This perspective image is a wonderful way of summing up the Parable of the rich fool. One direction shows the delighted farmer with his abundant harvest spilling out from the barns, the other sees the landscape unchanged but instead of a smiling character, a sheet covers a shape on the ground.
To make this craft, you will need the 1-page template printout, scissors, and some double-sided tape (or paper glue).
Cut out your pattern pieces.
Take the image piece and fold the two tabs towards you. This will help you monitor which way to fold next.
Fold the remaining image in alternating directions to concertina the paper.
Add 2 lines of double-sided tape to the background.
Stick the round end pieces in place gently, allowing the folded edges to catch on the double-sided tape or glue.
(Adjust to get the best results)
View the image from the side to form the new picture.
Here is the other side view.
Download your FREE TEMPLATE using the relevant link in this box. Help keep the free items on this site free by donating. This site supports my family as we live by God's great economy.
Prayer is powerful, and each community needs to have someone praying for the young people in their church.
It is important to differentiate between prayer for the young peoples ministry, and prayer for the specific young people. I have found that often the former is much more widely prayed for than the latter. This little card is an easy way to ask specific adults to pray. In the example I have not put the child’s full name, it is designed to be filled as much as is needed and nothing more, the child’s name could be just a letter. Print the cards any size you wish, the back of the cards is a summery of the 8 steps if you wish to print it.
Those who receive a card are asked to use it to pray for a child for just one week, using the following 8 points as a guide. At the end of the week, if appropriate, the child can be informed that somebody from church was praying for them this week. The graphic to one side can be printed and placed on the noticeboard – for the prayer cards and the graphic please click on the images and a larger quality image will load.
Start your prayer time by putting aside your issues, both those from today and from your own childhood. Ask God to help you pray unbiased for this child and their needs. Thank God for bringing this child’s needs to you.
Be specific about the child you are praying for. Bring the child to mind if you know them, or use whatever information the card gives. Lift this individual to God as his child and his servant in his kingdom.
Be age specific. Is this an exam year, is there anything in the local news that may effect them, etc. Below is a simple 4 word description of areas that may generate issues by age group, this is very general but may be useful as a starting place for some.
0-1 years
Feeding, Sleeping, Movement, Communication 1-2 years
Independence, Language, Instructions, Self Awareness 2-3 years
Cooperation, Separation anxiety, Defiance, Inter-dependence 3-5 years
Friendships, Exploration, Personality, Pre School 6-8 years
School, Acceptance, Awareness of future, Independent goals 9-11 years
Relationships, Responsibility, Puberty, Peer pressure 12-14 years
Body image, Academic results, Stress, Complex thought
Siblings deeply shape a child’s everyday life. Consider praying for issues surrounding fairness and sibling rivalry, the process of sharing, and the strength to support each other. For single children pray for issues surrounding friendships, autonomy, and demanding attention.
Pray for the parents. Pray for their lead in discovering God, their relationships, and their ability to provide for their children. Consider that for a child provision of love is arguably the most important.
Pray for their contact with church. the group they are part of – it’s group dynamic and the leaders who serve. Pray for the groups needs and how they may influence the child.
Pray for their strengths and passions Praise God for their gifting and ask him to open opportunities to use that gifting in the child’s life. Pray that they can receive the encouragement and necessary tools to develop their gifting.
Pray for the child’s weaknesses and struggles. Pray that God will be with them in the dark moments they may encounter. Pray for strength, reassurance and confidence to face what may be troubling them and peace for the end of their journey through the present trials they face.
The parable of the Rich fool has so much imagery we can use. It’s a great story for harvest about the power of sharing rather than hoarding resources, it’s also a parable that comes from a very common question that rabbi’s would be asked. These games use both those ideas to give you a range of activities, choose the best for your space, age range and time available.
This is a building game: click on the image for the full post with instructions and PDF download. Older children can use the template to make simple barn structure pieces. Once they have made their towering barn, get them to repeat it on a slight slope, one-handed or with another ‘handicap’. For younger children, find smooth building blocks and challenge them to make a tall tower.
