“There were 12 disciples Jesus called to help him…” goes the classic Sunday School song, and most of them were fishermen. So we went with a fishing theme this week as we explored the story of Jesus calling the 12 disciples.
Read: The 12 Disciples
We read the story in our Bible where Jesus calls his 12 disciples from being fishermen to follow him.
Fishing
Since the disciples were fishermen, We went fishing with a little fish pond. I took the lid off our ottoman and put paper fish with paperclip “hooks” inside. Then I made a fishing pole with a wooden dowel. I tied fishing twine around the dowel, and then hot glued a magnet to the other end of the twine.
Guys, I thought this was going to be so fun, and turns out we just weren’t ready for it. Baby girl was much more about jumping into our “fish pond” and taking the paper clips off the fish. Worked on fine motor skills, but not necessarily the response I was hoping for. I think this activity would be awesome for older toddlers and preschoolers, so we’re just going to put this game away for later.
Counting
Obviously, baby girl is a bit young to get the concept of counting on her own, so we counted together. We counted disciples on the page, and since a lot of the disciples were fishermen (a point brought up in our story) and when Jesus called them he said “I will make you Fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). We sang “12345, Once I Caught A Fish Alive” (Spanish: 12345, Un Pecito Yo Pesce).
12345, Once I Caught A Fish Alive
1-2-3-4-5
Once I caught a fish alive.
6-7-8-9-10
Then I let him go again.
Why did you let him go?
Because he bit my finger so.
Which finger did he bite?
This little finger on the right.
And in Spanish:
1-2-3-4-5
Un pecito yo pesce.
6-7-8-9-10
Pero al agua lo libere
¿Por qué dejaste a tí?
Porque mi dedo mordio.
¿Cual dedo mordio?
Esta dedito miralo.
I also found this awesome fish counting game in the Target Dollar section that we played with.
Craft: Fingerprint Disciples
This was a fun craft. I basically cut a curvy edge on some blue paper and glued it onto white construction paper. Then we used baby girls thumb and some ink to stamp 12 heads. We drew 12 faces on the heads. Finally we glued an old fruit net and some goldfish onto the blue paper. If we do this again I will probably use fish stickers instead, because baby girl was not a fan of using perfectly good snacks as a craft supply.
Snack: Goldfish
Of course, since the disciples were fishermen, we ate goldfish. They were also very countable.
Media
This week we listened to Dan and Louie tell the story of Jesus choosing his 12 Disciples.
We also listened a song I found on YouTube about Los Doce Discipulos.
Finally, we sang the classic Sunday school song: I Will Make You Fishers of Men.
What activities have you used to teach about the 12 disciples? Comment Below.
Baby Devotions 