🎃The Pumpkin Who Looked Different Preschool Bible Lesson
🎃 Toddler Bible Lesson: The Pumpkin Who Looked Different
A lesson about God’s love, kindness, and not judging others.
📖 Bible Theme
God loves everyone He made.
📖 Toddler Bible Verse
“Man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7 (toddler version)
💬 Main Point to Repeat
“God loves me just the way I am.”
📚 🎃STORY: The Pumpkin Who Looked Different
In a quiet field at sunset, the pumpkins rested on soft vines.
The farmer grew the pumpkins—he watered them, cared for them, and helped them grow big and round.
But God made pumpkins in the first place. God made the seeds, the soil, the rain, and the sunshine. 🌞
Most pumpkins in the patch had marker faces—two dot eyes, a little nose, and a big smile.
They looked the same, and they liked being the same.
One day, the farmer picked up a small pumpkin.
He held it kindly in his hands. His hands were warm and gentle.
He carefully carved triangle eyes, a triangle nose, and a wide smile.
When night came, the farmer placed a tiny light inside.
Flicker, flicker.
The little pumpkin glowed—soft and warm, like a cozy porch light.
Some pumpkins whispered,
“He looks strange.”
“He’s not like us.”
“Maybe he’s scary.”
The little carved pumpkin heard the whispers.
His light felt smaller. His heart felt heavy.
He wondered, “Why did the farmer make me this way?”
That evening, the farmer came back.
He knelt beside the little pumpkin and brushed off a leaf.
In a quiet voice he said,
“You are special. I grew you, and I carved you so my light can shine through you.”
The pumpkin’s glow grew brighter—warm, warm, warm.
The farmer looked across the whole patch.
“You are all my pumpkins,” he said. “Some have dot eyes, some have triangle eyes.
All of you were grown with care. And remember—God made pumpkins, and God made people, and God loves us all.”
The marker-face pumpkins stopped whispering.
They looked again, not with squinty eyes, but with soft ones.
The little pumpkin wasn’t scary. He was shining.
And when the breeze sang through the vines, all the pumpkins felt it—
a quiet, happy feeling that said,
“Different can be beautiful.
And love can shine.”
That night, the porch was calm.
Crickets chirped. Stars twinkled.
And the little pumpkin glowed—a small, steady light in the gentle dark.
🌟 The Lesson for Toddlers
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The farmer grew the pumpkins; God made pumpkins.
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Looking different does not make someone bad.
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God’s light can shine through us, no matter what we look like.
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God loves us all the same.
📖 Story Summary (Toddler Version )
The Farmer grew the pumpkins in the field. He watered them, took care of them, and carved one so its light could shine. But remember — God is the one who made pumpkins in the first place. God made the seeds, the plants, and the pumpkins.
So, just like the Farmer cared for the pumpkins, God cares for us. Even if we look different, we are still God’s creation, and His love can shine through us.
❓ Let’s Talk About It
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Who grew the pumpkins in the story?
👉 The Farmer. -
Who made pumpkins in the first place?
👉 God! -
Was the carved pumpkin bad because he looked different?
👉 No! God made him too. -
Who loves us all, no matter how we look?
👉 God does.
👶 🌟 Helping Toddlers Understand
God made the pumpkins. God made everything good! Sometimes people use things the wrong way, but that doesn’t make God’s things bad.
🌟 Why This Matters
Just because something God made good is misused, harmed, or marked by people doesn’t make what God made bad. It still belongs to Him.
Here are some parable-like comparisons that help explain this idea, both for adults/teachers and in toddler-friendly language:
🌟 Teaching Moment
The little pumpkin’s story reminds us of something very important: when God makes something, it is good. But sometimes people use God’s good things in the wrong way. That doesn’t mean what God made is bad — it still belongs to Him. Let’s look at a few examples that help us understand this better.
✨ Comparisons for Teachers Only (not the toddler)
🌳 Trees and Wood
God made trees to be beautiful and useful.
