Author: Rachel Ball

Hi! Let their light shine is where I blog about Toddler Group and Sunday School ideas.

Pringle people to make

  • Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which means if you click on the link and purchase the item I will receive commission at no extra cost to you.

Here’s some instructions on how to make pringle people. They are easy to make and really useful when telling Bible stories. You can make lots of variations and they stand up all by themselves which keeps the storytellers hands free for lots of actions!

All you need to make pringle people

  • Empty pringles cartons
  • Material cut to approx 25cmx25cm (10in x10in) square
  • Felt cut to approx 20cm x18cm (8in x7in)
  • Circle 8cm (3in) diameter
  • Pipecleaners at least 30 cm (12in) in length available here
  • Sharpie or felt tip
  • Yarn for hair
  • Cellotape or glue
  • Coloured paper – A4 size is fine
All the items needed to make pringle people

How to make pringle people

Clean out your container and replace the lid. Cover the tube with coloured paper and secure with cellotape or glue. Add a face – it can have any expression that you choose. If you want hair add it now. Then secure the headress using the material and a pipe cleaner. Then add the cloak using the felt and secure with a pipe cleaner.

Pringle people made and ready for storytelling

You can use pringle people in all sorts of Bible Stories. We’ve used the basic idea and made Pharoah and Joseph for the story about ‘Frogs in the bed!‘ You can add all sorts of extras such as Pharoah’s style of dress. We also used the idea to make Jezebel and added beads and buttons.

Children can make their own versions too and retell the story.

Platinum Jubilee Ideas

  • Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which means if you click on the link and purchase the item I will receive commission at no extra cost to you.

We will be celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee at toddler group with crowns to make, cakes and a special song! The bunting will be up! Here are some Platinum Jubilee Ideas for you!

Platinum Jubilee crowns to make

Depending on your budget and size of your group there are two choices. You can buy ready made crowns to decorate or you can make your own completely from scratch!

Make your own crowns from scratch

You need some long strips of light card or sugar paper that will fit around a toddlers head. Leave them flat – you don’t want to transform them into a wearable crown till after they have been decorated.

Once you have your long strips of card or sugar paper let your toddlers imagination take the lead – they can decorate the crown as much (or as little) as they like. Provide lots of crayons, stickers and paper shapes that they can use to add lots of ‘jewels’ to their crown. Once the glue has dried transform the card/paper strip into a wearable crown using some cellotape. Make sure it fits!

If you have lots of collage bits and bobs this is a great craft for using some of them up!

A crown craft idea for young children. Platinum Jubilee ideas.

Buy some crowns to decorate

If you are short on time then this will save you some. You can buy crowns that are ready for some decorations to be added and come with an adjustable fit. There won’t be another Platinum Jubilee for a long time so you may want to splash out! I bought some ready to decorate crowns and some stickers to decorate.

A Jubilee Song

As well as making crowns to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee we’ll be singing this great song by The Cheeky Pandas

We’ll also be having cakes to share but those aren’t made yet! Keep an eye out on my instagram where they will appear!

Spoon Puppets to Make

  • Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which means if you click on the link and purchase the item I will receive commission at no extra cost to you.

Spoon puppets are easy to make and lots of fun! Buy some cheap wooden spoons and add collage materials and some imagination and you have some puppets for storytelling!

All you need to make spoon puppets

Items needed to make spoon puppets

How to make the puppets

Start by drawing on the face – you can choose to make your puppet happy/sad/angry. If you want to you can draw an alternative expression on the reverse.

Add clothing using felt or fabric. Felt is great to use because it doesn’t fray at the edges but if you don’t have any use any fabric that you find. You can glue the felt/fabric to the spoon and then add pipe cleaner arms. Twist the pipe cleaners around the spoon. Add a belt too as this will help the clothing stick to the spoon!

Wool or yarn makes great hair! Choose a style that fits with your puppet – spiky, long, short, and any colour you like. If your puppet is reversible you need to take this into account when you add the hair. Just add wool to one side and then turn the spoon over and add more hair to the other side.

And then you are ready to tell a story with your new spoon puppets! Here’s some I’ve made to tell a Bible story in Toddler Group.

Some puppets made from wooden spoons

How to use your puppets

Puppets are great for telling stories! Use them to tell a story to young children and they can then retell the story using the puppets that they have made. Keep the number of puppets you need for a story to a number that you can easily manage to hold and/or change. Practise using them to tell the story. I will be using two spoon puppets to tell the story of the Prodigal Son.

Treasure in a Field – Stories Jesus Told

This Story is from Matthew 13:44. It’s all about finding treasure in a field. It’s just one verse but one clear meaning too – being in God’s kingdom is worth more than everything else.

Treasure in a field story Idea

You need some treasure in a box, a green blanket/cloth and a trowel or spade (keep the latter away from young children or use a plastic spade). Bury the treasure under the green blanket ready to dig it up at the right time in the story.

‘One day Jesus told a made up story to show everyone that being part of God’s Family (Kingdom) is worth more than anything else. Let’s listen to the story he told…’

Once upon a time there was a man who was digging in the farmers field. He was digging and digging – and then he found something. I wonder what it was? It was a box of treasure! (Show the treasure). But the field wasn’t his and so the treasure wasn’t his!

But he had a plan. He put the treasure back where he had found it (put it back under the green blanket). Then he went home and he got all the things that he owned together and sold all of them! He went to the farmer – ‘Can I buy your field?’ ‘Yes’, said the farmer, ‘It’s now yours.’ Then the man got his spade and went to the field and starting digging – (act this out) and there was the treasure and now it was his. Now had more than he had ever had!

Jesus told this story to show us that being in God’s family is worth everything!

Craft Idea – finding treasure in the field

  • Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which means if you click on the link and purchase the item I will receive commission at no extra cost to you.

To make this craft you need…

  • Green paper (folded in half – portrait)
  • Sequins and shiny paper cut up into small shapes
  • The downloads of the treasure box, spade and words, ‘Can you find the treasure’ (which can be printed into labels)
  • Glue
  • Crayons/pencils
  • There is also the option of adding grass to the field (see photo)
Treasure box picture decorated with sequins
Treasure in the field – On the inside
A spade in a field with a question 'Can you find the treasure?'
On the outside
Extra grass!
treasure-chest-empty-x-2Download
spades-3-x-2Download
can-you-find-the-treasure-sheet-of-labels-3-x-8Download

Followers of Jesus – Tabitha toddler bible story

Followers of Jesus – Tabitha toddler bible story to tell in toddler group.

