The Workers in the Vineyard 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: “The master was good to them all.”
Jesus told a story about the Kingdom of Heaven. It was about a master. A master is the boss of a house and its workers. He had a vineyard – a big garden full of grapes.
Grapes grow on long, twisty plants called vines. A vineyard needs lots and lots of work. So the master needed workers.
In those days, workers waited in the market in the morning. They hoped someone would give them work for the day.
Early in the morning, the master went to the market. He found some workers. He promised them one coin for the whole day. That was the usual pay for one day of work. So they went to work in his vineyard. That was the first time he went out. One!
In the middle of the morning, he went out again. Two! He saw more people standing there with nothing to do. “You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.” And they went. The master was good to them all.
At noon, when the sun was high, he went out again. Three! In the afternoon, he went out again. Four! Each time, he sent more workers into his vineyard.
One hour before evening, he went out one more time. Five! Hold up five fingers! Some people were still standing there. “Why do you stand here all day idle?” he asked. Idle means doing nothing.
“Because no one has hired us,” they said. Nobody had given them work! “You also go into the vineyard,” said the master. So they went. They worked just one short hour.
Then evening came. Time to get paid! The master told his manager to call the workers and pay them. A manager is a helper who takes care of things. He should begin with the last workers.
The last workers came first. They had worked just one hour. What do you think they got? Each one got one coin – the pay for a whole day! The master was good to them all.
Then the first workers came. They had worked all day in the hot sun. Phew! Can you wipe your forehead like a hot, tired worker? They thought they would get more. But each one got one coin, too.
They grumbled. “These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us!” Equal means the same.
The master said to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me? Take that which is yours, and go your way.” He had given them just what he promised.
The master said, “It is my desire to give to this last just as much as to you. Is your eye evil, because I am good?” That means: Are you upset because I am kind? The master was good to them all.
Jesus said, “So the last will be first, and the first last.”
God is good and kind to everyone who comes to him, early or late. The master was good to them all.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think the last workers felt when they got a whole coin?
- Why do you think the first workers grumbled?
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)
The master went out 5 times to find workers. Color 5 coins, one for each group.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“So the last will be first, and the first last” — Matthew 20:16 (the last → crouch down low; will be first → jump up high; and the first last → crouch down again)
Dear God, thank you that you are good and kind to everyone. Thank you for inviting me too. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God's Love Is a Gift
Memory verse: “So the last will be first, and the first last.” — Matthew 20:16 · WEB
The Bible story
A kind vineyard owner keeps inviting helpers all day long, then surprises everyone with the very same gift — a warm story about God's generous love.
Talk about it
- What did the kind owner grow in his vineyard? — Grapes
- When did the owner first go out to find workers? — Early in the morning
- What did the owner promise to pay the early workers? — One silver coin for the day
- How many more times did the owner go back for workers? — Four more times
- Why were some people still waiting near the end of the day? — Because no one had hired them
- Who was paid first in the evening? — The workers who came last
Where is Jesus in this story?
Jesus told this story to show that God welcomes everyone into His family, even those who come at the very last moment. On the cross, Jesus welcomed a thief who had only minutes left to believe, and gave him the same wonderful gift of heaven. That is how generous God's rescuing love is — it is never too late to say yes to Jesus, and His gift is always full and free.
What God wants to tell us
In this story, the kind vineyard owner is a picture of God. God does not hand out His love like a paycheck for whoever works the hardest or arrives the earliest. He gives His kindness freely to everyone who comes to Him, whether early or late. We never have to earn God's love by being the best or the first. He is generous because His heart is full of joy, and there is always room for one more person at His table.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for loving me so much and giving me good gifts I could never earn. Help me to be happy for others when You are kind to them, and to share Your love with everyone I meet. Thank You that there is always room for me with You. Amen.
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