CF Kids - 4th & 5th Curriculum | Champion Forest | A Church for Northwest Houston

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4th & 5th Curriculum

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LIFE POINT:

Family members can love and care for one another.

LEVEL OF BIBLICAL LEARNING:

God loves families even when they are broken. God wants all believers to act as the family of God and help others in difficult times.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE:

Genesis 37; 41:29–57; 42–43; 45–46; 50

BIBLE VERSE:

“Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4

UNIT VERSE:

“I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.” Psalm 139:14

FOR THE WEEK OF:

August 30

LEADER BIBLE STUDY

CONTEXT AND COMMENTARY FOR PERSONAL STUDY AND PREPARATION

Joseph came from an incredibly dysfunctional family. His father, Jacob, had multiple wives, and these women bore him many children through a rivalry filled with spite and insecurities (Genesis 29:31–35; Genesis 30:1–24; Genesis 35:16–20). Because Jacob loved one wife more than the others, he also loved certain children more than the others. Joseph was the favored child, which caused resentment and anger among his brothers. All of these factors eventually led to them selling Joseph into slavery when they got the chance.

Dysfunctional, indeed.

Many years later, after Joseph had risen to power in Egypt, he came face to face with his brothers, the people who had completely destroyed the life he knew, and he had a choice to make. Would he forgive or get his revenge?

When someone in your family hurts or injures you, you face the same decision. It is tempting to dwell on various ways you can make that person pay for how he hurt you — the silent treatment, spread lies about him, share his dirty secrets. The options are endless for getting revenge! But is this the way of Jesus?

The apostle Peter taught Christians to respond differently. He implored Christians to be loving and compassionate, and they should not pay “back evil for evil or insult for insult” (1 Peter 3:9). Peter calls us to follow the way of Jesus. Jesus never paid evil back with evil, nor did He ever take revenge on those who hurt or disappointed Him. Peter knew this firsthand after Jesus forgave him for denying that he even knew Him (Luke 22:54–62; John 21:15–19).

Jesus wants to forgive people when they repent and turn back from their wrong behavior. Do you?

Joseph forgave his brothers. Jesus offers forgiveness to everyone. Are you willing to forgive your family members? As you pray this week, thank God for the family He gave you. Ask Him to fill you with a desire to forgive quickly when your family members sin against you.

💬 TELL THE STORY

INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY

Give each preteen a piece of paper and a pencil. Say: “You have 30 seconds to scribble all over your paper. Go!” After 30 seconds, hand out erasers and say: “Now try to erase everything you drew and make the paper perfectly clean.” Let preteens try for a minute, then ask: “Could you make it perfectly clean? Why not?” Note that the erasers wear down the more they are used — kind of like how trying to forgive someone on our own wears us out. Say: “Today we’ll see how God helped Joseph forgive — not by pretending the hurt never happened, but by trusting that God had a greater plan.”

1. GETTING TO THE POINT

Ask preteens if they have ever felt wronged by someone in their family. Acknowledge that all families have problems and that it can be hard to keep loving someone who has hurt you deeply.

Remind preteens that throughout this unit they have seen how God designed families and how families are meant to care for one another — even when it is hard.
Point out that today’s story is about a family with some serious problems — and how God worked through all of it.