In Acts 9:36-43 we meet Tabitha (her Aramaic Name) or Dorcas (her Greek name), a follower of Jesus who sews clothes for the women in the church. The simple toddler group craft is a printout of a T-shirt that the children can decorate with fabric pieces. Use any fabric that you have!

When Tabitha dies the church leaders send for Peter. He comes to visit and seeing the sadness of the women he sends them out of the room, kneels down and prays. He takes Tabitha by the hand and says to her, ‘Tabitha, arise’. And Tabitha opens her eyes and sits up! It is a wonderful story.

Followers of Jesus Tabitha toddler bible story

To tell the story to young children have some dolls/puppets to represent Peter and Tabitha. Show something that has been sewn (a dress, or blouse). Take the items out of the story bag as you need them.

Followers of Jesus Tabitha Bible story for toddlers puppets of Tabitha and Peter
Tabitha and Peter

‘Say hello to Tabitha! She was a follower of Jesus. She cared very much about the other women in her church and she made them beautiful clothes. But one day something very sad happened – Tabitha died.

Everyone was very upset. They sent for Peter – one of the friends of Jesus. He came to see them straight away. He was sad too. He saw how much everyone missed Tabitha.

He knelt down and he talked to God. Straightaway something amazing happened. Peter looked at Tabitha’s body and he said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ She opened her eyes, she sat up! Peter took her by the hand and helped her. Then he called out to the women – Come and see, Tabitha is alive and well again!’

How could Peter do that? Peter didn’t bring Tabitha back to life. Jesus did. And many people who heard about what had happened believed in Jesus.’

Tabitha Toddler Group Craft Idea

Tabitha T-shirt craft

This is an idea I’ve posted about before but this time it’s a download! A simple T-shirt outline for the children to cover in fabric.

All you need

  • Print out the T-shirt shape and photocopy for your group
  • Fabric cut into shapes that toddlers can handle (if you have pinking shears use them to prevent too much fraying. If possible have a variety of colours. Toddlers won’t necessarily cover the whole T-shirt so you may not need as much fabric as you imagine.
  • Glue sticks. We use these.
t-shirtDownload

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Parable of The Builders – Stories Jesus Told

  • Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which means if you click on the link and purchase the item I will receive commission at no extra cost to you.

This parable of the builders is from Luke 6:46-49. It’s a great story to tell as you can dress up as a builder, use actions, sing the song ‘The Wise Man Built His House Upon The Rock’, and, if you are feeling adventurous, use sand rock and water. But it is really helpful to explain why Jesus told this story – so that is where we began. A simple sentence – ‘Jesus told this story to show how important it is to listen to and do what he says.’ It’s also helpful to finish by saying , ‘If we listen to and do what Jesus says our lives last, just like the house on the rock lasted’.

We can’t always explain everything about the parable in the way we might like because the children are so young but we can say something to encourage the adults listening to begin to think further about Jesus.

The Parable of the Builders Story Idea

We had two people to act out the story. One of them also narrated what was happening. We dressed up as builders! Everyone joined in with actions of building, the rain, the floods and the crash as one of the houses fell.

Once upon a time there was a builder who just wanted a house as quick as possible! He chose to build on the sand. It would be quick and easy to build a house. He did a bit of digging and found some stones to make a house on the soft sand. Soon he was finished and sat down to have a rest!

There was another builder who also wanted a house. This builder wanted to build the house really well and so he built his house on rock. He worked so hard digging the foundations, cutting the stones, building them on top of each other. It took a lot longer to complete the build! But then the house was finished and he sat down to have a rest.

Suddenly the rain came and the floods. The house on the rock kept standing! But the house on the sand fell down with a crash!

If there is just one person telling the story they could stand in a different spot for the foolish builder and act out the part and then move to a different spot for the wise builder.

Props for acting out being a builder
Parable of the builders Bible Story props

The builders craft idea

For the craft we made a house – print out the outline and cut up loads of paper to make bricks that can be stuck on the house.

A picture of a house to colour or decorate as a collage
Parable of the builders craft idea
house-on-the-rockDownload
The Song – The Wise Man Built his House upon the Rock !

The Lost Sheep – Stories Jesus Told

Lost Sheep Bible Stories with two craft ideas for different age groups.

  • Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which means if you click on the link and purchase the item I will receive commission at no extra cost to you.

The Lost Sheep is a story that Jesus told. Jesus often told parables; stories that have one hidden meaning. In Luke 15:1-7 Jesus tells the story about the lost sheep to show the self important Pharisees that the Tax Collectors and sinners who he socialised with were welcome in the Kingdom of God. The latter often knew that they needed a Saviour while the former thought they were already righteous. When we tell this story we can and focus on the joy in Heaven when something lost is found. In this case the sheep is like us, we need to be found.

The Lost Sheep Story Idea

‘One day there were some very moany, groany people who were cross with Jesus. They thought that they were very important, special people and that Jesus should spend all his time with them. But Jesus was busy spending time with people who had done bad things! ‘How can he spend his time with these awful people?’ they said.

Jesus knew that they were moaning and groaning about him so he told them this story…

‘Once upon a time there was a shepherd who had a 10 sheep. He looked after them really well. He gave them food to eat and water to drink. Every day he counted them – 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 – just to make sure they were all safe and sound.

But one day there was a problem. The shepherd was counting his sheep, one – then two – then three and so on – all the way to nine! And then… where was 10? One sheep was lost. Oh No! What could he do?

He missed his lost sheep and so he went off to find it. The Shepherd was determined to find his lost sheep. He looked here and he looked there, he looked everywhere! He walked over the hills, through the forest, behind the rocks. Looking and looking!

And then he found the sheep that was lost! He picked it up and carried it home. Can you imaging how he felt?

He was so happy that he called all his friends and they celebrated! All his sheep were now safe and sound.’

