We’ve all heard the Jonah story growing up but there’s one thing that’s NEVER taught…Jonah KNEW God. I mean, really, really knew Him. Jonah knew, he saw God’s faithfulness and forgiveness in people’s lives.
He knew how often, how much, how lovingly God forgives people. How God is longsuffering, not wanting for any to perish (2 Peter 3:9), but continually turning His rebellious sheep toward Himself.
Jonah knew God more than most. It wasn’t JUST that he was a prophet, he KNEW God. The relationship was intimate and deep. Think about how much He must have really known God to know God would immediately forgive. How can WE cultivate our relationship with Christ to be that strong too??? To know God so well that we know exactly what He will do in a given situation.
Jonah had seen God’s forgiveness over and over and so his attitude toward the Ninevites, the sworn enemies of His own people, was almost a bitterness in his mouth. He knew that if they genuinely repented, God would forgive them, EVEN them…the sworn enemies.
While his attitude was wrong, we can understand how he feels.
If some bad guy hurt your child in an illegal way, would you want him to be saved? More than that…would you HELP HIM to repent?
The right attitude is yes, of course, but practically speaking is that it would be most difficult for you to forgive him and above that, pray for him, even HELP HIM repent.
That’s what we’re talking about here, and what Jonah was facing, and I love how the Bible doesn’t shy away from the truth, even when it’s not pretty.
The Bible is full of God’s promises, beauty, and love, but it also shows the depravity of man. It shows the REAL TRUTH in the hearts and lives of so many.
So often we throw stones at anyone else who does something wrong. “Jonah rebelled and look at that story,” we say to ourselves, “I’m so glad I’m not like HIM! I’d never let it go that far!”
And yet, I see in my own life, godly Christian after Christian throw their whole lives away for an idol (something, anything that is placed above God), a desire, a want, or even something they are not getting and feel God is unfair for not giving it to them.
👉 We ALL have the capacity to absolutely go that far and it’s ONLY by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ…we DON’T!!!!
And it starts small. How often do genuine believers crack open their Bibles on a day different than Sunday???
How often do the people of God not love God, not choose Him, just ignore Him in their daily lives, as if He doesn’t even exist.
How quick we are to cast the first stone, and yet how unqualified we are to do so. ❤️
Jonah sinned and it’s there for everyone to read about in the Bible, but I wonder to myself, if God wrote about you or I in the Bible and highlighted one of OUR sins on any given day in such a manner as this…what would it read?
Listen, at the end of the day, we all sin, we all fall short (Romans 3:23), but there’s forgiveness for everyone, even the most cursed amongst men…there is forgiveness. Not because they deserve it, but because we serve such a great and gracious God who doesn’t want anyone to perish.
This God is worthy to be praised and so today, I created this super adorable, kawaii-style free printable Hello Jonah coloring page for you, your kids, your Sunday School class, your VBS, your classroom, anywhere you’d love to share with people the love and forgiveness of Christ. 💖
If you love this adorable Jonah Bible story printable, you’ll love these other Christian activities too!
- Jesus Feeding The 5,000 Coloring Page
- Hello Sea Animals Coloring Page (3rd printable)
- Hello Ten Commandments Coloring Sheet
- I Am the Bread of Life Coloring Page
- Books of the Bible Word Search Printables
- 90+ Bible Stories For Kids A-Z
- Jesus is Lord Bible Study Pack
- Hello Mermaid Coloring Pages
- All HELLO! Coloring Pages™
- 80+ VBS Themes A-Z
- 5,500+ Free Printables
Jonah and the Big Fish Coloring Page For Sunday School
The Bible says that Jonah was swallowed by a “big fish”. It could have been a whale, it could have been something else, we don’t know, but what we do know is that God is faithful to forgive and is a great classroom activity for children of all ages. ❤️
This free printable Jonah Sunday School coloring page (or use as a Jonah homeschool coloring sheet) features an entire underwater world of super happy kawaii sea animals! 🐠
You’ll find smiling whales, tropical fish, octopus, a dolphin, pufferfish, crabs, sea turtles, seashells, nautical anchors, and lots of adorable little ocean doodles surrounding the giant HELLO JONAH lettering.
