Bible stories, crafts and creative ideas for toddler groups, children's ministry and families
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 🙂
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!
Practice what you are going to say
Tell your story to yourself. Practice it. Practice using any puppets or props. Get a feel for how it sounds. Don’t aim for knowing it word for word – you want to know how the story goes and be so comfortable with it that the telling is fresh and spontaneous when you tell it to toddlers. Practice will help you to know how well you know the story and how long it will be. Learn your opening sentence, know how you are going to finish – let the rest of the story flow.
Use the Bible – not your memory
When preparing a Bible story rely on the Bible rather than your memory. Read the story a few times. Get it into your head. Read it out aloud. Sometimes we think we know a Bible story but we’ve forgotten somthing or added something. So, start with the Bible.
Know how you are going to finish your story
Every story needs to reach a satisfying conclusion. It needs to end in way that is clear. Any problems in the story need to be solved. Zaccheus met Jesus! Jonah went to the town of Ninevah. The Wise men found Jesus. Think through how your story will end and have a final sentence. And when your story is finished – it’s finished.
On the way to Easter paper plate pictures that help to tell the story of the first Easter. Next half term at Thursday toddler group we will be travelling along the road to Easter. In the Gospels Jesus meets several people when he is on this last journey to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover for the final time. So four of our stories will be about these people that met Jesus as he was going to Jerusalem. Then we will have the story of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and in the final week the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
I’ll be using different props for each story but as we go there will be a paper plate picture for each week that will build a bigger picture.. (If you don’t want to use all the stories just pick and choose)
Our stories will be… (Click on the links to go to the stories and crafts)
This is how our big picture will look when we have told all the stories..
These are paper plates covered in tissue paper with people and buildings and trees etc added.
The people are available to download – if you would like to make a contribution to the blog you are very welcome to do so but of course you don’t have to!
The pictures of trees and buildings are available in this post https://lettheirlightshine.com/2015/03/20/jesus-enters-jerusalem-palm-sunday/
Easter can be a difficult story to tell to young children. It isn’t necessary to go into detail about how Jesus died. It’s always good to include the positive for example you can say – that although Jesus died and his friends were sad he came back to life again and his friends were happy! Be factual with sensitivity. Easter is a good news event!
A couple of Easter story videos – Palm Sunday and Easter!
