Jesus tells the story contrasting the wise builder and the foolish at the conclusion of His Sermon on the Mount. He tells His hearers that if they hear His words, and do them they are like the wise man, but if they hear His words and do not do them they are like the foolish man. The lesson here is about obedience - so meaningful and relevant to preschoolers. Building your life on Jesus (which is often the lesson taught with this story) is an abstract concept for little ones, but obedience, and choosing whether to be wise or foolish is right up their alley for both understanding and application! Bible Truth: Jesus teaches me to be wise. Bible Story: The wise and foolish builders. Bible Study: Matthew 7:24-27 teach sensory storytelling For a great visual and sensory experience of this parable round up these items: Legos a clear shallow container sand a brick Velcro a hair dryer a spray bottle filled with water To prepare, build two Lego houses. Add a couple strips of Velcro to the bottom of the wise man's house, and the brick. It works best to build the foolish man's house a bit top and front heavy. I also left the back of the house exposed so that it will be easier to blow down when I tell the story. Fill the clear shallow container with sand. Hold your Bible open, and tell the children that this is an exciting story because it's a story that Jesus told his friends and people that wanted to follow Him. We want to follow Jesus so let's listen to this story! Jesus said that anyone who listens to His words, and obeys, is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. A storm with lots of rain and strong winds came, but the house built on the rock was strong. It stood firm. Invite the children to pat their legs to make the sound of rain. Spray the house with water, and then spray a mist over the children. Turn the blow dryer on to a cool setting, direct the air towards the house, and direct it to the children. (They will LOVE this!!) Then Jesus said that anyone who listens to His words, but does not obey, is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. A storm with lots of rain and strong winds came, and the house on the sand came crashing down. Once again, invite the children to pat their legs to make the sound of rain. Spray the house, and a mist over the children. Turn the blow dryer on to a cool setting, direct the air towards the children., and then towards the house to blow it over. Ask the children, "Do you want to be like the wise man who built his house on the rock, or the foolish man who built his house on the sand? When we listen to our parents and teachers, and obey them by doing what they say, Jesus said we are like the wise man." sing Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock is the traditional children's song illustrating this parable. Before we sing the song I briefly explain that building your life on the Lord means to obey Jesus. play wise and foolish charades Play this game to teach and reinforce the practical application of this lesson. To prepare, use pictures (if they are available to you) of children being wise (i.e. sharing, helping, etc.) and pictures of children being foolish (i.e. fighting, stealing, etc.). If these pictures are not available to you, simply write the words on slips of paper. Put the pictures or words in a container from which the children will draw from. Also print out these happy and sad faces. Cut them out and glue a happy and sad face to either side of a craft stick for each child. Choose pairs of children to come to the front of the classroom and draw out a picture or word from the container. Help the children figure out what the picture is conveying, or what the word says, and help them act it out. Engage the rest of the class to help them guess what the children are doing. (If you are using pictures, you can also show them the picture.) After they determine the action of the children, ask them if the children are being wise or foolish. If they are being wise they should show you the happy side of their craft stick. If the children are being foolish, they should show you the sad side of their craft stick. craft coloring page Here is a coloring page for this lesson to which you may add sand, and rock as suggested in the craft below. rock painting Collect enough smooth rocks for each child in your class. Allow them to paint their rocks however they like. When they dry, write on the rocks with a Sharpie marker, "I am wise when I obey." wise & foolish builders For this craft you will need: this heading construction paper 6 craft sticks per child glue rock pattern contact paper (or gray / brown construction paper) craft sand (or sand / dirt) To prepare, print and cut the heading into strips, and cut the contact paper into approximately 1.5" by 5" rectangles. (I'm using the contact paper because I already have it on hand. If you opt to use construction paper, cut it to the same size, then crumple and flatten it out to give it a more "rock like" texture.) Since there is a lot to glue for this project, you may want to glue the headings to the construction paper ahead of time. In class, help the children glue the contact paper to the bottom left side of their paper, and sand to the bottom right side. Glue four craft sticks, in the shape of a house, on the rock. Then help them break two craft sticks, and glue them randomly over the sand.
