VBS HQ
Menu
Craft

Blind Bartimaeus Craft for Kids

An easy blind Bartimaeus craft for kids in three levels. Turn the wheel and the dark window fills with sunshine. Free printable template, supply list and steps.

Preschool–Grade 5

Blind Bartimaeus Craft for Kids

Download

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
Mark 10:46–52
Bible story
Blind Bartimaeus

What you need

  • The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • Crayons or markers in light blue, dark blue, yellow, brown and green, plus any colors for drawing Bartimaeus
  • 1 brass paper fastener (brad) for each child
  • Scissors, a glue stick and a sharp pencil (to poke the brad holes)
  • The printed garment page (page 3), one per child, plus a red crayon (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color the card: the sky light blue, the houses of Jericho yellow with brown doors, the grass green and the road brown. Leave the oval by the road white.
  2. In the oval by the road, draw Bartimaeus sitting by the highway side (Mark 10:46).
  3. Color the wheel: the top half dark blue. Color the bottom half light blue and the sun yellow.
  4. Cut out the card, the wheel and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Cut out the round window in the sky too. Help younger children with the cutting.
  5. A grown-up pokes a hole with a sharp pencil through the dot on the card and the dot in the middle of the wheel.
  6. Put the wheel behind the card with the dark blue half at the top, so the round window shows dark blue. Push the brad through the card and the wheel from the front, and open its legs flat on the back. The edge of the wheel sticks out on the right side of the card.
  7. Glue the verse strip on the back of the card, on the left side, away from the wheel. Read it together.
  8. Tell it: the window is dark, because Bartimaeus's eyes could not see. Say his words: "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me" (Mark 10:47). Then turn the wheel by its edge until the sun fills the window: "immediately he received his sight" (10:52).

This blind Bartimaeus craft turns one printed page into the road out of Jericho, where "blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging" (Mark 10:46). Kids draw Bartimaeus by the road. A round window in the sky shows dark blue at first, because his eyes could not see. Then they turn a wheel, and the window fills with a yellow sun, because "immediately he received his sight" (10:52). The memory verse is on the back. It costs under 50 cents a child, takes about 20 minutes and comes in three levels, from preschool to 5th grade.

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 brad, glue, crayons and scissors.
  • Kids see the miracle happen: one turn of the wheel changes the dark window to sunshine, the way Bartimaeus "immediately" received his sight (Mark 10:52).
  • It tells the whole story: say his cry, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me" (10:47), before you turn the wheel.
  • It points to Jesus: Jesus stood still for Bartimaeus and said, "thy faith hath made thee whole" (10:49, 10:52). Jesus is not drawn.
  • It carries the verse home: Mark 10:52 (KJV) is glued on the back of the card.

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces and put in the brad. Kids color, draw Bartimaeus and turn the wheel. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, draw and cut out the pieces; a grown-up pokes the brad holes.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also add a red garment from page 3 that flips open beside Bartimaeus: "he, casting away his garment, rose" (Mark 10:50).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask where Bartimaeus sat (Mark 10:46), what he cried out (10:47), what he did when many told him to be quiet (10:48), what Jesus did (10:49), what Bartimaeus asked for (10:51) and where he went after he could see (10:52). Then read Mark 10:52 together.

Tips for the classroom

Talk about blindness kindly: the dark window is only a picture of eyes that could not see, and God loves people who cannot see just as much as anyone. For preschoolers, cut out the pieces ahead of time and push in the brads yourself after they color. Cardstock keeps the wheel turning smoothly.

Teaching the story first? Use the free blind Bartimaeus lesson and the word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple blind Bartimaeus craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's card, round window, wheel and verse strip ahead of time. Preschoolers color the pieces and draw Bartimaeus by the road. Then you poke the holes, push in the brad, and they turn the wheel so the dark window fills with sunshine. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Bartimaeus craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, one brass paper fastener (brad), 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?

Mark 10:52 (KJV), "And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way." It is printed on the verse strip that kids glue on the back of the card.

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also add a red paper garment from page 3 that covers Bartimaeus and flips open, because "he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus" (Mark 10:50).

More for this Bible story