Jesus Calms the Storm Craft for Kids
An easy paper plate Jesus Calms the Storm craft for kids in three levels, preschool to 5th grade, with a free printable boat template, supply list and steps.
Preschool–Grade 5
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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
- Mark 4:35–41
- Bible story
- Jesus Calms the Storm
What you need
- 1 paper plate per child
- The printed boat and waves template, one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
- Crayons or markers in orange, yellow, blue, dark blue and brown
- Scissors and a glue stick
- The printed little ships and front waves page, one per child (harder level)
- A light blue crayon or marker (harder level)
Steps
- On the bottom side of the paper plate, color the top half orange and yellow for the evening sky (they set out in the evening, Mark 4:35). Color the bottom half blue for the sea.
- On the template, color the boat brown and the sail yellow. Color the waves dark blue.
- Cut out the boat, the waves and the memory verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
- Glue the boat in the middle of the plate so the bottom of the boat sits on the blue sea.
- Glue the waves across the lower part of the plate so they cover the bottom half of the boat. Now the boat floats on a calm sea.
- Glue the memory verse strip on the back and read it together.
This Jesus Calms the Storm craft turns a paper plate into a boat floating on a calm sea right after Jesus said, "Peace, be still." Kids color an evening sky and a blue sea, color and cut out a boat and a row of waves, and glue them on. It costs under 50 cents a child, takes about 20 minutes and comes with a free printable boat template and memory verse strip. It comes in three levels, from preschool to 5th grade.
What it looks like finished: easy and medium (first photo) and harder (second photo).
Why this craft works
- Cheap and simple: a paper plate, one printed page and crayons.
- It retells the story: the trip in the evening, the boat, and the waves made calm when Jesus spoke all end up on the plate.
- It carries the verse home: the template includes Mark 4:39 (KJV) on a strip to glue on the back.
Three ways to make it
- Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the boat and waves ahead of time. Kids color the sky and sea on the plate, color the pieces and glue them on. No scissors.
- Medium (grades K–2): the first craft in the photos. Kids color the sky and sea, color and cut out the boat and waves, glue them on and glue the verse strip on the back.
- Harder (grades 3–5): kids also cut out two little ships, because "there were also with him other little ships" (Mark 4:36), and a row of light blue front waves for the bottom of the plate. Then they say Mark 4:39 from memory.
Questions to ask
While kids work, ask where Jesus was during the storm (asleep on a pillow, Mark 4:38), what He said to the sea ("Peace, be still," Mark 4:39), and what the disciples asked afterward: "What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:41).
Tips for the classroom
For preschoolers, cut out the boats, waves and verse strips before class, so all they do is color and glue. For the harder level, print page 3 too. Put glue on the back of the waves, not on the plate, so the boat doesn't slide.
Teaching the story first? Use the free Jesus Calms the Storm Sunday school lesson and the Jesus Calms the Storm word search.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make a simple Jesus Calms the Storm craft for preschoolers?
Cut out the boat, the waves and the verse strip ahead of time. Preschoolers color the sky and sea on a paper plate, color the boat and waves, and glue them on. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.
How much does this Jesus Calms the Storm craft cost?
Under 50 cents a child: one paper plate, one printed page and crayons you already have. The template is free to print.
What Bible verse goes with a Jesus Calms the Storm craft?
Mark 4:39 (KJV), "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." It is printed on the verse strip in the template.
How can older kids make this Jesus Calms the Storm craft harder?
Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids add two little ships on the sea, because Mark says "there were also with him other little ships" (Mark 4:36), and a second row of light blue front waves along the bottom of the plate. Then they say Mark 4:39 from memory.
