The Lost Sheep

Luke 15:1-7


Our true story comes from the parts of the Bible called the Gospel of Luke. Luke loved Jesus and wanted others to know and love Jesus, too. And the word gospel means “good news!”

One day, many people came to listen to Jesus. Jesus loved to tell stories to help people understand how much God loves them.

Jesus told this story:

“There was a shepherd who had one hundred sheep,” He said. “The shepherd loved his sheep and took care of them every day.”

The sheep followed the shepherd and stayed together in a big group.

But one day, something happened. One little sheep wandered away. It got lost!

The shepherd noticed right away that one sheep was missing.

Did he say, “Oh well, I still have ninety-nine sheep”? No! The shepherd cared about every single sheep.

He left the ninety-nine sheep in a safe place and went to look for the one that was lost. He searched and searched until he found it! 

When the shepherd found the lost sheep, he was so happy! He gently picked up the sheep, placed it on his shoulders, and carried it home. Then he called his friends and neighbors and said, “Come celebrate with me! I found my lost sheep!”

Jesus told this story to show how much God loves people. God is like the shepherd. He loves every person, and He is so happy when someone who is lost is found. And God loves you very much, too!

Key Takeaway for Preschoolers

God loves you and cares about you. You are never lost to Him!


Dear God,

Thank You for loving us and caring about each one of us. Thank You for Jesus and the story of the shepherd who looked for his lost sheep. Help us remember that every person is important to You. Thank You for always caring for us and never forgetting us. Help us share Your love and care with others. We love You, God.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.





Bible Verse: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” —1 John 4:11, BSB

Paraphrase: “God loves us, so we should love one another.”



Activities

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


1. Find the Lost Sheep

Objective: To help children remember that the shepherd searched for the lost sheep because every sheep was important to him.

Materials: One small toy sheep, sheep picture, or paper sheep, Optional basket or small box to represent the sheepfold 

Activity: Before the activity begins, hide the sheep somewhere in the classroom where preschoolers can reasonably find it.
  • Gather the children and explain that one little sheep has wandered away. Invite everyone to become shepherds and search for it together.
  • As the children search, occasionally ask, “Should we stop looking?” Encourage them to answer, “No!” Then say, “The shepherd kept looking because his sheep was important to him.”
  • When the sheep is found, have everyone celebrate together by saying: “Hooray! The lost sheep is found!”
  • Repeat the game several times, allowing different children to hide or find the sheep.
Talk About It: “The shepherd did not forget his lost sheep. He kept looking until he found it. Jesus told this story to teach us that every person is important to God. You are important to God, too!”


2. Carry the Sheep Home

Objective: To help children remember how the shepherd lovingly carried the lost sheep home.

Materials: Stuffed sheep or another small stuffed animal, A designated “home” area, such as a blanket, basket, or taped circle on the floor 

Activity: Place the stuffed sheep on one side of the room and its “home” on the other.
  • Let each child take a turn pretending to be the shepherd. The child walks to the lost sheep, gently picks it up, and carries it back to the sheepfold.
  • As each shepherd returns, have the group say: “The shepherd found his sheep!”
  • For additional movement, create a simple path around chairs or classroom objects that the shepherd must follow while carefully carrying the sheep.
  • Emphasize being gentle with the sheep, just as a shepherd cares for his animals.
Talk About It: “How did the shepherd feel when he found his sheep? He was very happy! The sheep was important to the shepherd. Jesus teaches us that we are important to God.”


3. The Shepherd Finds His Sheep Song (Musical Activity)

Tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb (Public Domain)

Objective: To reinforce the story through music and simple motions.

Materials: None

Activity: Teach the children the song one line at a time. Add simple motions: pretend to look around while searching, point outward for “one was lost,” hug yourself for “loved,” and clap during the final verse.

Song Lyrics:

        The shepherd had a hundred sheep,
        Hundred sheep, hundred sheep.
        The shepherd had a hundred sheep,
        But one of them was lost.

