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!
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:
- The House That Went Ker-Splat! by Bill Myers
- The Wise and Foolish Builders by Larry Burgdorf
- The Story of the Two Builders by Tim Ladwig
I certainly hope you and your kiddos enjoy this hands-on Biblical activity to go along with the parable of the wise and foolish builders!
This post was originally published on November 17, 2009.
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what did you use for the stone? It is so nice and flat 🙂
Hi Teri!
It was actually an old landscaping stone that I found in my yard.
Hi “Anonymous”
Thanks for stopping by! You know, I would make sure that the sand isn’t already leveled out when you start…you want it to be kinda like a sand mountain…coming to a semi point at the top. But, don’t use too much. Plus, when it “rained” I did made sure that it wasn’t just a sprinkle. I continued the rain til it started falling. So, make sure that your watering can is completely full!!! I think we ended up with a few inches of water in the container. I don’t think it really matters how many popsicle sticks you use. FYI, I did have to do a few test runs before hand to figure how what exactly I needed to do so that I would have the desired effect for the kids. 🙂 Hope that helps!!!
Hey Jenn…
I really love your information…I just found it by accident…as I was searching for info on Wise/Fool men. I want to do the little experiment above as a visual in my Bible class tomorrow evening. I’ve tried it and my sand house doesn’t fall. How much sand do you have in the container and how many squares of popsicles did you use? Is it four and does that really matter. When I sprinkle water it just causes the sand to level out and the house remains like it was at the start…and that wont produce the desired effect–ha! Any suggestions?
I love it!
We may do this one.
What a great illustration…looks like it worked perfectly!
I love that illustration, that’s a much better way than how we did it in our Sunday school class.
What a great hands on illustration!
Love the object lesson. A good reminder. He is a strong foundation, the only foundation.