Jesus Rescues
Here are 9 retellings of New Testament rescue stories aimed at 0-4 year olds. (I was only going to do 8 but I accidently thought of 9 things and couldn’t bear to get rid of one!) Ideal for a story time in a Playgroup or Church Crèche setting. They were loved by the toddlers I told them to!
You’ll find below for each story talk and a Bible passage; songs; toy suggestions and a craft idea.
1. Jesus Rescues his Friends from the Storm
God’s Weatherman
When you’re trapped on a boat in a sudden storm, and even the experiences fisherman are out of their depth: the only person who can help is someone in control of of the weather. [Mark 4:35-41]
Story: Jesus rescues his friends from the storm – story
Jesus rescues his friends from the storm – powerpoint
Theme: Water
Songs:
Row Row Row your boat, 1-2-3-4-5 Once I caught a fish alive, 5 little ducks, 5 little speckled frogs, A sailor went to sea, sea, sea, All the little ducks, It’s raining, It’s pouring.
Toys: Tubs of water and bath toys (put them on towels to help soak up the inevitable mess). Paper boats and fans so they can create their own storms. If you have outside space then they can help you water the plants and play with the watering cans or sieves and colanders.
Craft:A Boat in the Storm
You will need:
Paper plates (in blue, or colour them yourself)
Boat cut outs (Click for templates)
Split pins
Crayons
Cocktail stick or sharp pencil for poking holes.
Colour in the boat and then get an adult to poke a hole in the boat and the plate. Poke the split pin through the holes and then split its ‘legs’ to hold in place. You can now spin the boat during the storm and hold it still in the calm!
2. Jesus Rescues 2 Women from Sickness
God’s Healer
Whose Jesus here for? The old, the young, the rich, the poor anyone who asks for his help. And he can even help the dead. [Luke 8:40-56]
Story: Jesus rescues two women from sickness and death – story
Jesus rescues a sick lady and a dead girl – powerpoint
Theme: Family
Songs:
Hot cross buns, 5 Little Princes – anything can jump on the bed: it’s usually monkeys, 5 little ducks, Tommy Thumb – you can sing a family finger version of this, Pat-a-cake
Toys: Dolls, dressing up and food and cooking toys are prime for this!
Craft: Toilet Role People
You will need:
Toilet rolls – plain or painted in a variety of flesh colours
Patterned/Coloured paper cut into short wide strips
Tape and glue
Wool or cottos wool
Felt tip pens
Let each child choose their patterned paper – one for a shirt and one for trousers or a skirt. Help them to wrap their paper round the toilet roll and tape it in place (you want to make sure part of the tape is on the toilet roll otherwise their trousers fall down!). Tape or glue wool or cotton wool into place for hair then draw on faces/pockets/bow ties etc.
3. Jesus Rescues 10 Men from Leperosy
God’s Word
Jesus talks to the people, no-one else would talk to, Jesus gets close to the people he should stay away from, and he heals simply by speaking. [Luke 17:11-19]
Story: Jesus rescues 10 men from leprosy – story
Jesus rescues 10 men from leprosy – powerpoint
Theme: Counting
Songs:
1-2-3-4-5 Once I caught a fish alive, 5 little ducks, 5 little speckled frogs, 10 fat sausages
Toys: Anything with numbers or letters on and blocks; lots of blocks for building and counting.
Craft: 10 Little Fingers
You will need:
Paper
Paint
Paint brushes
Number stickers (you can write numbers onto plain stickers)
Bowl and towel for washing hands
Let them paint one hand and print it on the paper. Then wash and repeat with the other hand. You should have enough room for two child handprints on A4 or Letter paper. Help them to stick the number stickers on and count their fingers
4. Jesus Rescues Lazarus from the Grave
God’s True Life
What normally happens at a funeral, and what happens at a funeral when Jesus is a guest, are two very different things! [John 11:1-44]
Story: Jesus rescues Lazarus from death – story
Jesus rescues Lazarus from death – powerpoint
Theme: Sleeping
Songs: See the little Bunnies, Twinkle, twinkle little star, Here we go round the mulberry bush – all the actions are things we do when we wake up, If I go Climbing, If you’re sleepy and you know it (to the tune of If you’re happy and you know it)
Toys: Boxes and chairs for structure, then blankets, duvets, cushions, sheets, pillows etc for making dens. Cuddly toys and story books. Teach them how to play sleeping lions!
Craft: SPiral Star Mobile
You will need:
Spirals and stars cut out of different coloured card (template)
Something pointy to make small holes
Wool or string cut to 30cm
Liquid glue or sellotape (optional)
Blunt Wool needle (optional
Older kids may be able to help cut out the stars. Make a small hole at every cross in the spiral and in every star. Help the children to thread the end of the yarn through each hole on the spiral and know firmly in place; the knot should be below the card in the centre hole and above the card for all other holes. Attach stars to the other end of the wool (except for the middle string). Tape or glue knots in place for extra security. Add more small stars and other decorations if wanted. Hang your mobile by the centre piece of wool.
