Jonah and the Whale Activity Pages

The story of Jonah gives kids a lot to think about as they learn about obedience, prayer, and following God’s instructions. These Jonah and the Whale Activity Pages give children a simple way to spend more time with the story through a variety of printable activities.

If you’re putting together a larger Bible lesson, visit my Bible Activities for Kids for more ideas and printables you can use throughout the year.

This printable is designed for grades 1-3 and can be used during homeschool Bible time, Sunday school, or as follow-up work after reading the story of Jonah.

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Who Is This Printable For?

These activity pages are designed for children in grades 1-3.

They can be used during homeschool Bible lessons, Sunday school, quiet work, or as part of a larger study of Jonah. You can work through the pages together or spread them across several lessons.

Why Learn About Jonah?

Jonah’s story gives children an opportunity to talk about obedience, prayer, forgiveness, and what happened when Jonah eventually followed God’s instructions.

The printable retells the story from Jonah being told to go to Nineveh through the storm, his time inside the whale, his prayer, and his eventual trip to Nineveh.

Recommended Faith-based Books

Add a few Bible storybooks or children’s Bibles that include Jonah’s story so kids can hear the account again and see it presented with different illustrations.

The Biggest Story Bible StorybookThe Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible (The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible Library)By Kevin DeYoung, Don Clark The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden Hardcover – September 2015365 Bible Stories and Prayers Padded Treasury – Gift for Easter, Christmas, Communions, Baptism, Birthdays (Little Sunbeams)Best-Loved Bible Stories – 8-Book Library Boxed Gift Set for Children: Including stories of Noah’s Ark, The Birth of Jesus, The Creation Story, Daniel … Lion’s Den, Jonah, and More (Little Sunbeams)The Biggest Story ABC

 

What Will Kids Learn?

These pages combine Bible story review with literacy activities.

• Reading comprehension: Use information from the story to complete activities.
• Vocabulary: Work with words connected to Jonah and the events in the story.
• Sequencing: Put important events into a clear order.
• Writing: Retell parts of the story through short responses.
• Decoding: Use letters and numbers to solve a simple code.
• Story reflection: Think about obedience and disobedience through different situations.

What Supplies Are Needed?

You only need a few basic supplies for these activity pages.

• Printer (I have this one)
• Paper
• Pencil
• Crayons

I have the HP printer 8710, but it’s no longer available. It’s been running well for years now. Consider another HP Instant Ink-ready printer so that you can use their program to send you ink cartridges whenever your printer gets low on ink.

What Is Included?

The eight-page printable includes reading, word work, story review, sequencing, drawing, and answer key pages.

Jonah and the Whale Story

Children begin with a short reading passage that retells Jonah’s story. It introduces Jonah’s instructions from God, the storm, his time inside the whale, his prayer, and his trip to Nineveh.

Jonah and the Whale Word Scramble

Kids unscramble words connected to the story and write each answer beside its picture. The words include boat, tree, storm, Nineveh, Jonah, and whale, with space to color the illustrations too.

Crack the Code

Children use a number-to-letter code to answer questions about Jonah’s story. They decode where Jonah was told to go, how long he was inside the whale, and what he did while he was there.

Obey or Disobey?

This page asks children to decide whether different situations show obedience or disobedience. Some examples come from Jonah’s story, while others connect the idea to familiar choices such as listening to parents, telling the truth, and helping others.

Jonah and the Whale Story Sequence

Children use First, Second, and Lastly to write and draw what happened in Jonah’s story. This gives them space to retell the main events in their own words and pictures.

Inside the Whale

Kids draw what they imagine the inside of the whale looked like. It’s an open-ended activity that gives them a creative break from the reading and writing pages.

Answer Keys

The final two pages provide answers for the word scramble and crack-the-code activities.

How Can You Extend the Activity?

You can add a few simple activities to help kids spend more time with the story.

• Retell Jonah’s story with homemade figures or puppets.
• Draw a simple map showing Jonah and Nineveh.
• Make a whale craft with a small Jonah figure that can go inside.
• Ask kids to come up with their own examples of obedience and disobedience.
• Write or draw a short prayer connected to something they learned from the story.

What Other Activities Can You Try?

Add a few more Jonah activities so kids can revisit the story in different ways. Coloring, mini books, crafts, hands-on retelling, and other Bible activities can give you some variety between reading and worksheet time.

• Jonah and the Whale Coloring Pages for Kids
• Jonah and the Whale Printable Mini Book
• Jonah and the Whale Activities for Preschoolers
• Jonah and the Whale Preschool Printables from Homeschool Preschool
• Kids Bible Reading Plan for July from 3 Boys and a Dog

FAQs

These Jonah and the Whale Activity Pages give children in grades 1-3 another way to spend time with the story while working through reading, writing, puzzles, discussion, and creative activities.

Download the Jonah and the Whale pages below