Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors: Sunday School Lesson for Ages 6-10
Ages 6-10 · 45 minutes · free lesson plan · Genesis 37:1-28
An interactive 45-minute lesson on Genesis 37:1-28. Children act out the story, play a game about responding to jealousy, make a kind-words coat, and learn Genesis 37:4.
Memory verse
And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. (Genesis 37:4, KJV)
Lesson objectives
- Retell in order how Joseph's brothers came to sell him (Genesis 37:1-28).
- Explain that jealousy and unkind words can grow into hurtful actions.
- Choose one kind way to respond when feeling jealous or left out.
The full lesson plan
Welcome: Left Out? (5 min)
Greet each child by name.
Say: "Stand up if you have a brother or sister, or a cousin or friend you play with." (Pause.) "Stay standing if someone ever got something you wanted."
Say: "It is okay to notice those feelings. What matters is what we do with them."
Say: "Today's story is about a big family with a lot of trouble. Listen to see what happens when jealous feelings grow."
Have children sit. Quickly practice the story actions for the next section: hold a shepherd's staff, stroke your sleeves for the coat, bow low for the sheaves, crouch for the pit.
Now let's hear what the Bible says.
Story: Joseph and His Brothers (9 min)
Read or retell from Genesis 37, with the actions.
Say: "Jacob lived in the land of Canaan. His son Joseph was seventeen and fed the flock with his brothers." (Staff.) "Joseph brought his father a bad report about them."
Say: "Israel loved Joseph more than all his children and made him a coat of many colours." (Stroke sleeves.) "His brothers saw this and hated him. They could not speak peaceably to him."
Say: "Joseph had a dream. They were binding sheaves in the field, and his sheaf stood up while theirs bowed down to it." (Bow.) "His brothers hated him even more. Then he dreamed of the sun, moon and eleven stars bowing to him. His father rebuked him but kept the saying in mind."
Say: "Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers. They saw him far off and said, 'Let us slay him.' Reuben said, 'Shed no blood,' and they cast Joseph into an empty pit." (Crouch.) "They sat down to eat."
Say: "Traders came by. Judah said, 'Let us sell him.' They sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver, and he was taken to Egypt."
Ask: "What happened first, and what happened last?"
Teaching: When Jealousy Grows (6 min)
Hold up the coat shape.
Say: "Jacob's love for Joseph was shown in a special coat, and the brothers saw it. Jealousy started small, then grew."
Draw a small seed, then a big plant. Walk the steps: seeing, hating, unkind words, then the pit and the sale.
Say: "Verse 4 says they 'could not speak peaceably.' That means they could not talk kindly. Jealousy shows up in our words first."
Say: "Joseph's brothers chose to hurt him. But the story is not over."
Background: later in Genesis, Joseph tells his brothers that God turned what they meant for evil into good (Genesis 50:20).
Say: "God sees us when we are left out or treated unfairly. Years later, Jesus was also handed over for silver. God used even that to save people."
Say: "When jealous feelings start, we can stop them before they grow. Let's practice."
Now let's play a game.
Game: Seed or Stop? (8 min)
Setup before class: write 6-8 situations on index cards, such as: a friend gets a new bike; your sister gets picked first for the team; your brother gets praised for his drawing.
Steps:
1. Divide the children into two teams. Mark two spots on the floor: "Seed" and "Stop."
2. Read one card aloud.
3. Children walk to the "Seed" spot if the response would grow jealousy (grumbling, ignoring, mean words). They walk to "Stop" if it would stop jealousy (kind words, being glad for them, asking an adult for help).
4. Ask one child to give an example of a kind sentence for that situation.
5. Play until the cards are done. Walk, no running.
Time: 8 minutes.
Say: "Kind words are the best way to stop jealousy."
Now let's make something to help us remember.
Craft: Kind Words Coat (8 min)
Setup before class: cut out a paper coat shape for each child. Cut colored paper strips. Safety: scissors and glue are used here. Supervise scissors, use only safety scissors, and check for any allergies to craft materials.
Steps:
1. Give each child a coat shape.
2. Children glue colored strips across the coat to make a many-colored pattern.
3. On the strips, children write or draw one kind thing they can say or do for a sibling or friend.
4. Write "Genesis 37:4" on the back.
5. Children share one idea with a neighbor.
Time: 8 minutes.
Say: "Joseph's coat was a gift, but jealousy turned it into trouble. Your coat reminds you to choose kind words."
Gather everyone back together for questions.
Talk It Over (5 min)
Ask:
1. What did the brothers do when they felt jealous? (They hated Joseph, spoke unkindly, put him in a pit and sold him.)
2. Why do you think it is hard to be glad when someone else gets something special? (We want it for ourselves. We think it is unfair.)
3. What can we do when we feel jealous? (Say something kind, thank God for what we have, tell a grown-up.)
4. Joseph ended up far from home. What does it mean that God still saw him? (God was with him and had a plan, even when things went wrong.)
Say: "Thank you for sharing. Let's finish by learning our verse and praying."
Verse and Prayer (4 min)
Say the memory verse aloud together, line by line: "And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him." (Genesis 37:4)
Explain: "Peaceably means kindly. Let's remember to speak peaceably."
Say: "Let's pray."
Prayer points (children repeat after you):
- Thank You, God, that You see us.
- Help us be glad when others get good things.
- Help us use kind words with our families.
- Thank You for Jesus, who loves us all.
Say: "Take your coat home and put it where you will see it this week. See you next time."
Materials
- Bible (KJV)
- Paper coat shapes (one per child, cut out before class)
- Colored paper strips
- Glue sticks
- Crayons or markers
- Safety scissors
- Index cards with situations written on them
- Tape
Teacher notes
- Craft safety: supervise scissors and glue, use safety scissors only, and check for allergies or sensitivities to craft materials.
- Stay with the text: the Bible does not tell us how Joseph felt in the pit or what the brothers said. Do not add dialogue or feelings.
- Adaptation: for children with special needs or a mixed-age group, use picture cues for the story steps, pair older and younger children as buddies, and offer a quieter seat option for the walking game.
- Some children may be hurting from family favoritism or conflict. Keep discussion gentle, never force sharing, and follow up privately if needed.
Send it home with parents
Today we studied Genesis 37:1-28. Joseph's brothers became jealous because their father loved Joseph and because of his dreams. Their hatred grew until they sold him. Children learned that jealousy can start small and grow, that kind words help stop it, and that God sees us even when things go wrong.
- When is it hardest for you to be glad for someone else?
- What is one kind thing you could say the next time you feel jealous?
Give each family member a slip of paper. Everyone writes one thing they are thankful for about another person in the family and reads it aloud at dinner.
Each day, say one kind word to a brother, sister or friend, especially when you feel jealous. Practice saying Genesis 37:4 together.
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