Lesson 3: The Poor Widow's Offering

Welcome

            Thank kids for coming.

            Just for fun, have preschoolers make a silly animal noise at two different friends.

            Make announcements.

            Introduce new kids.

            Celebrate birthdays by having preschoolers say “yadhtrib yppah” (“happy birthday” backward).

            Collect the offering.

Introduce the Lesson

            Say: Today we’ll learn about a woman who gave just a little bit of money—but it was all the money she had. Jesus was happy that she gave all she had because Jesus loves givers. Let’s think about what we’d want to be given to us.

Share

            Tell kids whether you’d rather have someone give you your favorite food every day for a year or take a trip to Disney World. Explain your choice.

            In leader-led small groups, have preschoolers tell whether they’d rather have someone give them their favorite food every day for a year or take a trip to Disney World. Allow time for kids to explain their choices.

            After groups have discussed, have adult or teen helpers share with the whole group what they talked about in their small groups.

Summarize

            Open a Bible, and say: It was hard to choose between two good gifts. God likes to get gifts, too! We’ll look in the Bible and see what Jesus had to say about that. God’s special book—the Bible—is one way God talks to us. And right now, God is here—ready to talk to you!

            Pray, thanking Jesus for the chance we have to give gifts to him.

Tip 

• Don’t have internet in your classroom? That’s okay! You can download the videos before class using the “download” button at the link provided, or just purchase this quarter’s DVD here.

Sing Songs to God

            Sing the three songs in any order.

Make Coin Bracelets  

            Say: In our Bible story today, we learned about a poor woman who gave Jesus two coins when she was at church. Two coins doesn’t seem like a lot, but Jesus loved her gift! Other people gave more money, but this woman gave what she had with a happy heart—and Jesus loves givers who have happy hearts! Have preschoolers make a heart shape with their hands.

            We can remember that even if we don’t feel like we have a lot, we can still share what we do have with other people. We can share our toys with our sisters, brothers, or friends; we can spend time with someone who might be sad; or we can even just share a smile. Let’s make a craft to remember our Bible story! Show preschoolers the sample craft.

            Give each preschooler a strip of paper and a plastic coin. Help preschoolers each glue a plastic coin to the middle of the paper, which will be the bracelet. Then preschoolers can decorate their bracelets by coloring and adding stickers. When preschoolers have finished decorating, place a piece of clear packing tape over each entire bracelet so that it won’t tear and so that the plastic coin stays in place. Help preschoolers each put a bracelet around their wrist and keep the band together with a piece of regular transparent tape.

            Point out that there’s only one coin on each bracelet, and the woman in the Bible story didn’t have very much either…but she gave what she had to God with a happy heart!

Get the Money in the Box

            Say: Jesus loves givers, and today we’ll hear about a woman who was a great giver. Let’s play a game to help us learn what the woman did.

            Show children the special box, and explain that their job is to find all the money you’ve hidden in the room and put it in the special box. Once they understand the object of the game, encourage them to gather the money as quickly as possible.

            Afterward, have the children gather around the box in a circle. Say: Great work collecting all the money I left around the room. Money can be pretty important. We need it to buy food we eat. Here, it looks like you need some money for food. Hand some of the money back to about a third of the children. We need it to pay for a place for us to live. Hand more of the money back to another third of the children. And we need it so we can buy a car or a bus or train pass so we can get to places like school, work, and the doctor. We even use money at church sometimes. Hand the remaining money to the rest of the children. Make sure every child has at least two pieces of play money.

Act It Out

            Show the Bible. Say: The Bible tells us about a time Jesus was at church. He was sitting near a special box like this. Point to the special box. People were coming to church and giving a lot of money, putting it in the box. That money was a gift to God. Let’s pretend to be the people in the church where Jesus was sitting. Have the children take turns placing some of the money you gave them into the special box. (Make sure each child keeps at least one piece of play money.) Designate the last female child to be the poor widow, and have her not put the money into the box until you tell her to.

            Say: When the poor widow came, she put in all she had. Have the girl put in all her play money. The other people gave some of their money. Point out that all the other children have some play money left. But the poor woman gave all her money. Have the designated girl show that she has nothing in her hands. That meant she couldn’t go buy more food for that day, or new clothes. She gave all her money to God.

            Ask: • Why do you think the woman gave all her money to God?

