Here’s the rewritten post, with Quick Start and Deep Dive built into the framework.
Zacchaeus_Reflect_Blog_Post_and_Images.zip
Zacchaeus in the Tree: Drawing and Journaling with Bible Blocks
A brown trunk. A few green branches. A little person sitting in the tree, with Jesus standing below. Underneath, your child writes one word: “Seen.”
That simple picture can open a conversation about Zacchaeus and the Jesus who stopped, looked up, and called him by name.
With the Reflect activity, children respond to Scripture through drawing or writing. Using the Zacchaeus Story Block from Encountering Jesus, your family can begin with a picture and a key word or spend more time exploring the story in a journal.
Every activity has a Quick Start and a Deep Dive
All nine Bible Blocks activities offer two ways to participate: Quick Start and Deep Dive. This includes Retell, Reflect, Character, Connect, Act Out, Music, Wonder, Prayer, and Find.
- Quick Start offers a simple, supported way to begin, with a small prompt or a brief response.
- Deep Dive gives your family more room to notice details, explore questions, make connections, and develop a response.
Choose either option at any age, according to your child’s familiarity with the story, interest, and energy. Quick Start can be a complete activity. You can also move into a Deep Dive that day or return to it another time.
The family rhythm stays the same: Read. Retell. Explore. Read the story, retell it using the pictures, then intentionally choose one additional activity. Today, we’re choosing Reflect.
Read and retell the story of Zacchaeus
Begin with Luke 19:1–10, or use the accompanying short narrative. Turn the Story Block to the matching pictures as you read.
Zacchaeus is a wealthy chief tax collector who wants to see Jesus. Unable to see over the crowd, he climbs a sycamore tree. Jesus stops, looks up, calls him by name, and tells him to come down because he must stay at his house that day.
Zacchaeus welcomes him joyfully while others grumble. He speaks about giving to the poor and repaying those he has cheated. Jesus announces that salvation has come to his house and explains that he came to seek and save the lost.
For a Quick Start with Retell, help your child name what happens in each picture or finish sentences you begin. For a Deep Dive, invite them to tell the whole story in their own words, including what Jesus says and how Zacchaeus responds.
Then place the Story Block beside the Activity Block with Reflect, the pencil picture, facing forward. Set out paper or a journal and a few crayons or pencils.
Reflect Quick Start: Draw a picture and add a word
Turn the Story Block to Zacchaeus in the tree. Invite your child to redraw that picture in their own way: a tree, Zacchaeus on a branch, and Jesus looking up from below.
Keep the block nearby so they can look back at it. Stick figures, uneven branches, and a few shapes all work. Let your child decide which details to include.
When they finish, ask, “What word would you put with your picture?” Invite them to add one or two words that capture something they noticed. If they need ideas, try:
- Seen: Jesus looked up and noticed Zacchaeus.
- Welcome: Zacchaeus gladly welcomed Jesus into his home.
- Joy: Zacchaeus came down and received Jesus joyfully.
They might write “Seen,” “Jesus sees,” or “Welcome.” If writing is difficult, let them say their word while you write it for them.
Finish with one invitation: “Tell me about your picture.” Listen to what your child wants to share. A drawing, a word, and a short conversation can be the whole Quick Start.
Reflect Deep Dive: Explore what stood out
For a Deep Dive, invite your child to spend more time with the moment, word, or question that caught their attention. They can expand their drawing, add several sentences, or write a journal entry.
Begin by returning to the passage. If they chose “Seen,” reread the moment Jesus looks up and calls Zacchaeus by name. If they chose “Welcome,” notice both Zacchaeus’s joyful response and the crowd’s complaint.
Then offer one prompt:
- “I chose the word _____ because…”
- “One thing I notice about Jesus is…”
- “The crowd responded by _____, but Jesus…”
- “This story makes me think about…”
A journal response might begin:
I chose “seen” because Jesus stopped and called Zacchaeus by name. The crowd complained about Jesus going to his house. I wonder how Zacchaeus felt when Jesus wanted to visit him.
Encourage your child to explain what in the story led them to their response. When they imagine someone’s feelings, distinguish what Luke tells us from what they wonder about.
You can also follow the story beyond the tree. What does Zacchaeus say about his money? How would giving to the poor and repaying people affect others? What does Jesus say he came to do? Choose one question that connects with your child’s response and explore it together.
A Deep Dive can also be visual. Your child might draw a second scene showing Zacchaeus giving to others, then explain how it connects with the tree picture. They can share their thoughts aloud or dictate a few sentences for you to write.
Choose what fits your family today
One child may want to draw Zacchaeus in the tree and add “Joy.” Another may fill a journal page with observations and questions. Both are ways to reflect on the same passage.
Keep the drawing or journal entry and return to it another day. Ask your child what they remember, retell the story together, and choose the activity and option that fit that gathering.
Every Story Block gives your family another opportunity to read, retell, and explore. With Quick Start and Deep Dive options for every activity, you can begin simply and make room for more as your child’s curiosity grows.
Explore Encountering Jesus at bibleblocks.org, and find story narratives and deeper resources at bibleblocks.org/resources.