How it works
Jesus told a story about two builders. One was wise. He listened to Jesus and did what he said. The other forgot.
The wise builder dug down deep to a big rock and built his house there. The other builder built on the soft sand, because digging is hard work.
A big storm came. The rain came down, the streams came up, and the wind went whoosh!
The house on the rock stood firm. The house on the sand tumbled down. Listening to Jesus and doing what he says is how we stand strong.
Worked examples
Build a tower two ways
- Stack blocks on a soft pillow, then on the floor.
- The tower on the pillow tips over.
- The tower on the floor stays up, strong and still.
Dig, dig, dig
- Pretend to dig down with a spade, down, down, down.
- Go clink, clink when you reach the rock.
- In those days builders dug down to rock, so a house would not slip.
Rain, streams and wind
- Wiggle your fingers down for the rain.
- Lift your hands up for the streams, and whoosh for the wind.
- Say it together: the rain came down, the streams came up, and the wind went whoosh!
Do one kind thing
- Think of a friend who is sad.
- Help them, sit with them or ask them to play.
- If we listen to Jesus and help a friend, we build on the rock.
A taste of the worksheets
These are some of the questions on the sets. The printable sheets have more and an answer key.
- True or false? 🏠 Was the wise builder snug and dry inside?
- A tower of blocks is on a soft pillow. What happens? 🧱 It tips over / ⬆️ It stays up
- A friend is sad. How can you do what Jesus said? 🚶 Walk away / 🤝 Help them / 🙈 Hide
- True or false? 🙅 In the story, did the wise builder skip the digging?
- True or false? ☀️ In the story, did the sun coming out come last?
Words to know
- rock
- A big, strong stone to build on.
- sand
- Soft ground that slides away.
- spade
- A tool for digging.
- wise
- Listening to Jesus, and then doing what he says.
Watch out for
- Both houses were built before the storm came.
- The rain came down, but the streams came up. They go in different ways.
- The builder on the sand stood safe on the hill, and scratched his head.
- Being wise is listening to Jesus, and then doing what he says.
Try it
What did the wise builder dig down to?
The rock. He dug down, down, down until his spade went clink on the rock.
Which house tumbled down?
The one on the sand. The sand slid away, and the house tumbled into the water.
What did the streams do in the storm?
Came up. The rain came down, the streams came up, and the wind went whoosh!
Blocks on a pillow or on the floor. Which stay up?
The ones on the floor. Blocks on a soft pillow tip over, but on the floor they stay up.
For grown-ups
With a grown-up, pick one kind thing Jesus asked us to do, and do it today.
Build two block towers together, one on a pillow and one on the floor, then tell the story again. Ask what kind thing you could do today.