Jesus had finished telling the story. Jesus looked at the moany, groany people and he said to them, ‘There is lots of happiness in heaven when someone who knows they are lost comes back to God.’ ‘

The Lost Sheep Craft Idea

Lost Sheep Craft- download the image and decorate with yarn, crayons and/or cotton wool
sheep-2Download

An idea for older children – Lost Sheep Collage– the download for the small sheep is below. I used a gardening catalogue for the tree and flower photos and coloured paper for the hills and sun. The paper is from A4 Coloured Paper

All you need – glue, paper to make the hills (different shades of green), blue paper for background, yellow for sun, pictures of flowers and trees, tissue paper for grass and a sheep to hide.

Items you need to make a collage
collage of a sheep in a field
Collage of a sheep hiding
collage of a sheep in a field
close up of a sheep in a field
sheep-x15Download

Decorate the mini sheep with yarn or cotton wool.

The Good Samaritan – Stories Jesus Told

    The Good Samaritan is one of the stories that Jesus told and is from Luke 10. It teaches one simple truth about how we treat other people. Here is a simple storytelling idea for young children..

    Knitted toys to tell the story of The Good Samaritan

    Characters for telling the good Samaritan story

    The Good Samaritan Story Idea

    To tell the story I had several of the characters (the man who was hurt and the three men who were walking on the road) and a donkey in the story bag. You can make the sounds of the men walking and the donkey going clippity-clop when you tell the story. Get everyone to join in with ‘Oh No!’ when it appears in the story.

    ‘One day a man asked Jesus a question – ‘how can I get to heaven?’ Jesus said to the man, ‘what do you think you need to do?’ 

    ‘I need to love God and love my neighbour. But who is my neighbour?’ The man was hoping that he had been good enough and that he really only needed to love the people that he liked. So Jesus told this made up story…

    Once upon a time a man went on a journey and was hurt. He needed help but there was no one to help him. Oh No! (get the children and adults to join in with ‘Oh no’ each time you say it)

    Then he heard footsteps. Someone was coming! A man was coming along the road. He looked, he saw that someone needed help but he kept on walking! Oh No!

    Then he heard more footsteps. Someone was coming! Another man was walking along the road. He looked, he saw that someone needed help but he kept on walking! Oh No!

    But then he heard something a bit different – it was clippity clop. A donkey was coming along the road and a man. The man looked, he saw that someone needed help and he stopped. Now this man was from far away and from a different place. But he was happy to help the man and he put him on the donkey and took him to a place to stay and gave him medicine until he was better. 

    Jesus has finished telling the story. ‘Who was a good neighbour?’ Jesus asked. ‘The person who helped’, said the man. And he knew he hadn’t loved other people like that.

    We all find it hard to be a good neighbour to everyone. No one can never be good enough to earn a place in heaven. We need Jesus to help us. 

    Craft Idea

    Collage of peoples faces. A craft to go with the Good Samaritan bible story that Jesus told
    Collage of peoples faces
    Collages of peoples faces made by children

    Lots of photos of people to make an ‘everyone is my neighbour’ collage. Use magazines and catalogues to find photos and cut them out beforehand. Try to provide a wide variety of people from different cultures, backgrounds and ages. The Good Samaritan is a great story to teach children to love others!

    The children can select pictures and glue them onto A4 Sugar Paper/Construction Paper. Here’s a link to some recycled paper that’s great for the background.

    This story is one of several in a series for toddler groups ‘Stories Jesus Told‘ – the others are linked for you below

    It’s a lovely set of stories to tell and fits nicely in a six week half term.

    Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which means if you click on the link and purchase the item I will receive commission at no extra cost to you.

    Cup Cake Cases Flower Wreath

    • Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which means if you click on the link and purchase the item I will receive commission at no extra cost to you.

    A cup cake case flower wreath is a colourful craft to celebrate spring and summer. Paper cake cases are inexpensive and come in lots of colours. You can go for the really bright or the pastels or a mixture of the two. There’s two ways of going about making this – older children can have a go at making the flowers, selecting the colours they want to use and cutting the shapes themselves. Younger children can have fun choosing colour combinations and have an adult do the cutting for them (in a large group do this preparation ahead of time) Any age can glue the flowers onto the cardboard circle. The paper cases can be layered as in the photo above. Older children might like to shade the wreath. For example start with reds, then oranges and then yellows. Let them experiment first and then glue the finished piece.

    All you need

    To turn the cup cake cases into flowers you need to make a few folds and cut an arc – take a look at the gallery below to see how.. it’s easy..

    Arrange the flowers any way you choose – if you have different sizes you can layer them. You can use plain colours or patterned cases. Here are some ideas.

    God Knows When I Feel Sad and When I Feel Happy

    God knows when I feel sad and when I feel happy is a toddler friendly version of the Easter Story. We focus on how Jesus’ friends felt and how they were sad because he had died and then happy at the conclusion of the story. This is a suitable way to tell the Easter story to young children. There is no need to dwell on the physical suffering of the Lord Jesus but it is OK to use the word ‘died’ rather than euphemistically refer to Jesus ‘going away’. Adults go away all the time – we don’t want children to confuse these two separate experiences.

    The Easter Story – from John 19:28-30; 20:1,11-18

    To tell the story it is helpful to have a model of the tomb. We used a cardboard box.

    God knows when I feel sad story idea

    Mary was very sad (can you look sad?). Her friend Jesus had died. He hadn’t ever done anything wrong but some people were jealous and had wanted to get rid of Jesus. They had made sure that he died. It was an awful thing to have done.

    Jesus’ body had been put in a tomb and a big stone had been put infront. But now the stone had been moved and the body was gone! Mary was so sad that she began to cry. She looked inside the tomb – the body of Jesus was gone but there were two angels sitting down. ‘Why are you crying?’ they asked. ‘The body of Jesus has gone,’ she replied.

    Mary heard footsteps. She saw a man who she thought was the gardener. ‘Have you taken the body of Jesus? Can you tell me where it is?’ she asked.

    He looked at Mary and he said one word – he said her name, ‘Mary’. And then she suddenly knew – it wasn’t the gardener, it was Jesus! He was standing right infront of her. ‘Go and tell the others’, Jesus said. And off she she went to find Jesus’ friends to tell them that Jesus was alive! Mary wasn’t sad anymore – she was happy! Jesus knows when I am happy too. He knows when you feel happy!

