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Share the story below with your child. Hand motions are provided throughout. Use these—or create your own—to bring the story to life together.
When God made the world, everything was perfect.
(Stack your fists together.)
But after sin had entered it, God saw that the world had become filled with hurt and violence.
(With fists side-by-side, quickly break them apart.)
So, God spoke to one special man named Noah.
(Cup hands around mouth.)
“I am going to destroy the whole earth and everyone on it,” God said.
(Sweep hands out in front of you quickly.)
“Get some wood and build a very, very large boat.
(Cup hands together and move them from side to side as if on waves.)
“Create rooms in it and cover it with tar inside and out. Make the boat three stories high and put a door on one side. I am going to send a flood to destroy everything!” God continued.
(Wiggle fingers in the air downward as if raining.)
“Nothing will survive.
(Sweep hands out in front of you quickly.)
But I promise that you and your family will be kept safe in the boat.”
(Cup hands together and move from side to side as if on waves.)
God also told Noah to bring a male and female of every kind of animal on the boat with him.
(Hold up two fingers. Then, cup hands together.)
“Store up enough food for you and your family and all the animals as well,” God said. Noah obeyed. He did everything God said to do.
(Walk in place.)
For forty days, the rain came down, and floodwaters rose.
(Wiggle fingers in the air downward as if raining. Then, make a waving motion with your hand.)
But God didn’t forget about Noah, his family, or all the animals living inside the boat. The floodwaters began to give way to dry land, and God spoke to Noah.
(Cup hands around mouth.)
“Come out,” God told Noah. “Bring your family and all the animals out, too. Multiply and be fruitful.”
(Motion toward you.) And Noah obeyed.
(Open hands in front of your face like a door. Then, walk in place.)
After sharing the story, explain to your child that Noah lived in a very dry area of the world that was mostly desert. This meant that God was telling Noah to do something he had likely never done before. Imagine how Noah must have felt! Imagine what the people around him thought—and might have even done or said to him—after seeing him build a big ol’ boat in the middle of a desert. But none of this stopped Noah. He obeyed God and built the boat that saved him, his family, and the many animals.
Share that we can do big things, too—just like Noah did—even when we’ve never done them before. Explain that just like God helped Noah by giving him specific instructions, God helps each of us in many ways, too. He puts special people in our lives to help and teach us. He provides opportunities for us to learn and try new things. God even gives us the chance and the opportunity to start over and try again when we mess up.
