Ages 4+ · Bible Stories · Jesus teaches and helps
The wise and the foolish builders
🏠a house🪨rock🏖️sand🌧️a storm
Two houses.The big ideaJesus told us to listen to his words and do them, and then we stand strong.
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.
Example 1: 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.
Example 2: 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.
Example 3: 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!
Example 4: 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.
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
- 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?
- Which house tumbled down?
- What did the streams do in the storm?
- Blocks on a pillow or on the floor. Which stay up?
Answers: 1. The rock · 2. The one on the sand · 3. Came up · 4. The ones on the floor
Try at homeWith a grown-up, pick one kind thing Jesus asked us to do, and do it today.
For grown-upsBuild 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.