    Easter craft Idea

    What you need to make the stained glass effect paper plate Easter scene

    • Square paper plates – cut out the centre
    • Sticky back plastic to fill the centre – sticky side the same as black rim of plate
    • Tissue paper – torn into squares – to cover the sticky back plastic
    • A tomb and stone to glue on last
    craft supplies
    Paper plate and tissue paper craft
    God knows when I am sad and happy Easter stained glass paper plate scene
    God knows when I feel sad and happy Easter craft

    Black Square Paper Plates click the link to buy the paper plates used in this craft (affiliate link)

    Here’s a link to a paper craft Easter garden to make

    Easter Craft – a paper Easter Garden

    Easter Garden Craft

    Easter Craft – a paper Easter Garden that is easy to make. Easter Gardens are lovely but if you don’t have the time to make a garden with soil and real plants then this is a simple alternative. It is a great reminder of the Story of Easter.

    To make the Easter Garden you need

    • picture of the empty tomb printed onto card (see file to download – there is a choice – one has the words ‘Jesus is alive!’)
    • pictures of flowers from garden catalogues or magazines
    • glue
    • pencils and crayons

    Make the picture while the card is flat and then fold in half so the tomb and hills are vertical.

    This craft is suitable for toddlers upwards. Older children can cut out the flower pictures and or draw their own. You can add stickers and tissue paper shapes too.

    cross-empty-tomb-jesus-is-alive-2Download
    cross-empty-tomb-blank-3-1Download

    Here is another Easter Garden idea using a paper plate

    My Easter Pinterest Board has lots of Easter themed craft ideas

    God Knows when I feel….excited!

    God knows when I feel excited is all about Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. Children are often excited so it’s great to tell a story they will relate to. This story from Matthew 21 is about the excited crowd who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. Traditionally this event is called Palm Sunday. It begins the week of Easter. We’ve told this story many times at Toddler Group. The following is an idea…

    God knows when I feel excited story idea

    In the storybag you might like to have a large leaf and a donkey..

    ‘I wonder if you have ever felt excited? In today’s story from the Bible there are lots of excited people. Let’s find out why they were excited.

    Crowds and crowds of people were all along the road. There were mums and dads, grandmas and grandads and children just like you! ‘Can you see? Is he here?’ They looked along the road. And then they saw him! They called out, ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ as Jesus passed by. They shouted, ‘hosanna!’ (which means ‘God saves’) They waved palm branches and threw their cloaks into the road. They were so excited to see King Jesus!

    Jesus wasn’t riding a big, strong horse – he was on a donkey. He was the king but he was the good King who had come to save and rescue the people.

    They people welcomed Jesus – the King sent from God.’

    Craft Ideas

    God knows when I am excited craft for Palm Sunday story
    Large leaves to decorate
    God knows when I feel excited Palm Sunday craft
    A palm leaf sun catcher made with a paper plate and sticky back plastic. Add green tissue paper and glitter!
    God knows when I feel excited Palm Sunday craft
    A palm leaf to wave – made using the shape cut from the paper plate suncatcher!

    Another idea using large pictures to tell the Palm Sunday story This post includes printables to make your own street scene.

    God knows when I feel….thankful

    God knows when I feel thankful is a story from Luke 17:11-19.

    God knows when I feel thankful story props

    God knows when I feel thankful story idea

    I used 10 wooden spoons to represent the ten men that asked Jesus to help them. On one side there is a sad face and on the other a happy face. Turn the spoons around as the men are made well. You can stand the spoons in some foam, oasis or a wooden block with drilled holes. A wooden block will last a lot longer so if you can go for that option.

    One day, as Jesus was walking along the road, 10 men called out to him. They didn’t come close because they weren’t very well and they didn’t want anyone to catch what they had. They called out to Jesus, ‘Please help us.’

    Jesus saw them. Jesus heard them. And Jesus helped them. He made all 10 men better! They were so happy! They started to go back to their families and friends. But one man stopped. He turned round and came to where Jesus was. ‘Thank you’, he said.

    It is always good for us to be thankful for the things we have and to say, ‘thank you’.

    God knows when I feel thankful storytelling wooden spoon props

    God knows when I feel….scared

    God knows when I feel scared. God really does know how we feel. This week’s story is from Luke 8:22-25 when the disciples were scared. Even though Jesus was sleeping during the storm he is the Son of God, and he still knew how the disciples felt.

    God knows when I feel scared story idea

    In the storybag – disciples, a boat, a cushion and the emoji face. There are lots of actions you could do during this story. Encourage everyone to join in.

    To begin – I wonder if you have ever felt scared or frightened? – show the emoji face. One day Jesus’ friends were very scared. Let’s find out what happened…

    Jesus and his friends got into the boat. ‘Lets go across the lake’, Jesus said.

    They began to row. But Jesus wasn’t rowing. He was doing something else. He was sleeping.

    Jesus’ friends kept rowing.

    And then something started. Drip, drip, splash, splash. It was raining! Whoosh, whoosh! The wind was blowing! The boat was rocking. The boat was fillng up with water!! Oh no! They were in danger. And they were scared.

    ‘Wake up, Jesus!’ they said, ‘We are in danger and we are scared.’

    Jesus knew they were scared. He cared about his friends.

    ‘Stop!’ Jesus said to the wind, the rain and the stormy waves. And they stopped. And everything was calm.

    Jesus cares when we are scared. We can ask for his help.

    Jesus calms the storm craft idea

    God knows when I am scared craft idea of a boat in the storm
    All you need for the craft..
    • Background paper – Grey or white
    • Selection of blue paper waves
    • Boat shape
    • Lollipop stick for the mast
    • Triangles for sails
    • Crayons to colour rain
    • Glue
    • ‘God knows when I am scared’ printed out

    The labels are available for download. Either print on paper and cut out or print onto a sheet of labels.

    god-knows-when-i-am-scared-24-to-a-sheet-1Download

    God knows when I feel….. busy!

    God knows when I feel busy! This term we are telling Bible Stories that remind us that God knows how we feel. We start with Martha feeling busy. The story is from Luke 10: 38-42. Each week there will be a different emoji paper plate face that represents how the character in the story is feeling.

