In My Father's House Ornament

In John 14:2, Jesus tells us, In my Father’s house are many rooms. Kids will love making a house ornament to remember the verse.

The book of John has many rich theological explanations from Jesus.

In John 14:1-7, Jesus addresses eternity for the believer, who Jesus himself is, and how the believer reaches eternity with God. Take a look at this important passage in the ESV:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

See what I mean? There’s a lot of important information in that short passage!

Our kids need to know who Jesus is, and they need to know the gospel. (Help them learn the gospel with this free poster and memory card set.)

Kids also need to know and trust that Jesus has a place specifically for each believer in eternity. He has prepared a place for children who believe in him.

Bible Road Trip™ Teach Your Kid the Bible

In My Father’s House There are Many Rooms

In John 14:2, Jesus gives us a wonderful word picture of the place he is preparing for each believer in eternity.

Take a look at John 14:2 in 5 versions:

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? – NIV
In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? – ESV
In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. – KJV
In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. – NKJV
In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. – NASB

Your kids can think about the place Jesus is preparing for them, if they believe in and follow him, as they create this fun house ornament craft.

Before making your clay ornaments, discuss:

Does God really live in a house? Why would Jesus give us this great word picture? Is it so we can understand better what he is saying?
Does it sound like we will be close to God in eternity?
Who is preparing a place for us? Why is that a big deal?

Read John 14:1-7 and talk about who Jesus is, and why we celebrate his great plan for salvation at Christmastime.

In My Father’s House Ornament Craft

Check out this fun video of the clay ornaments craft!

Grab your In My Father’s House Ornament Craft

Head on over to the Thinking Kids Press store to grab your step-by-step instructions (also shown below), and your house templates.

Tips for Making Bible Crafts with Kids

Doing art projects with kids can be a challenge. For that reason, many parents forgo this valuable time altogether. As an art major and a parent who has done frequent art projects with my four children, I have a few suggestions for you.

Cover your space. Use painting drop cloths and plastic to keep your furniture and flooring protected.
Cover your kids. Grab a couple of your old T-shirts and throw them over your kids, buy them painting aprons, or designate clothes specifically for crafting.
Do the prep work in advance. Do as much prep work for a project as you can before you get the kids involved. Not everything on the page needs to be their work. It’s OK to help.
Schedule several short sessions for one project. Children need several days to be able to create larger projects. Art is time-consuming and requires energy.
Encourage your kids. Children are likely to be frustrated by the disconnect in the artwork they envision and the art they actually create. Remind your kids that they improve every time they create, and tell them how much you love their work (even if you don’t know what it is!). Also, stick figures are fabulous.
Operate the hot glue gun and X-ACTO knife. Hot glue burns are terrible and X-ACTO knives are razor sharp. Until your kids are old enough to cook, I’d advise you do the hot gluing and razor cutting. For this project, you may want to pre-cut the Nativity Scene.

Teach your kids about the coming of Jesus with the Christmas Bible Study Bundle. Get four teaching products in one bundle and save!

Supplies Needed to Make Your House Ornament Set

You’ll need a few supplies to make your project. You may have a few of these items already. If not, these are all fairly inexpensive and will serve you well for multiple projects.

Air Dry Modeling Clay; 2.2 lb., White Rolling Pin Mat Set 2 Wooden Handle Clay Tools Christmas Baker’s Jute Twine Tapestry Needles Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint Set, 16 Mr. Pen- Paint Brushes, 10pc Fiskars Softgrip Scissors

Air Dry Clay (White)
Rolling Pins and Mat
Clay Cutting Knife
Twine
Tapestry Needles
Acrylic Paint
Paint Brushes
Scissors
Your Printable Templates

Make Your In My Father’s House Clay Ornaments

Here are the steps for your In My Father’s House ornaments:

1) Print and cut out your template pieces.

Print the template pages from step-by-step instructions and cut out the pieces.

2) Roll out your clay for the house ornaments.

Cut about 3.5 ounces off your air dry clay.

Knead the clay on your rolling pin board, then roll the clay into a ball.

Press your clay ball against the board you’re working on to flatten it a little.

Use your rolling pin to flatten the clay ball to about 1/4 inch.

3) Cut out your clay ornaments.

Print and cut out the house patterns from your printable template. Place a house pattern on the flattened clay piece and use a clay cutting knife to cut around the sides of the house template piece.

Cut out the square window shape from the middle of the house.

Remove the house template from the clay.

4) Shape your clay ornaments.

Carefully remove the excess clay from around your clay house ornament.

Use your finger tips to smooth the rough edges of the clay house.

Use a tapestry needle to make a hole at the top of your clay house while the clay is still soft. Allow your clay house ornament to dry overnight.

5) Finish Your In My Father’s House Ornaments

Allow your child to paint the house any way they’d like.

Cut out a piece of string and insert it into the hole and tie knot with the open end of the string to create a loop. Use the tapestry needle to make it easy to thread the twine through the house ornament.

Your kids can hang their In My Father’s House ornament to remind them what God’s Word says about eternity with Jesus.

Daily Devotions for Kids | A 12-Month Bible Verse Calendar for your Family

Your kids can learn about the Bible, who God is and more with this fun daily devotional for kids. With 12-months of Bible verses calendar printable sheets, your family will concentrate on a monthly focus. There are six days of reading each week, each day with it’s own focus within the monthly theme.

Your 12-month Bible verse calendar has themed devotions focusing on:

The Bible
Love
The Church
Resurrection
Jesus
Prayer
The Holy Spirit
The Fruit of the Spirit
Salvation
Our Father
Thanksgiving
Advent

Want a sample calendar? Grab your free Christmas Advent calendar here.

Books Make Great Gifts!

Teach the kids about the Bible and Christian history…

…with fun books they’ll love reading!

Introduce your children to engaging stories written in an engaging narrative they’ll want to read. As they learn more about God’s Word and gain real-life heroes, they will learn to apply Scripture to their own lives. And, give yourself the gift of a book that will help your kids learn and love the Bible.