7 Adorable Jonah and the Whale Snacks Kids Can Make at Home

Every little one has had a moment where they did not want to do the thing they were asked to do. Where they would rather run the other way, or hide under the table, than face it.

So the story of Jonah tends to feel familiar to them right off. A man who heard what God asked, ran the opposite direction, and ended up in the belly of a great fish before he finally turned back around.

And a snack is a sweet little way to help the story stick. Whether you’re a parent at the kitchen table, a grandparent with the grandkids over, a Sunday school teacher, or a homeschool mama planning a lesson, these seven snacks are easy to put together and easy to tie right back to the story.

Seven little ways to bring Jonah, the big fish, and the wide blue sea right to the table.

“Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.” — Jonah 1:17

7 adorable jonah and the whale snacks for kids

Here are seven easy snacks to make together, starting with the simplest and working toward the ones that take a little more time. So pick one for a quiet afternoon, or work through several as you tell the story.

1. Whale cookies

A friendly blue whale is about the easiest way to start this story. If your little ones love making creatures like this, our cute animal crafts for kids has plenty more to reach for.

1. First, start with round or oval cookies, since sugar cookies or vanilla wafers both work well.
2. Then tint a little white frosting a soft ocean blue and spread it over each cookie.
3. Next, press on a small candy tail at one end, or cut a tail from a strip of fruit leather.
4. From there, add a candy eye or a dot of icing, and a little spout of white frosting up top.
5. Finally, set them out on a plate like a small pod of whales swimming along together.

2. Jonah and the whale snack cup

The cup is nice because every child gets their own little sea to dig into. It travels well too, so it is a good pick for a Sunday school room or a co-op table.

1. First, spoon a blue layer into the bottom of a clear cup, using blueberry yogurt or blue-tinted pudding for the sea.
2. Then crush a graham cracker and sprinkle a little sand along one side.
3. Next, stand a whale-shaped gummy or a blue candy up in the middle for the big fish.
4. From there, tuck a small teddy-bear cracker in beside it for Jonah.
5. Finally, add a few fish crackers swimming around, and serve it with a spoon.

3. Jonah’s ocean adventure Jell-O cup

There is something about wiggly blue Jell-O that little ones cannot resist. It takes a bit of planning since the gelatin needs to set, so start it earlier in the day. It fits right in with our fun ocean crafts for kids if you are building a whole sea theme.

1. First, make a batch of blue gelatin following the box, then spoon it into clear cups and let it set in the fridge.
2. Then, once it is firm, press a few gummy fish down into the top so they look like they are swimming.
3. Next, stand a teddy-bear cracker at the rim of the cup like Jonah going overboard.
4. From there, sprinkle a little crushed graham along one side for a sandy shore.
5. Finally, keep the cups cold until it is snack time.

4. Jonah and the whale banana snack

This one is a favorite for the youngest hands, since a banana is soft and easy to work with. And it is a snack you can feel good about handing over.

1. First, lay half a banana on its side to be the whale’s round body.
2. Then press a blueberry or a chocolate chip near one end for the eye.
3. Next, tuck a little shredded coconut or a small piece of fruit up top for the spout.
4. From there, add a tail by pressing a bit of fruit leather or two thin apple slices at the other end.
5. Finally, set it on a smear of blueberry yogurt so the whale has some sea to swim in.

5. Jonah inside the big fish

This is the heart of the whole story, Jonah kept safe inside the fish while God watched over him. It is a good moment to open our jonah and the whale crafts and let the story go a little deeper.

1. First, cut a fish shape from a rice cake or a slice of bread, or set two banana slices together for the body.
2. Then spread on a thin layer of cream cheese to hold everything in place.
3. Next, add a blueberry eye and a little triangle tail from a strip of fruit leather.
4. From there, tuck a teddy-bear cracker right in the middle for Jonah, kept safe inside the big fish.
5. Finally, set it on the plate and let the little ones peek at Jonah in the fish’s belly.

6. Jonah’s boat snack

The boat is where Jonah’s story starts, sailing the opposite way from where God asked him to go. It is a nice one to set out first if you are telling the story in order.

1. First, make the boat from an apple slice, a hollowed cucumber, or half a banana laid flat.
2. Then push a pretzel stick up through the middle for the mast.
3. Next, slide a triangle of cheese or a piece of fruit leather onto the mast for the sail.
4. From there, set a teddy-bear cracker in the boat for Jonah, back before he ran from the Lord.
5. Finally, float the little boat on a plate of blueberries for the sea.

7. Jonah’s blueberry ocean

This one is more of a picture than a single bite, and it is the one kids love to help arrange. If you have got beach lovers at your table, our sweet summer crafts for kids carry the same seaside feeling.

