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Dagon and the Ark Craft for Kids

An easy Dagon and the ark craft for kids in three levels. The ark of God stands up, and the idol Dagon falls on his face before it. Free template and steps.

Preschool–Grade 5

Dagon and the Ark 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
1 Samuel 5:1–12
Bible story
Dagon Falls Before the Ark

What you need

  • The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock stands best)
  • Crayons or markers in brown, gray and yellow
  • Scissors and a glue stick
  • The printed Dagon pieces page (page 3), one per child (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color the floor card: the floor brown and the threshold (the band along the front edge) gray.Color the floor card: the floor brown and the threshold (the band along the front edge) gray.
  2. Color the ark all yellow, for gold. Color Dagon gray on both sides.
  3. Cut out the floor card, the ark, Dagon and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.Cut out the floor card, the ark, Dagon and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
  4. Fold the tabs of the ark and of Dagon back on the dotted lines.
  5. Glue the ark's tab on the wide dotted box at the back of the floor card, so the ark stands up. Glue Dagon's tab on the small dotted box in front of the ark, so Dagon stands in front of it.
  6. Glue the verse strip on the back of the floor card and read it together.
  7. Tell it: the Philistines "set it by Dagon" (1 Samuel 5:2). Push Dagon forward so he lies on his face in front of the ark: "Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD" (5:3). Stand him up again: "they took Dagon, and set him in his place again" (5:3).Tell it: the Philistines "set it by Dagon" (1 Samuel 5:2). Push Dagon forward so he lies on his face in front of the ark: "Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD" (5:3). Stand him up again: "they took Dagon, and set him in his place again" (5:3).

This Dagon and the ark craft turns one printed page into the house of Dagon at Ashdod. The yellow ark of God stands at the back, and the idol Dagon stands in front of it. Push him, and he falls flat on his face: "Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD" (1 Samuel 5:3). Stand him up again, the way "they took Dagon, and set him in his place again," and tell it one more time.

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, glue, crayons and scissors.
  • Kids see it happen: Dagon really falls on his face before the ark, and the people have to stand their "god" up again (1 Samuel 5:3).
  • It tells the whole story: the harder level adds the second morning, with the head and both palms upon the threshold (5:4).
  • It teaches the big idea: the LORD is greater than any idol. There is one true God (Deuteronomy 6:4).
  • It carries the verse home: 1 Samuel 5:3 (KJV) is glued on the back of the floor card.

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces and fold the tabs. Kids color and push Dagon over. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out, fold and glue the pieces themselves.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids use the Dagon pieces from page 3, a stump with a loose head and two loose palms, and tell both mornings of 1 Samuel 5:3–4.

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask where the Philistines put the ark (1 Samuel 5:2), what the people of Ashdod found in the morning (5:3), who had to stand Dagon up again (5:3), what happened the second morning (5:4) and where the ark went next (5:8, 5:10). Then read 1 Samuel 5:3 together.

Tips for the classroom

Cardstock helps the ark and Dagon stand. For preschoolers, cut out the pieces and fold the tabs ahead of time. Say plainly that Dagon was an idol, not a god, and keep the sickness in the Philistine cities out of the kids' telling.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Dagon and the ark lesson and the word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Dagon and the ark craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's floor card, ark, Dagon and verse strip ahead of time and fold the tabs. Preschoolers color the pieces. Then you glue the ark and Dagon on the floor card, and the kids push Dagon over so he falls on his face before the ark. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Dagon and the ark craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, 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?

1 Samuel 5:3 (KJV), "And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again." It is printed on the verse strip that kids glue on the back of the floor card.

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids use the Dagon pieces from page 3 instead: a stump with a loose head and two loose palms. They tell both mornings, and at the end the head and both palms lie upon the threshold, "only the stump of Dagon was left to him" (1 Samuel 5:4).

More for this Bible story