Joseph and Potiphar Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free Joseph and Potiphar Sunday school lesson teaches kids to say no to sin. Joseph was brought down to Egypt and bought by Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, and "the LORD was with Joseph" (Genesis 39:1–2). Potiphar made him overseer over his house (39:4). When Joseph was asked day by day to do wrong, he said, "how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (39:9). He was put in prison, "But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy" (39:21). It comes in four age levels, each a separate printable teacher lesson, plus one take-home sheet for families. Everything is in the order you teach it.

Choose your age level

• Preschool (ages 3–5), 20–30 minutes, 2 pages: a take-care-of-it game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?") with a motion, and a drawing activity.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: the Into Your Hand game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, a verse-strip memory game, and an In the House, In the Prison game.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: a trusted-or-not game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (overseer of Potiphar's house, Joseph's answer, the prison and God's mercy), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: students read Genesis 39:1–6 and 39:19–23 out loud themselves, then discuss sin as sin against God, temptation that comes day by day, faithfulness when no one is checking, and God's way to escape. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Genesis 39:9 and 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: Genesis 39:1–23
• Main point: Joseph said no to sin, and the LORD was with him. God helps us say no to sin too.
• Memory verse: Genesis 39:9 (KJV), with 1 Corinthians 10:13 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about being trusted and saying no.
2. Bible story: Joseph is bought by Potiphar (Genesis 39:1), "the LORD was with Joseph" (39:2), overseer over the house (39:4), Joseph says no to sin (39:9–10), the prison (39:20), and God's mercy there (39:21–23). Every fact has its verse reference so you can check it.
3. Questions to ask: with answers, at the right level for each age.
4. Memory verse: a game or motion to help kids learn Genesis 39:9.
5. What this means for us: saying no to sin, God with us in hard places, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the Joseph and Potiphar craft, an In the House, In the Prison game, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching Joseph and Potiphar

• Read Genesis 39:2 and 39:21 straight from your Bible. "The LORD was with Joseph" in the good place and the hard place.
• Every level tells the part about Potiphar's wife in one or two plain sentences: she asked Joseph day by day to do wrong, he said no (39:9–10), and she blamed him for something he did not do. Genesis 39:7 and 39:11–18 are not read in class. Each level has a short note on what to say if a child asks.
• What happened next is in the Joseph in prison lesson (Genesis 40).
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.