Free Bible lesson for kids · The Exodus
Building the Tabernacle
God asked the people to bring gifts with willing hearts to build a tabernacle, a holy tent where He would dwell among them. When it was finished, the cloud covered the tent and the glory of the LORD filled it.
- Bible passage
- Exodus 25:1–9 · 35:20–29 · 40:33–38
- Big idea
- God wants to live among His people.
- Memory verse
And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
Exodus 25:8 (KJV)- Ages
- Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
- Time
- About 45 minutes
- Included, free
- Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game
The story
The LORD told Moses to take an offering from everyone who gave willingly with his heart (Exodus 25:1–2). The people could bring gold, silver and brass, colored cloth, fine linen, wood, oil, spices and precious stones (Exodus 25:3–7). They were to build a holy tent, a sanctuary, and God told Moses why: “that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). He showed Moses the pattern for everything (Exodus 25:9).
Everyone whose heart stirred him up came, both men and women, bringing gold, cloth, skins, silver, brass and wood (Exodus 35:21–24). Wise-hearted women spun thread with their hands (Exodus 35:25–26). It was “a willing offering unto the LORD” (Exodus 35:29). When Moses finished the work, a cloud covered the tent, and “the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:33–34). The cloud by day and fire by night stayed over the tabernacle through all their journeys (Exodus 40:38).
Read it in the Bible: Exodus 25:1–9 (KJV)
1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering. 3And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass, 4And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair, 5And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, 6Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, 7Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. 8And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. 9According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
Questions to ask
Why did God want a tabernacle built?
So that He could dwell among them.
How did the people give?
Willingly, with willing hearts.
What filled the tabernacle when it was finished?
The glory of the LORD.
What this story teaches
- God wants to live among His people (Exodus 25:8).
- God wants gifts given with a willing heart (Exodus 25:2).
- Everyone, men and women, can serve God with what they have (Exodus 35:22, 25).
- God’s work must be done God’s way (Exodus 25:9).
- God led His people every step of their journey (Exodus 40:36–38).
Jesus Dwelt Among Us
God’s glory filled the tabernacle when He came to live among His people. Jesus, God’s Son, became a man and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
A 45-minute lesson plan
| 5 min | Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Thank God that He is with us. |
|---|---|
| 10 min | The story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next. |
| 10 min | Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “God wants to live among His people.” What does that mean for us? |
| 5 min | Memory verse. Say Exodus 25:8 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone. |
| 10 min | Activity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions). |
| 5 min | Pray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week. |
- Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
- Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
- Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.
Game time
For kids · activity · indoors · about 15 minutes
Willing Hearts Collage
You need: A big paper tent shape, paper gems, fabric scraps, glue sticks
- Each child chooses a “gift” to bring: a paper gem, a piece of cloth, a strip of gold paper.
- Glue the gifts onto the big tent together.
- Hang it up and talk about God dwelling with His people.
The people brought gifts with willing hearts, and when the tabernacle was finished, the glory of the LORD filled it.
For youth group · activity · indoors · about 40 minutes
Tabernacle Model
You need: Bricks or cardboard, cloth, measurements from Exodus 26–27
- Using the measurements in Exodus, build a small scale model of the tabernacle and its courtyard.
- Label each part: the altar, the laver, the holy place, the most holy place.
- Talk: how does each part point to Jesus?
God wanted to live among His people. In Jesus, He came to dwell with us (John 1:14).
Pray
Thank God that He is with us.