1. First, sprinkle a band of crushed graham cracker across the middle of a square plate for the sandy beach.
2. Then pile blueberries below the sand for the deep blue sea, and scatter a few fish crackers swimming through.
3. Next, stack thin slices of kiwi into a leafy palm tree, with a pretzel stick for the trunk.
4. From there, set an orange slice up in a corner for a bright sun.
5. Finally, stand back and let the little ones take in the whole seaside scene before they dig in.

the story behind these snacks

God asked Jonah to go to a big city called Nineveh and warn the people there to turn back to Him. But Jonah did not want to go. So he did the very opposite, and got on a boat headed the other way, as far from Nineveh as he could get.

Out on the water, God sent a great storm. The waves grew so wild that the sailors feared for their lives. And Jonah knew the storm was because he had run from God, so he told them to throw him into the sea.

The moment they did, the water went calm. Then God provided a huge fish that swallowed Jonah whole, and there, in the dark belly of the fish, Jonah stayed for three days and three nights.

But he was not alone in there. Jonah prayed, and God heard him. On the third day the fish set him back on dry land, and God gave Jonah the very same job again. This time, Jonah went. Years later, Jesus Himself pointed back to Jonah’s three days in the fish as a picture of His own three days, and you can carry that thread right into our sweet jesus crafts.

It is a story about running, and being caught, and getting a second chance. And that is the truth these snacks are really about. Not that Jonah was brave, but that God does not give up on us, even when we run the other way.

why kids love a good jonah and the whale snack

Children know what it feels like to run from something they would rather not do. To be caught, and then handed another chance anyway. So Jonah’s story sits close to them.

There is real comfort in it too. God did not leave Jonah at the bottom of the sea. He heard him from inside the fish and brought him back. Little ones need to know God stays near them even in the dark, the same reason they love our samson crafts for sunday school, where God keeps working through a person even after they have stumbled.

And the storm, the sea, the great fish, these are big and wonderful pictures for a little imagination. A snack is just a small doorway into a story that size.

simple supplies to keep on hand

You don’t need much for any of these. A bunch of bananas and a box of blueberries will carry the whale, the big fish, and the wide blue ocean. A sleeve of graham crackers crushes into sand, and a box of fish-shaped crackers or a bag of gummy fish gives you a whole school to swim through the sea.

For the cups, a box of blue gelatin or a tub of blueberry yogurt makes the water, and a package of teddy-bear crackers stands in for Jonah again and again. A few round cookies and a little blue-tinted frosting turn into a pod of whales, and some pretzel sticks, a kiwi, and an orange round out the beach scene.

Most of it is probably already sitting in your kitchen, and whatever’s missing is a quick grab on the next grocery run.

tips for making these with little ones

A little prep goes a long way here. So if you can crush the graham crackers, slice the bananas, and set the Jell-O earlier in the day, the little hands can get right to the fun part without much waiting.

Keep an eye on allergies too, since these often go out to Sunday school tables and classrooms. Most of these snacks are naturally nut-free, and a quick look at your cracker and candy labels covers the rest.

And don’t fuss over how they look. A lopsided whale or a crooked little palm tree is part of the charm, and it is the making and the talking the little ones remember anyway. If you want to send the story home with them, pair the snack with the week’s memory verse, the way our bible verse crafts do, so the words have something sweet to hang onto.

pick one snack to make this week

You don’t need to make all seven. Just one good snack and a handful of blueberries is plenty to open up the story.

So pick the one that fits your supplies and the ages around your table, and let the little ones make something with their hands while you tell them about Jonah and the great fish. The snack is fun on its own, but that bit of truth you plant while they’re busy tends to stay with them far longer than the treat does. Remind them that even when Jonah ran, God went after him and brought him back, and that He watches over them the very same way.

And one more thing before you go. If you make any of these with your little ones, I’d love to see how they turned out. Leave a photo in the comments when you get a chance, or send one our way, and with your okay it may even be featured here on the site to encourage other families doing the same. There’s no pressure at all, just a friendly little invitation to share. So glad you are here.

Warmly,
Betty

frequently asked questions

what age are these jonah and the whale snacks best for?

They work well for toddlers on up through early elementary. The banana whale and the blueberry ocean are easy for the very youngest, while the cups and the big-fish snack are a nice fit for children who can handle a few small pieces.

what is the main lesson of jonah and the whale?

That God gives second chances and does not give up on us. Even when Jonah ran, God went after him, heard him, and used him anyway. It is a gentle way to talk with children about obeying and about God’s mercy.

which bible verse goes with these snacks?

We used Jonah 1:17, about the great fish God provided. If you would like another, Jonah 2:2, “in my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me,” is a lovely one to say together.

can i make these nut-free or allergy-friendly?

Yes, and it is easy. Most of these are naturally nut-free, so use cream cheese instead of nut butter where a spread is needed, and check your cracker, gummy, and gelatin labels for the rest.

how long do these snacks take to make?

Most take just a few minutes to put together. The Jell-O cup takes longer since the gelatin needs to set, so start it a few hours ahead or even the night before.