Lesson 15: Rainy Days and Rocky Foundations

Distribute name tags and snacks. Choose one of the following activities to do together while children eat their snack.

Collect prayer requests from the students. The leader or a student can pray for the entire group, or a leader can pair up students and invite them to pray for one another.

• “If you were building a fort, what would you use to make it really strong?”
  (Encourage the children to use their imagination. This will tie in later with the rock/sand object lesson).
• “What are some choices you make every day?”
  (e.g., being kind or listening to grown-ups?).
• “What do you think it means to follow Jesus every day?”
  (Introduce the idea of obedience and the choices we make).
• “What is something you have learned that helps you make good choices?”
  (Connect children to the idea of hearing and doing what Jesus says).

“Jesus teaches us how to live in a way that helps others and shows God’s love. Today, we will learn more about what it means to follow Jesus’ teachings.”

Objective: To help kids experience the difference between building their life on something strong (Jesus’ teachings) versus something unstable.

Setup:

• Set up two building stations: one on the “rock” and one on the “sand.”
• Place blocks/cups within reach of each group or pair.

Divide kids into pairs or small groups.

“Today you are going to try to build the tallest, strongest tower you can.”

Have kids start by building their tower on the flat, sturdy surface (the “rock”). Give them about 3 minutes to build.

Once built, gently blow on the tower, tap the table lightly, or wiggle it just a little to simulate a “storm.”

See if the tower remains standing or falls.

Now, have kids build a second tower on the shaky, uneven surface (the “sand”). Give them the same 3 minutes to build.

Gently shake, tap, or blow near the sand surface, just like you did with the previous surface.

See how the tower reacts this time.

Encourage kids to notice which tower was easier to build, which one was stronger, and why.

Ask:

• “What was different about building on the rock compared to the sand?”
• “Which tower stood stronger? Why?”

“Every day, we make lots of choices—like choosing to be kind, to share, or to listen to our parents and teachers. Some choices are easy, and some are really hard.

Sometimes, hard things happen that make life feel shaky, like we are in the middle of a big storm! But Jesus teaches us how to live in a way that helps us stay standing no matter what. Today, we are going to learn what it means to build our life on Jesus.”

Welcome the students to Crossroads and tell them you are glad they came this week.

Feel free to choose one, two, or even all of these ideas to start Large Group!

(Talk to God about something you cannot do alone and ask him for his help.)

Tell kids that closing their eyes and folding their hands together can help keep them focused and not distract those around them.

• “How do you know what is right and wrong?”
• “When you are faced with a choice, how do you know what to do?”

Read Matthew 7:24-27 aloud for the group.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

“Let’s think about something together. If you were going to build a house, where would you put it? On strong, hard rock—or soft, squishy sand?”
(Encourage kids to answer and explain their thinking.)

“When we build houses, the first thing they work on is called the foundation, which is what the whole house sits on. If the foundation is strong, the house can stay standing—even in storms. But if the foundation is weak, the house can break or fall down.

Jesus told a story about two builders who made very different choices.

One built his house on rock. When storms came, the house stayed strong. Jesus said this builder was “wise”—he made the right choice.

The other builder chose sand. When the wind and rain came, his house crashed down. Jesus said this builder was “foolish”—he did not make a smart choice.

But Jesus was not just talking about buildings. He was talking about our lives.

Our choices are like the things we build with. When we listen to Jesus and do what he says, it is like building our lives on strong rock. But when we ignore him, it is like building on sand—our lives will not stand when hard things happen.”

Objective: Help kids physically respond to choices that either build their life on Jesus (“rock”) or on other things (“sand”).

Setup:

1. Use tape or signs to clearly mark one side of the room ROCK and the opposite side SAND.
2. Gather kids in the middle of the room at the starting point.

“I am going to tell you something someone might do. If you think it is like building your life on Jesus and obeying him, run to the ROCK side!

If you think it is ignoring what Jesus says and doing the easy or wrong thing, run to the SAND side!”

Practice a round:

• “You help a friend who dropped their books.” (Kids should run to ROCK.)
• “You tell a lie so you do not get in trouble.” (Kids should run to SAND.)

Play for about 8–10 examples, calling them out one by one. Wait for everyone to pick a side before explaining the right answer briefly.