5. Jesus Rescues Zacchaeus from his Past
God’s Gift Giver
When Jesus comes to town Zach is too little to see over the crowd. But Jesus knows that not his biggest problem. [Luke 19:1-10]
Story: Jesus rescues Zach from his past – story
Jesus rescues Zach from his past – powerpoint
Theme: Food
Songs: 10 fat sausages, Hot cross buns, Pat-a-cake, 5 little peas, Pease porridge,A Pizza Hut, I’m a little teapot.
Toys: Any plastic food, play kitchen, empty (and clean) food boxes etc. Dried pasta shapes, bottles filled with dry rice/lentils/beans as shakers. Have a tasting table with small pieces of fruit and veg from all the colours of the rainbow (off the top of my head – strawberry; carrot; pineapple; lettuce; blueberry; grape and red cabbage).
Craft: Favourite Food
You will need:
Paper plates
Food pictures cut out from adverts
Glue sticks
Ask them to make a plate of their favourite food. Help them stick the pictures they choose onto a plate. Older ones can cut their own pictures out.
6. Jesus Rescues the World from Sin
God’s Rescuer
The ultimate of all rescues, not just in the Bible but of all rescues anywhere and anytime. [Luke 23:44-49]
Story: Jesus rescues the world from sin - story
Jesus rescues the world from sin - powerpoint
Theme: Love
Songs: He’s got the whole world in his hands; Skidamarink; He died upon the cross; If I go Climbing
Toys: Cuddly toys and whatever their favourite toys are! Also any rescue vehicles you have.
Craft: Heart
You will need:
Heart shapes cut out
Stickers
Crayons
Pom-poms/jewels/googly eyes/scrap paper or whatever else would be fun!
Glue
Give them the cut out and let them decorate like crazy
7. Jesus Rescues Us for a Better World
God’s King
How do you know when a rescue was succesful? Well, one of the ways you can tell is when the rescuer comes back, of course! [Luke 23:50-24:11]
Story: Jesus rescues us for a better world – story
Jesus rescues us for a better world – powerpoint
Theme: Garden
Songs: Round and Round the Garden; Here we go round the Mulberry bush; Mary Mary quite contrary; Ring a ring of roses
Toys: Anything that you might find in a garden. Why not set up a sensory table with twigs, leaves, herbs and flowers or fill a box with earth and hide toys in it for them to dig out.
Craft: Pipe cleaner flowers
You will need:
Strips of paper (any kind
Green pipe cleaners
Line up three or four strips of paper. Wind one end of the pipe cleaner around the middle of the paper. Shape the other end into a leaf.
8. Jesus Rescues Saul from his Hatred
God’s New Man
Jesus doesn’t stop rescuing after he’s gone back to heaven, he’ll even rescue his enemies. [Acts 9:1-19]
Story: Jesus rescues Saul from hatred – story
Jesus rescues Saul from his hatred – powerpoint
Theme: Travel
Songs: The Grand Old Duke of York; The wheels on the bus; If I go Climbing; Row, Row, Row, your boat; A sailor went to sea, sea, sea
Toys: Vehicles and train sets. Big cardboard boxes that they can colour in (with crayons) and pretend are cars, trains or boats.
Craft: Steering Wheel
You will need:
Paper plates (cut to resemble a steering wheel or with lines drawn in and holes punched to making cutting easier)
Crayons
Optional: attach a pipe cleaner to the centre.
Get them to colour in a steering wheel and, if you’d like, poke a hole through the centre then thread a pipecleaner through making a knot at the front and leaving the rest free so it can be attached to the arm of a chair, a water bottle, the front of a pram/stroller, or a cardboard box – anything can be turned into a car!
9. Jesus Rescues a Philippean Jailer
God’s Key
God rescues his people from prison and at the same time rescues their jailer! [Acts 16]
Story: Jesus rescues the Jailer from death – story
Jesus rescues the Jailer from death – powerpoint
Theme: Music
Songs: I am the music man; Let’s make a loud noise; Old MacDonald had a band to the tune of Old Macdonald had a farm.
Toys: Musical instruments of a shaker or bell persuasion. Any toys that play a tune. Drum sticks – but make it clear that people are not drums and should not be hit!
Craft: Trumpet
You will need:
Cardboard tubes (i.e. toilet rolls)
Paint or crayons
Tape
Tissue paper cut into this strips
Decorate the tubes. Lie a section of tape sticky side up on the table, then attach strips of tissue paper perpendicular to it. Then wrap the tissue-papered-tape around the end of the cardboard tube, the main length of the paper should be beyond the end of the tube. Use extra tape to attach where needed. Blow into the trumpet from the non-papery end and watch the strips rustle.
WARNING! It turns out four year olds can make a LOT of noise with a cardboard tube!