Jonah and the Whale Bible Story for Kids.
Jonah and the whale is one of the most memorable Old Testament stories for children. It teaches that God gives second chances, and that running from God only delays what He has planned.
Retold by Hannah Whitford · Jonah 1–4 · Updated September 2026
▶ Prefer to watch? The animated version is below the story
The story of Jonah and the Whale
This story works well for preschoolers through early elementary because it is dramatic, vivid, and easy to understand. The whale, the storm, and the big rescue make it impossible to forget. Families can use it to talk honestly about what happens when we run from hard things God asks us to do.
If you would like something to keep, see the personalized book, a bedtime prayer keepsake with your child’s own name on the cover.
“The LORD prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
Jonah 1:17
“Then the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah on the dry land.”
Jonah 2:10
“God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. God relented of the disaster which he said he would do to them, and he didn’t do it.”
Jonah 3:10
Quotations from the World English Bible (public domain). Read the full passage together in your own family Bible. The reference is Jonah 1–4.
Dear God, when You ask me to do something hard, help me trust You instead of running away. Thank You for giving second chances like You gave Jonah. Amen.
Jonah and the whale teaches children that when God asks us to do something hard, running away does not work, but God is always ready to give us another chance. Even when we make the wrong choice, God's grace and patience are bigger than our mistakes.
- 01The whale swallowing Jonah whole is one of the most dramatic images in all of Scripture.
- 02The storm, the fish, and the beach landing make the story feel like an adventure.
- 03Children understand the feeling of not wanting to do something hard, and relate to Jonah immediately.
- 04The story ends with forgiveness and a second chance, which feels hopeful and reassuring.
Keep the story going.
The story doesn’t have to end at the last page. Print it, memorize it, or read the next one together.
After the story, a prayer with their name in it.
Little Prayers is our bedtime prayer book, starring your child. Build their look once and they appear in all ten prayer spreads, with their name on the cover. Hardcover $49.99, softcover $39.99.
“I called because of my affliction to the LORD. He answered me…”
Jonah 2:2 · WEB
Verse pages that go with this story: Cast All Your Cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7) and The LORD Is Good to All (Psalm 145:9). Free to print, alongside every other page in the full coloring index.
Take ten printables home
Our favorite ten coloring pages and verse cards, free in one pack, sent to your inbox.
The animated version.
For visual learners, movie night, or the third read-through of the day.
Jonah and the Fish
An animated retelling from Saddleback Kids: the storm, the fish, and the second chance.
Video by Saddleback Kids on YouTube · Embedded under YouTube’s standard embed terms
Stories like this one stay free here. If you want something they can hold onto, create their own Little Prayers book, with their name on the cover and their own likeness in every prayer scene.
Take this story to the shelf.
Classic Bible stories retold in simple language with bright, engaging illustrations. Short stories perfect for winding down before sleep.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Books that pair with this story.
Hand-picked after careful research, the ones we recommend most alongside this story.
Ages 2-6 yearsThe Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories
by Zondervan
Classic Bible stories retold in simple language with bright, engaging illustrations. Short stories perfect for winding down before sleep.
Ages 4-8 yearsThe Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name
by Sally Lloyd-Jones
A beautifully illustrated Bible storybook that presents every story as part of God's great rescue plan. Perfect for bedtime with its gentle, lyrical storytelling.
Ages 5-12 yearsThe Biggest Story Bible Storybook
by Kevin DeYoung
A beautifully illustrated storybook that presents the Bible as one continuous story. Rich illustrations and thoughtful storytelling.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It keeps every story and printable free.
The kind of things parents wonder.
The lesson is that God gives second chances and that obedience matters. Jonah tried to run from what God asked, faced consequences, prayed for help, and was given another opportunity to do the right thing.
Jonah 1–4
- Jonah
- Amittai
about 862 BC
traditional dating
A divided kingdom and exile
Conversation starters.
Questions to ask after you read together. No right answers, just good conversation.
Why do you think Jonah ran away instead of going where God asked him to go?
What do you think Jonah prayed about inside the big fish?
Have you ever tried to hide from something you knew you should do? What happened?
God gave Jonah a second chance. What does it mean to get a second chance?
Teaching this story.
- 01Don't rush the storm. Have everyone sway side to side as the boat rocks, then go completely still the moment Jonah goes into the sea. The sudden quiet is the part of the story young bodies remember.
- 02Kids almost always ask whether the fish was real, or how Jonah breathed. It is fine to say the Bible calls it a 'great fish' that God specially prepared, and doesn't explain the how. The point is that God rescued Jonah, not the biology.
- 03Jonah being thrown overboard can trouble sensitive children. Make it clear that Jonah himself asked the sailors to do it, and that the fish was God's rescue on the way. Jonah is never out of God's sight for a single moment, even underwater.
- 04For ages 3–5, end the story at the beach: running away, big fish, second chance. Ages 6–8 can go on to chapter 4, where Jonah sulks about God forgiving Nineveh: a surprisingly honest conversation about wanting people we don't like to 'get in trouble.'