            Say: Jesus could tell that the poor woman was a giver when he saw what she did. He said she was a really great giver because she gave something that was important to her. Jesus loves givers.

Pass the Special Object

            Say: When we give, it doesn’t have to be money. We can be givers when we share something that’s special or important to us. Show your special personal item. This [name of special item you brought] is special to me, and I’m going to share it with you today.

            Let the children each take a turn holding the special item you brought. As they do, tell why it’s so special to you.

            Ask: • Tell about something that’s really special to you.

            • How would you feel about sharing that special thing with someone else?

            Say: When something is special to us, like my [name the special item you brought] or like the money the woman had to buy food, it can be hard to give it to other people or let them use it. But Jesus likes it when we share our things with others. Jesus loves givers. Giving is one way we show that we love Jesus. Jesus will always take care of us and give us everything we need, so we can share some of what we have.

Practice Giving

            Say: Let’s practice being givers. Lead children in practicing several ways that preschoolers can be givers. Here are some ideas:

            • Give a hug.

            • Give a high-five.

            • Give a smile.

            • Share a toy you like. (Have children each find a toy and bring it to a friend.)

            • Give a handshake.

            • Give a pat on the back.

            Ask: • What’s something you can give to your family?

            Say: Jesus loves givers! Jesus loves all of you! When we are good givers, it shows Jesus that we love him, too!

Learn a Fingerplay

            If time allows, say: Let’s learn something to help us remember that Jesus loves givers. Teach children this fingerplay:

            Jesus went to church and sat down. (“walk” fingers, and then “kneel” on knuckles)

            Many people came in from town. (wiggle all fingers upward like they’re people)

            They put their money in the box. (slip one hand inside the other like it’s an envelope)

            They didn’t put in their dirty socks. (pinch nose)

            But then a poor woman came in, (“walk” fingers)

            And it gave Jesus a big, big grin. (smile and point to sides of mouth)

            Because she gave all she had. (show both hands open, palms up)

            There was nothing else she could add. (flip hands over so the palms are down)

            Jesus loves it when you give. (hug self)

            Jesus shows us how to live. (move arm up and down like a flowing river)

            Have the children repeat and practice, as time allows.

Tip 

• Don’t have internet in your classroom? That’s okay! You can download the videos before class using the “download” button at the link provided, or just purchase this quarter’s DVD here.

Discuss and Watch “Emily’s Story”

            Say: In our Bible story, there was a poor woman who gave all the money she had. Jesus saw her giving the money, and he was happy with what he saw. Jesus loves givers.

            Ask: • What are some things kids can give?

            Say: It might seem like kids don’t have a lot to give. But we’re going to watch a video about a 3-year-old named Emily who gave something very special. That’s right…3 years old!

            Watch “Emily’s Story.”

            Ask: • Why do you think Emily’s gift was important?

            • Explain whether it would be easy or hard for you to give some of your hair to someone with cancer.

            Say: Emily was very young, but she wanted to give something. She found out about an important organization that takes gifts of something she had—hair! We can always find ways to give, and Jesus loves givers.

Tip

• Before printing, turn on page numbering in Word to keep the pages in order (or simply hand-number each page after printing). You may also find it helpful to highlight your part and set the script on a music stand nearby during the skit.

Leader: It’s time for our puppy friend, Theo, to come for a visit. Let’s call him to our class with a “woof, woof.” Ready? (Leads kids to bark until Theo is brought into view.)

Theo: Hi, friends! My back is so itchy today. Would you scratch my back? (Circulates among kids so each child can pet him.)

Leader: Thanks for giving Theo a warm welcome, kids!

Theo: I enjoyed it!

Leader: What do you have in your hand there, Theo?

Theo: My mom gave me some money to give to church.

Leader: That’s nice, Theo! Jesus loves givers.

Theo: What’s a “giver”?

Leader: It’s someone who loves to share his stuff with others.

Theo: Like money?

Leader: Like money, or other things, too. People who are giving share all kinds of things.

Theo: Oh, I want to be a giver.

Leader: Looks like you already are since you brought that money today.

Theo: I guess so! (Looks to kids.) What kinds of things make you happy to give or share with others? (Listens to kids, and responds to their answers.)

Leader: (Shares what he or she enjoys giving.) And the woman in the Bible had almost no money, but she shared all she had! She was definitely a giver.

Theo: Wow! Do I need to give all this money, then? My mom actually told me to keep a little bit to buy some lunch.

Leader: Oh! No, you don’t need to. Just give what you want to give, and remember that Jesus loves givers. Jesus knows giving is good for our hearts.

Theo: Okay, thanks!

Leader: Do you want to practice some of the other things that we learned are ways to give?

Theo: Sure!

Leader: Great! (Leads kids and Theo to all give someone a hug, a high-five, a smile, a handshake, and a pat on the back, one at a time.)

Theo: Giving feels good! I think I’ll go give some hugs and share some toys with my brother to practice.

Leader: Okay, Theo! We’ll see you later. (Looks to kids.) Friends, give Theo a big “woof, woof, goodbye.” (Leads kids to say “woof, woof, goodbye,” and then places Theo out of sight.)

Shake the Water Bottle

            Sit with children in a circle. Show children the water bottle.

            Say: Let’s shake an ordinary water bottle with water in it and see if we notice anything fun or surprising. Pass the water bottle to the child on your right. Allow time for kids to each shake the water bottle and observe what happens before passing it to the person next to them. Encourage children to notice that although a few bubbles might form, basically the water remains unchanged and doesn’t “grow.”

Add Soap to the Bottle

            Once the water bottle comes back to you, say: Today we’re learning about the woman in the Bible who gave just two small coins to Jesus. Even though it was only a little bit, Jesus was very happy. He knew she gave all the money that she had.

            Ask: • What do you think will happen if I put just two little squeezes of soap in this bottle?

            Add two good squeezes of soap to the bottle and put the lid on tightly. Pass the bottle to the child on your left. Encourage the child to shake the bottle as hard as possible. Have kids pass the bottle around so everyone gets a turn to shake it. Then hold the bottle up for children to see how the soap caused the water to “grow” and fill the bottle with bubbles.

Talk About It

            Say: Before we gave the water any soap, nothing happened. But when we put just two squeezes of soap in, something cool happened! That reminds me of our Bible story. The woman gave just two coins, but to Jesus, that was a lot! Jesus’ heart was full and happy—sort of like this bottle! Jesus loves givers.

Learn a Song  

            Say: Today we’re learning that Jesus loves when we are cheerful, happy givers. In our Bible story, the woman at church who gave two coins gave less money than other people because she was poor, but she gave her money with a happy heart—and Jesus loves that!

            When we aren’t happy about giving or sharing, we hold onto things tightly and don’t want to let them go. Have preschoolers make fists and hold them close to their bodies. Maybe we don’t want to share a toy or a special treat or something else, and so we keep it to ourselves. But being a happy giver means that we don’t hold onto our things too tightly. Instead we have open hands to share what we have with other people. Have preschoolers unclench their fists and spread out their hands with their palms facing up. When we give with open hands, it means we’re happy to share our toys and other things, but it also means we share our smiles and our kindness to show people God’s love.  

            Let’s learn a song that will help us remember to give with happy hearts and open hands.

            Sing the following to the tune of “I’ve Got the Joy.”

            We’ve got to open, open, open, open, open our hands.

            What?

            Open our hands!

            What?

            Open our hands!

            We’ve got to open, open, open, open, open our hands.

            Open our hands to give!

            Repeat a few times until preschoolers can sing along with you.

            Say: Let’s keep singing our song, but now we’re going to play a game, too, so we can practice being happy givers!

            Have preschoolers join you in sitting in a tight circle. Explain that you’re going to pass something around the circle and everyone will pass the item with open hands—show preschoolers how to cup both their hands together so that they can hold an object while still keeping their palms up.  

            Explain that you’ll sing the song while the object is passed around the circle and that whenever the song ends, the person holding the item will get to choose who to give it to.

            Begin singing the song, and pass a piece of candy around the circle by cupping your hands together and tipping the candy into the next person’s hands. Have preschoolers continue passing it around the circle. When the song ends, identify which child has the candy, and say: [Child’s name], you get to be the happy giver! Who do you want to give the candy to?

            Let the child choose someone else in the circle to give the piece of candy to. Encourage preschoolers to give by saying things like, “Yay! You get to choose who to give the candy to!” or “Jesus loves when we give with happy hearts!”  