Rock & Sand Choices:

• “You forgive someone who hurt your feelings.” (ROCK)
• “You cheat on a game to win.” (SAND)
• “You pray and ask Jesus for help when you are scared.” (ROCK)
• “You say mean words when you are mad at someone.” (SAND)
• “You only think about what you want, not what others need.” (SAND)
• “You share your toys even when you really do not want to.” (ROCK)
• “You hear what Jesus says, but decide not to listen.” (SAND)
• “You obey your parents the first time they ask.” (ROCK)

After a few rounds, ask some discussion questions:

• “Which side do you want your life to be built on?”
• “What happens when we build on something that is not strong, like sand?”
• “How can we make sure we are building on the rock every day?”

“Today we learned that Jesus wants us to build our lives on something strong—on him!

When we listen to what Jesus says and do it, it is like building our life on a solid rock. Even when hard things happen, we will not give up because Jesus is with us.”

• “What is one way you can build your life on the rock by following Jesus?” (Take a few answers.)

“Remember, you do not have to do it alone. Keep listening to Jesus, keep trusting him, and keep following him every day. And you will build a strong life that is like a strong house.”

Pray: “Jesus, thank you for loving us. Help us build our lives on you and shine your light to others this week. We love you. Amen.”

How to Play:

• Divide kids into teams.
• Give each team a stack of plastic cups or blocks (these represent houses).
• While teams build, the leader starts a countdown and occasionally calls out “Storm!” (use a fan, blow air, or lightly toss crumpled paper to act like wind).
• Teams try to protect their house by making it stronger (e.g., using heavier items as a base, working together).
• Debrief: Which house stood strong? What does it remind us about building our life on Jesus?

Connection to Lesson: Illustrates how a life built on Jesus (rock) can withstand the “storms” of life.

How to Play:

• Designate 2-3 taggers (called “Storms”).
• When tagged, players must freeze and pretend to be a house shaking in the wind.
• Another player can “unfreeze” them by running over and saying, “Build on Jesus, the rock!”
• Play several rounds and switch taggers.

Connection to Lesson: Reinforces the idea that without Jesus, we can’t stand strong in life’s storms, but with him, we can stand tall again.

How to Play:

• Use Jenga blocks or stackable items to build towers.
• As the leader tells life situations (e.g., “A friend moves away,” “You’re having a bad day”), remove a block unless the kids can tell how trusting Jesus could help in that situation.
• If they answer well, the house stays strong.
• When the tower falls, discuss what happens if our life isn’t built on Jesus.

Connection to Lesson: Visually shows how life can fall apart if we don’t have a strong foundation in Jesus.

How to Play:

• Choose 1-2 players to be “Storms” (taggers).
• Choose 2-3 “Lights” who hold flashlights or paper stars.
• When kids are tagged by a “Storm,” they freeze.
• A “Light” can rescue them by shining the flashlight on them and saying, “Shine Jesus’ love!”
• Rotate roles after a few minutes.

Connection to Lesson: Reinforces the part of the key takeaway where our life shines for others when we follow Jesus.

Objective: Help kids recognize choices that build a strong life in obedience to Jesus.

Read statements and have kids give a:

Examples:

“Good job making your choices! All the things we just talked about show what kind of foundation we are building our lives on.

Jesus said that when we listen to his words and do what he says, it is like building our life on a strong rock — a foundation that will not fall, even when storms come.

But if we hear his words and do not obey, it is like building on sand—and when trouble comes, everything falls apart.

When we follow Jesus every day, we are standing strong like a house on the rock, even when we have bad days!”

Objective: To give kids a tangible reminder that Jesus is their strong foundation — and that when they listen to him, they are building their lives on the rock.

“Today we learned that when we listen to Jesus and do what he says, our lives are like a strong house built on a rock.

Even when hard things happen, we can stand strong because we are trusting him. We also learned that when we follow Jesus, we can show God’s love for other people.”

Hold up a painted rock and say:

“This rock you decorated is a reminder: Jesus is your strong foundation! He will help you stay strong and shine for him if you keep listening to him and following him.

Take your rock home today.

Put it somewhere you will see it every day — maybe on your desk, next to your bed, or in your backpack.

When you see it, remember to ask yourself:

• Am I listening to Jesus today?
• Am I building my life on his words?
• Am I shining his love to others?

Every time you see your rock this week, pray a quick prayer like,
“Jesus, help me build my life on you and follow you today.””

• “What is one thing you learned about Jesus’ teachings today?”
• “How will you apply it this week?”

Thank God for teaching us how to live through Jesus.

Pray for opportunities to live out Jesus’ teachings this week.