2. LOOK IN THE BOOK

Spread out one or more picnic blankets on the floor. Invite preteens to sit on the blankets as you teach — it’s a summer picnic!
Display the teaching picture and encourage preteens to open their Bibles to Genesis.
Introduce a pair of sunglasses as a prop. Explain that whoever is reading wears the sunglasses, then passes them to the next reader when done.
Teach that Joseph was the son of Jacob and that he had eleven other brothers. Jacob loved Joseph the most and gave him a special coat. Ask: “How would you feel if you were one of Joseph’s siblings?”
Pass the sunglasses and read Genesis 37:3–4. Discuss briefly.
Pass and read Genesis 37:5–8 (Joseph’s dreams). Ask: “How do you think the brothers felt about this?”
Pass and read Genesis 37:14–24 (brothers plot against Joseph, throw him in a pit). Pause here. Let that sink in.
Pass and read Genesis 37:28 (Joseph sold to traders for twenty pieces of silver).
Summarize: The famine came. Joseph was put in charge of all the grain in Egypt. When the brothers came to buy food, they didn’t recognize Joseph — but Joseph recognized them.
Pass and read Genesis 42:21–26 (brothers feel guilt; Joseph gives grain and sends them back).
Summarize: The brothers returned again, this time with their youngest brother. Joseph eventually revealed himself to them.
Pass and read Genesis 45:1–8 (Joseph reveals himself, says God sent him). Discuss: “What stands out to you? How would you feel in this moment as one of the brothers?”
Pass and read Genesis 50:19–21 (Joseph reassures brothers after Jacob’s death). Discuss: “Could you treat your siblings with kindness after all Joseph went through? How was Joseph able to do it?”
Teach that family members can love and care for one another even when it is difficult. Joseph recognized that what his brothers intended for evil, God had planned for good. In the same way, Jesus was handed over by people who meant Him harm — yet through it, God brought salvation and forgiveness to all who believe.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

Who was Jacob’s favorite son? (Joseph)
How many brothers did Joseph have? (Eleven)
What did the brothers do to Joseph? (They tore off his coat, threw him in a pit, considered killing him, and sold him into slavery.)
What job did Joseph have in Egypt? (He worked for Pharaoh and was put in charge of storing grain.)
What might have gone through the brothers’ minds when Joseph finally revealed who he was? (Answers will vary — fear, regret, disbelief, relief.)
How was Joseph able to treat his brothers with kindness after everything they did to him? (Answers will vary — he trusted that God had a plan; he believed God was in control.)
Could you treat a sibling or family member with kindness after being treated the way Joseph was treated? (Answers will vary.)

💡

BIBLE LEARNING ACTIVITIES

JOSEPH SCAVENGER HUNT

Hide pictures representing key moments in Joseph’s story around the Kids Building (coat, pit, traders, Pharaoh, grain, brothers bowing, family reunion). Give preteens a list and let them search in pairs. When everyone returns, challenge preteens to use the pictures to retell the story in the correct order. Discuss: “Which part of Joseph’s story surprises you most? Where do you see God at work?”

BUILD WAGONS

When Joseph revealed himself, he sent wagons to bring Jacob’s entire family to Egypt to care for them. Let preteens draw wagons on paper or build them with blocks or cardboard. While they work, discuss: “Joseph didn’t just forgive his family — he actively provided for them. What does it look like to care for your family, not just in words but in actions?” Connect this to Philippians 2:4.

STORYBOARD

Give preteens paper folded into four panels. Label each panel: Pit, Potiphar, Prison, Palace. Challenge them to draw a 4-panel comic strip following Joseph from the pit to the palace. Encourage them to add speech bubbles. After they finish, share their storyboards and discuss: “How does God show up in each of the four scenes? What does this tell you about how God works?”

GRAIN BIN

Fill a bin or tub with dried rice or corn (representing grain). Write each word of the Unit Verse (Psalm 139:14) on a separate strip of paper, then bury the strips in the grain. Preteens must dig through the grain to find all the strips, then arrange them in order to reconstruct the verse. Connect this to Joseph’s dream about sheaves of wheat bowing down, and discuss what it means to be “remarkably and wondrously made” by God.

KICK THE CONE

Use tape to mark a large square on the floor with a cone in the center. One preteen guards the inside of the square; everyone else tries to enter the square and kick the cone over. If tagged while inside, they must leave and try again. After playing several rounds, discuss: “Joseph was left alone — thrown in a pit, sold, falsely accused, and forgotten in prison. Yet he kept following God even when no one was watching or cheering him on. What helps you follow God when you feel alone or like things are unfair?”

4th & 5th Curriculum

JOSEPH LOVED HIS BROTHERS

BIBLE LEARNING ACTIVITIES