Share the Word
Ways to present Mark 4.26-34
Activities marked with an asterisk 
next to the activity title are in addition to the resources in the Ready to go sessions. Suggested timings for these activities are also shown. NB The inclusion of additional activities varies from week to week.
A version of the story for very young children
Give each child a seed to hold in their hand as you tell the story.
Jesus liked to tell stories to help people understand about God’s kingdom.
Once he told a story about some seeds.
He said that if someone plants some wheat seeds,
they grow all by themselves,
whether the person is awake or asleep.
The plant grows bigger and bigger and the wheat gets ripe
and can be cut down in the harvest.
Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like a tiny mustard seed,
which grows into one of the biggest garden plants,
and birds can sit in its branches.
FOR CHILDREN
Read the story and pause at the 
to share these points with the children (see Stop and share below). Then use the activity to explore the passage together. (10 mins)
Click on the image to view a PDF.
Stop and share
- It’s worth noting here that while we are involved in sowing, tending and nurturing growth, it is ultimately God who makes it happen.
- Explain what is meant by harvest: to gather in ripe crops ready to eat or use.
- Jesus was a great storyteller who used parables – stories to help people learn more about God, explaining things that are sometimes hard to understand using things we see around us.
Story scrolls W E
You will need: a tray of soil; sections of the story written on scrolls of paper.
- Place the scrolls into the soil, standing up, like shoots of new growth.
- Ask a few children to remove the scrolls. Ask them to read their scrolls to the group in any order, then work together to try and assemble the story in the right order. Be prepared to assist as needed.
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Modern-day parable 15 mins W E
- Ask for volunteers to read the passage, then discuss: What is a parable? What do you think Jesus was trying to teach his followers?
- Split the young people into groups to act out the story of the mustard seed as a modern-day parable, e.g. a viral social media post. Ask them to include a section about how God’s values were able to flourish in the scenario they choose.