    I’m not sure that toddlers dislike feeling busy but the adults listening in to this story will probably relate to Martha.

    God knows when I feel busy bible story idea

    In the story bag I had – the emoji paper plate face, Martha, Mary, pan, wooden spoon and an apron that I put on during the story. As you introduce the characters take them from the story bag and say ‘hello.

    One day Martha invited Jesus to come to her home for a meal. She lived with her sister Mary

    Jesus was very happy to go to Mary and Martha’s house.

    When he got there Jesus began to talk about God. Mary so wanted to listen to everything that he had to say. She sat down and listened.

    But Martha had a lot to do! There was tidying to be done. There was the cooking to be done. Pans needed stirring!(Use the props from the story bag – encourage the children to mime the actions too) Food needed chopping! Plates needed wiping! Water needed pouring! She was busy, busy, busy! (Can you say that with me? She was busy, busy, busy!) – show the face of the busy person.

    Mary sat still and listened to Jesus.

    Martha was not happy! She was so busy and no one was helping!

    She said to Jesus, ‘Tell my sister to help me!’

    But Jesus didn’t do what Martha said. Instead he said to Martha, ‘You don’t need to be so busy. You need to sit and listen to my words too.’

    Today we can stop being so busy and instead listen to the words of Jesus by listening to stories about him and reading the Bible.’

    God knows when I feel bust bible story props
    Martha – God knows when we are busy

    The print out is from pixabay. Here’s the link to the plate for you to print

    4.-busy-craft-plate-g532901bca_1280Download

    I cut out lots of food pictures from magazines for the children to choose from to decorate their plates. Here’s a photo of the craft table set up (minus the glue which I always put out last so I can put the lids away – they are small and could be a chocking hazard)

    Valentine Craft

    Valentine craft to make!

    Valentine craft using heart shapes that have been made into a flower card
    Valentine card

    A home made Valentine craft that is easy to make. The heart shapes become flower petals. You can buy heart shaped paper punchers/cutters which make the preparation of this craft quick and easy. You could buy heart shaped stickers to add to the choice of hearts too.

    All you need for this valentine craft

    • Card blanks (I often buy card blanks as they usually come with envelopes, but you can fold A4 card in half instead)
    • Heart shapes – I’ve used shiny paper in bright colours
    • A pot or vase shape cut out of paper
    • A green piece of card cut in strips for the flower stem
    • Smaller hearts to decorate the pot
    • Glue

    When you prep all the heart shapes think about the colours you want the children to be able to choose from. My personal preference is for bright colours – not just pinks and reds but some blue and yellow. You might like more pastel shades. I think it’s good to give children a choice of colours. If they choose all pink or all blue then that’s fine but choice is good.

    If you are interested in encouraging children to explore colour in their making have a look at this blog post, ‘Making and exploring with colour’.

    The Boy with 2 Fish and 5 Loaves – A Bible Number Story

    This Bible Story had lots of numbers! 2 fish, 5 loaves, 12 baskets of leftovers and 5,000 people! But we are using it to count to five. The Story is from John 6. It is, of course, ‘The feeding of the 5,000’. The Bible Truth for Toddlers is ‘Jesus is amazing!’. There is also something for the adults to think about at the end of the story.

    To tell the story you need – Philip and Andrew, a boy, loaves, fish and some extra people for the crowd. (I’ve used concertina people shapes)

    The feeding of the 5,000

    The boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish story idea

    Ask everyone to be ready to rub their tummy every time they hear the word ‘hungry‘ during the story

    It was getting late. There were so many people in the crowd – lots and lots of people (Take them out of the storybag as you say this) And all the people were hungry.

    Jesus was there, he had been talking to the people but now they needed something to eat. ‘I’m so hungry‘, they said to each other.

    Jesus spoke to Philip (take him out of the storybag). ‘Go and buy everyone something to eat. They are all very hungry!’ But Philip looked in his pockets and he didn’t have any money. He was never going to have enough money to buy food for all the hungry people.

    Andrew (take out of storybag) had found someone who had some food to share. Shall we find out who it is? It was just one small boy (take out of storybag). I wonder what he had? Let’s see (take out of storybag) He had two fish – let’s count them – 1,2 – and five loaves of bread – let’s count them – 1,2,3,4,5.

    It’s not enough to feed all the hungry people!

    But Jesus is very different to us. Jesus is amazing and can do amazing things. He said ‘thank you’ to God for the small packed lunch and then he began to share it out.

    This is yummy! the people said. We’re not hungry anymore!

    Jesus isn’t going to give us lots of food – but he can give us life. If you want to know more – come and ask me or take home part of the Bible to read about Jesus for yourself.

    Craft Idea – colouring and collage

    number-5-loavesDownload

    Take a look at another craft idea for this story (with printable) here

    Weaving Craft

    Weaving craft is a great activity for an after school club for children aged 4-plus. It needs a bit of prep but is well worth the effort. We made these at our children’s club and everyone joined in; there was lots of concentration!

    Try to have yarn of different colours so the children can make some choices. We used a double knitting weight for the centre of the flower and then changed to aran weight. But chunky or aran weight yarn for the whole flower would be great too. Just don’t use really fine yarn as it will take forever to complete. If you want to you can use ribbon which would look lovely (just make sure that it works and stays put – satin ribbon might be a bit slippery). It’s always a good idea to test out a craft activity and any materials you are hoping to use to double check that the craft is makeable.

    weaving craft supplies

    All you need for the Weaving Craft

    • Paper plate (cut the petals – we have 11. It’s best to have an odd number as it makes the weaving easier. It’s always ‘over, under,with an odd number!’)
    • Yarn – we used Double Knitting for the inner circle and Aran for the outer circle. Look at the photo below to see the difference. It’s helpful to have the yarn in small amounts as this helps with the weaving.
    • Cellotape to secure the yarn at the back of the plate
    • Ribbon (optional)

    How to make

    • Cut the petals – have a look at the photos to see how far to cut into the plate.
    • Thread the loom – use any colour but one that stands out will make a great contrast when you are weaving.
    • To start weaving knot the first colour of yarn at the centre and then start weaving alternating ‘over, under’.
    • Change colour as often as you like by knotting a new colour to the old colour.
    • Use the Aran weight yarn as the circle gets bigger.
    weaving craft using a paper plate

    Here’s a link to another craft using yarn that is also really fun to make.

