Dive into the story of Joseph's colorful coat and discover how to teach preschoolers about God's plan for Joseph’s life. With engaging Bible verses and hands-on activities, this page will help your child or students learn valuable lessons about forgiveness, jealousy, and trusting God's plan. Get ready for some fun and meaningful learning moments!
Scripture: Genesis 37
The New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes: pg 58-89
The Beginner's Bible: 71-77 
Through the Bible Felt: pg 33
Shorten the verses as appropriate for the child's developmental level.
Or listen to Steve Green's Hide 'Em In Your Heart, Vol 1 - #4
Genesis 39:2 (NIV)
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
Genesis 50:20 (NIV)
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Introduce your preschoolers to the God's love with our fun and engaging Old Testament Curriculum. Filled with interactive Bible stories, play-based activities, and learning crafts, this Curriculum brings the teachings of the Old Testament to life in a way young children will understand and enjoy.
Sheet available in the Bible Activity Workbook
- Glue assorted colored ribbon or string to Joseph's coat
- Paint different colored vertical lines on Joseph's coat
Turn a large, paper grocery bag into a vest. Cut a slit up one wide side to make the coat's opening. Cut a hole in the bottom of the bag for the head. On the two narrow sides, cut arm holes. Decorate using many colors.
For Family and License Use: Print the coat printable. Cut stripes of construction paper for the child to glue onto the printable. Or, using watered-down glue, glue down squares of different colored tissue paper.
Help your little ones learn their colors with these vibrant, fun flashcards—perfect for preschoolers! Click the link below to download your free set today and start learning through play.
Place colored blocks in one area and colored cards, flashcards, or paper in another. Have children match the blocks to the corresponding colored cards, promoting both color recognition, sorting, and fine motor skills. Discuss the many colors in Joseph’s coat.
The story of Joseph is a powerful example of forgiveness. Use this opportunity to teach children about the importance of forgiving others.
Joseph's Colorful Coat also reflects a wide range of emotions. Help children explore and understand these feelings through quality books, engaging activities, and meaningful learning experiences.
For Family and License Use: Print the coat printable. Using watered-down glue, glue down squares of different colored tissue paper.
Join us for a heart-to-heart with friends who truly get your parenting journey. Co-hosted by Heidi Franz, creator of ABCJesusLovesMe, this podcast provides a cozy, supportive space for practical advice, shared experiences, and heartfelt encouragement. Tune in on your favorite app or right here on the web!
This story is free for family use only and may not be used in any form in a non-family situation. For non-family use, a similar script is available to order in the Old Testament Curriculum, 1 Year Interactive Bible Stories, 3 Year Interactive Bible Stories.
Water board
Green bottom
S4 - Hill and Trees
S7 - Tree
12B, 20, 21, 28, 40, 54, 55, 58, 61, 63, 79 - Josephs' Brothers
52 - Joseph
52A - Colorful Coat
59 - Jacob
82 - Men on camels
212A - Well
Have on the board - S4, S7, 212A
Have in order - 59, Joseph's Brothers (any order is fine), 52, 52A, 82
Joseph's Colorful Coat Story:
Today we are going to learn about a story taken from the Old Testament of the Bible. The Old Testament is found at the beginning of the Bible. Everyone say Old Testament. “Old Testament.” The first book of the Bible and the first book in the Old Testament is Genesis. At the beginning of Genesis we learn how God created the earth. Use your hands and let's make stars together. Then we meet Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel. Next is Noah. He was the guy who built an ark. Pound your fist into your other hand like you are hammering a boat. Good! Go a few more chapters and we meet a guy name Abraham and his wife named Sarah. They trusted God and He gave them a baby named Isaac. Rock Baby Isaac with me. When Isaac got older he married Rebekah, and they had twin boys named Jacob and Esau.
Today we are going to talk about one of those boys – Jacob. (Add Jacob) Now Jacob didn't just have one son. He had...help me count as I place these sons on the board. (Add Joseph's brothers, ending with Joseph.) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 sons!
That's a lot of sons!
But Jacob had one son that he liked better than the others. His name was Joseph. (point to Joseph) His Daddy liked him so much that he made Joseph a coat of many colors to show Joseph how much he loved him. (Add colorful coat) I am guessing that Joseph was happy when he saw his new coat. Show me your happy face. (Remove Jacob)
But when Joseph's 11 brothers saw that their Daddy loved Joseph more than he loved them, they were not happy. They were mad and angry. Show me your mad face.
They were so mad that they did something very, very mean to their brother. Do you know what the Bible says they did?
The Bible says in Genesis that they took Joseph's beautiful, colorful coat off of him. (Remove coat) And then they threw him into a deep, dark well. (Pretend to put Joseph into the well) Do you see him down there? (Put your hand up to your forehead and search down with your eyes) I can't either. It's too dark!
Then the brothers went to eat. Their poor brother was stuck in a well and they were eating. Well, while they were eating, some traders came by. (Add men on camels) And those brothers sold poor Joseph to those traders.
How sad. Show me your sad face. I beat Joseph felt scared. Show me your scared face.
Oh, but this story is not over. Joseph's brothers were angry, and Joseph was sad, but God was in control. Help me with that one more time. Joseph's brothers were angry, Joseph was sad, but God was in control. In the next few chapters of Genesis, we learn that God had a special plan for Joseph.
