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Balaam's Donkey Craft for Kids

An easy Balaam's donkey craft for kids in three levels. The paper mouth opens, as "the LORD opened the mouth of the ass" (Numbers 22:28). Free template.

Preschool–Grade 5

Balaam's Donkey Craft for Kids
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Free to print and copy for your church, classroom, VBS and home. Please don't resell or re-post our files; link to the page instead.

Ages
Preschool (3–5), Early Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5)
Time
15 to 30 minutes
Scripture
Numbers 22:21–35
Bible story
Balaam's Donkey

What you need

  • The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • Crayons or markers in gray, dark gray (or black) and red
  • One brass paper fastener (brad) per child
  • Scissors and a glue stick
  • A pencil tip or a hole punch tool for the grown-up who pokes the brad holes
  • The printed path of the vineyards page (page 3), one per child, plus light blue, green and purple crayons (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color the donkey gray. Color the mane and the tail dark gray and the saddle red. Color the jaw gray.Color the donkey gray. Color the mane and the tail dark gray and the saddle red. Color the jaw gray.
  2. Cut out the donkey, the jaw and the verse strip on the dashed lines.Cut out the donkey, the jaw and the verse strip on the dashed lines.
  3. A grown-up pokes a small hole at the + on the donkey's head and at the + on the jaw.
  4. Put the jaw behind the donkey's head, with the two holes together. Push the brad through both holes from the front, and open its legs flat on the back.
  5. Turn the donkey over and glue the verse strip on the back of the body, not on the head. Read it together.
  6. Tell it: three times the donkey saw the angel of the LORD and turned aside, and three times Balaam smote her (Numbers 22:23–27). Then "the LORD opened the mouth of the ass" (22:28): move the jaw down and up, and say what she said, "What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?"Tell it: three times the donkey saw the angel of the LORD and turned aside, and three times Balaam smote her (Numbers 22:23–27). Then "the LORD opened the mouth of the ass" (22:28): move the jaw down and up, and say what she said, "What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?"

This Balaam's donkey craft turns one printed page into a paper donkey whose mouth really opens. Balaam "rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass" (an ass is a donkey). Three times the donkey saw the angel of the LORD in the way and turned aside, and three times Balaam smote her. Then "the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?" (Numbers 22:21–28). Kids fasten the jaw with a brad and make the donkey talk. It comes in three levels, with the template and teacher notes in one free PDF.

The finished craft, easy and medium level

The finished craft, harder level

What it looks like finished: easy and medium (first photo) and harder (second photo).

Why this craft works

  • Cheap and simple: one printed page, one brass paper fastener, crayons, scissors and a glue stick.
  • Kids tell the story with it: the jaw moves, so the donkey "speaks" the words of Numbers 22:28.
  • It follows the Bible closely: the saddle (22:21) and the path of the vineyards with a wall on each side (22:24) come from Numbers 22. The angel of the LORD and Balaam are not drawn.
  • It carries the verse home: Numbers 22:35 (KJV) is glued on the back of the donkey.

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces, poke the holes and fasten the brad. Kids color and make the donkey talk. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out and put the pieces together themselves.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also glue the donkey between the two walls of the path of the vineyards from page 3, "a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side" (Numbers 22:24).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask what Balaam did in the morning (Numbers 22:21), who stood in the way (22:22), where the donkey went the first time (22:23), what happened at the wall (22:25), who opened the donkey's mouth (22:28), who opened Balaam's eyes (22:31) and what Balaam said (22:34). Then read Numbers 22:35 together.

Tips for the classroom

Poke the brad holes before class with a sharp pencil over a folded towel. Keep the brad's legs flat on the back, and glue the verse strip on the body only, so the jaw moves freely. Cardstock keeps the donkey stiff.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Balaam's donkey lesson and the word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Balaam's donkey craft for preschoolers?

Before class, cut out each child's donkey, jaw and verse strip, poke the two brad holes, and glue the verse strip on the back. Preschoolers color the donkey and the jaw. Then you push the brad through, and they open and shut the donkey's mouth while you tell the story. About 15 minutes, no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Balaam's donkey craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, one brass paper fastener, a little glue, and crayons you already have. The template is free to print. The harder level adds a second page.

What Bible verse goes with this craft?

Numbers 22:35 (KJV), "And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak." It is printed on the verse strip that kids glue on the back of the donkey.

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also color and cut out the path of the vineyards from page 3, a back wall with grapevines and a front wall of stones, and glue the donkey between them, because the angel of the LORD "stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side" (Numbers 22:24).

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