            Play multiple rounds, passing around a new piece of candy each time and having the child who is holding the candy at the end of the song choose someone to give it to. Help preschoolers pick a friend who hasn’t received a piece of candy yet. Play so that every child receives a piece of candy. Or if you have a large group, just play multiple rounds and then hand out a piece of candy to each preschooler at the end of your time together. If a child is really resistant to sharing, you can let him or her keep the candy and quickly move on to the next child.

            Say: Jesus loves givers, and in our game we got to practice giving with open hands and a happy heart. When you go home you can remember to be a giver with open hands and a happy heart, too!

Tip

• If you used the Music Video block, consider repeating the songs from today’s lesson during the game. You can find the album here.

Recommended for 6 or more kids.

Run a Relay

            Say: Today we’re learning about a woman in the Bible who gave all the money she had. Let’s think more about giving as we race to give toys to our friends.

            Form teams of three. Have one child on each team stand at the far end of the room. Have the other two team members line up on the opposite end of your classroom. Then place a large pile of toys or other items from the room next to the two children on each team.

            Explain that two children on each team will take turns running a toy to their teammate on the other side of the room. After handing off the toy, that child will run back and then the next child will run another toy to the “toy receiver.” The receivers will do their best to hold all the toys they’re given without dropping any until they’ve been given the whole pile of toys.

            Once kids understand the rules, begin playing the game. If you’d like, play music as kids play. Play at least three times so that every child has a turn to give and to receive.

Talk About It

            Ask: • How did you feel when you got more gifts than you could hold?

            • What was it like to give so many gifts to your friend?

            • What other things do you like to give to others?

            Say: It was probably fun to hold more gifts than you could handle, and it was also fun to race to give gifts to a friend in our game. The Bible reminds us that it’s a lot of fun to give gifts to others. Let’s remember to give gifts to others this week because we know Jesus loves givers! Encourage kids to practice giving gifts by giving you the gift of a clean room as they put away the toys from the relay.

Tip

• If you used the Music Video block, consider repeating the songs from today’s lesson during the game. You can find the album here.

Draw a Picture

            Gather kids together in circles of about 10 kids each. Show kids the wrapped bottom half of a gift box, and place a box in the center of each circle.

            Ask: • What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten?

            Give each child a crayon and a piece of paper. Encourage kids to draw a picture of their best gift ever on the piece of paper.

Toss the Picture Into the Box

            Say: Today we’re learning about a woman who had very little money, but she gave it all to Jesus. Let’s imagine we’re giving away our most favorite gift as we toss our pieces of paper into the gift box.

            One at a time, have kids crumple up their pictures and attempt to toss the papers into the gift box. Once everyone has had a chance to toss a paper into the box, play another round. This time have kids move farther away, close their eyes, or try to toss the papers over their shoulders or through their legs. Play as many rounds as time allows, continuing to switch up how kids toss the papers into the box.

            If you’d like, play music as kids play.

Talk About It

            Ask: • What was fun about this game?

            • Why is it fun to give gifts to people we love?

            Say: It’s fun to give to others. Jesus loves givers.

Tip

• This experience will have the most impact if you collect the offering the same way your church collects offering in “big church.” Try to get one of the same baskets or boxes that your church uses.

Give an Offering

            Say: Jesus loves givers! But what we give doesn’t have to be big. Let’s give Jesus some gifts now.

            Distribute the hearts and crayons. Say: When we give to Jesus, it shows that we love him. Let’s decorate our paper hearts to give to Jesus. Encourage children to draw pictures of themselves on the hearts.

            While children work, share a preschool-friendly example of something you want to give Jesus. For example, you might say, “I want to give Jesus some of my time to spend with him.” Then ask: • What’s something you want to give Jesus? Anything children want to give Jesus is okay. The idea is to help them think about giving something to Jesus.       

            Collect the offering the same way your church collects adults’ offering. You can pass a basket or show kids where to place their offering.

Pray

            Say: Jesus loves it when we give ourselves to him—even when we’re little. Hold up the offering basket or box and pray: Dear Jesus, we thank you that we can be givers like you. Please take what we give to you and bless it. Use it to do big things! In your name, amen.           

            Thank the children for coming, and invite them to come back next week.

           Distribute a copy of the “Dig In @ Home” handout to kids as they leave, or email it to parents during the week.