Telling the Parable of the Prodigal Son

The children at the school we visit enjoy a visual way of story telling and when we use a felt board it seem to go down really well.  Here's a retelling of the parable of the Prodigal Son using some basic felt figures stuck onto a board covered in felt.  Amazingly it sticks and you can hold it upright without everything falling off! (a revelation to me anyway!!)

1. A Father and his two sons live and work together on their farm.  The father feels so much love for his sons (the figures are lying on a giant heart shape)
2. The younger son decides to take his share of the family money and go off to a far away place.  He doesn't want to work on the farm any more! (gold card stuck to a small piece of felt)
3. Soon the younger son has spent all of his money and has to get a job looking after some pigs.  Even the pigs have better food than he does!
4. He is so hungry, he decides to go home and ask his father if he can work on the family farm again, even though he knows he doesn't deserve it.  Before he even gets there, his father has seen him and runs to meet him. 

5. The father is so pleased to see the son that he gives him new clothes and a big feast.  He loves his son so much that he forgives him for everything and welcomes him home

6.  The elder son is angry that the father has welcomes the younger son back, but the Father reminds him that he has always been with his father and has always been loved by him.

The children love this story because it really provokes conversation about what is fair and it's so interesting to see the reaction of children to the idea that God's love reaches far outside what we would consider fair!