God wants us to obey him and pray to him.

Jonah Prays to God Inside the Fish • Lesson 12
Bible Point
Bible Verse
God wants us to obey
him and pray to him.
“We must obey God” (Acts 5:29b).
Growing Closer to Jesus
Children will
n talk about how Jonah might have felt inside the fish,
n hear how Jonah prayed to God for help,
n teach Whiskers that God will listen to his prayers, and
n discover that God is always ready and waiting to answer their prayers.
Teacher Enrichment
Bible Basis
n Jonah prays to God inside the fish.
Jonah
2:1-10
Being swallowed by a whale would be traumatic, to say the least, but in
this case the event was arranged by God to save Jonah’s life. For in the
belly of that whale, Jonah came to his senses and realized that he needed
to obey God.
Deep inside the belly of the fish, Jonah finally yielded to God’s will.
As he contemplated his near-drowning, he must have finally understood
the folly of trying to run from God. What would happen to him now? God had saved his life
once—perhaps God would save him again. Jonah cried out to God in sorrow and repentance,
his heart full of gratitude that he was even alive. The Lord heard Jonah’s prayer, and commanded
the fish to deliver Jonah onto dry land.
Prayer
• Read Proverbs 3:5-6.
• Where do you turn when you need guidance?
• Pray: Lord, thank you for your faithful direction in my life. Help me listen for your ­guidance,
especially in the area of…
Before the Lesson
n Collect the necessary items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies
and Learning Lab Supplies listed on the chart.
n Make photocopies of the “Today I Learned…” handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home
with your ­children.
n Pray for the children in your class and for God’s direction as you teach the lesson.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Preschool, Ages 3 & 4 163
Lesson 12
This Lesson at a Glance
Welcome
Time
Let’s Get
Started
Direct children to
one or more of the
optional activities
until everyone
arrives.
What Children Will Do
Classroom Supplies
Welcome!—Receive name tags,
“Praying Hands Name Tags”
(p. 23), scissors, marker, safety
pins or tape
Option 1: Sea Senses—
Salt, cotton swabs, spoon, plastic
bottle, food coloring, oil, tape,
bowl of water
Option 2: Fish Bubbles—
Bubble solution, large bowl,
bubble wands
Option 3: More Fish-Box
Fun—Continue to decorate and
Fish box from Lesson 11, tape,
art supplies
Pick-Up Time—Sing a song as
CD player
and be greeted by the teacher.
Discover what it might have been
like for Jonah to be in the sea.
Make bubbles like fish, and talk
about the fish that swallowed
Jonah.
Learning Lab Supplies
play inside their fish box.
Bible Skills
they pick up toys and gather for
Bible Story Time.
Bible Story
Time
Setting the Stage—“Swim”
around the room as they get
ready to hear about Jonah.
Bible Song and Prayer
Time—Sing a song, bring out the
Bible, CD player
Hear and Tell the Bible
Story—Hear how Jonah prayed
Bible
Do the Bible Story—Play a
beanbag game to review Jonah’s
story.
Fish box from Lesson 11,
beanbags
Bible, and pray together.
inside the fish.
Closing
Time to Pray—Help Whiskers
learn to pray to God in a time of
trouble.
Inside the Fish—Pray inside a
Table
giant classroom “fish.”
*See the end of this lesson for extra-time ideas and supplies.
164 Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Preschool, Ages 3 & 4
Jonah Prays to God Inside the Fish
Welcome Time
Supplies: “Praying Hands Name Tags” (p. 23), scissors, marker, safety pins or tape
• Bend down and make eye contact with children as they arrive.
• Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile.
• Thank each child for coming to class today.
• As children arrive, ask them how they put last week’s lesson into practice. Use
questions such as “What did Jonah learn by being inside the fish?” and “Who helps
you learn to obey?”
• Say: Today we’re going to learn that God wants us to obey him and pray
to him.
• Hand out the praying hands name tags children made during Lesson 1, and help
children attach the name tags to their clothing. If some of the name tags were
damaged or if children weren’t in class that week, have children make new name tags
using the photocopiable name tag patterns.
• Direct children to the Let’s Get Started activities you’ve set up.
It’s important to say the Bible
Point just as it’s written in each
activity. Repeating the Bible Point
again and again will help children
remember it and apply it to their
lives.
Let’s Get Started
Set up one or more of the following activities for children to do as they arrive. After
you greet each child, invite him or her to choose an activity.