It’s perfect for a Jonah Bible lesson activity, Sunday school craft, children’s church activity, homeschool Bible time, or a fun Christian coloring activity at home.
Pair it with Jonah 1:17, where God appoints a great fish to swallow Jonah, and use the Jonah Bible story coloring sheet to help children remember this amazing miracle where God saved Jonah. 🙏
Download the Jonah 1:17 Coloring Page PDF here.
Creative Ways to Bring Jonah’s Bible Story to Life
The Secret Inside the Whale 🐳
Here’s a REALLY fun way to make this Old Testament coloring page interactive!
Print two copies of the Jonah coloring sheet. Color and cut out one of the large whales on both copies. Glue a little side part of them together so it can open like a little door.
On the bottom whale inside the “door”, write Jonah 2:9 inside the hidden compartment:
“Salvation belongs to the LORD!”
They now have a little one-page book they can open and carry around with them to remind them of God’s salvation. 🙏
The Four Chapters of Jonah Challenge (Jonah Preschool Coloring Page Activity)
Create an illustrated Bible book using the Jonah and the whale coloring page as the cover.
Inside, add four pages with these headings:
- Chapter 1: The Runaway Prophet
- Chapter 2: A Prayer From the Deep (Jonah swallowed by a whale/big fish)
- Chapter 3: A City That Repented
- Chapter 4: A Lesson About Compassion
Have children illustrate each chapter and write one thing they learned about God’s character on each sheet.
At the end, ask them which character surprised them most: Jonah, the sailors, the people of Nineveh, or God Himself.
It’s a wonderful way to move beyond the famous fish part of the story and explore the entire book of Jonah.
Seek and Find Anchors
Turn this Jonah and the whale printable coloring sheet into a quick counting game before the crayons even come out. Ask your little ones to scan the page and circle every anchor they spot.
- Find the anchor near the top right corner
- Spot the one to the right of the smiling sun
- Locate the final anchor tucked beside the doodle letters
You could also have them locate:
- Seashells – 11
- Hearts – 25
- Bows – 3
- Bubbles – 56
Steering Wheel Captain Game
The ship steering wheel image on this Jonah ocean coloring page is the exact inspiration you’re needing for a fun movement game at church.
First, use the Bible coloring page for kids and have them color it; next, play the game.
Have them stand up and pretend they’re the captain of a huge boat.
- Call out port so they run to the left.
- Call out starboard so they run to the right.
- Yell whale sighted and have them freeze in place.
• Other printables are either functional OR cute. I bridge the gap between the two. Since I'm a single mom and don't have time to mess around and am a kid at heart, I love something that actually propels me forward and gets the job done quickly, while still having that super cute vibe I'm known for.
• I'm a graphic designer FIRST. This means my printables, whether free or paid for, will always be of the highest quality and print crisp and clear on any printer.
• I love what I do and I do the work myself. I'm not hiring these out. This is my life, my hobby, my passion, my heart.
• My fans are obsessed with my work. To date, I've made over $23M on printables alone (organically) in the past 8 years.
Yes! Except for some large binders, all printables on the blog are 100% free for personal use. I make these because I genuinely want you to have something cute and helpful right now without having to spend a dime. You deserve a life that feels more peaceful, more organized, and more you, and if a simple printable can make your day feel lighter, I am so happy to give that to you.
Printables, graphics, backgrounds, SVGs, fonts, and design elements on this site are for personal use only. You may not alter them or redistribute them for free or monetary gain without written consent from the author, Sarah Titus. If you want to share these resources with others, please share the link to the blog post. Teachers & Churches: You may share these with your classes, colleagues, and congregation as long as they are not edited in any way.
Absolutely! You're welcome to print as many copies as you need for your own students or church groups. I only ask that you do not edit them in any way (leaving the full copyright line in tact) or sell them or host the digital files on other websites. Please always link back to this post to share with others.
• For best results, I recommend using standard 8.5"x11" white paper. Since these are professionally designed as high-resolution PDFs, they'll stay crisp and clear on any printer. To print, simply download the PDF to your device and open your printer settings. Select "Fit to Page" to ensure the printable looks perfect.
• If you're printing stickers, I have a tutorial here.
