Sticks or bricks - 2 little pigs kids talk

Andrew preached on Psalm 119 today. This is an attempt at a kids talk to tell kids to read the bible [yawn!] (kinda Matt 7 - wise and foolish builders). This talk uses finger puppets (my kids worked them for me. Farm animals would have been fine), lego and sticks and I sat at a keyboard and talked and sang to tell the story while playing some mood music. The wolf's song used basically the same tune as the pigs' songs with a flattened third and sixth to make it minor. If anyone wants to give this a go and wants a tune, leave a comment and I'll scribble out mine. The talk will only work if you can hold the kids through the hinge to the Jesus bit. I ad-libbed that part, repeating lines and talking about the pigs' choices until I was sure the connection worked.

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Sometime the choices that we make don’t matter very much. Like whether we have jam or honey on our sandwiches. But other decisions do matter.

These two little pigs had a decision to make. Each of them had to decide what they would build their house out of. Hmm. Should they choose bricks or sticks? Bricks are stronger but they take a long long time to lay. Sticks are cheaper and they are very fast.

Which shall I pick

Which shall I choose

Sticks or bricks?

Which shall I use

To build a house of sticks

won’t take too long

Sticks are quick

But bricks are strong.

Bricks or sticks? What should they choose?

Well the first little pig, he thought about it and he said, “I don’t like building houses. I just want mine built really fast so I can go inside, put my feet up and watch some tv.”

What do you think he chose?

I’ll build my house,

I’ll build it quick

I won’t use bricks

I’ll use sticks.

I don’t care

if it’s not strong

I’ll build it fast

I won’t go wrong.

The first little pig chose the sticks. He started building at breakfast time and by the end of the day his house was done. “Ha!” he said. “I’ve finished. Now I can get my dinner and watch [peppa pig music] Peppa Pig.”

And he did.

But do you think he made a good choice?

The second little pig thought hard about what he should build his house out of. He didn’t much like the thought of spending a long long time building either, but in the end he decided he had to build a strong house. Because who knows what might be hiding around the corner! [scary music]

So he chose the bricks.

I’ll build my house

I’ll make it strong

I don’t care that it takes so long

I’ll built my house

It won’t be fast

but I’ll build a house that will last and last!

So he did. The second little pig worked night and day and day and night but finally his house was finished. He went inside and watched [music] peppa pig too.

Sometime the choices that we make don’t matter very much. But other decisions do matter. The very next day, the little pigs discovered that bricks or sticks was a decision that mattered very much. Because you know who was hiding around the corner, don’t you!

The big bad wolf came up and saw two houses standing in the woods. He knew that 2 little pigs lived inside them. Hmmm. Which pig should he have for his breakfast? Which house should he blow down?

Two little houses

which shall I choose

Sticks and brick

have been used.

A house made of sticks

Can never be strong

I’ll blow it down, it won’t take long.

The big bad wolf walked up to the house of sticks.

Little pig little pig let me come in!

Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!

Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in!

So he huffed and he puffed and the house blew in!

AAAAHHHHH! (pig runs away)

Sometime the choices that we make don’t matter very much. But other decisions do matter.

The first little pig built his house out of sticks and... it got blown down by the wolf. It was a bit silly of him, wasn’t it?

The second little built a strong house. That was a good decision, wasn’t it?

Jesus says that we can make good decisions like that second little pig. The best decision we can make is to hear Jesus’ words and do what they say. It’s a decision that matters very much. Jesus says that if make the decision that we’re going to listen to what Jesus says and do it, we’re like that second little pig who built a strong house.. 

Today you can make the decision. 

You could ask your mum or dad to read some bible to you.

Or if you know how to read, you could read some yourself.

[Other examples - sunday school, listening hard in church etc.]