Circulate among the children to offer help as needed and direct children’s
conversation toward today’s lesson. Ask questions such as “What do you do when you’re
in trouble?” or “When are some times you pray and talk to God?”
n Option 1: Sea Senses
Supplies: salt, spoon, cotton swabs, plastic bottle, food coloring, oil, tape, bowl of
water
Set out one or both of the following sensory items for children to explore. Discuss what
it might have been like for Jonah to fall into the sea and be swallowed by a giant fish.
• Have children help you add a spoonful of salt to a small bowl of water. Let
children take turns stirring the salt water, and then invite them to dip a cotton swab in
the salt water and dab it onto their tongues to taste it. For sanitary purposes, do not let
children re-dip their cotton swabs. Explain that Jonah probably swallowed some salty
water before the fish ­swallowed him.
• Create a “slow-motion ocean” for children to play with. Before class, fill a clear
quart- or liter-sized plastic bottle half full of water. Add a few drops of blue or green
food coloring, and then add oil until the bottle is three-fourths full. Seal the bottle by
taping the cap shut. For extra fun, insert a miniature person or boat figure in the bottle
before sealing it.
Show children how to tilt the bottle up and down and move it back and forth
slowly. Encourage them to watch the waves and imagine what it was like for Jonah to
be thrown into the stormy sea. Explain that today they’ll learn that God wants us to
obey him and pray to him.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Preschool, Ages 3 & 4 165
Lesson 12
n Option 2: Fish Bubbles
Bible Skills
Bring in a goldfish for children
to observe, name, and feed.
Let children imagine what a
­gigantic goldfish might be like!
Supplies: bubble solution, large bowl, bubble wands
Empty a large bottle of bubble solution into a large bowl and
the tray of the bubble kit (or make your own bubble solution with
dish soap and water). Form pairs, and give each pair a bubble
wand.
Remind children of the giant fish that swallowed Jonah. Tell
them that today’s Bible story is about how Jonah prayed inside the fish. Explain that
fish sometimes make bubbles under the water as they move their tails and fins. Have
pairs pretend to be fish swimming in the ocean. One partner can blow bubbles, and the
other partner can “swim” through the bubbles, using his or her arms as fins. Make sure
the children don’t rub their eyes after handling the bubble solution.
Let children switch roles frequently. As they’re swimming, encourage them to try
different styles, such as swimming fast, slow, backward, and at the bottom of the ocean.
n Option 3: More Fish-Box Fun
Supplies: fish box from Lesson 11, tape, art supplies
Let children add decorations to the fish box they made last week. They can add
­additional paper-plate scales or make construction paper fins and tape them on. They
can even name the fish! As children work, encourage them to climb inside the fish box
and then crawl out to see what it might have been like for Jonah to be swallowed by the
fish and then spit out. Explain that today they’ll learn that God wants us to obey him
and pray to him.
When everyone has arrived and you’re ready to move on to Bible Story Time,
encourage the children to finish what they’re doing and get ready to clean up.
n Pick-Up Time
At this stage in their physical
­development, 3- and 4-year-olds
can draw recognizable shapes and
can work simple puzzles.
Supplies: CD player
track 2
Lead children in singing “Come Along With Me” with the
CD (track 2) to the tune of “Come and Go With Me.” Encourage
­children to sing along as they help clean up the room.
Come along with me and pick up all our things,
Pick up all our things,
Pick up all our things.
Come along with me and pick up all our things
So our room will be clean.
(Repeat 2x.)
166 Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Preschool, Ages 3 & 4
Jonah Prays to God Inside the Fish
Bible Story Time
n Setting the Stage
SupplieS: none
Tell children that when they hear you clap your hands two times, they’re to stop
what they’re doing and clap their hands two times. Practice this signal a few times.
Encourage children to respond quickly so you’ll have time for all the fun activities
you’ve planned.
Ask: • What did you make or do when you came to our class today? (Blew
bubbles; tasted salt water; got in and out of a fish box.)
Say: Some of you tasted salt water, some of you made fish bubbles, and
some of you played in our fish box. You were all learning important things
about our Bible story. If you tasted salt water, stand up and make a sour face
and say, “Ooh, yuck!” Pause. If you played inside our fish box, stand up and
say, “Gulp! I’m in a fish’s tummy.” Pause. If you made fish bubbles, stand up
and swim with your fish fins right where you are. Pause.
In a few minutes, we’re going to hear what happened to Jonah inside the
fish. We’ll learn that God wants us to obey him and pray to him. Let’s all
get ready for that story by swimming around the room with our fish fins.
Lead children around the room once. Then pretend to see Jonah, and say: Calling
all fish! Do you see that man swimming in the water? I think it’s Jonah. Open
your fish mouth wide and swallow him up. Gulp!
