Category: Bible story for toddlers

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)

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!

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

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 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.

Storytelling props for Noah

Noah and two of every animal story idea

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

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