The Widow’s Oil That Didn’t Run Out 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 oil kept pouring out!”
A woman lived with her two sons. Her husband had died. He had been one of God’s prophets, and he loved the LORD. But now the family owed money. And a man wanted to take her two boys away, to be his slaves! Slaves must work for someone, and they are not free.
The woman cried out to Elisha, the prophet. “My husband is dead,” she said. “You know that your servant feared the LORD. Now the creditor has come to take my two children.” A creditor is someone you owe money to.
Elisha said, “What should I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She said, “Nothing in the house, except a pot of oil.” Just one little pot of oil.
Back then, people used oil for cooking and for their lamps. Oil was worth a lot of money. But one little pot was not enough to pay what they owed.
Elisha said, “Go, borrow empty containers from all your neighbors. Don’t borrow just a few containers.” Containers are jars and pots. So they asked the neighbors for empty jars. Knock, knock! Can you knock on a door?
They borrowed many, many jars. More and more jars! Empty, empty, empty.
Elisha had told her what to do. “Go in and shut the door on you and on your sons. And pour oil into all those containers.” So she shut the door. Now it was just the mother and her two boys. And God was with them.
Her sons brought her a jar. She poured the oil. Glug, glug, glug! The jar was full. Her little pot was still not empty! The oil kept pouring out!
They put the full jar to one side. Then they brought another jar. Glug, glug, glug! She filled another jar, and another, and another. Let’s count the jars! One, two, three, four, five… and more, and more! The oil kept pouring out!
Can you pretend to pour from a little pot? Glug, glug! How many jars do you think they filled? The oil kept pouring out!
Soon every jar was full. Full, full, full! “Bring me another container,” she said to her son. “There isn’t another container,” he said. Then the oil stopped.
She went and told Elisha, the man of God. He said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt. And you and your sons live on the rest.” A debt is money you owe.
Now there was enough to pay all the money they owed. The boys could stay home with their mother. And there would be money left over to live on!
God did not stop until every jar was full. The oil kept pouring out!
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think the boys felt when they saw all the jars full of oil?
- If you were there, how many jars would you have borrowed?
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 little pot of oil and 10 big jars to fill with oil.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“My God will supply every need of yours” — Philippians 4:19 (My God → point up high; will supply → pour from a pretend jar; every need of yours → point to the friends around you)
Dear God, thank you that you know what we need. Thank you that you give us more than enough. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God gives us just what we need
Memory verse: “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:19 · WEB
The Bible story
A worried mother has only one small jar of oil left, but when she trusts God's prophet, something wonderful begins to pour, and pour, and pour!
Talk about it
- What had happened to the woman's husband? — He had died
- How many sons did the widow have? — Two
- Why was the widow so worried? — A man would take her sons
- Who did the widow go to for help? — The prophet Elisha
- What did Elisha ask the widow? — What is in your house?
- What did the widow have left in her house? — A little jar of oil
Where is Jesus in this story?
The widow's debt was so big that her two boys were about to be taken as slaves. God filled the jars, the oil was sold, and the whole debt was paid (2 Kings 4:7). Jesus pays an even bigger debt for us. The Bible says He canceled the record of our sins by nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:14), so we can be free.
What God wants to tell us
When the widow had almost nothing, she still trusted God and did exactly what He asked. God took her one tiny jar of oil and made it more than enough to save her family. This story shows us that God sees when we feel worried, cares about even our small troubles, and loves to provide for His children in surprising ways. We can bring our empty hands to Him and watch Him fill them with His kindness.
Prayer
Thank You, God, for loving me even when I feel small or worried. Thank You that You always know exactly what I need. Help me to trust You like the widow did, and to bring my empty hands to You. I know You will fill them with Your kindness. Amen.
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