A fun worksheet I put together to help remind us to declare that we will follow Jesus! It also has some room to fill in the some blanks. When I teach my class at church I'm always trying to find ways to get kids to apply what they are learning to their life. How can I choose to follow Jesus? There are things we can do at school, church, home... and the list goes on! You can feel free to use the coloring pages for your own PERSONAL use. But please be kind and do not claim these pictures as your own or offer them for downloads. It makes me sad to see my pictures on a coloring page website run by someone else. "For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes." Romans 1:16
FREE printable carnival signs. Perfect for a Spring carnival or birthday party.
Teach your kids about having the right attitude with this family night lesson inspired by Nephi and his bow and arrow. Get all the details on the blog!
Carnival Books for Preschool are perfect for curious little minds who love vibrant illustrations, engaging stories, and learning about the magic of carnivals.
Activities and Combined Activities Mutual Activities After brief opening exercises, Young Women and Young Men activities are usually held separately. Class or quorum activities usually last 30 to 7…
? Butterfly addition is a hands-on counting to 10 and addition activity. This spring math is such a fun addition activities for kindergarten!
Recreate your kids' enjoyment during carnival visits with these fun and exciting carnival preschool activities you can do at home!
These Paper Plate Rio Carnival Masks are perfect for teaching kids about Rio Carnival, Brazil, and the Rainforest. Also a great Mardi Gras mask craft for kids.
Ruth Bible lesson for under 5s. Learn how God redeems us and bring us into His family. Includes story, worksheets, colouring pages, craft and more. Free printable.
Use this Esther Bible lesson to teach children that God gives us faith and courage to handle any situation when we trust entirely on Him.
Recreate your kids' enjoyment during carnival visits with these fun and exciting carnival preschool activities you can do at home!
Peter, Andrew, James and John were by the seashore. They stayed up the entire night hoping to catch some fish to sell at the fish market. But all night, even though it was the best time to catch fish, they didn’t catch a single one. Jesus met them by the seaside the day after. He ... Read more
Check out these exciting Free Carnival Coloring Pages! Use markers, crayons, and watercolors to fill in your pages! Print 8 free pages!
Free printable Bible lesson on the Battle of Jericho. Learn about Rahab and Joshua through Games, Crafts, Activities, songs, lesson, worksheets and more.
Simple and inexpensive DIY carnival party games and activities.
Make movement fun with FREE Movement Cards! Get them in the Pink Oatmeal Freebie Library! Adding physical activity to the day is a must for learning. Instead of the same boring activities use the movement cards to easily integrate movement into your different themes or for brain breaks and kinesthetic learning! Start adding more movement […]
Related Printables: Samson and Delilah Craft Samson and the Lion Craft Samson and Delilah Coloring Page Samson and the Lion Coloring Page
15 Free printable funny summer ad libs, great for kids car activities or for summer party games.
Looking for fun Camping Theme preschool Activities for kids? Check out these 16 Hands-On Forest and camping Learning Activities and Crafts for Preschool or Kindergarten.
Free printable Bible lesson on the Battle of Jericho. Learn about Rahab and Joshua through Games, Crafts, Activities, songs, lesson, worksheets and more.
Get access to over 80 free resources from the Pink Oatmeal freebie library when you join today! As a physical therapist I know the importance of physical activity in a kids day and I know
If you want to run an AWESOME youth lesson on facing fear, then you have read this lesson on Psalm 34 (including a free downloadable pdf lesson guide).
Use this free Sunday school lesson with kids from Hands-On Bible Curriculum to help preschoolers learn that Jesus can do anything!
Whether you're watching the circus in person, or simply enjoying a circus theme in your home preschool (or classroom!), popcorn is a must!
seen: encrypted invitations I still love encrypted messages and think any child would have a party just opening this invitation-- the ...
Keep your kids busy with these 10+ fun activities that also make them get some exercise!
Bring the carnival at home to your kids with these fun carnival activities for kindergarten. This is a great addition to your kid's homeschool activities list.
These DIY backyard games are super easy and cheap to make so your kids can enjoy unlimited summer fun without breaking the bank.
What better way to celebrate the end of our preschool year, than with a week full of carnival themed learning? I hope your kids enjoy these summery carnival themed activities as much as Madelynn did! Here were our plans for our carnival theme: And here are the details for each activity: Carnival of the Animals: […]
Here's a list of 52 fellowship activities that groups in my church have used through the years. This list is meant to serve as an idea starter for your group so you can come up with your own activities and plans for implementing them. The key is to do it together.