The Widow’s Small Offering 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: “Two small coins, all that she had.”
Jesus was in the temple, God’s house in Jerusalem. Many people came there every day. They came to pray and to praise God. The temple was big and beautiful, with high stone walls.
In the temple there was a place called the treasury. The treasury was where people gave money for God’s house. There were big boxes with wide openings at the top. People dropped their money in. The money helped to take care of God’s house.
Jesus sat down across from the treasury. He looked up and watched the people put their money in. He could see everyone who came.
Many rich people came. Rich people have lots and lots of money. Maybe their money bags were heavy. They put in lots of money. Clink, clink, clink, clink! Can you make the sound of many coins?
More rich people came. More and more coins went in. Clink, clink, clink, clink! So much money!
Then a poor widow came. A widow is a woman whose husband has died. She was very poor. She did not have much money at all. But she came to give something to God too.
She had only two small coins. They were the smallest coins of all. Together they were worth almost nothing. Let’s count them: one, two. Can you show me two fingers?
She put her two coins in. Clink, clink. Can you make two tiny, soft clinks? That was all. Two small coins, all that she had.
Maybe nobody else even saw her. But Jesus saw her. Jesus sees the little things that other people do not see. Two small coins, all that she had.
Jesus called his friends to him. He wanted to tell them something important. “Most certainly I tell you,” he said. “This poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury.”
More? How could that be? The rich people put in so much more money! The widow gave only two tiny coins! What do you think?
Jesus said, “They all gave out of their abundance.” Abundance means having more than enough. The rich people still had lots and lots left over at home. Abundance is like a big basket full of apples. You can give some, and still have lots.
“But she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.” Poverty means being very poor. All that she had to live on means all her money for food. Now she had nothing left. Not even one coin. Maybe she trusted God to take care of her.
She did not keep anything for herself. She gave it all for God’s house. Two small coins, all that she had.
The rich people gave a lot, but they kept a lot too. The widow gave only a little. But it was everything she had. Two tiny coins were a bigger gift than all the big bags of money.
Jesus saw her, and he saw her little gift. God sees every gift, big or small. Two small coins, all that she had.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- What do you think the widow was thinking when she put in her two coins?
- Why do you think Jesus called his friends to come and listen?
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 widow’s 2 small coins.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“This poor widow gave more than all those” — Mark 12:43 (this poor widow → hold up two fingers; gave more → open your arms wide)
Dear God, thank you that you see small gifts too. Thank you for everything you give me. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God looks at your heart
Memory verse: “This poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury.” — Mark 12:43 · WEB
The Bible story
In the busy Temple, Jesus watches everyone give — and points to a poor widow whose two tiny coins turn out to be the biggest gift of all.
Talk about it
- Where did Jesus sit down one day? — In the Temple
- Where did people put their gifts? — The Temple offering box
- How much did many rich people put in? — A lot of money
- What is a widow? — A woman whose husband has died
- How much money did the poor widow give? — Two tiny coins
- Who did Jesus call over to hear about the widow? — His disciples
Where is Jesus in this story?
The poor widow gave “everything she had to live on” (Mark 12:44). Days later Jesus gave even more. The Bible says that though Jesus was rich, he became poor for our sake, so that through his poverty we could become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). He gave his whole life on the cross, the greatest gift ever given, so you could belong to God.
What God wants to tell us
God does not count how big or shiny our gifts are. He looks at the love inside them. The widow only had two tiny coins, but she gave them with her whole heart and trusted God to take care of her. That made her little gift more precious than all the gold in the Temple. It means you never need to feel too small or have too little to give something wonderful to God. A kind word, a helping hand, or sharing your snack can be a great big gift when you give it with love.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You that You always see me and love me, even when nobody else notices. Help me to have a big, giving heart like the kind widow. Teach me to share what I have with love, no matter how small it seems. I know that with You, even little gifts are wonderful. Amen.
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