Persistent Widow Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free persistent widow Sunday school lesson teaches kids to always pray and not give up. Jesus told this parable "that men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1). A judge "which feared not God, neither regarded man" would not help a widow for a while, but because of "her continual coming," he said he would help her (18:2–5). Jesus said God, who is good, hears His own who "cry day and night unto him" (18:7). 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 Build It Again game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("men ought always to pray") with motions, and a sun and moon to draw for morning and night prayers.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: a Keep Trying toss game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, the Keep Coming memory verse game, and a Day and Night Prayer Page.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the unjust judge, the widow's continual coming, God's elect who cry day and night, and the friend at midnight in Luke 11), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: students read Luke 18:1–8 and Luke 11:5–10 out loud themselves, then compare the unjust judge with God, talk about waiting and not losing heart, and Jesus' question about faith. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (Luke 18:1 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: Luke 18:1–8
• Main point: Always pray and don't give up, because God hears us and cares for us.
• Memory verse: Luke 18:1 (KJV), with 1 Thessalonians 5:17 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about trying again and not giving up.
2. Bible story: Jesus gives the point first (Luke 18:1), a judge who feared not God (18:2), a widow who asks for help against her adversary (18:3), her continual coming (18:4–5), and God, who hears His own day and night (18:6–8). 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 Luke 18:1.
5. What this means for us: keep praying, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the persistent widow craft, a Day and Night Prayer Page, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching the persistent widow

• Read Luke 18:1 first. Luke tells us the point of the parable before it starts: always pray, and don't give up.
• Make the contrast clear: God is not like the unjust judge (Luke 18:6). If even he would help the widow, how much more will God, who loves His own (18:7).
• Explain the old words: a parable is a teaching story, faint means give up, and an adversary is someone who is against you.
• The Bible doesn't say who the adversary was or how many times the widow came, so the lesson doesn't guess.
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.