Lead children in opening their arms wide and then closing them to indicate they’ve
“swallowed” Jonah. Say: Oh my, that Jonah didn’t taste very good. He’s giving
you a tummy ache. Groan and rub your fish tummy. Ohh!
Lead children in groaning and rubbing their tummies. Then say: I don’t think
your tummy ache is going to go away as long as Jonah’s in your tummy. Spit
Jonah out so you’ll feel better. Ptooie!
Lead children in pretending to spit Jonah out. Then say: That feels much better.
People don’t make very good fish food. Let’s swim over to our story area and
lie down. All this swimming is making me tired.
Lead children back to your story area. Then say: Let’s rest here in our story area
while we hear how Jonah learned that God wants us to obey him and pray
to him.
n Bible Song and prayer Time
SupplieS: Bible, CD player
tracks 3 & 4
Say: Now it’s time to choose a Bible person to bring
me the Bible marked with today’s Bible story. As we sing
our Bible song, we’ll pass around our special Bible. The
person who’s holding the Bible when the music stops will
be our Bible person today.
Lead children in singing “I’m So Glad for the Bible” with the
CD (track 3) to the tune of “Give Me Oil in My Lamp.” As you
sing, pass around the special Bible.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Preschool, Ages 3 & 4 167
Lesson 12
I’m so glad for the Bible,
Keep me learnin’, learnin’, learnin’.
I’m so glad for God’s book today.
I’m so glad for the Bible,
Keep me learnin’, learnin’, learnin’—
Keep me learnin’ all about his way.
Play “The Bible Is God’s Special
Book” (track 21 on the CD)
when you bring out your Bible.
Have children march around
the room with the Bible person
and invent motions to the
song. For example, they may
pretend to swim, pluck a harp,
or spit Jonah out. Lyrics are on
page 80 if you want to refer to
them.
Let me hear ’bout God’s love—
Keep me learnin’, learnin’, learnin’.
Let me hear ’bout God’s love for me.
Let me hear ’bout God’s love—
Keep me learnin’, learnin’, learnin’.
Let’s shine the light for all to see.
(Repeat first verse.)
When the music stops, invite the child who’s holding the Bible to bring it to you.
Stamp the child’s hand with the fish stamp, and thank the child for bringing you the
Bible. Then stamp the other children’s hands. Return the fish stamp and ink pad to the
Learning Lab.
Say: I’m thankful for [name of child who brought the Bible], and I’m thankful
for everyone in our class today. Let’s thank God together for all our friends
in this class.
Lead children in singing “I’m So Glad We’re Together” with the CD (track 4) to the
tune of “Give Me Oil in My Lamp.”
I’m so glad we’re together.
Keep us prayin’, prayin’, prayin’.
I’m so glad we’re all here today.
I’m so glad we’re together.
Keep us prayin’, prayin’, prayin’—
Prayin’ for each other every day.
Lead children in folding their hands and bowing their heads as you continue to sing.
Thank you, Lord, for each one.
Keep me thankful, thankful, thankful.
Thank you for everyone who’s here.
Thank you, Lord, for each one.
Keep me thankful, thankful, thankful—
Thankful for our friends both far and near.
168 Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Preschool, Ages 3 & 4
Jonah Prays to God Inside the Fish
n Hear and Tell the Bible Story
Supplies: Bible
Open the Bible to Jonah 2, and show it to the children.
Say: Our Bible story comes from the book of Jonah in the
Bible. Our Bible Big Book shows us pictures of our Bible
story.
While I read the story of Jonah from our Bible Big
Book, I want you to listen very closely. Every time you
hear the word “fish,” I want you to puff out your cheeks and make a fish
face. Remember, God sent a giant fish to teach Jonah to obey.
Read the story from the Bible Big Book: Jonah using the text printed on the back
cover. Pause whenever you read the word “fish” so that children can make fish faces.
Turn the pages as directed. After you finish the story, put the Bible Big Book away and
out of sight.
Ask: • What did Jonah do when he realized there was no way out of the
fish? (He prayed to God for help; he cried; he didn’t know what to do.)
Say: I’ll go first and tell you about a time God answered my prayers. Tell
children about a time you received an answer to your prayers.
Ask: • Who can tell us about a time you prayed and God answered your
prayer? (My dog was lost, and we prayed and then found him; my dad was sick and
he got better; I prayed before I went to bed so I wouldn’t be scared at night.)
Say: God likes it when we talk to him, because he
loves us. God loves us so much that he gave us Jesus to
be our forever friend. We can talk to Jesus anytime, and
Jesus can help us obey if we ask him to. Let’s thank God
for giving us a friend like Jesus right now.
