This Joseph Forgives His Brothers Preschool Bible Lesson helps young children learn how Joseph forgave his brothers and welcomed his family with love.
The story continues after Joseph became a ruler in Egypt. When a famine brought his brothers to buy food, they did not recognize him. Through a storybook, review pictures, an emotions activity, a silver cup game, and an accordion craft, children explore how Joseph chose forgiveness.
The lesson truth is:
Joseph forgave his brothers. God can help us forgive others too.
Connecting Joseph’s Story to His Brothers’ Return
Begin with a short review of the Joseph in Egypt lesson.
Seven review pictures help children remember Joseph’s arrival in Egypt, his work in Potiphar’s house, his time in prison, and the dreams God helped him explain.
The final pictures show Pharaoh making Joseph a ruler and Joseph storing grain during the years of plenty.
This review explains why Joseph had food to sell when the famine came. It also reminds children that God had been with Joseph through every part of his story.
Reading the Joseph Forgives His Brothers Story
The printable storybook introduces the events of Genesis 42–46 through clear illustrations and simple language.
Jacob sent ten of his sons to Egypt to buy grain. Benjamin, the youngest, stayed at home. When the brothers arrived, they bowed before Joseph without recognizing him.
Joseph knew who they were. He asked about their family and told them to return with Benjamin. Simeon stayed in Egypt while the others took grain home.
When the family needed more food, Judah promised to keep Benjamin safe. Jacob agreed to let him go.
Joseph was deeply moved when he saw Benjamin. Later, he instructed his servant to hide his silver cup in Benjamin’s grain sack. After the brothers left, the servant searched their sacks and found the cup.
Judah offered to stay in Benjamin’s place so that Benjamin could return to their father. Joseph saw that his brothers now cared for one another.
At last, Joseph told them who he was. He forgave them, hugged them, and invited his family to live in Egypt. The story ends with Joseph reunited with his father, Jacob.
After reading, ask simple questions:
- Why did Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt?
- Did they recognize Joseph?
- Who did Joseph ask them to bring?
- What was found in Benjamin’s grain sack?
- Did Benjamin take the cup?
- Who offered to take Benjamin’s place?
- What did Joseph do when he told his brothers who he was?
Make clear that Benjamin had not stolen the cup. Joseph had told his servant to put it in the sack.
Finish by repeating the lesson truth together:
Joseph forgave his brothers. God can help us forgive others too.
How Did Joseph Feel? Retelling Activity
The How Did Joseph Feel? activity uses ten numbered story posters to revisit important events in Joseph’s life.
A paddle with a happy Joseph face on one side and a sad face on the other gives children a simple way to respond.
Display the posters in order. Read each sentence and ask:
“How do you think Joseph felt? Happy or sad? Why?”
Turn the paddle to the chosen emotion and invite children to explain their answers. Remind them that a person can sometimes feel more than one emotion.
After a sad event, ask:
“Was God still with Joseph?”
The children can answer, “Yes!”
This activity connects Joseph’s feelings with the reassuring truth that God was with him in happy and sad times. It also prepares children to talk about how Joseph responded when he met the brothers who had hurt him.
Who Has Joseph’s Silver Cup? Game
The silver cup game helps children remember an important part of the story through a simple group activity.
Choose one child to be Joseph’s servant. Give the other children grain sack cards. Only one sack contains the silver cup.
Say the rhyme together:
“Silver cup, silver cup,
Where can you be?
Hidden in a grain sack,
Come and find me!”
The servant chooses one child at a time and asks:
“Is the cup in your sack?”
Continue until the silver cup is found.
After the game, return to the Bible story. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack, but Benjamin had not taken it. Judah offered to stay in his place.
This gives children another opportunity to remember how the brothers showed that they cared for Benjamin and their father.
The Silver Cup Worksheet
The optional Silver Cup worksheet gives children a hands on way to revisit the hidden cup.
Children color the picture of the servant, Benjamin, and the grain sack. They also color the separate grain flap.
Next, they cut out the flap, fold its tab back, and glue the underside of the tab above the sack opening. The flap covers the cup. When children lift it, the silver cup is revealed.
As children work, ask:
- Whose sack contained the cup?
- Had Benjamin taken it?
- Who offered to take Benjamin’s place?
Provide help with cutting and folding as needed.
Joseph Forgave His Brothers Accordion Craft
The accordion craft brings Joseph and his eleven brothers together in one folding paper display.
Children color the figures and the heading, “Joseph forgave his brothers.” They then cut out the two strips, fold them back and forth along the dotted lines, and join them using the glue tab.
Open the finished craft and name Joseph and his brothers together.
The connected figures provide a visual reminder of the family’s reunion.
While children work, explain that Joseph’s brothers had treated him unkindly, but he chose to forgive them. God had used Joseph to help his family, and Joseph welcomed them with love.
Reviewing the Bible Truth
Bring the children together for a short closing review.
Ask:
- Why did Joseph’s brothers need to buy grain?
- What was found inside Benjamin’s sack?
- Who offered to stay in Benjamin’s place?
- Did Joseph forgive his brothers?
- Who did Joseph hug when his family arrived in Egypt?
Then repeat:
Joseph forgave his brothers. God can help us forgive others too.
The closing prayer thanks God for being with Joseph and using him to help his family. It also thanks God for forgiving us and asks Him to help us forgive others and show them love.
Joseph Forgives His Brothers Take Home Booklet
The take home booklet helps children revisit the lesson with their families.
The four pages include:
- A coloring cover showing Joseph embracing his brother
- A Bible verse from Genesis 45:5
- Three important things children learned
- A short story review with a color illustration
- A maze leading Joseph’s servant to the silver cup
- The tracing sentence “Joseph forgave his brothers”
- A question asking whether Joseph’s dreams came true
Families can read the booklet, talk about the pictures, and remember how Joseph forgave his brothers.
The maze, coloring, and tracing provide additional ways for children to engage with the story after the lesson.
Why This Joseph Forgives His Brothers Preschool Bible Lesson Works
Each activity returns to the same story and lesson truth while giving children a different way to participate.
The review pictures connect the lesson to Joseph’s earlier experiences. The storybook shows how his family came back together.
The emotions paddle encourages children to consider Joseph’s feelings. The game and worksheet help them remember the silver cup and Judah’s offer to take Benjamin’s place.
The accordion craft provides a reminder of Joseph and his brothers, while the booklet supports further discussion at home.
Together, these activities help children remember that Joseph chose forgiveness and that God can help us forgive others too.
What Is Included
The complete Joseph Forgives His Brothers Preschool Bible Lesson includes:
- Teacher lesson plan and script
- Seven review pictures
- Joseph Forgives His Brothers printable storybook
- Ten numbered story retelling posters
- Happy and sad Joseph emotion faces
- Who Has Joseph’s Silver Cup? game cards and directions
- The Silver Cup flap worksheet
- Joseph Forgave His Brothers accordion craft
- Foldable take home booklet
- Preparation and activity directions
Get the Complete Joseph Forgives His Brothers Lesson
Bring the story and activities together with the complete Joseph Forgives His Brothers Preschool Bible Lesson.
The resource is designed for Sunday School, church preschool programs, Christian classrooms, and homeschool Bible time.
Blessings as you teach! 😊
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