Someone can cut down a tree and carve it into an idol — but that doesn’t make trees evil. Trees are still God’s creation. The problem isn’t the tree, but how people used it.
💎 Gold and Jewelry
God made gold as part of the earth.
People melted it down to make the golden calf (Exodus 32) and worshipped it wrongly. That didn’t make gold evil. Gold is still God’s creation; it just was used in a sinful way.
🎶 Music
God made music for worship and joy.
People sometimes use music for bad purposes — hurtful lyrics, pride, or evil messages. But music itself isn’t bad. It’s still something God created that can glorify Him.
🌍 People
God made people in His image.
Sometimes people make sinful choices, hurt others, or turn away from Him. But people themselves are not worthless or “bad creations.” They are still God’s children, and He still loves them.
👶 Toddler-Friendly Comparisons
🌳 Trees
“God made trees. Trees give us apples to eat, shade to rest under, and wood to build with. Sometimes people cut wood and use it to make pretend gods to pray to, and that’s not good. But the tree itself is still good because God made it.”
💎 Gold
“God made gold in the ground. People can use gold to make pretty jewelry or coins. A long time ago, people melted gold and made a statue and prayed to it instead of God. That was wrong, but gold is still good because God made it.”
🎶 Music
“God made music. We can clap, sing, and dance to praise Him! Sometimes people make songs with bad words or use music the wrong way. But music itself is still good, because God gave it to us.”
🌍 People
“God made people in His image. That means you and me! Sometimes people make wrong choices and do unkind things. But God still loves people, because He made them.”
🎲 Activity – “Shine Your Light”
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Give each child a little flashlight (or glow stick, glow necklace, glow bracelet or flashing lights headband)
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Turn off the lights and let them shine their “pumpkin lights.”
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Say together: “God’s love shines in me!”
🎨 Craft – Pumpkin Face Craft
Supplies: Orange paper plates or circles, black shapes for eyes/nose/mouth, glue, crayons.
Directions:
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Children glue triangle or circle eyes, nose, and mouth on their pumpkin.
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Some can have triangle faces, some dot faces — all pumpkins look different!
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Write on the back: “God loves me just the way I am.”
🎵 Song – “This Little Light of Mine” (Pumpkin Style)
Sing:
🎶 “This pumpkin light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
This pumpkin light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!” 🎶
🍎 Snack – Pumpkin Faces
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Give kids round crackers.
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Use raisins or small cheese pieces to make triangle eyes and a smile on each cracker.
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Remind them: God made us all different, but He loves us all the same.
🖍️ Coloring Page
🎃 Free Pumpkin Coloring Page – The Pumpkin Who Looked Different
This simple, preschool-friendly coloring page is the perfect companion to The Pumpkin Who Looked Different lesson. Kids can color the glowing jack-o’-lantern and the other pumpkins while learning that God made us all special and loves us just the way we are.
Grab the free printable pdf download here - "Pumpkin Coloring Page"
🌟 Adaptive Learning – How Everyone Can Join In
Story Time
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Use large pumpkin pictures so children can point or look.
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Offer a toy pumpkin to touch or hold.
Activity
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Children without mobility can press a sound button that says, “Shine!” while others flash their lights and you can attach a small flashlight to the child's head so they can have a flashlight too. Or they can use a glow stick necklaces or flashing glow headbands. They can shake their head around to move the light.
Craft
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Pre-cut eyes and mouths. Children can direct helpers to glue or choose shapes.
Song
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Allow a child to lead by shaking a tambourine or pressing a button to “sing” the word “shine.”
Snack
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A helper can build the cracker face while the child chooses raisins or cheese by pointing.
💛 Special Note: Even if a child doesn’t have arms or legs, they can still shine with God’s love. They can make choices, use their voice, or lead in their own way. God’s love shines in every child.
Return to: Free Preschool Bible Sunday School Lessons
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