    I often buy yarn from Wool Warehouse – stylecraft DK comes in many colours and is very good. You can also find yarn in charity shops and ask friends and family for any small amounts they might have that you can use for crafts.

    weaving craft using a paper plate

    The Man with Four Friends – A Bible Number Story

    The Man with Four Friends is our next Bible number story in the series. We are up to the number four! For the other numbers we have told stories about have a look at these links – Number One, Number Two, Number Three

    This week the Bible Story is from Mark 2:1-22. The Bible Truth for Toddlers is ‘Jesus can forgive the wrong that people do’.

    Man with four friends story bag ideas

    To tell the story you need 5 puppets/dolls, a bed/mat and a model or picture of the house and a storybag.

    Man with four friends bible story puppets
    The four friends
    puppet of man on mat
    The man on his mat
    model of bible time house
    Bible time house

    The Man with Four Friends – story idea

    Can you do some counting with me? Let’s see – use your fingers to count – 1,2,3,4! Today our Bible Story is all about the number 4. Listen to find out when to join in with some counting.

    Our story begins in a house with a flat roof and some steps up the side. It had windows and a door. I wonder what could be happening in this house? We are not told who lived in this home, (show the house) but when Jesus arrived lots of people went to the house to meet him. They squashed themselves inside. There was hardly any room. The house was full!

    In another part of town there was a man who couldn’t walk. He lay on his bed. (show the man on his bed) He needed the help of his friends everyday. Let’s count the friends together as they come out of the story bag – 1,2,3,4

    His friends wanted him to see Jesus.

    So, they picked him up and carried him to the house where Jesus was – carefully, carefully they carried their friend through the town to the house where Jesus was…

    …they believed Jesus could help their friend.

    When they arrived at the house they could not get in the front door because of the crowd. They didn’t give up!

    They carried him up the outside stairs and onto the roof – slowly, slowly – carefully, carefully…

    …they made a hole in the roof, then – slowly, slowly, carefully, carefully they lowered him down in front of Jesus!

    When Jesus saw that they really believed he could help the man he said, “Your sins are forgiven.”

    Some people in the house didn’t believe that Jesus could forgive the wrong people do.  So, Jesus said to the man, “So that you can be sure that I can forgive sin, get up, pick up your mat and go home.” Straight away and really quickly he got up and walked home!

    All the people in the house were amazed!!

    We never saw anything like this! They said to one another.

    Craft Idea – free download to colour and/or decorate with tissue paper

    number-4-friendsDownload

    This story is also a short video!

    Paper Plate Fish Craft

    Paper plate fish craft to make. There are so many Bible Stories with fish! You could use this craft for Creation, the Calling of the first disciples, the Great catch of fish, Jesus making breakfast.

    paper plate fish craft

    Paper plate fish craft – all you need

    • Paper plate (inexpensive and not too sturdy)
    • Cut out a triangle from the plate to make the mouth. (Do this beforehand)
    • Use the triangle for the fish tail. Attach this with glue or staple. (The stapling needs to be done by an adult)
    • Glue
    • Glue lots of shiny paper to the fish. We used a variety including cellophane, tissue paper with a glittery finish, shimmer paper and left over Christmas wrapping paper. (It’s always worthwhile keeping used wrapping paper for crafts)
    • Add an eye. Older children could use googly eyes. I prefer not to use them with toddlers so we draw on eyes instead.
    • Encourage lots of layering of the different types of paper and cellophane to blend the colours.

    Here’s a link to another fishy craft. This post also has a story idea.

    Jesus and Three Disciples – A Bible Number Story

    Jesus and three disciples is our next Bible number story. We are up to the number 3. This Story is from Matthew 17:1-13. (We have already thought about Jonah and One Big Fish and Noah and Two of Every Animal.) This week’s Bible Truth for Toddler’s is, ‘We can listen to Jesus.’ To tell the story you could have three people to take out of a storybag – say hello to them and count them too.

    Jesus and three disciples story idea

    Meet three of Jesus’ disciples (friends) – Peter, James and John. They knew each other really well.

    One day they went for a walk up a mountain – up, up, up they went. No one else was at the top. Just the three of them.

    And then something extraordinary happened. Jesus began to shine really brightly.

    Peter and James and John looked at Jesus. Something very special was happening. Although Jesus was a man just like them, he was also the Son of God. They were seeing a little bit of his glory. They were seeing just how special Jesus is.

    And then they were surrounded by a bright cloud. Not an ordinary cloud – but one that was shining. And they heard God’s voice say, ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.’

    And then it was over – and they walked back down the mountain.

    Jesus really is God’s Son and we can listen to him today by reading God’s Special Book – the Bible.

    Three Friends of Jesus – Peter, James and John

    Craft Idea

    We made shiny pictures – using various types of paper and celophane. Wrapping paper is really good for this. We also had a colouring sheet with the three disciples/friends of Jesus. This is a free download.

    number-3-disciplesDownload
    Shiny Paper Collage

    Candle – colouring stained glass craft

    Candle – colouring stained glass craft. This is a very simple candle craft – you can choose whether to cut out the flame and glue tissue paper to the back for a stained glass effect or just colour in the flame or add some glitter!

    And you can choose whether or not to add a Bible verse to the heart shape. Sometimes it depends on how much time we have for preparation and the age and stage of the children who are making the craft.

    One of the downloads for the candle craft comes with the words from John 8:12 printed on the heart, the other is left blank.

    In the picture the bible verse is written by hand but I felt the downloadable version needed an upgrade!

    The picture is made up of

    • a candle – to represent light,
    • a heart – to remind us of God’s love, and
    • the Cross – to remind us that Jesus died for us and in doing so showed his love for us.

    This would make a great Memory Verse craft to help children learn John 8:12.

