Joel 1
Explanation and Bible story for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 3-6)
The Explanation
Long ago there lived a man. His name was Joel. Joel was a prophet. That means: God spoke to him. And Joel told the people what God said.
One day Joel had bad news. Very bad news. He walked through the land and he called out loud: "Listen, everybody! Listen to me!"
Then Joel told what had happened. There had come grasshoppers. Lots and lots of grasshoppers. So many, you could not count them. The sky went dark from all those wings.
The grasshoppers came down on the fields. They ate everything up. The corn, gone. The wheat, gone. The grapes on the vines, gone. The figs on the trees, gone. Even the bark on the trees, gone.
The fields were empty. The trees were bare. There was no bread. There was no wine. There was no honey. The people were sad. The animals were sad. The cows walked around and mooed, because there was no grass. The sheep were hungry too.
Joel said: "Cry, people! Come to God. Tell him you are sad. Do not stay away from him now."
What Does This Mean?
It was a very sad time. Everything was empty. And Joel said something important. He said: do not stay far from God now. Come close. Tell God everything.
Because God wants to hear it. Also when it hurts. Also when you are scared. Also when everything feels empty.
The Common Thread
God does not run away when it is sad. God stays close. Later Jesus came. Jesus knows what sad is. Jesus cried too. And Jesus said: "Come to me. All of you. I am here."
When the fields were empty, God still wanted to listen. When your heart feels empty, God still wants to listen. God is like that. Always.
For You
Sometimes there is a day when everything feels wrong. You fell down. Your tower fell over. Your friend went home. Your ice cream fell on the ground.
Then you can be sad. That is okay. And you know what? You can tell God. Just say it out loud. Or whisper it soft. God hears you. Always.
You do not have to be brave. You do not have to be big. You may just come, the way you are.
Talk About It
When was the last time you were really sad? What happened?
Do you think God listens when you talk to him? Even very softly?
Praying Together
Dear God,
Sometimes I am sad.
Sometimes things go wrong.
Then I come to you.
Thank you that you listen.
Thank you that you are close.
Amen.
Questions about Joel 1
Short answers for anyone reading about this for the first time.
What is Joel 1 about?
What does Joel 1 say?
What does Joel 1 teach us about God?
What can toddlers learn from Joel 1?
Why is Joel 1 an important Bible story?
What others discovered
What Joel tells them to pass down is not a victory. It is a locust plague. Stripped fields, empty barns, a nation brought to its knees. "Tell your children about it, and have your children tell their children, and their children, another generation."
We curate our testimonies. We hand down the answered prayers and quietly bury the years the locusts ate. But your children need to know what God did with you in the bare field, not just the harvest. Which story have you been too ashamed to tell them?
Yahweh's word that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel." That is all we get. No king, no date, no city. We know nothing about Joel except that God spoke to him, and he listened. Maybe your life feels just as unrecorded. But the one line that matters is whether God's word came to you, and what you did with it.
The seeds rot under their clods. The granaries are laid desolate. The barns are broken down, for the grain has withered."
Joel paints a picture of hidden loss. The seed never even breaks the soil. No one sees it fail; it just quietly rots in the dark.
Some griefs are like that. Prayers that seem to disappear. Dreams buried and never sprouting. God sees what withers underground, and He is the One who still sends rain.
Isn't the food cut off before our eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?"
Joel names something we often miss: when the harvest fails, worship suffers too. No grain, no offering. No offering, no gathering. No gathering, no joy.
Notice how he links the pantry to the sanctuary. What happens at your table shapes what happens in your soul. When scarcity comes, do you still find your way to God's house, or does the loss silence your praise?
Looking for something for slightly older children?
We also have dedicated versions for elementary age (7-12) and teens (12 and up).
Open in the Children's Bible tool
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