Jesus Rides into Jerusalem

Matthew 21:1-11

Our true story comes from a part of the Bible called the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew was a disciple of Jesus. That means Jesus was his teacher. And the word gospel means “good news!”

One day, Jesus and His disciples were walking toward Jerusalem, a big city. 


When they got close, Jesus told two of His friends to go ahead and find a donkey and its little colt.


“Bring them to Me,” Jesus said. “I will ride the donkey into the city.”


The disciples found the donkey, just like Jesus said, and they put their coats on its back to make a soft seat for Jesus. 


Then, Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem. When the people saw Jesus coming, they were so excited! 


They spread their coats on the road and picked up palm branches to wave in the air.


They shouted, “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”


They were so happy because Jesus was special—He was their King!


Some people asked, “Who is this?” 


And the crowd said, “This is Jesus!” Jesus rode into the city while the people cheered and praised Him. It was a joyful day!


The people were so happy to see Jesus, and they praised Him with palm branches and cheers! Jesus didn’t come riding on a big horse like other kings—He came on a gentle donkey because He is a special King, full of love and kindness. Just like the people in Jerusalem, we can praise Jesus, too! We can sing, clap, and say, “Jesus, we love You!”


Dear God,

Thank You for Jesus, our special King. Thank You for the people who welcomed Him with joy and praise. Help us to love Jesus and praise Him, just like they did. We want to follow Him and share His love with others. We love You, God.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.





Bible Verse: “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.” — Matthew 28:6, BSB

Paraphrase: Jesus is alive, just like He said!



Activities

These activities help preschoolers engage with the story through movement, crafts, music, and storytelling, making the lesson fun and memorable.


1. "Wave Your Palm Branches" – A Celebration of Jesus  (Music Activity)

Objective: Help children experience the joy of praising Jesus like the people in Jerusalem.

Materials: Green construction paper (to make palm branches), popsicle sticks, glue, or real palm leaves if available.

Activity:

• Before class, create simple paper palm branches by cutting out green leaves and attaching them to popsicle sticks.

• Play a joyful song about Jesus (e.g., "Hosanna! Hosanna!" or "Jesus Loves Me").

• Have the children wave their palm branches while marching in a parade, shouting, “Hosanna! Jesus is our King!”

• Explain: "The people waved palm branches and praised Jesus because they were happy to see Him! We can praise Jesus too!"

🔹 Allergy Alert: If using real palm leaves, check for possible allergies or sensitivities among the children.


2. "Coat Path for Jesus" – A Hands-On Reenactment

Objective: Help children understand how the people honored Jesus by laying their coats on the road.

Materials: Scarves, small blankets, or fabric pieces.

Activity:

• Tell children: “The people wanted to show honor to Jesus, so they put their coats on the ground for Him to ride over.”

• Have children take turns laying down fabric pieces to create a "coat path" for a stuffed animal donkey (or pretend one).

• Let them walk across the path, pretending to be part of the crowd welcoming Jesus.

• Ask: "How do you feel when someone special comes to visit?"


3. "Hosanna Handprints" – A Palm Branch Craft

Objective: Create a fun keepsake that reminds children to praise Jesus.

Materials: Green paint, paper, markers.

Activity:

• Help children dip their hands in green paint and stamp their handprints onto a sheet of paper to look like palm leaves.

• Write "Hosanna! Jesus is our King!" at the top.

• Let them decorate with stickers or drawings.

• Encourage them to wave their artwork and shout, "Hosanna!"


4. "Who is This?" – A Storytelling Game

Objective: Reinforce the lesson through a guessing game.

Materials: Pictures of Jesus, a donkey, palm branches, and people waving.

Activity:

• Hold up a picture and ask, “Who is this?”

• Let the children guess and say, “That’s Jesus!” or “That’s a donkey!”

• End by holding up a picture of Jesus and asking: “Who is Jesus to you?”

• Encourage answers like: “Jesus is my friend,” “Jesus is my King,” or “Jesus loves me!”

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Story illustrations are the copyright of Sweet Publishing and licensed by FreeBibleimages (http://freebibleimages.org) for free download under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike 3.0 unported licence.
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