Jonah
JONAH
Objectives:
- Children should be able to tell the story of Jonah.
- Children should identify another reason for disobedience – dislike of the command.
Possible Lesson Plan:
- Open with prayer.
- Read the story of Jonah in the Beginner’s Bible, pages 257-264, the Children’s Bible Reader, pages 148-151, or the the Read with Me Bible, pages 244-249. Remember that Ninevah was the capital of the Assyrians, who were poised to conquer the entire land of Israel.
Add Jonah to your timeline.
- True/False questions:
True False
Jonah was a prophet of God. Jonah was a king of Israel.
God told Jonah to go to Ninevah. God told Jonah to go to Egypt.
God sent a storm to Jonah’s ship. Jonah’s ship had clear, blue sky.
Jonah was swallowed by a big fish. Jonah was eaten by a lion.
- Discuss disobedience again: Why did Jonah disobey God? Did he think the command was silly? Did he have trouble hearing God? Or did he dislike the command? Are you ever asked to do something you dislike? What? What were the consequences to Jonah for disobedience? What happens to you?
Game: Big Mouth Paper Plate Fish – Color the eating side of two paper plates pink. This will be the inside of the fish’s mouth. Color the other side blue or gray for the outside of the fish. Cut the tail and fins from card stock or poster board or another paper plate. Turn the plates over and place one on top of the other. This one will be the top of the fish. Staple the top to the bottom including fins and tail as shown, leaving a wide area for the mouth. Cut a slit at the edge of the paper plate just behind both side fins and glue in side fins. Glue on some googly eyes. Fill the fish with some things he might have swallowed, along with a tiny picture of Jonah below. Things might include a bone, paper clip, shell, feather – all kinds of things. Have children take turns removing one thing from the fish blindfolded and with a tweezers – winner is the one who removes Jonah!
6. Make a Fish Vomiting Out Jonah: Make a large fish out of a paper plate, cutting out a triangle and stapling it on for the tail and mouth. Decorate with markers, pieces of tissue paper, google eyes, as desired. Then, take a party blower – the kind that unwinds like a long tongue when you blow and rolls back up when you stop blowing – and attach behind the whale just inside the mouth with heavy tape. Cut out the figure of Jonah from cardstock, color, and tape or staple to the end of the blow toy. Blow on the toy and Jonah will fly out of the mouth of the fish.
- Close with prayer.