The story of Noah’s Ark is maybe one of the most famous of the Bible. It is recorded in Genesis 6 & 7. After Adam and Eve’s sin and then the murder of Abel, the people on earth grew increasingly evil. Generations passed and God became sorry that he had created man. So he decided to destroy all people on the earth with a flood. Except he didn’t want to destroy a man named Noah and his family. Noah still believed and followed God. So, God came to him and told Noah to build a huge boat. He gave specific instructions for how to build the “ark”. Even though people made fun of him, Noah did what God commanded him.
After building the ark, Noah was instructed to bring animals onboard. These animals would be saved from the flood waters, as would Noah’s family. Finally, they all boarded the ark and the rains began to fall. For 40 days and 40 nights it rained. Everything that was outside of the ark was destroyed, but Noah and his family were safe.
When the rains had come to an end, Noah opened a window on the ark and sent out a dove to see if there was any dry land. The first time he sent the dove, she came back with no sign of dry land. But the next week when he sent her out, she came back with an olive leaf in her mouth. Noah knew the waters were receding. After one more week, he sent the dove out again and she never came back. Noah knew it was time to leave the boat.
After coming off of the ark, God made a covenant with Noah that he would not ever destroy the whole earth by flood again. God put a rainbow in the sky as a sign of this covenant. Noah trusted God and was saved from the terrible flood!
Important Bible verse:
Genesis 9:12-13: And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
Important truths about God from the story:
- The story of Noah teaches us about how seriously God takes sin and how it hurts him when men choose evil.
- It also teaches that God is aware of those who love and follow Him. He protected Noah and his family because of their obedience.
- The end of the story demonstrates God’s faithfulness when He creates a covenant with Noah.
How to use this story:
- This story is a good one to help kids understand what it means to obey God. Even though Noah did something that others thought silly (building a boat when it had never rained), he did what God told him to do. Because of it, he saved himself, his family and all of mankind to come.
- Kids might ask why God had to destroy all the bad people. We cannot read the mind of God, but we can assume that the evil and violence was so bad that in order for things to get better, all of the bad had to be removed.
- God kept His promise to Noah and He will keep His promises to us as well.
Books
- Noah’s Ark Picture Storybook by Parragon Books- A beautiful book, written in simple language for young children.
- Noah’s Ark (Lift-the-Flap) by Michelle Knudsen- A fun book with lots of flaps for kids to lift while they learn the story of Noah’s ark.
- Noah’s Ark: The Story of the Flood and After by E. Boyd Smith- This book is a good one to read aloud and covers the flood and afterward.
- Inside Noah’s Ark 4 Kids by Becki Dudley– Kids will love this “inside” look at the ark. What happened inside with the animals while it was afloat?
- Noah’s Ark: The Brick Bible by Brendan Powell Smith- This unique book tells the story of Noah using legos!
Toys/Games
- Fisher-Price Little People Noah’s Ark Set– A classic toy kids will enjoy playing with, you can also use it to tell the story.
- Wee Believers Noah’s Ark Foam Toys– Let kids interact with the story of Noah during bath time! These fun characters are made for the tub.
- Noah’s Animal Rescue Board Game– This is a fun game geared toward young kids that teaches them skills by using the story of Noah. Get all the animals to the ark before the flood!
- Noah Jigsaw Puzzle– Kids enjoy puzzles and you can tell them the story while they complete the puzzle.
- All Aboard the Ark Game– This game is a memory match game with Noah’s ark cards.
Videos
- Noah’s Ark: Bible Story for Kids- A cartoon retelling of the story of Noah.
- Noah’s Ark- Beginners Bible- Hear the story of Noah from the popular Beginner’s Bible.
- Noah’s Ark- This video reads a children’s book with bright pictures that tells Noah’s story.
