In this lesson, children learn that Caleb trusted God completely, and God kept His promise to him for many years. This lesson suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God keeps His promises, and when we follow Him with our whole heart, He takes care of us for a long, long time.
Memory Verse
Joshua 14:8
Nevertheless, my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
(WEB)
Have children stand tall with arms out wide, then bring both hands to their heart when they say “wholly followed.” Repeat the verse together three times, getting a little softer each time until everyone is whispering it.
The Story: Joshua 14 for Kids
Long ago, God’s people finally reached the land He had promised them. Joshua was their leader, and the land was divided among the twelve tribes. Each family received its own part of the land, just as God had told Moses. The land was a gift, and everyone got a share.
One man named Caleb came to Joshua with a big request. Caleb was now eighty-five years old, but he still felt strong. Forty-five years earlier, Moses had sent Caleb to spy out the land. Caleb said, “I followed the LORD my God with my whole heart.” Caleb did not change his mind, even when others were afraid.
Caleb remembered what Moses had promised him. Moses had said that the land Caleb walked on would belong to him and his children. Caleb had waited a very long time for that promise to come true. Now he wanted the hill country, where the giant people called the Anakim lived in strong cities.
Joshua was happy to bless Caleb. He gave him the city of Hebron as his own. Caleb trusted God to help him drive out the giants, and he was ready to go. God had been faithful to Caleb through every single year.
After this, the land had rest from war. Hebron became Caleb’s special inheritance, and people still remembered that he followed God wholeheartedly. God kept His word, and Caleb’s faith was never forgotten.
Read It Together
Joshua 14:6-7
6 Then the children of Judah came near to Joshua in Gilgal. Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the thing that the LORD spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning you in Kadesh Barnea. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land. I brought him word again as it was in my heart.
(WEB)
Point out that Caleb went to Joshua himself and reminded him of God’s promise. Ask children to notice that Caleb remembered exactly what God had said to Moses years before. Explain that remembering God’s promises is something we can do too.
Joshua 14:10-11
10 “Now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as he spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. Now, behold, I am eighty-five years old, today. 11 As yet I am as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me. As my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, to go out and to come in.
(WEB)
Show children that Caleb counted the years God had kept him alive and strong. Help them see that Caleb thanked God for each day. Ask them what good things God has given them that they might forget to thank Him for.
Joshua 14:14
Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel wholeheartedly.
(WEB)
Point out the word “therefore” and explain that Hebron was given to Caleb because of his faithful following. Tell children that God notices when people trust Him all the way, and He rewards that faithfulness in His own good time.
Talk About It
- What did Caleb remember that God had promised him, and why do you think he never forgot it?
- How old was Caleb, and what do you think it felt like to still be strong at that age?
- What does it mean to follow God with your whole heart, and what might that look like at school or at home?
- Why do you think Caleb was not afraid of the giant people in the hill country?
- What is one promise from God that you can remember when you feel scared or unsure?
Activity Ideas
Caleb’s Heart Picture
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and scissors. Have each child draw a large heart and write or draw one way they can follow God with their whole heart. Let them decorate the edges with colors and hang the finished hearts on a classroom wall or the fridge at home as a reminder.
Giant Steps Race
You will need an open space and a few sheets of paper to mark a finish line. Set up a short course and have children take big giant steps toward the line while saying the memory verse. Remind them that Caleb walked into the hill country trusting God, and cheer each child who reaches the end.
Promise Keeper Card
You will need an index card, a pencil, and a small paper clip or rubber band. Help each child write a promise God has made in Scripture on one side and draw a small picture of Caleb on the other. Encourage them to keep the card in a pocket or backpack and read it when they feel worried during the week.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this passage shows that faithfulness to God is measured over a lifetime, not just in a single moment. Caleb’s wholehearted trust held steady through forty-five years of waiting, and the chapter presents his inheritance as a reward that God gave in His time. Adults can see in Caleb a model of persistent faith that does not fade as the years pass.
With children, avoid suggesting that faithfulness guarantees that bad things will never happen or that God rewards people in a predictable way. Keep the focus on God’s faithfulness and on the joy of trusting Him, rather than on a promise that following Him always brings easy results.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You for keeping Your promises, just like You kept them for Caleb. Help us to follow You with our whole heart every day, even when we feel small or scared. Remind us that You are with us always, and that You never forget what You have said. Amen.
