The woman and the pots of oil activities (2 Kings 4: 1-7)

This is a fun story to tell with lots of scope for acting out and messy play!  There is also quite a serious message to us about God's provision and asking Him for help when we need it.  Here are some ideas for teaching and responding to this story...

There are a lot of points for discussion: worries, people who help us, God helping us, God giving generous gifts to us.  

When the children have heard the story, let them respond through words and pictures.  What part of the story sticks with them most?  What have they taken from it?  Here is a link to a word cloud  (see above!) using the words of the Bible story with a space for children to write or draw their response in the centre.

Prayer activity:  Get the children to make thumb pots out of air drying clay.  While making the pots, help them to think about things that God has done for them or given them, or how he has helped them when they were worried and didn't know what to do.  They could then put a heart in the pot to remember God's love for them and a button to represent themselves or someone who is worried that they would like God to help.

Other ideas:

• Rub drops of oil into hands and think about God's generosity and people who help us
• Play with a variety of pots and jars (possibly filling them with water?? Oil might be a bit too messy!)
• Play with real coins to remember the real life practical help that God gave the woman and her family.