The story of Jesus choosing His 12 disciples is an exciting adventure of friendship and following God's plan! With catchy songs, fun activities, and Bible verses, kids will learn who the disciples were and how they followed Jesus. Let’s dive in and discover how we can follow Jesus too, just like the 12 disciples!
Scripture: Luke 5:1-11, 6:14-16
The New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes: pg 256
The Beginner's Bible: pg 308
My Story Bible: pg 76-77
Through the Bible Felt: pg 168
Shorten the verses as appropriate for the child's developmental level.
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Tune: Hot Cross Buns
If you love me, If you love me,
make a heart shape in the air on word "love"
You will obey what I command
salute and then shake index finger in the air
John 14:15, John 14:15
point to number 14, 15 written somewhere or make a book sign with hands
You will obey what I command
Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17 (NIV)
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people."
Luke 6:13 (NIV)
When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.
John 15:16 (NIV)
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit.
Mark 3:14 (NIV)
He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.
Luke 5:10 (NIV)
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people."
I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men, fishers of men (pretend to cast fishing pole)
I will make you fishers of men if you follow me (move hand over opposite shoulder)
If you follow me, if you follow me
I will make you fishers of men if you follow me
Hear Christ calling “Come unto me”, “Come unto me”, “Come unto me” (Listen to ear, move hand over opposite shoulder)
Hear Christ calling “Come unto me. I will give you rest” (put hands to ear and “sleep”)
"I will give you rest, I will give you rest"
Hear Christ calling “Come unto me. I will give you rest”
Read your Bible, pray every day, pray every day, pray every day (make book, prayer hands)
Read your Bible, pray every day, then you’ll grow, grow, grow (bend down and get taller)
Then you’ll grow, grow, grow, then you’ll grow, grow, grow
Read your Bible, pray every day, then you’ll grow, grow, grow
Neglect your Bible, forget to pray, forget to pray, forget to pray (make book, prayer hands and shake head ‘no’)
Neglect your Bible, forget to pray then you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink (stand tall and “shrink” down)
Then you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink, then you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink
Neglect your Bible, forget to pray, then you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink
There were 12 disciples
Jesus called to help Him
Simon Peter, Andrew,
James, his brother John
Philip, Thomas, Matthew
James, the son of Alpheus
Thaddeus, Simon, Judas
and Bartholomew
He has called us too
We are all His disciples
I am one and you
We, His work to do
Are you ready to embark on an incredible journey of faith and discovery with your child or students? Look no further! Our Old and New Testament Curriculum Bundle is the perfect companion for home, preschool, or church Sunday School or mid-week meeting Bible learning. It's time to immerse your little ones in the enriching world of biblical stories and truth.
Sheet available in the Bible Activity Workbook
- Add faces to the 12 disciples
- Right the numbers 1-12 on the disciples
All Printables Free for Immediate Family Use or with a Current License Only
Print the 12 Disciples printable. Cut and color the boat. Glue the boat onto a piece of construction paper. Cut a slit along the top of the boat. Cut and color the men. Slide the men into the boat and glue down.
Eat goldfish crackers while reading the story. Discuss that some of the disciples were fishermen and Jesus called them to fish for men. This means that their new job was to tell men the Good News of Jesus' love and forgiveness.
Print the John 14:15 Boat printable. Color the second boat (with the verse) and cut apart. Give the child the puzzle pieces to glue to the first boat.
Take turns being the leader. Talk about how Jesus asks us to follow Him just like the 12 disciples did.
My children had so much fun fishing for various items using a pole with a magnet at the end of the string. It was a fun way for them to practice letters, numbers, shapes, colors, and Bible questions while "fishing."
Supplies: dowel rod, string, magnet, card stock paper, marker, scissors, contact paper, and paper clips.
Directions: To create the fishing pole, attach a string and magnet to a dowel rod.
Cut out fish shapes from colorful card stock paper and add a paper clip to the mouth of each fish. Write letters or numbers on each fish (laminating or using contact paper will help them last longer). Or paper clip a small piece of paper with a Bible question, memory verse, or learning objectives written down.
Have the child "fish" for letters or numbers, or use magnetic letters and numbers as the fish for extra fun!
Help your little ones master early numeracy skills with our vibrant Number Posters, featuring numbers 0-10, fun rhymes, and interactive counting with apples. Ideal for both classrooms and homes, these posters turn learning numbers into an exciting and engaging experience!
Cut a triangle from a paper plate to form the fish's mouth. Attach the triangle to the back of the plate to create the fish's fin. Let the children decorate the fish using tissue paper, paint, or other craft materials.
For Family Use: Print the 12 Disciples worksheet. Point and count with the child the disciples. Color Jesus with colored pencils or broken crayons.
This story is free for family use only and may not be used in any form in a non-family situation. A script of this story for non-family use is available in the New Testament Curriculum, 1 Year Interactive Bible Stories, and 3 Year Interactive Bible Stories.
Water Board
S2 – Beach
Disciples: 20, 21, 23, 24, 28, 32, 40, 53, 54, 55, 63, 79
Boat - 221
Today we are going to talk about a big number. But, I have a problem…the number is so big that I can’t show it to you. (Show 10 fingers) How many fingers do I have? Ten. But I need more than ten fingers to talk about the number in our story today. Maybe I can borrow yours! Can you loan me two fingers, please? With your two fingers and my ten fingers, how many fingers is that in all? Let’s count. (1, 2, 3...) Twelve fingers. Twelve is the number that we are going to talk about today in our Bible story. Let’s see why the number twelve is important.
In Luke 5 (point to the passage in a Bible), Jesus was walking along the shore and saw some fisherman. He called to brothers names Peter and Andrew. Jesus said, "Come, follow Me. I will make you fishers of men." At once, they left their nets and followed Jesus.
Just down the shore were two other fishermen – James and John. The brothers were mending –or fixing - their nets from all of the fish that they had caught. Jesus called to them, “Come, follow me. I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately, the men left their father and fishing nets to follow Jesus.
Later Jesus came upon a tax collector names Matthew {Levi}. Jesus walked up to him and said, "Follow me." And Matthew did just that. He left everything behind and began to follow Jesus.
These five men – Peter, Andrew, James, and John, Matthew – were some of the men that Jesus selected to be his disciples or apostles. Disciples are men that Jesus wanted to be his closest friends and part of His team to help him tell people about God. The Bible says later in Mark 3:13-19 that there were twelve men total that Jesus called to follow Him. Let’s count on our fingers and repeat after me the names of each disciple (hold up one finger for each name): Simon Peter, James, John, Andrew, Phillip. How many is that so far? Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, a second man named James, Thaddeus. How many disciples have we named? Simon and Judas. That totals twelve. Twelve men that Jesus called to be part of His team and tell other people about God.
