The Transfiguration 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: “His face shone like the sun.”
Jesus had twelve close friends. Three of them were Peter, James, and John. James and John were brothers. They went with Jesus everywhere.
One day Jesus took these three friends with him. They climbed up a high mountain, all by themselves. They went up there to pray. Up, up, up! Can you climb with your arms? Up, up, up!
The mountain was very high. Up there, they were far away from the crowds. It was just Jesus and his three friends. Jesus began to pray. But Peter, James, and John were very sleepy. Their eyes were heavy with sleep. Can you make sleepy eyes? Yawn!
Then, as Jesus was praying, something wonderful happened. The three friends were wide awake now.
On top of the mountain, Jesus was changed. His face shone like the sun. His clothes became as white as the light. They were white like snow, whiter than anyone could ever wash them.
Think of the sun in the middle of the day. It is so bright that we can not look at it. Jesus was shining like that! His face shone like the sun.
Then two men appeared. It was Moses and Elijah! They were talking with Jesus.
Moses and Elijah lived long, long before. Moses led God’s people out of Egypt. Elijah was a brave prophet of God. A prophet is someone who tells God’s words. Now here they were, talking with Jesus! His face shone like the sun.
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, let’s make three tents here. One for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Peter did not really know what to say. They were so afraid.
A tent is a little house made of cloth. You can sleep in it. Let’s count Peter’s tents: one, two, three!
While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud came over them. A voice came out of the cloud. It was God speaking!
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” Beloved means very, very loved. Well pleased means God was so glad about him.
The three friends heard God’s great voice from the cloud. They fell down with their faces to the ground. They were very afraid.
Then Jesus came and touched them. “Get up, and don’t be afraid,” he said.
The friends lifted up their eyes. Can you slowly look up, like them? They saw no one, only Jesus. Moses and Elijah were not there anymore. Only Jesus was there with them, just as before.
Then they all walked down the mountain together. Down, down, down. Step by step. For a long time, the friends told no one what they had seen.
But they never forgot it. Many years later, Peter wrote about that day. He wrote, “We heard this voice come out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.”
God had said it himself: Jesus is his beloved Son. His face shone like the sun.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- What do you think Peter, James, and John said to each other on the way down?
- How do you think it looked when Jesus shone so bright?
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 tents Peter wanted to make and the 1 high mountain.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“Get up, and don’t be afraid.” — Matthew 17:7 (Get up → stand up; and don’t be afraid → hands on your heart, take a deep breath)
Dear God, thank you for Jesus, your beloved Son. Help me to listen to him. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: Jesus is God's beloved Son
Memory verse: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” — Matthew 17:5 · WEB
The Bible story
One quiet day, Jesus climbed a high mountain with three friends, and suddenly He shone brighter than the sun while God spoke from a bright cloud.
Talk about it
- How many friends did Jesus take up the mountain? — Three friends
- What were the names of the three friends? — Peter, James, and John
- Where did Jesus take His friends? — Up a high mountain
- What happened to Jesus on the mountain? — His face shone like the sun
- How white did Jesus' clothes become? — As white as snow
- Which two people from long ago appeared? — Moses and Elijah
Where is Jesus in this story?
On the mountain, Moses and Elijah talked with Jesus about his “departure,” which he would soon complete in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). Jesus knew the cross was coming, and he went anyway. Years later, Peter wrote that he had seen Jesus' greatness with his own eyes and heard God's voice on that holy mountain (2 Peter 1:16–18). The one who shone like the sun chose the cross for us.
What God wants to tell us
On the mountain, God let three friends see how truly special Jesus is, shining brighter than the sun. God even spoke from the cloud to say how much He loves His Son and to tell us to listen to Him. This shows us that Jesus is not just a kind teacher; He is God's own dear Son, full of light and love. When we listen to Jesus and follow His gentle words, we are following the One that God loves most of all.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for showing us how special and shining Jesus is. Help me to listen to Him and to follow His kind and gentle words every day. Thank You that Jesus loves me and lights up my heart. I love You too. Amen.
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