I love the story of Jesus and the net full of fish. It has so many layers of meaning. But my favorite lesson from it is that we have only to trust in God, even when it doesn’t make sense. And He will bless us and give us everything we need and are looking for.
This net full of fish craft is great for preschoolers. It’s actually not an original idea. I found a few of the same craft on Pinterest, some of which are from websites no longer online, but most notably from Jenae at I Can Teach My Child. But, I thought it was cute and would be fun for my little guy too.
Read on for full instructions and also how to incorporate a lesson about the story while doing the craft.
Net Full of Fish Craft Supplies Needed:
- paper plate
- construction paper in various colors
- clear plastic wrap
- washable paint in 2-3 shades of blue
Tools Needed:
Net Full of Fish Craft Instructions:
Gather your supplies first. This is an easy one. Most likely you’ll have all (or most) of these things on hand. For the paint you can use whatever you have on hand, we use this Crayola washable paint. But keep in mind that they will be using it for finger painting so you’ll want it to be easily washable.
For scissors, if your little one is good enough with scissors to cut out the fish themselves, then you’ll want safety scissors for them. Otherwise, any old scissors will do. 🙂
First put some globs of paint on the plate and have your child start to move it around with their fingers.
As they paint you can tell them that “we’re painting the ocean” and ask them who made the ocean. Talk about how God made the ocean and all the fish in it. Discuss how Jesus is God come in the flesh and so He has dominion over all the ocean and everything in it.
As they work on painting the plate, stack a bunch of the construction paper, draw some fish on them and cut them out. Depending on the age of your child they can help with this step if you’d like, it’s up to you and their skill level.
Now you’ll have to wait for the paint to completely dry. This was challenging for my little one, who wanted to put the fish on the plate right away. But, you can do another activity related to the story while you wait.
We played an impromptu Find the Fishes sensory bin activity with the fish we had cut out while we waited for the plate to dry. You could also read the Bible story from a Children’s Bible (we love this one, this one, and this one the most), watch a movie about the story, or something to that extent. That way you can keep their minds on the story while they wait to finish the craft.
Once the paint is dry have your preschooler help you put the fish into the ocean! Remind them again who made the fish and how Jesus has dominion over them because He is God come in the flesh.
You can even get some practical lessons in here too. If you used different colored paper for the fish, you can have them pick up the color fish that you tell them, etc. But mainly focus on driving home the point that Jesus (God) is in control of everything because He created everything.
After all the fish are on the plate, place the clear plastic wrap over the plate, secure it. Then let your child help draw the net on top. I did most of it because my little one isn’t that great with straight lines yet. But, I did let him help a bit.
Now as you finish out the craft, tell them the story of how there were men who went fishing but couldn’t get any fish. Then Jesus told them to try fishing on the other side of their boat. It seemed silly, but they trusted in Jesus. And because they did, they were rewarded with SO MANY fish in their nets that the boat started to be pulled under.
Talk about how we can trust God always, even when it doesn’t seem like it will help. Because He made everything, He is also in control of everything and can help us whenever we need Him.
Once you’re finished you can let your child play with the net of fish for the day too. My little one liked shaking up the fishies. And throughout the day you can remind them of, and retell, the story.
I hope you and your preschooler have fun with this. And that you enjoy teaching them this amazing story about trusting in God’s provision and faithfulness no matter what.
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