Joseph explains Pharaoh's dreams (Sunday school lesson)

Week 3 of a free 4-week Joseph unit: god's timing is good, and he gives us what we need to serve others. One story for everyone, then activities for ages 4–6, 7–10 and 11–14.

Updated 3 November 2026 · How we pick resources

Week 3 of 4 · Joseph: From the Pit to the Palace · Get the printable PDF and Google Doc free

Seven full heads of grain and seven thin ones in a field in Egypt, with pyramids behind

Bible passage: Genesis 41

Big idea: God's timing is good, and he gives us what we need to serve others.

Memory verse (ages 4–6): "God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." (Genesis 41:16)
Memory verse (ages 7–14): "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." (Genesis 41:16)

Prep: about 10 minutes: read the story aloud once and print the activity page.

You need:

Paper and crayons
7 paper cups or blocks (optional)
The printable word search (one per child aged 7 and up)
Pencils

Timing (45 min): Welcome 5 min · Story together 10 min · Activities by age 15 min · Review game 10 min · Memory verse and prayer 5 min

1. Welcome (5 minutes)

Ask: "Have you ever had to wait a really long time for something?" Say: "Joseph waited two whole years in prison after the cupbearer forgot him. Today the waiting ends."

2. Story together (10 minutes)

Read aloud to everyone together. Words in [brackets] are actions for the children. Retold from Genesis 41:1–57; words in quotation marks are from the NIV.

Two full years went by. Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had two dreams. In the first, seven fat, healthy cows came up out of the River Nile, and then seven thin, ugly cows came up and ate them. [Puff out your cheeks, then suck them in.] In the second, seven full, good heads of grain were swallowed up by seven thin, dried-up ones.

Pharaoh was worried. None of his wise men could tell him what the dreams meant. Then the cupbearer suddenly remembered the young Hebrew man in prison who had explained his dream, and it had come true. So Pharaoh sent for Joseph. Joseph shaved, changed his clothes and stood before the king.

Pharaoh said he had heard that Joseph could explain dreams. Joseph answered, "I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." Then God showed Joseph the meaning. Seven years with plenty of food were coming, and then seven years of famine, when hardly any food would grow.

Joseph told Pharaoh to choose a wise man to store up food during the good years, so the people would have enough in the bad years. Pharaoh said that since God had shown Joseph all this, nobody was wiser than him. He put his own ring on Joseph's finger and dressed him in fine clothes, and made him ruler over all Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. Joseph was thirty years old.

For seven years Joseph stored up so much grain that they stopped counting it. When the famine came, people from all over the world came to Egypt to buy food. The boy who was thrown in a pit was now saving a whole nation, because God was with him all along.

3. Activities by age (15 minutes)

Split into age groups, or run all three at separate tables. One teacher can move between them; older children can help the youngest.

Ages 4–6: Seven and seven

Stand up seven cups in a row: "seven good years!"
Let the children count them, then knock them down: "seven hungry years!"
Ask: "Who helped Joseph know what to do?" (God!) Practice the short memory verse.

Ages 7–10: Dream word search

Children find the words on the printable word search.
When they find a word, they tell a partner where it is in the story.
Early finishers draw Pharaoh's two dreams on the back.

Ages 11–14: Waiting well

Read Genesis 40:23–41:1 and 41:14–16.
Ask: "Joseph waited two more years. How might he have felt? What does 41:16 show about him after all that?"
Ask: "What are you waiting for right now? What would waiting well look like?"
Pray in pairs for each other's "waiting".

4. Review game (10 minutes)

Play in two or three teams: 100 points a question. Give the "All ages" questions to the youngest player on each team and the "Ages 11+" ones to the oldest.

All ages Who had two strange dreams in this story?
Show answer
Pharaoh, the king of Egypt (41:1)
All ages What ate the seven fat cows?
Show answer
Seven thin cows (41:4)
Ages 7+ Who remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him?
Show answer
The cupbearer (41:9–13)
Ages 11+ How long had Joseph waited after the cupbearer forgot him?
Show answer
Two full years (41:1)
All ages Who did Joseph say would give Pharaoh the answer?
Show answer
God (41:16)
Ages 7+ What did the seven fat cows and good grain mean?
Show answer
Seven years with plenty of food (41:26, 29)
Ages 7+ What did the seven thin cows mean?
Show answer
Seven years of famine (41:27, 30)
All ages What job did Pharaoh give Joseph?
Show answer
Ruler over all Egypt, second only to Pharaoh (41:40–41)
Ages 11+ What did Pharaoh put on Joseph's finger?
Show answer
His signet ring (41:42)
Ages 11+ How old was Joseph when he began to serve Pharaoh?
Show answer
Thirty (41:46)

5. Memory verse and prayer (5 minutes)

Say the memory verse together three times: loud, whispered, then with actions.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you that your timing is good, even when we have to wait. Help us to use what you give us to help other people. Amen.

Take-home sheet

Take home · Joseph: From the Pit to the Palace, week 3: Joseph explains Pharaoh's dreams

Today we learned how God helped Joseph explain Pharaoh's dreams, and Joseph went from prison to ruling Egypt and saving people from famine.

Ask your child:

What did Pharaoh's dreams mean?
Who gave Joseph the answer?
What is something hard to wait for?

Memory verse: "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." (Genesis 41:16)

Try this: Choose something to save or share this week, the way Joseph stored grain to help others.