Lead children in a short prayer of thanks for sending Jesus
as a friend who loves us and always listens.
Say: God wants us to obey him and pray to him. God will hear and
­answer our prayers just as he heard Jonah’s prayer and helped Jonah get
out of the fish.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Preschool, Ages 3 & 4 169
Lesson 12
n Do the Bible Story
Supplies: fish box from Lesson 11, beanbags
For this activity use the fish box you made last week during Let’s Get Started or Do
the Bible story. You’ll also need three beanbags or small balls.
Have children gather around the fish box. Say: God wants us to obey him and
pray to him. We’re going to play a game now to help us remember how Jonah
prayed inside the fish.
Hand the three beanbags to a child standing near you. Say: When I say, “In goes
the water,” [name] will throw one beanbag into the fish box, and the rest of
us will say “swoosh.” Let’s try that.
Say, “In goes the water,” and let children do their actions. Then continue: When I
say, “In goes the fish,” [name] will throw another beanbag into the fish box,
and the rest of us will flip our arms like fish and say, “Swim, fish, swim.” Let’s
try that.
Say, “In goes the fish,” and let children do their actions. Then continue: When I
say, “And in goes Jonah!” [name] will throw the last beanbag into the fish
box, and the rest of us will kneel on our knees, fold our hands, and say,
“Thank you, God.” Let’s try that.
Say, “And in goes Jonah!” and let children do their actions. Say: That was good
­practicing. Now we’ll take turns until each of you has a chance to throw the
beanbags while the rest of us do our actions.
Repeat the game until everyone has had a chance to toss the beanbags into the
fish box. If children miss the fish box, let them try again or “help” the beanbags in
yourself. After everyone has had a turn, collect the beanbags in the fish box and have
children sit down.
Say: God was waiting for Jonah to ask for help. As soon as Jonah prayed,
what did God do? (Told the fish to spit Jonah out; answered Jonah’s prayers.)
Toss the beanbags out of the fish box as you say: When Jonah prayed, God told
the fish to spit Jonah out. God wants us to obey him and pray to him. Our
Bible verse is from Acts 5:29, and it says, “We must obey God.” Let’s say
that together. Lead children in saying the Bible verse. We can obey God by doing
what our parents or our teachers tell us to do. They help us know what God
wants us to do.
Our friend Whiskers likes to hear about Jonah. Let’s tell him what we’ve
learned about how God helped Jonah out of the fish.
Closing
n Time to Pray
Supplies: none
Bring out Whiskers the Mouse, and go through the following puppet script. When
you finish the script, put Whiskers away and out of sight.
170 Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Preschool, Ages 3 & 4
Jonah Prays to God Inside the Fish
Whiskers:
Teacher:
Whiskers:
Teacher:
Whiskers:
Teacher:
Whiskers:
(Crying) Oh…h…h, oh…h…h…
What’s wrong, Whiskers?
Remember the big cat that was after me last week?
I remember. You ran away because you didn’t want to get
in trouble, and then you met up with a big cat behind the
church. You were afraid he was going to eat you.
Yeah, well I went right home and told my brother I was sorry.
What did he say?
(Scowling) He had already told my dad that I pinched him. My dad made us play
by ourselves for a while. Then he showed both of us some tricks to help us get away
from cats.
Teacher:
Whiskers:
Teacher:
Well, it looks like the tricks must be working. You’re still here.
Whiskers:
But Jonah was only in the fish for three days. This cat has been around for a whole
week!
Teacher:
Jonah didn’t know how long he’d have to stay inside the fish. But he finally did
something very smart after doing many foolish things.
Whiskers:
Teacher:
What was that?
Yeah, but so is that cat. And I’m so afraid! Will he ever go away?
I think I know how you feel, Whiskers. Do you remember our story about Jonah?
When Jonah was inside the fish, he probably wondered if he’d ever get out.
Children, can any of you tell Whiskers what Jonah finally did inside the fish?
(Help children explain how Jonah prayed to God. Lead them in repeating the Bible Point:
God wants us to obey him and pray to him.)
Whiskers:
Teacher:
Whiskers:
I guess I should pray to God, too. Maybe God will help me not be so scared of that cat.
God is always there to listen to us and help us—especially when we’re feeling scared.
Maybe your brother could even pray with you.
That’s a great idea! I feel so much better. I’m going to go home and
pray right now. Then I’m going to practice those tricks my dad taught
me. You never know when I might meet another cat. I’ll see you next
week. Goodbye!
