The Widow's Offering | Bible Lessons for Preschool and Bigger Kids
Teaching the story of the Widow's Offering is a powerful way to help children understand generosity, faith, and the heart behind giving. Keep reading to find creative and engaging ideas to teach the Widow's Offering through hands-on crafts and activities, printable lesson plans, and YouTube video suggestions perfect for Sunday School, homeschool, or faith-based schools. These resources will help you bring this Bible story to life in a way kids will remember.
THE STORY OF THE WIDOW’S OFFERING
The Widow’s Offering can be found in Mark 12:41-11 and Luke 21:1-4. Jesus and his disciples went to the temple and watched people as they put money into the temple treasury. Many people gave large sums of money, but one poor widow gave two small coins.
Jesus told his disciples that this woman gave more than everyone else because she gave everything she had, and the others gave their extra money.
The Widow’s Offering Bible Lessons for Kids
Are you looking for a simple way to teach about the story of the Widow’s Offering? Our scripted lesson plans, discussion questions, and printable crafts are perfect for children aged 3 to 8.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR THE WIDOW’S OFFERING
This Bible story immediately follows a story where Jesus warns his disciples not to be impressed by the outward appearance of people. Jesus points out that the religious leaders liked to draw attention to themselves (Mark 12:38-40). They wore flowing robes. They had important seats at banquets and in the synagogues. They were entitled and did not treat widows properly.
The widow, on the other hand, had little. She gave the smallest Roman coins, worth less than a cent. But her gift was honored.
This story tells us that what matters most is our attitude when we give. The poor widow gave quietly, with an attitude of worship. She didn’t draw attention to herself or make herself look important. She was giving because she loved God and trusted Him to care for her needs.
TREASURE CHEST CRAFT FOR PRESCHOOLERS
Printable crafts are great because they provide a visual for kids to bring home and tell their families about the story (plus they are simple for the teacher to prep). The Treasure Chest craft in The Widow’s Offering for Preschool is a fabulous printable craft to accompany the story.
Give kids a treasure chest template to cut out and color for this craft. Then they will fold along the appropriate lines and tabs to assemble the treasure chest. On the treasure chest are the words “Giving joyfully is an act of worship”, to help remind students of the big idea of this story.
coin stations for bigger kids
Take the learning a step further in your classroom of bigger kids and set up four fun coin-themed stations. Try all four stations or pick the one(s) that will work best for your group. The printable station labels and instructions are all included in The Widow’s Offering for Bigger Kids.
Coin Toss Challenge: Set up buckets at various distances in your space. Use the printable labels to assign each bucket a point value. Kids should toss their coins toward the buckets one at a time, earning points if they land in them.
Coin Estimation: Gather coins into a jar and let kids guess how many are inside and how much they are worth. It can be fun to see the wild guesses from some of your littler learners.
Coin Rubbings: Gather various coins. Place a piece of thin white paper over each coin. Have kids color over the coin using the side of a crayon (with the paper wrapping removed). The raised parts of the coin’s design will appear on the paper as they rub. This is an excellent activity for exploring the details of different coins!
Create an Envelope: Use the printable pieces provided to create a simple envelope and put a chocolate coin inside!
OTHER ACTIVITIES TO TEACH the story of the WIDOW’S OFFERING
Coin Drop Experiment: Gather coins of various sizes and buckets made from various materials. Have kids experiment with the coins and buckets to see the different sounds they can make. Does the plastic or the metal bucket make a louder sound? What sounds do the smaller coins make? What sounds do the larger coins make?
Giving Jar Activity: Set out a jar or basket. Then, have kids write ideas of things they can give to God on slips of paper and put these slips of paper into the basket. Be sure to brainstorm ideas with the kids because there are many things we can give God besides money. For example, what talents has God given you that you can use to glorify Him?
Coin Pouch Craft: Check out this No Sew Pouch by Red Ted Art for step-by-step instructions on creating this fun coin pouch from felt and string.
YOUTUBE VIDEOS ABOUT THE WIDOW’S OFFERING
YouTube is a great resource for finding videos and short clips to engage kids. But always preview the videos first to ensure they are age-appropriate and match your teaching content. Here are a couple of suggestions:
WANT TO CONTINUE LEARNING ABOUT JESUS’ LIFE?
This lesson is part of a five-week series on stories from Jesus’ life. The other stories include Jesus as a Boy in the Temple, Jesus is Baptized, The Sermon on the Mount, The Widow’s Offering, and Jesus Teaches Us to Pray.
These Stories about Jesus lessons are also included in the 52-week Bible curriculum for little kids in preschool/kindergarten and bigger kids in first, second, and third grades.
The Widow’s Offering is a beautiful story about generosity, joyful giving, and heart posture when giving. This story can lend itself to great conversations with kids, and many activities and crafts can help engage kids in their learning. What will you try?
