How to Make a "Jonah and the Whale" Necklace for Preschoolers

Preschoolers can make a necklace to help remember the story of Jonah.

The book of Jonah in the Bible focuses solely on God trying to convince Jonah to go preach to the people of Nineveh. God wanted to give the people of this city an opportunity to repent of their wickedness. Jonah didn't want to go there. In running from God, he experienced forgiveness himself. After being tossed into the sea in a great storm, a whale swallowed Jonah. Inside the whale for three days, Jonah prayed for forgiveness, and was eventually spit out by the whale onto a beach. Preschoolers can make necklaces that will help them remember the story of Jonah.

Things You'll Need

• Paper gingerbread man shapes
• Safety scissors
• 7-inch paper plates
• Pencil
• Hole punch
• Yarn
• Blue crepe paper streamer
• Craft eyes
• Glue
• Tape
• Craft foam
• Crayons
• Drinking straws

Instructions

Big Mouth Whale Necklace

1. Copy a 2-inch tall gingerbread man shape for each child. Have each preschooler use safety scissors to cut out the gingerbread shape.

2. Use a pencil to mark a 1/4 section of each plate. Help the preschoolers cut out the 1/4 portion to make a wide open mouth for the whale.

3. Use a hole punch to put a hole at the top of each gingerbread cutout. Punch a hole along the top edge of the mouth area. Thread a 4-inch length of yarn through the hole in the paper man shape and the hole in the mouth edge. Tie the yarn loosely so the man shape dangles in the whale's mouth.

4. Glue a craft eye above the whale's mouth. Cut a 6-inch length of crepe paper streamer. Help the children fold the streamer in half and tape it to the back end of the whale for a tail.

5. Cut a 2-foot length of blue crepe paper streamer for the neck chain of each necklace. Help the children tape the ends of their streamer together to form a necklace loop. Tape the whale and Jonah paper plate onto the front center of the streamer neck chain.

Two-Sided Necklace

1. Have each child form a praying hand with one of their hands. Use a pencil to trace the child's praying hand onto a light-colored piece of craft foam.

2. Help the preschoolers cut their handprints out, one per child. Punch a hole about 1/2 inch from the edge of each handprint, placing the hole between the thumb and the wrist area.

3. Turn one side of the handprint into a whale. Have the preschoolers draw an eye and a mouth onto the wrist-end of the handprint. Allow them to color the whale's body and the fingerprint tail as they wish.

4. Turn the necklace over to the back side. Have the children draw a picture of Jonah praying on the back side.

5. Cut a 2-foot length of yarn for each child. Cut colorful straws into 2-inch lengths. Have the children lace the yarn through the hole in the foam praying hands piece. Have them lace some straw pieces onto the yarn on each side of the main foam piece. Tie the yarn together to form a necklace for each child.

References

• Enchanted Learning: Aquarium Diorama
• Free Preschool Crafts: Straw Bead and Heart Necklace

Resources

• "Spur of the Moment Preschool Activities," Mary J. Davis, 2005