Joseph in Prison Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free Joseph in prison Sunday school lesson teaches kids to give God the credit and to serve Him right where they are. In prison, Joseph served Pharaoh's butler and baker, and when they had dreams no one could explain, he said, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" (Genesis 40:8). The butler forgot Joseph, but God never did. 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 Sad Face, Happy Face game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("Do not interpretations belong to God?") with a motion, and a grapes-for-the-cup hunt.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: a Find the Sad Faces game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Grape Cluster memory verse game, and Serve Where You Are.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: a What Does It Mean? game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the vine with three branches, "think on me," Pharaoh's birthday, the butler who forgot), 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 40 out loud themselves, then discuss serving in an unfair place, noticing others, giving God the credit, honesty and being forgotten. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Genesis 40:8 and Genesis 41:16).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: Genesis 40:1–23
• Main point: Joseph gave God the credit, and he served God right where he was.
• Memory verse: Genesis 40:8 (KJV), with Genesis 41:16 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about noticing sad faces, meanings or giving credit.
2. Bible story: the butler and the baker in prison with Joseph (Genesis 40:1–4), their dreams and sad faces (40:5–7), "Do not interpretations belong to God?" (40:8), the vine with three branches and Pharaoh's cup (40:9–13), "think on me" (40:14), the butler restored on Pharaoh's birthday (40:20–21) and the butler who forgot (40:23). 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 40:8.
5. What this means for us: give God the credit, God never forgets us, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the Joseph in prison word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the Joseph in prison craft, Serve Where You Are, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching Joseph in prison

• Let kids hear Genesis 40:8 read straight from the Bible. Joseph gave God the credit before he said anything about the dreams.
• Bring a cup and some grapes (or purple paper circles) to show. The butler's dream is easy to picture.
• The baker's dream had a sad ending (Genesis 40:19, 40:22). The younger lessons say only that it was bad news; each level has a short note if a child asks.
• Point out that the butler forgot Joseph for two full years (40:23; 41:1), but God never did.
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.