Building on the Rock [Bible Activity]

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The wise man builds his house on the rock! Learn how to teach this Bible truth to kids with a FUN, hands-on learning activity that’s easy to prepare!

For our Bible lesson, we focused on Matthew 7:24-27. The story found in these verses talk about the parable of the wise and foolish builders. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Of course, we used a fun, Bible activity to go along with the lesson!

I incoporated this hands-on, building your life on the Rock, Bible activity with our MFW Kindergarten letter R study on rocks. It tied in perfectly! (Be sure to check out our rock Bible craft and copywork printable!)

So, I began by reading the Bible verses and explaining that Jesus is like the rock and that when we listen and obey Him, it is like we are building our house (our life) on The Rock, Jesus Christ!

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

-Matthew 7:24-27

To really hit home the idea of Christ being the Rock and to further illustrate Matthew 7:24-27, we built a house on a rock and a house on the sand. Can you guess which house withstood the heavy rains?

Building on the Rock Activity Instructions:

Step 1: Gather your supplies.

You will need the following materials:

two identical containers
popsicle sticks
sand
a rock
a watering can

Step 2: Prepare the activity.

Add the sand to one of the containers and the rock to the other container. Fill the watering can with water.

Step 3: Build the houses.

Alternate stacking the popsicle sticks to build a stucture on both the sand and the rock.

Step 4: Bring on the storm and heavy rains!

Use the watering can to “rain” on the houses.

Step 5: Observe and discuss!

Notice how the house built on the sand crumbles and washes away. Notice how the the house built on the rock is able to withstand the rain and stand strong!

Talk about how we (the house) are able to stand strong when we build our life on Christ (the Rock)! He is our solid foundation!

While I cannot guarantee that the activity will work perfectly for you, I do have some recommendations to help it go as smoothly as possible!

Helpful Hints to Make Sure the Activity Works:

*** Remember, the goal is for the house on the sand to fall and the house on the rock to NOT fall.

1) I used a landscaping stone that was fairly flat on the top and bottom. This helped the house on the rock to withstand the water.

2) Do NOT pour too much water over the house on the rock. The water should not fill the container to the point of it covering the entire rock. The house may float away if you do so.

3) I made sure that the sand was NOT level, so that the house built on it would be more unstable and more likely to fall.

4) When making it rain, don’t just sprinkle the water on the sand. Pour, and keep pouring! I continued letting it “rain” until the house on the sand actually started falling. So, make sure that your watering can is completely full of water!

5) My final and most important hint: Do a test run of the activity before presenting it to the kids! I did a few test runs beforehand to figure what exactly I needed to do so that I would have the desired effect for the kids. I suggest you do the same!

Totally making the connection, the kids reminded me about the God Rocks episode where they talk about building on The Rock. The kids belted out the lyrics to the song and I even chimed in with them! I couldn’t help it, I love, love, LOVE God Rocks! We even made our very own God Rocks from actual rocks!

We also sang the lyrics of an old hymn: “On Christ the solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.”

More Parable of the Wise Man Resources:

Are you looking for even more ways to illustrate the Biblical truth of building your house (life) on the rock (Jesus)? Trying to find more wise/foolish builder resources? Check out the books I’ve found: