The story of Jonah

In this story, children will get to know the prophet Jonah, but most importantly, they will get to know God’s infinite mercy, care and patience towards us.

Introduction

When you tell the children the story of Jonah, it is important that they experience that this story is about God and His goodness towards us. He hears our prayers no matter where we are or what we have done, just as He heard Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish far down in the depths of the sea and just as He listened to the people of Nineveh when they repented of all the bad things they had done. It’s also good for children to hear that they too have been given an important task by God, to be good to the people we meet on our way.

The story of Jonah shows how patient and merciful God is with us people. Both Jonah and the people of Nineveh were given a second chance by God to repent. Jonah, when instead of drowning he was swallowed by a large fish that God sent, and the people of Nineveh when God changed His mind when He saw their sincere repentance. Both the sailors and the people of Nineveh repented from their idol worship and turned to God because they feared Him. For Jonah, his own honor stood in the way of serving God with all his heart.

The goal is that the children are not left with a frightening experience that God may send a storm or something else terrible if they have done something wrong. It was God who created the storm that eventually threw Jonah overboard, and it was God who sent the big fish that swallowed Jonah. It is important to have a positive angle here, where the purpose is for the children to experience a sense of security by hearing that God can always look after them and show us what His will is in all aspects of life, even when we have done something wrong. It was so important to God that Jonah went to Nineveh to save the people there that He had to send the storm to show Jonah what His will was.

Bible verses that go with the theme

Jonah receives a task from God that he does not want to carry out, so he runs away to sea to hide from God. A violent storm threatens the ship, and Jonah is thrown overboard. He is swallowed by a huge fish and spends three days in darkness. Can Jonah survive and find his way back to his task?

Welcome

How you meet the children is very important. Welcome them with a warm smile, say the child’s name and they’ll feel included.

Message

Download the material

This is a PowerPoint with animated images intended to support the mentor telling the story to the children. This can be a great way to catch the children’s attention while they are listening to the story. Supporting text on how to tell the story to the children has also been prepared together with these illustrations.

Picture 1: This is a man called Jonah. He lived a very long time ago, in a land far away. He was a prophet, which means that God spoke to him and gave him different tasks to do.

Picture 2: One day God said to Jonah: “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out that God has seen all the wicked things the people there have done. That’s why Nineveh will be destroyed in 40 days!” (Jonah 1:2, Jonah 3:2 and Jonah 3:4). But Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh. He didn’t like the people who lived there, who had done many bad things.

Picture 3: Jonah wanted to try to hide from God. So he went to the sea and found a boat to sail far away (Jonah 1:3).

Here it may be a good idea to ask the children: “Do you think it’s possible to hide from God?” Let the children share their thoughts. Summarize the dialogue by saying something like: “God can see us and look after us wherever we are! It was the same with Jonah.”

It is important to take a positive approach, with the aim of giving children a positive feeling that God can always look after them and be there for them, even when we have done something wrong.

Picture 4: God wanted Jonah to listen to Him one more time so that he could understand how important it was to God that he had to go to Nineveh. So God sent a strong wind and there was a great storm over the sea. The ship Jonah was traveling on was almost broken up by the waves! The sailors got scared and prayed to their false gods. They began to throw the things on the boat into the sea to make the boat lighter.

Picture 5: But Jonah was asleep in the bottom part of the boat. The captain of the boat found him and said, “How can you sleep now? Get up and pray to your God!” Jonah realized that God had sent the storm to get his attention. Jonah said that the sailors could throw him into the sea, because he knew that then the storm would calm down. The sailors didn’t want to do this and they tried to row back to shore, but they couldn’t make it.

Picture 6: Finally, they threw Jonah into the sea and prayed to God to forgive them for what they had done. As soon as Jonah fell into the sea, the storm subsided and the sea became calm. (Jonah 1:4–16).

Picture 7: God let a huge fish come and swallow Jonah. He wanted to give Jonah a second chance to decide to complete the task he had been given. Jonah spent three days and three nights inside the belly of the great fish.

Picture 8: Inside the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed to God: “I know You can hear me deep down here! You threw me into the deep, in the middle of the sea. Seaweed was wrapped around my head. But, Lord my God, You rescued me from death! And I thank You, Lord. I will do what I have promised You!” (Jonah 2:1–9).

Picture 9: God heard Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish and told the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land. (Jonah 2:10).

Picture 10: For the second time, God told Jonah to go to the great city of Nineveh and cry out the important message from God to those who lived there. Jonah got up and walked the long way to Nineveh to fulfill the task that God had given him. He arrived in Nineveh and walked through the city. He shouted, “In 40 days Nineveh will be destroyed!” Then the people of Nineveh, who had believed in idols and done many wicked things before, believed in God. God saw that the people of Nineveh regretted all the bad things they had done, and that they had now decided to stop doing them and believe in God instead. God regretted that He had said that the city would be destroyed and He didn’t do it after all. (Jonah 3).

