Looking for a fun way to teach about Jesus walking on water? This lesson includes an object lesson, a STEAM extension, crafts, and more fun ways for students to experience this miracle without walking on water themselves.
If you want more info, definitely grab the Walk on Water lesson pack from my store! It includes crafts, comprehension activities, the STEAM extensions, coloring sheets, and more!
Jesus Walking on Water Object Lesson
Bible passage: Matthew 14:22-33
Main idea: Trust in God
Memory verse: John 4:48 “So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”
Materials:
- Paper clips
- Bowl of water
- Dish soap
- 5-10 other objects
- Popsicle sticks (optional)
- Tape, chalk, or 2×4 (optional)
Will is float? Bible STEAM activity
Get 5-10 objects from the room. Ask students to predict which ones will float or won’t float. They can write it on papers or on the board. Test the objects out and see if you were correct.
Walk on water object lesson
Paper clip demonstration: Ask if the paper clip will float or not. Try it. (It will sink.) Then bend a paper clip to make a holder, and set another on top of the holder. The holder will allow you to put the regular paper clip on the water and it will float. (Try this at home a few times to make sure you get the hang of it!) Now it will float.
Read the story of Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33). Relate the paper clip holder to Jesus and the paper clip to Peter. When you get to the part where Peter starts to sink, add some dish soap to the water. This will make the paper clips sink.
Say: When Peter focused on Jesus, he was able to float. When he took his focus off of Jesus, he started to sink. The same thing happens to us when we take our focus off Jesus— we start to feel lost and overwhelmed.
Ask students: How can we keep our focus on God? Write these on the kids’ papers or on the board. Answers could include things like praying, spending time with God in the morning, tithing, reading you Bible, etc.
You may also like: Jesus Calms the Storm Object Lesson
Don’t look down!
Put a piece of tape or draw a line with chalk (or even better, use a 2×4 to create a small balance beam!).
Have students try to walk the line without looking down— they must keep their eyes forward.
Will it float? STEAM extension
Give students various supplies (you could do just paper, paper cups, or other materials) and have them create a boat
Put the boats in a small pool or a bowl of water and see whose boat can float the longest.
Bonus: Add weight to the boats and whose boat will hold the most weight. (Pennies are an easy way to do this)
Need more? We also used the craft and coloring sheets out of the Walking on Water lesson pack from my store.