Great Fish Swallow Puppet
Turn a paper lunch bag or an old gray sock into the great fish, with googly eyes and a wide-open mouth. Draw Jonah on a craft stick and let your child act the whole story out: Jonah gets swallowed, prays for three pretend days, and pops back out onto the 'beach' of your living room rug.
Storm-at-Sea Bottle
Fill a clear plastic bottle two-thirds with water, add a drop of blue food coloring and a spoonful of glitter, and glue the cap on tight. Shake it hard for the storm, then set it down and watch it settle: a hands-on picture of the sea going still the moment Jonah went overboard.
Two Arrows Map
Draw a rough map on a big sheet of paper with a blue sea in the middle. Put Nineveh far off to one side and Tarshish far off to the other, with Joppa and its harbour in between. Draw one arrow the way God sent Jonah and a second arrow the way Jonah actually bought a ticket, pointing exactly opposite. Let your child walk a paper Jonah down the wrong arrow, then all the way back, then down the right one. Running away is much easier to picture once it has a direction.
Three-Day Countdown Chain
Cut three paper strips and loop them into a short chain, one link for each day and night inside the fish. Hang it from the fish puppet's mouth. Tear off one link each day for three days, and at each tear say one line of the prayer Jonah prayed from inside. On the third day, open the puppet's mouth and let Jonah out onto the rug. Waiting is most of what happens in chapter 2, and a chain gives a young child a way to feel it.
Everything you need in one place.
Written for a parent at the kitchen table or a Sunday school helper with twenty minutes and a box of crayons.
Ages: 3 to 8. At three and four, stop at the beach: running away, big fish, second chance. From about six a child can carry chapter 4, where Jonah sulks about the city being forgiven.
Read together: Jonah 1–4 (WEB)
- A paper lunch bag or an old grey sock, googly eyes, and paper for teeth
- A craft stick and a marker to make Jonah
- A clear plastic bottle, blue food colouring, glitter, and strong glue
- A large sheet of paper and coloured pens for the map
- Three paper strips, tape, and scissors for the countdown chain
The storm and the stillness
- Sit everyone on the floor and read Jonah 1:4, then rock side to side together as the boat.
- Keep rocking through the sailors being afraid and Jonah asking to be put into the sea.
- The moment Jonah goes overboard, everybody freezes and goes completely silent.
- Hold the silence for a slow count of five before you read the next line.
- Shake the storm bottle hard, then set it on the table and let it settle while you finish the chapter. The young bodies in the room will remember the stillness longer than the storm.
Two arrows and a second asking
- Draw the map together, with Nineveh one way and Tarshish the other.
- Read Jonah 1:1 to 3 and walk the paper Jonah down the wrong arrow, buying a ticket on the way.
- Work through the storm, the fish, and the three-day chain until Jonah is back on dry land.
- Read Jonah 3:1 to 3, where God's word comes to Jonah a second time, and let your child turn him around.
- Ask the question that ties it together: what did God say the second time? The same city and the same job. God did not give Jonah an easier assignment; He gave him another chance at the one he had run from.
If the conversation stalls
Short model answers for the questions above. They are a starting point to offer if a child shrugs, not a script to read out.
Why do you think Jonah ran away instead of going where God asked him to go?
Jonah answers this himself at the end of the book. He says he ran because he knew God was gracious and merciful and slow to anger, and he did not want Nineveh forgiven (Jonah 4:2). Nineveh belonged to Israel's enemies. He was not scared of the trip. He was afraid the mission would work.
What do you think Jonah prayed about inside the big fish?
You do not have to guess, because chapter 2 is the prayer. He talks about sinking, about the water and the weeds, and about calling out in his trouble and being answered. Read a few lines of it aloud. It is worth pointing out that he thanks God while he is still inside the fish.
Have you ever tried to hide from something you knew you should do? What happened?
Take your turn first with something small and honest. Then notice together what Jonah's running actually cost: a boat fare, a terrified crew, a storm, and three days in the dark, and at the end of it he still went to Nineveh. Avoiding a thing is usually the longer road.
God gave Jonah a second chance. What does it mean to get a second chance?
That the person is not finished with you. God's word came to Jonah a second time and sent him to the same city, which means the door was not shut and the job was still his. A good place to take this next is the city: Nineveh got a second chance too, and Jonah was cross about it. Second chances are easier to want for ourselves than to want for other people.
More stories from the library.
Keep exploring.
Bible Stories in Chronological Order for Kids
See where this story fits in the full Genesis-to-Revelation reading plan: 27 stories in order with summaries, ages, and a free printable.
Browse →Old Testament Bible Stories
Explore more foundational Old Testament stories told in a gentle, child-friendly way.
Browse →Kindergarten Bible Stories
Browse more simple Bible stories well-suited for children ages 5 and 6.
Browse →Story 16 of 27 in the reading plan
These Bible story retellings are based directly on Scripture and written for children ages 3–10. Each page includes its Scripture reference so families can read the original passage together. Written and edited by Hannah Whitford, checked line by line against the World English Bible.