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Jonah Goes to Nineveh

Jonah Obeys God

Day 172of 180
Week 35of 36
15Minutes
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🎯 What You'll Learn

Learning Objectives

1

Children will know that Jonah obeyed God and walked to Nineveh

2

Children will practice walking and following directions like Jonah did

3

Children will understand that obeying God makes Him happy

📖 Scripture Connection

Jonah 3:3

“So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to Yahweh's word. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey across.”

— Jonah 3:3 (WEB)

This verse shows us that Jonah finally obeyed God and went to the big city of Nineveh, just like God asked him to do

📦 Materials Needed

  • city pictures from your BibleMouse materials
  • masking tape or rope to make a walking path
  • small backpack or bag
  • happy face sticker or picture
📚 Step-by-Step

Lesson Plan

1Opening (3 min)

Welcome to today's BibleMouse lesson! Let's start by remembering what happened yesterday. Yesterday, God spoke to Jonah again and told him to go to Nineveh. This time, Jonah decided to listen and obey! Today we're going to learn about Jonah's long walk to the big city.

💭 Review Question: Do you remember what Jonah decided to do when God spoke to him the second time?
2Teaching (5 min)

After Jonah got out of the big fish, God told him again to go to Nineveh. This time, Jonah said 'Yes, God!' and started walking. Nineveh was very, very far away - it took Jonah many days to walk there! But Jonah kept walking because he wanted to obey God. When Jonah finally got to Nineveh, he told all the people about God, just like God had asked him to do.

📌 Key Talking Points:
  • Jonah had to walk a very long way to get to Nineveh
  • Walking to Nineveh took many days, but Jonah didn't give up
  • When Jonah got there, he told the people about God
💬 Discussion Questions:
  • How do you think Jonah felt when he was walking so far?
  • What do you do when Mommy or Daddy asks you to do something?
3Activity: Walking to Nineveh (6 min)
movement

We're going to pretend to be Jonah walking all the way to Nineveh! We'll make a special walking path and take turns being Jonah on his journey to obey God.

📝 Instructions:
  1. Use masking tape or rope to create a winding path across your room or yard
  2. Give your child the small backpack to wear like Jonah might have carried supplies
  3. Place the city picture at the end of the path to represent Nineveh
  4. Have your child walk slowly along the path while you count to 10, saying 'Jonah is walking to obey God!'
  5. When they reach 'Nineveh,' have them say 'God loves you!' to the people in the city picture
  6. Give them a happy face sticker for obeying like Jonah did
🔄 Variations:

Simpler: Make the path shorter and help guide your child along it, focusing just on walking and reaching the city

Challenge: Add obstacles like pillows to step over or have them carry a message scroll to deliver to Nineveh

4Closing (3 min)

What a wonderful job walking to Nineveh like Jonah! Jonah learned that obeying God is always the right choice, even when it's hard work. God was so happy that Jonah obeyed Him and went to tell the people about His love.

📝 Review Questions:
  • Where did Jonah walk to?
  • Did Jonah obey God this time?
🙏 Prayer:

Dear God, thank You for giving Jonah another chance to obey. Help us to obey You too, just like Jonah did. Amen.

Coming up: Tomorrow in our BibleMouse lesson, we'll learn about what happened when the people in Nineveh heard Jonah's message from God!

💎 Memory Verse

Psalm 139:7

“God is everywhere!”

— Psalm 139:7 (WEB)

🎯 Activity: March in place while saying the verse, then point up, down, left, and right to show God is everywhere around us

👨‍👩‍👧 For Parents

Teaching Notes

📚 Background:

Nineveh was the capital of Assyria and one of the largest cities in the ancient world. For a 3-year-old, the focus should be on Jonah's obedience and the long journey, not the historical details.

💡 Teaching Tips:
  • Emphasize the walking motion and distance to help your child understand Jonah's effort to obey
  • Use lots of praise when your child follows the walking directions to reinforce the obedience theme
🤔 Common Struggles:

Some children may get distracted during the walking activity or want to run instead of walk steadily

👀 Signs of Understanding:

Your child connecting walking/following directions with obeying, and showing understanding that Jonah made the right choice

🚀 Want More?

Extension Activities

  • Look at a map together and talk about how far away different places are from your home
  • Practice following simple directions around the house, celebrating obedience with happy faces from your BibleMouse materials

Ready for Tomorrow?

Great job completing today's lesson!

Continue to Day 173 →Back to Bible