        The shepherd looked and looked around,
        Looked around, looked around.
        The shepherd looked and looked around,
        Until his sheep was found.

        He carried his little sheep back home,
        Sheep back home, sheep back home.
        He carried his little sheep back home,
        And everyone was glad!

Talk About It: “Why did the shepherd keep looking? Because his sheep was important to him. Jesus told us this story because God loves every person and cares about every one of us.”


4. My Little Sheep Craft

Objective: To give children a visual reminder that every sheep mattered to the shepherd and every person matters to God.

Materials: White construction paper or cardstock, Simple sheep outlines, Cotton balls, Child-safe glue, Crayons, Optional craft sticks 

Activity: Give each child a simple sheep outline. Let the children glue cotton balls onto the sheep's body to make soft “wool.” They can color the sheep's face, ears, and legs.
  • As they work, talk about how the shepherd knew his sheep and noticed when even one was missing.
  • When the sheep are finished, gather all of them together to make a classroom “flock.” Point out that although there are many sheep, each one is special.
  • If desired, write on each child's craft: “God loves me!”
Talk About It: “Look at all our sheep! The shepherd cared about every sheep in his flock. Jesus told us that God cares about every person. Who does God love? God loves all of us!”

-
Story illustrations are the copyright of James M. Thomas. All rights reserved.
-

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God Helped Gideon Be Brave

Image
Judges 7:9-22 Our true story comes from a part, or book, of the Bible called Judges. A judge is someone who tells people what the law says. God told a man named Gideon to go and battle a group of people called the Midianites. God's command made Gideon very scared. He was afraid to battle the Midianites because the Midianites had a BIG army. There were SO many Midianite soldiers that you couldn’t even count them all. But God told Gideon that he would win the battle. Gideon didn’t know how his little army would beat the very big Midianite army, but God knows everything. Gideon knew that if God said he would win, then he would win! Gideon knew that God would help him be brave. So, Gideon took some trumpets. Then Gideon took some jars and torches. And he gave them to his very small army. Gideon and his army carefully and quietly snuck down to the Midianite camp at night while they were sleeping. Then they blew their trumpets. They broke their jars so their torches w...
Read more

The Early Christians Shared Everything

Image
Acts 4:32-37 Our story comes from a book of the Bible called Acts. That name is short for “the Acts of the Apostles.” The word "Apostle" is another word to describe a helper of Jesus. Our Bible story tells us about some people who loved Jesus. The people were gathered together in a room. Buzz, buzz, buzz. The room filled with talking and laughter. The people called themselves Christians because they did what Jesus Christ said to do (Christian means "follower of Christ"). The Christians knew that Jesus was God’s Son. They wanted others to know about Jesus, too. Grandmas, grandpas, moms, dads, and children met together in homes. They would pray, sing, and learn about Jesus together. All these people loved Jesus. They were like one big, happy family. Because they loved Jesus, the Christians happily shared what they had more than others. Everything a person had was happily shared with the rest of the Bible-time Christians. They shared food so every...
Read more

Abraham and Sarah and Baby Isaac

Image
Genesis 21:1-6 Take-Home Our story comes from the book, or part, of the Bible called Genesis. Genesis means "the beginning." The Bible tells us that Abraham and His wife, Sarah, lived a long time ago. They were a family. One, two. It was a small family. There were two grown-ups but no children. Abraham and Sarah were sad because they had no children. They wanted a baby to love. They waited and waited until they were very old, even older than many grandparents, but still there was no baby. Abraham and Sarah were sad. God knew that Abraham and Sarah were sad. He wanted them to be happy. God promised that soon they would have a baby. So, Abraham and Sarah waited a little longer. Finally, they had a baby! Abraham and Sarah were happy! Even after they were very old, God gave them a baby boy. Isn’t that happy news! Sometimes when we are happy, we laugh! Abraham and Sarah named the baby Isaac. Baby Isaac’s name means “he laughs.” Abraham and Sarah were happy...
Read more