream meant. Joseph said the three branches were three days. In three days, the king would give the cupbearer his job back! Joseph asked him to remember him and to tell the king about him.
The baker had a dream too. He had three baskets of bread on his head. But his dream had a sad meaning. Joseph told him the truth.
Three days later it was the king’s birthday. He had a big party. Everything happened just as Joseph had said. The cupbearer gave the king his cup again!
But then the cupbearer forgot all about Joseph. He did not tell the king. So Joseph stayed in prison. He had to wait and wait. God was still with Joseph.
God did not forget Joseph, not for one single day. God was still with Joseph.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think Joseph felt when the cupbearer forgot him?
- What kind things did Joseph do for the people in the prison?
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 3 branches on the vine and the 1 cup for the king.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“The LORD was with Joseph” — Genesis 39:21 (the LORD → point up high; was with Joseph → hug yourself)
Dear God, thank you that you were with Joseph in the prison. Thank you that you are with me too. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God is with us, even in hard and unfair places
Memory verse: “But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him kindness. He made the keeper of the prison think well of him.” — Genesis 39:21 – adapted for children from the World English Bible
The Bible story
Joseph was far from home and put in prison for something he did not do — but God was still with him, and Joseph kept helping others while he waited.
Talk about it
- Who bought Joseph in Egypt to be his servant? — Potiphar
- Why did everything Joseph did go well? — The LORD was with him
- Why was Joseph put in prison? — Someone told a lie about him
- Who was with Joseph even in the prison? — The LORD
- What job did the prison keeper give Joseph? — To be in charge of the prisoners
- Which two of Pharaoh's helpers came to the prison? — The cupbearer and the baker
Where is Jesus in this story?
Joseph was blamed for something he did not do, and he was put in prison even though he was innocent. Many years later, Jesus was also blamed for wrong things He never did. Jesus never did anything wrong at all. But God was with Jesus, and through Him God brought the greatest rescue of all. Just as God was with Joseph in the prison, Jesus promises to be with us always, even in our hardest places.
What God wants to tell us
Joseph was treated unfairly and had to stay in a lonely place for a long time. But God was with him there too. Joseph kept doing what was right, he was kind to the people around him, and he gave the honor to God. When something feels unfair or you have to wait, you can remember Joseph: God sees you, God is with you, and God does not forget you.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You that You were with Joseph, even in the prison. When I feel alone or something seems unfair, help me remember that You are with me too. Help me to be kind and helpful like Joseph, and to trust You while I wait. Amen.
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