Much as the offspring of Noah and his sons came together to build the original Tower of Babel, so too can a preschool class. Using large colored blocks, instruct children to build the tallest tower they can. As the children are assembling their tower, tell them the biblical story of the Tower of Babel. Towers can also be built independently with materials such as craft sticks and Styrofoam cups.
The Tower of Babel story tells of the beginning of language diversity. Judeo-Christian philosophy believes this to have been the start of the different languages around the world. Musical lessons help preschoolers learn this lesson. Teach students a Sunday School song such as “Jesus Loves Me” in Spanish and English. Another option for teaching language diversity is to teach students greetings or other phrases is various tongues.
Dramatize the Tower of Babel story by having students act out scenes and putting on puppet shows. For student productions, assign roles in the preschool class with the teacher playing the role of God. The children act as the descendants of Noah deciding to build the tower, and building it to God’s reaction. The same plot can be portrayed using a puppet show performed by teachers and teacher assistants. Students can be involved as well, creating or controlling the puppets for the show.
An act of pride saw the Tower of Babel fall before its completion. Believing more fully in their own ideas than God’s plan, Noah’s kin are punished for their pride by never being able to complete the tower. Using the story of the tower as a basis for discussion, lead a brainstorming session on the topic of pride. Questions the teacher can ask the children include inquiring if the children know what being humble is and if they believe they are better than someone else. As the children answer the questions, teachers can use the tower to illustrate the importance of being humble and consideration for others which can also serve as a lesson in equality.