In this lesson, children learn that God takes care of people who have no land, money, or family to help them, and that he uses kind people to do it. This lesson is for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God sees people who are poor or far from home, and he takes care of them through kind helpers. When we are kind to others, we are part of how God helps them.
Memory Verse
Ruth 2:12
May the LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given to you from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
(WEB)
Teach the children to cup both hands together like a bird’s wings, then flap them slowly on the word “wings.” Ask them to do this each time they say the verse, so the picture of God covering them stays with them.
The Story: Ruth 2 for Kids
A woman named Naomi had come back home to Bethlehem after her husband and sons had died. She had no husband to work the land for her, so she and her daughter-in-law Ruth had very little to eat. Ruth was not from Israel. She came from a land called Moab, so she was a stranger in this town.
Ruth said to Naomi, “Let me go out to the fields and pick up the grain that the workers drop.” Naomi told her to go. In that time, poor people were allowed to walk behind the workers and gather the leftover grain. This was God’s way of caring for people who had no fields of their own.
Ruth went to a field, and it happened to belong to a man named Boaz. Boaz was a good man and a relative of Naomi’s husband. He came out to the field and greeted his workers, saying, “May the LORD be with you,” and they called back, “May the LORD bless you.” Boaz noticed Ruth and asked whose young woman she was.
When Boaz learned that Ruth had been kind to Naomi and had left her own home to come to a new people, he was very kind to her. He told her, “Stay in my field with my workers. Drink from the water they have drawn, and I have told the men not to bother you.” Ruth bowed to the ground and thanked him for being so kind to a stranger like her.
At lunchtime Boaz invited Ruth to eat bread with the workers and even gave her roasted grain to eat. She ate until she was full and had some left over. He also told his workers to leave extra grain for her to pick up on purpose. By evening, Ruth had gathered a large amount of barley and carried it home to Naomi, who was so thankful that she blessed the man who had helped them.
Read It Together
Ruth 2:1
Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech, and his name was Boaz.
(WEB)
Point out that Boaz was a man with plenty of wealth who was also related to Naomi’s family. Explain that God often works through the people who already have a lot and choose to use it to help others.
Ruth 2:10-12
10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take knowledge of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 Boaz answered her, “I have been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother, and the land of your birth, and have come to a people that you didn’t know before. 12 May the LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given to you from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
(WEB)
Show the children how Ruth was humble, falling to the ground and asking why someone would be kind to her. Explain that Boaz says God will reward Ruth for her kindness, which shows God notices what we do.
Ruth 2:14-16
14 At meal time Boaz said to her, “Come here, and eat some bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.” She sat beside the reapers, and they passed her parched grain, and she ate, and was satisfied, and left some of it. 15 When she had risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and don’t reproach her. 16 Also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it. Let her glean, and don’t rebuke her.”
(WEB)
Point out how Boaz welcomed Ruth to eat with his workers and told them to be gentle with her. Ask the children how they can make new people feel welcome at their table or in their class.
Talk About It
- How do you think Ruth felt when she was new in a town where nobody knew her?
- What did Boaz do to show kindness to Ruth, and what could you do to be kind to someone new?
- Why do you think Ruth was thankful that Boaz was kind to her, even though she was a stranger?
- What does this story tell us about how God takes care of people who are hungry or alone?
- Who is someone at school or church who might feel left out, and how could you help them feel welcome?
Activity Ideas
Wheat and Barley Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a few pieces of dried grain or pictures of wheat if you have them. Have each child draw a field with tall stalks of grain, then draw a small figure of Ruth gathering the grain by hand. As children draw, talk about how the grain was a gift that God provided for people who had no fields. Let them write the words “God takes care of us” along the bottom of the picture.
Follow the Gleaner Game
You will need a few small bags or cups and some dry rice, beans, or pieces of paper to act as grain. Scatter the items across a room or a grassy area, and let the children walk slowly behind a “reaper” (a teacher or older child) to pick up what falls. Pause the game every so often and ask, “Who gets to eat what is left behind?” This helps children understand the idea of leaving extra for those in need.
Take-Home Kindness Card
You will need index cards, a pencil, and a bag of small treats such as crackers or fruit snacks. Have each child write one way they can show kindness to a new person this week, such as sharing a snack or saying hello. Let them place a treat in a small envelope with the card and take it home. Encourage the family to talk about the card at dinner and remember how God uses people to care for others.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God cares for the poor, the widow, and the foreigner, and that he provides for them through the generosity of others. Boaz followed the law that allowed gleaning, and Ruth’s faithfulness to Naomi is rewarded with a place among God’s people. The story points forward to God’s larger plan of grace, which includes people from every nation.
Avoid suggesting to children that being kind will always lead to a reward like a husband, a farm, or a happy ending. The text shows God blessing Ruth, but it is not a formula, and not every kind act in life leads to such a visible result. Keep the focus on God’s faithfulness and the call to love others.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you for seeing everyone, even people who feel alone or far from home. Help us to be kind like Boaz, and to welcome new friends with open hearts. Thank you for taking care of us every day. Amen.
