Day 1-Joseph and His Brothers

• Pray.
• Review the memory verse. Try having everyone take turns saying a word in the verse. But instead of going in any particular order, one person just calls out the next word. This continues until the verse is finished. The rules are: 1) the same person can’t say two words of the verse in a row, and 2) if two people say a word at the same time, you have to start the verse over and try to get through it all again. (Example: child 1: “Children,” child 2: “Obey,” child 3: “Your,” child 2: “Parents”)
• Set the stage for today’s story by explaining that Jacob and Rachel had one more son, Benjamin. So, Jacob had 12 sons in all (Genesis 35:23-26). Rachel died after Benjamin was born (Genesis 35:16-20), and Isaac died after that (Genesis 35:28-29). Jacob and the rest of his family went to live in the land of Canaan.
• Read about Joseph or summarize Genesis 37.Make sure to read aloud Genesis 37:5-11 if you choose to tell the story in your own words.
• Ask, “What do you think about this story? Why were the brothers so angry with Joseph? Think about all the characters in the story. Who behaved wisely? Whose behavior was foolish? What are some things our family can learn from Jacob’s family? Was God mentioned in this story?”
• Even though God wasn’t mentioned in this story we will soon see that He was right there in the midst of it, working to turn all this evil into good (Genesis 50:20)!

Day 2-Slavery and Jail

• Pray.
• Review the memory verse.
• Read Genesis 39. When you get to verses 7-18, you can explain to your younger children that Potiphar’s wife wanted Joseph to treat her as a husband would. Joseph knew that that wouldn’t please God since she already had a husband, so he fled from the room. Potiphar’s wife was angry that Joseph didn’t listen to her so she lied to her husband about Joseph. Potiphar believed what his wife told him and put Joseph in prison.
• True/False
  • Children can call out “True!” or “False!”, they can give a thumbs up/thumbs down, or they can write their answers on a whiteboard.
  • If the answer is false, have them explain why it was false.
  • Older kids can find the verse that proves their answer.
    • Potiphar bought Joseph to be his slave (True-verse 1)
    • Joseph became successful because he worked really hard (False-verse 2).
    • Potiphar really liked Joseph, so he put him in charge of basically everything that went on in his home (True-verses 4-6).
    • Potiphar’s wife wanted Joseph to do something that was wrong (True-verse 7).
    • Joseph agreed to what Potiphar’s wife said because, as a slave, he was supposed to obey her (False-verses 8-9).
    • Potiphar’s wife lied to her husband about Joseph, so Potiphar sent him to talk to the king (False-verses 19-20).
    • Because the Lord was kind and was with Joseph in jail, the chief jailer liked Joseph (True-verse 21).
    • Joseph did well in jail because he was such a nice guy (False-verse 23).
    • We should be like Joseph and run from away from anything that is evil in God’s eyes (True-2 Timothy 2:22).
    • When we are in a place that is scary or uncertain, we can trust that God will be with us just like He was with Joseph (True-Deuteronomy 31:6).
• Have your child pray, asking God to help him/her run away from evil and run to what God wants instead. Have them thank God that He is always with him/her.

Day 3-God Helps Joseph Help the Dreamers

• Pray.
• Review the memory verse.
• Before you read the story, prepare some bread and juice for the kids to eat while you read.
• Read Genesis 40. Explain to your children that the men who held the positions of the cupbearer and the baker had to be completely trustworthy; the king had to trust that they would not be influenced by his enemies.
• Ask, “How did Joseph show concern for his fellow prisoners (6-7)? Are you observant like Joseph? Do you take the time to notice how your family and friends are feeling?”
• Have your kids explain each man’s dream and what it meant.
• Ask, “Did Joseph think he could interpret the dreams on His own? To whom did he give credit for understanding dreams? Can you think of a time when you had to rely on God to show you something or to understand something like Joseph did?” Parents, this would be a great time to give an example from your own life of when you had to seek God for the answers you needed.
• Ask, “What is God showing you through this story?”
• Activity-
  • Have children draw pictures of each man’s dream.
  • Have older children create a comic strip showing the events of the story. https://www.creativetemplate.net/comic-strip-template/
  • Try baking bread together or making some freshly squeezed juice. Pinterest has lots of great, easy recipes.

Day 4-Only God

• Pray.
• Review the memory verse.
• Read or summarize Genesis 41. Be sure to read aloud the verses 16, 25, 28, 32, 39, 51, and 52.
• Things to talk about:
  • What happened in Pharaoh’s dreams?
  • How did he learn about Joseph?
  • How was God made known in what we read today?
  • What was the problem in this chapter?
  • What was the solution?
  • How does this chapter compare with other events that happened in Joseph’s life? How was he able to rise to these positions of authority?
  • What are some words you can think of to describe Joseph?
  • What does the story of Joseph’s life teach us about God?
  • Do some math: How long had it been from the time Joseph was sold into slavery (Genesis 37:2) until the time he came to be second in command Genesis 41:46)? (30-17=13 years)
  • Joseph names his boys Manasseh and Ephraim. What do their names mean (verse 51-52)? Who is at the center; Who is the focus of Joseph’s family?

Day 5-The Dreams Come True

• Pray.
• Review the memory verse.
• Read Genesis 42-43.
• Ask, “How had Joseph’s dream become reality? (Genesis 37:5-8, Genesis 42:6)?”
• Discuss Joseph’s actions and his brothers’ responses to what was happening.
• Ask, “Have you noticed the clues Joseph was giving out, showing that he actually knew all about these 11 men?”
• Ask, “How does this story challenge you in the way you treat your brothers and sisters?”

Day 5-The Truth Comes Out

• Pray.
• Review the memory verse.
• Review what you read last time. Ask, “Do Joseph’s brothers seem like the same jealous, hateful people that they were years before when they sold Joseph as a slave?” Have your kids listen as you read/tell the story for clues that they have changed.
• Read Genesis 44 or tell the story in your own words. For younger kids, this would be a great story to use some Little People or other small toys to represent Joseph and his 12 brothers.
• Joseph had been testing his brothers to see what was in their hearts: were they still hateful and jealous and selfish or had they become repentant, understanding, and loving?
• Ask, “Did you notice any evidence of a change of heart in the brothers?” Have your children compare/contrast how they treated Benjamin with how they treated Joseph.
• Read Genesis 45. Be sure to read Genesis 45:5-9 if you are just summarizing the chapter.
• Ask, “What do we learn about God in this chapter (verses 5-8)? Is He still the same God now that He was for Joseph? Does this help you trust Him more? Why or why not?”
• Ask older kids, “What events are going in in your life or in the world right now that cause you to wonder, ‘Why is this happening?’ What is God wanting to teach you through Joseph’s story?”
• Activity:
  • Have your children put on a play about Joseph’s life.

Day 7-God Meant It For Good

• Pray.
• Review the memory verse. Have each child try to recite it by themselves.
• Explain that Jacob and all the rest of his family came to live in Egypt with Joseph (Genesis 46:1-7). Seventeen years later (Genesis 47:28), Jacob died and his sons buried him with Abraham and Isaac and his wife, Leah (Genesis 49:30-32).
• Read Genesis 50:15-21.
• Ask,” What were the brothers worried about? What did Joseph tell them? How does this verse (Genesis 50:20) apply to your life today? What does God want you to remember after reading about Joseph and his family?”
• You can read about Joseph’s death if you so choose in Genesis 50:22-26.
• Activity:
  • Listen to “See a Victory” by Elevation Worship.