A Wise Foundation

Scripture: Proverbs 1-4, 8-9, 26, 30

Learning Objectives:

  • Students will learn God wants us to follow godly wisdom like that found in Proverbs.
  • Students will learn there were several wise, godly men who taught people when Solomon was alive, but Solomon wrote the majority of the Proverbs in the Bible.
  • Students will learn any wisdom given us outside of the Bible should be compared to the Bible, to make sure the advice is indeed wise.
  • Students will compete an activity to help them remember what God thinks is wise and foolish.

Guiding Questions:What is wise or foolish in God’s eyes?

Materials:card stock, sand, rocks, glue, and markers

Procedure: Explain to students Proverbs is known as a book of wisdom. We think Solomon wrote most of it. Each chapter contains a lot of short sayings that teach us how to be wise in God’s eyes. There are also proverbs that teach us what God considers foolish behavior.

Read a few selected proverbs from the chapters listed above. Have students call out some of the things God considers foolish. Then have them call out some of the things these chapters tell us God says are wise. If you can, capture student answers on the board or a large sheet of paper so students can see them while they work on the activity. (For younger students you may have to give them a lot of help listing things. Try and choose concrete concepts like listening and not listening.)

Read Matthew 7:24-27 to students. Tell them this is an illustration of what Proverbs is discussing. It shows us why it is important to be wise and not foolish. Ask older students to help explain what the houses represent.

Give students supplies. Have them glue sand on the bottom of one half of the cardstock and pebbles to the bottom of the other half. They can then use pictures or words to capture things the foolish man and the wise man may have done to build their “houses”. Encourage older students to go back to the chapters listed above and find additional Proverbs you didn’t discuss to add to their list.

Have students share their finished artwork. Encourage them to keep thinking about wisdom and foolishness. Challenge readers to begin reading Proverbs. With 31 chapters, they can easily keep track of their reading. Every day, just read the chapter of Proverbs that has the same number as the date of that day (Sept. 3 read chapter 3.)

Additional Questions:

  • What is a time that you received wise directions when you were going to do something foolish?
  • How do your decisions affect others?
  • Foolish decisions are often made when we want to do things the easy or lazy way. How does hard work give us a better outcome?

Supplemental Activity: Have students paint a rock with a Proverb that they think will help them make good decisions. They can decorate it and set it somewhere prominent in their home or as a paperweight to serve as a reminder.

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