Permission to photocopy this script from Group’s Hands-On Bible Curriculum® Preschool granted for local church use.
Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539. HandsOnBible.com
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Preschool, Ages 3 & 4 171
Lesson 12
n Inside the Fish
Supplies: table
Have children gather under a large table or under two small tables pushed together.
­Encourage children to pretend they’re inside a fish.
Say: Shh! Let’s sit very still for a minute and pretend we’re really inside
that giant fish. Remember, Jonah was alone inside the fish, so he didn’t have
anyone to talk to.
Sit quietly for a few moments, and then ask:
• Do you think Jonah tried to get out of the fish? What would you do to try
to get out from inside a fish? (Tickle the fish to make him open his mouth; ask God
to help me.)
• How did Jonah finally get out? (God helped him; he prayed; the fish spit him
out.)
Say: God heard Jonah’s prayer and helped him get out of the fish. God
wants us to obey him and pray to him, too. When we pray to God, God will
help us just as he helped Jonah. What can we pray to God about today?
Share something you’d like to pray for, and then let the children share. Invite
children to pray for one another’s requests if they want to. Then close with a prayer
similar to this one: Dear God, you heard all these things that we want to pray
for. Thank you that you love us and are waiting for us to talk to you. Thank
you that you will answer our prayers. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Growing closer to Jesus extends
beyond the classroom.
Want even more activity ideas
for this lesson? Check out
HandsOnBible.com/tips.
172 Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Preschool, Ages 3 & 4
Photocopy the “Today I Learned…” handout (at the end
of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with the
children. ­Encourage parents to use the handout to plan
­meaningful family activities to reinforce this week’s topic.
Jonah Prays to God Inside the Fish
For Extra Time
If you have a long class time or want to add additional
elements to your lesson, try one of the following activities.
n Lively Learning: Wiggly Fish
track 19
Make sure the floor is clean for this activity. Have children lie on the floor on their
tummies and pretend to be fish. Tell children that when they hear music, they should wiggle
around and “swim.” When the music stops, they should stop and lie still.
Play the “Swimming Music” segment from the CD (track 19). Start and then pause
the CD several times. Each time children are lying still, have them tell you something they
remember about Jonah and the big fish.
n Make to Take: Ball Fish
Give each child a small ball such as a tennis ball or pingpong ball, and set out sheets of colored construction
paper. Let children tear the construction paper to create fins for their fish. Help them carefully tape the fins to
the balls. As children work, talk about the big fish that swallowed Jonah. Ask children who helped Jonah get
out of the fish and remind them that God wants us to obey him and pray to him.
When children finish adding fins to their fish, help them draw eyes on their fish. Then lead them in
“swimming” their fish around the room while they wait for their parents to arrive.
n Treat to Eat: Straw Bubbles
Give each child a straw and a paper towel. Have extra paper towels on hand for quick clean
up. Demonstrate to children how to blow and suck air through a straw, and then give them
each a glass of chocolate milk. Have them blow gently through their straws into the milk to
make bubbles. (If you have children with milk allergies, provide juice or water instead.)
To keep this activity from getting too messy, tell children you’ll time them for 15 seconds
while they blow fish bubbles in their milk. Then let children drink their milk. Serve fish-shaped
crackers with the milk. As children are enjoying the snack, review details from Jonah’s story. Remind children
that God wants us to obey him and pray to him.
n Story Picture: Jonah Prays Inside the Fish
Give each child a copy of the “Today I Learned…” handout. Have children color the picture of Jonah
inside the fish. Then give each child a square of blue plastic wrap or acetate large enough to cover the picture.
Show children how to crumple the plastic wrap to make water to cover the fish in the picture. Watch children
closely to make sure they don’t hold the plastic up to their faces or put it in their mouths. Help children tape
the plastic wrap over their pictures. Review the story of Jonah with children as they work. Remind them that
God wants us to obey him and pray to him.
Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Preschool, Ages 3 & 4 173
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n What did Jonah do inside the giant fish?
n Tell me about a time God answered your prayers.
n When can our family pray together this week?
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Famil un
n Make a family prayer chart. Ask each family member to
share one or two things they want to pray for. Write down
the prayer requests on fish shapes drawn on blue construction paper. Set a special time each day to pray for the
items on the list. As each prayer is answered, help your
child outline that fish with glitter glue. Hang the list where
everyone can see it and be reminded to pray.
Jonah Prays
to God Inside
the Fish
(Jonah 2:1-10)
174
Permission to photocopy this handout from Group’s Hands-On Bible Curriculum® Preschool granted for local church use.
Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539. HandsOnBible.com