    What you need to make the candle colouring stained glass craft

    • Wax crayons or blendable colouring pencils are great for adding colour to the candle design; they can be layered and blended (you can use felt pens but I’m not sure that they would have such a good effect as sometimes you just end up with a streaky effect! If young children are using felt tips it’s best to make sure they are water based pens )
    • Glitter (optional)
    • Yellow tissue paper if cutting out the flame and adding the stained glass effect
    • Glue if doing the above
    • Printouts of the design
    candle colouring stained glass craft
    heart-and-candle-no-bible-verseFree printable to download
    heart-and-candle-with-john-8v12-1Download

    Noah and two of every animal – A Bible Number Story

    Noah and two of every animal is our second bible number story. Last week we thought about the Number One and told the Bible story about Jonah and the One Big Fish. This story is all about counting to two! The Bible Truth for toddlers is, ‘Those who trust in God are rescued’. You can read the story from Genesis here.

    To tell the story you can use – an ark, animals in pairs, Mr and Mrs Noah, a toy saw and hammer.

    Noah and two of every animal toddler group story props

    Storytelling props for Noah

    Noah and two of every animal toddler group story script

    Say hello to Noah! God told Noah to start building. He needed to cut lots of wood and use a hammer and a saw. But what was he making? It wasn’t a house. It wasn’t a new bed. It wasn’t a table. It wasn’t even really a boat! It was an ark. It was like a big, big box that would float. God had told Noah to build an ark, he told him exactly how big it should be and what sort of wood to use.

    Noah worked hard. He trusted God and he did what God said. Everyday he sawed and hammered. Every night he went fast asleep. Then he woke up and sawed and hammered until one day the Ark was finished. It was huge!

    It was too big for just Noah and his family. Who else was it for?

    God sent animals to go inside the ark. Two of every kind. Let’s count them! (show animals in pairs and count – 1,2). They went into the big ark that Noah had built. Noah collected all the food that they would need and put in safely in the ark and then Noah and his family went inside too. And then God shut the door.

    Everyone inside the Ark waited. They waited. And they waited.

    And then it began. It rained and it poured. It rained for such a long time. But Noah and his family and the animals were safe in the ark. God took care of them and rescued them from the big flood.

    And when the flood had gone they were able to come out of the big ark that Noah had built. God had rescued them from the big flood.

    Noah and two of every animal craft idea

    Noah craft Idea
    number-2-animalsDownload

    We added tissue paper in different shades of blue for the water and used animal stickers. I liked that they were photos of animals. Lots of opportunity for naming animals while making the craft.

    Song Idea

    Instead of ‘Old MacDonald had a farm’, we sang ‘Mr Noah had an ark’ and added the animals that we had used in the story with any sounds that they make.

    Noah's ark shape sorter to tell Noah and two of every animal bible story
    Noah’s Ark shape sorter that we used as a storytelling prop.

    Answers in Genesis have lots of information about Noah’s ark if you’d like to read more.

    Jonah and the One Great Big Fish – A Bible Number Story

    Jonah and the One Great Big Fish – A Bible Number Story. We are thinking about counting in toddler group. So we have some Bible Stories with numbers. First up is Jonah. The Bible truth for toddlers in this story is ‘God always knows where we are’. The story is from the book of Jonah.

    To tell the Story you need –

    • Jonah (we used a figure from happyland),
    • a big fish (the one pictured is VERY big – made over a tent) and
    • a toy boat.
    Jonah and the boat to Ninevah
    The big fish that swallowed Jonah

    Jonah and the One Great Big Fish story

    God said to Jonah, ‘go to the big city called Ninevah (can you say that? repeat the name together) and tell everyone there about me.’

    Jonah listened to God.

    But Jonah didn’t like the people in the big city of Ninevah.

    ‘I don’t want to! I’m not going to go!’ He said (have you ever said that?)

    Jonah thought to himself, ‘I will go far away – so far away that God won’t know where I am.’ He went and got on a boat and sailed away, far, far away from Ninevah.

    But then the rain came and the wind blew – and out of the boat came Jonah – and splash into the sea!

    Down, down, down he went. ‘Please God, help me!’ he prayed.

    God knew exactly where Jonah was, God always knows where we are; and he sent something to help. It wasn’t a boat – it was one great big fish. The one great big fish opened up it’s mouth and swallowed Jonah. He was safe!

    The one great big fish took Jonah back to land. God said, ‘Jonah, go to Ninevah’. And this time Jonah did exactly what God said.

    Jonah craft idea

    Decorate the big fish! It’s a free download.

    number-1-big-fishDownload

    The other stories in this Bible Number Story Series

    Playdough Recipe

    Playdough recipe to make in the microwave. Don’t be tempted to leave out the cream of tartar, you need it to stop the dough going off.

    Ingredients

    • 2 Cups plain flour
    • 2 Cups water
    • 1 Cup salt
    • 2 Tablespoons Cream of Tartar
    • 2 Tablespoons oil (not nut oil or olive oil)
    • Food colouring
    Playdough ingredients

    Playdough recipe method

    1. Put all the dry ingredients in a large microwavable bowl
    2. Add oil
    3. Add your food colouring to the cold water and mix till dissolved
    4. Add the now coloured water to the mix and stir well
    5. Microwave on high in two minute bursts – stir well after each two minutes.

    Your playdough is ready when everything has come together to form a dough. Watch it closely as you cook it in the microwave and reduce the two minutes to one if necessary. Once out of the microwave kneed it for a minute or two – be careful as it will be hot!

    Once cool wrap in cling film or put in a plastic container and store in a cool place.

    Some ideas of what to do with playdough

    Playdough cutters and shapes

    Use toddler friendly cookie cutters to make shapes

    Playdough in different colours

    Make multiple colours at once.

    Playdough Easter Garden

    Use playdough in an Easter Garden. Take a look at this post all about Easter with toddlers.

    Stortelling tip #27

    storytelling tip#27 is …

    Tell it like you mean it

    Tell your Bible Story with conviction. These are the best stories and we have the privilege of sharing them. Tell them in such a way that your listeners know that the Bible is important to you. Tell them in such a way that your listeners will know that Jesus is important.

    Jesus said, ‘I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’

    John 14:6

    Here’s a link to the page that has lots of hints and tips about Bible storytelling. These are just some of the things I’ve learnt as I’ve told stories in toddler groups.