Picture 11: Then something strange happened! Jonah was angry that God didn’t destroy the city after all, and he was afraid that others would say he wasn’t a true prophet because the city wasn’t destroyed after all. He was thinking more about himself than all those people in Nineveh. He failed to choose the good and be happy that things were going well with them. That made God sad. God told Jonah that it’s more important to care about others than just thinking about yourself.

The God that Jonah spoke to in this story is the same God that we can speak to in our hearts today. God is always the same. He is merciful and kind. He loves people and wants all people to be good to each other. We all have an important task from God, and that is to be good to those we are together with.

Decor

The setting around the gathering has a lot to say for the children. From the moment the children enter the room, the decor and lighting can be something that supports the Bible story. As a mentor, you can be creative and make it exciting for the children. Children use all their senses and learn in different ways. Here are some suggestions and ideas for how to decorate, inspired by the elements in the story of Jonah.

1. Sound and lighting

Background music or sounds when the children enter the room. Water sounds for example. Lighting: blue light.

2. Entrance to the room

Create an exciting entrance: give children the feeling of entering the mouth of the fish.

3. Other supporting elements

A party tent was set up inside with the children’s chairs arranged in the tent to create a feeling that they were sitting “inside the fish”. Using simple effects such as paper fish, strings of lights, and pieces of fabric, a warm and exciting environment was created inside the tent for the children to sit in.

4. A surprise on the chairs

For children in this age group, it means a lot to receive a small gift. Finding a surprise on their chair that relates to the day’s Bible story can be very nice, and helps to support the message. It can also help the children to find where to sit and make them settle into their seats.

Suggestions/alternatives:

  • Various sea creatures in small figures lie on the chairs, one for each
  • Each child gets their own box of slime (since it is slimy inside the belly of the fish)
  • Each child gets a mask with a different fish.
5. Make a sensory box

Children in this age group often need something concrete they can touch to help them understand things better. A good idea might be to make a sensory box that allows children to feel what it was like inside the fish – before they hear the story. This proposal uses a cardboard box covered in fabric. Inside is boiled pasta with blue or green food coloring: If you live near the sea, you can also collect sea grass and seaweed from there.

Suggestions for tangible items

For children in this age group, it can be good to have visual objects that support the message and help them remember the story. For example, before and after the story, they can see and touch the boat, the people and the fish.

Questions for discussion

  • Why didn’t Jonah want to go to Nineveh?
  • What happened to Jonah?
  • What happened to the people of Nineveh when Jonah gave them the message from God?
  • What is our important task from God?

The activity section is very important for enjoyment, creates good memories, and builds friendships. It is important to have variety here so that you meet calm, creative, but also more active, outgoing children.

Hobby

Some children want to play, others want to make something. Here are suggestions for craft activities related to the story of Jonah.

Here you can download PDF files of coloring sheets.

Make your own whale

Preparations:

  • Download the PDF template

  • Print the template

  • Lay out scissors

  • Show a finished whale

  • Help the children cut and fold the whale

    Suggestions for different whales:

Games

Here is a suggestion on how to create an exciting obstacle course for children, using elements from the story they have just heard. Children learn best through repetition, so highlighting elements they recognize from the story can help them remember it better. Use what you have available and be creative! Of course, you can also add more exciting “obstacles” if you wish.

  1. A rocking boat – a tub placed on a mattress

  2. Jumping into the sea – blue fabric

  3. Crawling through the whale – a table with a long tablecloth over which strips of shredded plastic bags, real seaweed or other things are glued to the ceiling, with bubble wrap on the floor, etc.

  4. Balancing on the stones – be creative with what you use; for example pillows, bring in some large stones, balancing cushions, pieces of fabric

Equipment:

  • A tub
  • A mattress
  • Blue fabric
  • A table
  • A long tablecloth
  • Plastic bags
  • Bubble wrap
  • Seaweed
  • Cushions
  • Large stones

Preparations:

  • Cut plastic bags into strips

  • Set up the obstacle course according to the suggestion in the illustration, or as you wish.

Instructions:

  • Present the obstacle course to the children, and make some exciting points about the fact that they are about to embark on the same journey as Jonah, with a storm in the sea, through the belly of the fish, and back onto dry land.

This is a twist on the classic “Pin the tail on the donkey””.

Equipment:

  • Gray, white, blue and pink sheets

  • Scissors

  • Glue

  • A scarf or similar for blindfolding

Preparations:

  • Draw the desired shape on the sheets

  • Cut out and glue the pieces together

Instructions:

  • The children are blindfolded and have to try to attach the spout to the right place on the whale

A fun way to make an octopus.

Equipment:

  • Balloons in different colors

  • Sheets in different colors

  • Scissors

  • Glue

Preparations:

  • You can choose whether to prepare balloons with eyes in advance or together with the children

Instructions:

  • Let the children cut strips of paper and glue them together in chains as shown in the picture

  • Attach the “arms” to the balloon as they become ready, so the children can see the octopuses take shape

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