Question treasure hunt
All Ages
Any size group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
This is a lovely, simple activity, but it does take some time to set up. Children search and find a question whose answer tells them where to find the next piece of treasure, alongside the piece of treasure (a jigsaw piece works well) is another question whose answer is the location of the next piece of treasure and so on. Link to questions leading to truths.
Divide and share
Under 7’s
Any size group
No Setup time
Quiet game
Can be seated
Sit the children in a circle or round a table and give each child a piece of paper. Ask them to fold it in half as many times as they can. 8 is the limit. Talk about how small we managed to make the piece of paper by keeping it together. Now get them to open their piece of paper up and tear it in half, placing one half in the middle of the circle. Repeat this until you have just a tiny piece of paper. How many times did they tear their paper when they give it away?
Lean on me
Ages 7+
Big group
No Setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
A bit like a human domino tumble, this exercise relies on sharing the strength of those next to you, so is ideal for a group of kids with a similar build. Have everyone stand in a circle and join hands (hold each other’s wrists if hands are unsuitable for your group). Slowly have the group lean to the right, left, or backwards supporting each other’s weight.
Pass the parcel
All Ages
Any size group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Can be seated
This classic game is a great exercise in sharing, both because the game doesn’t work unless everyone plays, but also because in sharing you don’t always get the big reward at the end. Try to make the main prize an item that the ‘winner’ has the option of sharing out or keeping for themselves.
The big action the rich fool does in this parable is to build barns, and this game / creative challenge lets your youngsters do the same. Stacking up layers using these little flimsy paper barn pieces can be a real challenge. There are many suggestions at the end of the post to make this a little tougher for older groups, many that may make them look more fool-ish.
To make this craft, you will need the 1-page template printout, scissors, and some paper glue.
The construction is a simple. Cut out the walls and the floor/roof pieces.
Fold the walls – this is optional, you could have round barns if you prefer.
Add a touch of glue to the tab and complete the tube shape.
Little barns are made of one tube shape and a roof/floor piece
Keep stacking, how high can you go…
Ways to make it more interesting – one hand, one eye, using your feet, kitchen tongues or chopsticks, sloping surface, blindfolded and directed by others…
Download your FREE TEMPLATE using the relevant link in this box. Help keep the free items on this site free by donating. This site supports my family as we live by God's great economy.
Each JWL lesson has a collectable card alongside high-quality character images and a colouring page that links to each lesson. Click on the images below to see a larger version. Save the images by right click + ‘save image as’ (computers) OR long press + ‘save image’ (mobile).
These images are NOT copyright free.
These resources are provided for personal/classroom use only. Use can use them for teaching, games, publicity, decor, big screen presentations, flannelgraphs, stickers, or any other non-commercial activity in your church, school, home, or organised group. You may not use them in products you are going to sell – both printed and digital, or to upload the original images online, on websites, social media or in YouTube videos. Any questions, please reach out to me using the contact page link at the end of the page.
Start your prayer time by putting aside your issues, both those from today and from your own childhood. Ask God to help you pray unbiased for this child and their needs. Thank God for bringing this child’s needs to you.
Be specific about the child you are praying for. Bring the child to mind if you know them, or use whatever information the card gives. Lift this individual to God as his child and his servant in his kingdom.
Be age specific. Is this an exam year, is there anything in the local news that may effect them, etc. Below is a simple 4 word description of areas that may generate issues by age group, this is very general but may be useful as a starting place for some.
Siblings deeply shape a child’s everyday life. Consider praying for issues surrounding fairness and sibling rivalry, the process of sharing, and the strength to support each other. For single children pray for issues surrounding friendships, autonomy, and demanding attention.
Pray for the parents. Pray for their lead in discovering God, their relationships, and their ability to provide for their children. Consider that for a child provision of love is arguably the most important.
Pray for their contact with church. the group they are part of – it’s group dynamic and the leaders who serve. Pray for the groups needs and how they may influence the child.
Pray for their strengths and passions Praise God for their gifting and ask him to open opportunities to use that gifting in the child’s life. Pray that they can receive the encouragement and necessary tools to develop their gifting.
Pray for the child’s weaknesses and struggles. Pray that God will be with them in the dark moments they may encounter. Pray for strength, reassurance and confidence to face what may be troubling them and peace for the end of their journey through the present trials they face.