    Storytelling tip #26

    Some details add to your story

    Young children are focused on their world. They know about feeling hungry, tired, happy, sad. They know about home. They know what daytime and nightime are. The weather is part of their everyday. Use these familiar things when you tell the Bible Story. If it happened at night mention the stars. If people were hungry get everyone to rub their tummy! Focus on what is familiar to your young audience.

    Storytelling tip #25

    Be clear

    When telling the Bible Story use words that everyone understands. Don’t clutter your story with terminology that you won’t have time to explain. Tell everyone that Zacchaeus was short but leave out his job. You don’t have time to explain to toddlers what tax is.

    Storytelling tip #24

    Use your voice

    You can talk quietly, you can whisper, you can talk LOUDLY. (Don’t shout). Vary your volume. It will make the story sound more interesting. Don’t talk too quickly – we sometimes speed up when we are nervous. Try to use a friendly, calm tone. If you aren’t sure how you sound, record yourself and find out! Your voice is so important.

    Stoytelling tip #23

    Keep your adult listeners busy

    When telling a Bible Story to toddlers it helps to keep their adults involved. Encourage everyone to join in with a variety of actions to do, phrases to repeat, sounds to make.

    Storytelling tip #22

    Repetition is good.. repetition is good..

    A phrase that repeats during the story is great for helping everyone to join in. It could be ‘can you see him?’ for a story about the lost sheep or, ‘where is it?’ for the lost coin. Have a look at this retelling of The Good Samaritan and spot the repeated phrase. Your audience will soon catch on and the adults and their toddlers will be taking part in the story.

    Storytelling tip #21

    Add some sound

    What sound does a …. make? This is a great question to ask during a Bible Story. It gets the toddlers thinking and they can all join in and make the noise. If it’s a story about sheep everyone can say baa. If it’s a pig in the story, it’s an oink. When everyone can join in eveyone feels included and part of the story.

    Storytelling tip #20

    Give your listeners something to do

    Think – ‘are there any actions we could do during this story?’ Actions are a good way of getting everyone involved (especially the adults). Looking, walking, running, sleeping, hidingclimbing – all these things can have actions. You don’t need too many. But add a few actions if they naturally fit the story.

    Storytelling tip #19

    Keep it short

    Do your best to keep the story short. Toddlers aren’t going to listen to a long story. Practice your story – time yourself. Aim for your story to feel short to the listeners. It shouldn’t drag or go on and on…

    Storytelling tip #18

    Be prepared for Christmas!

    Invite your pastor or a staff member from your church to come to toddler group to tell the Christmas Story. It’s an opportunity for them to meet people at the group. And it gives you time to think about the special craft and festive food that you will probably be busy sorting out! Book them early 🙂

    Storytelling tip #17

    Share the load

    If you can, share the telling of Bible stories with others. We can learn from each other. Be supportive of one another and offer encouragement. It’s sometimes really helpful to have an extra pair of hands to hold a storytelling prop; ask for help from others in the team.

    Storytelling tip #16

    Begin storytime with a song

    Instead of announcing storytime with, ‘It’s storytime’, start with a song. It will become your theme song that tells everyone that it’s time for a story. Choose something simple and easy to join in with. Familiar tunes with your own words are great. Once you have your song stick with it. Young children like the familiar.

    Storytelling tip #15

    Involve others

    Ask for help in collecting items for storytelling props and craft resources. Involve people in your church. Explain what you need and give people the opportunity to join in by collecting cardboard tubes, christmas cards etc. Use your churches’ notice sheet to make the needs known and share pictures of the made crafts too.

    Storytelling tip #14

    Collect craft ideas for your planned Bible stories

    Keep your eyes open for craft ideas that fit in with the Bible Stories you are planning to tell. Pinterest is full of ideas that can be used or adapted. There are even some on this blog 🙂 Ideas can come from anywhere! Try out any ideas to see if they really are makeable. Process is important but having a finished product that is a keepsake for parents is good too. Collect things that will come in useful – christmas cards, wrapping paper, leaves, cereal boxes, cardboard tubes, yarn, material, pictues for gardening catalogues. All sorts of lovely crafty stuff!

    Storytelling tip #13

    Plan your stories for the year

    Plan ahead. Look at term dates (use your local school dates) and work out your timetable. Note down any special dates you want to celebrate – Harvest, Christmas, Easter, summer party. Plan your stories for the year ahead. Start with a theme for each half term. Some ideas – Creation, animals in the Bible, people Jesus met. Note down a story (use the Bible reference) for each week. Add a craft idea and some songs. You can always adjust your plan but having an outline for the year relieves a lot of stress .

    Storytelling tip #12

    Collect together resources that can help you

    Go Teach and Scripture Union have some great resources that will help you tell Bible Stories in Toddler Group. Children’s Story Bibles and Bible Story books written for young children can be a big help too. They will give you ideas of how to phrase things and how to put a simple story together. You don’t have to buy loads – just slowly start collecting resources that you find helpful.

    Storytelling tip #11

    Knit some storytelling characters

    Knitted toys are some of the best storytelling props you can have. If you can’t knit find someone who can. Acrylic yarn is inexpensive and comes in lots of colours. You don’t need loads of knitted toys – just a few men and woman with different hair (some grey for older Bible characters) and different clothes. Here’s a link to a great pattern.

    Storytelling tip #10

    Start a file of your storytelling ideas

    Keeping a collection of ideas is great – if you have a few weeks and you don’t know what to do you have ideas to fall back on. Think of themes – homes Jesus visited, stories people told, things God made. Under these headings add specific stories, prop ideas and craft ideas. Keep in a file, notebook or card file holder.

    Storytelling tip #9

    Sort out storage for your storytelling items

    If you can, store your storytelling props in a box. Take a photo of each item and stick it to the outside of the box. You will be able to see at a glance what you have. This should save you time! No more hunting high and low the night before toddler group 🙂

    Storytelling tip #8

    Collect items that you can use in storytelling.

    Taking items from a story bag is great for keeping attention. Props help understanding. Build a collection of items you can use. Blue cloth for sea or sky, toy tools (lots of stories about building), toy animals (creation), a tent to transform into a big fish, a rock and some sand (houses on sand and rock), a globe, purple cloth (Lydia). Keep a look out for items you can use. Charity shops are great places!

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