Craft

Elijah and Elisha Craft for Kids

An easy Elijah and Elisha craft for kids in three levels, a hanging paper whirlwind with Elijah's mantle below it (2 Kings 2:11–13). Free printable template.

Preschool–Grade 5

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⬇ Craft template + instructions (PDF) · 5 pages

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: 2 Kings 2:1–15
Bible story: Elijah and Elisha

What you need

The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
Crayons or markers in light blue, yellow and brown, plus any colors for drawing Elijah
1 piece of yarn about 12 inches long for each child (to hang the whirlwind)
Scissors, a glue stick and a sharp pencil (to poke the yarn hole)
The printed fire page (page 3), one per child, plus orange crayons (harder level)

Steps

Color the whirlwind light blue and the middle circle yellow. Leave the oval in the middle white.
In the white oval, draw Elijah going up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11).
Color Elijah's mantle brown.
Cut out the whirlwind, the mantle and the verse strip on the dashed lines. For the whirlwind, start at the rounded end at the bottom and cut along the dashed line around and around until you reach the middle circle. Help younger children with the cutting.
Glue the verse strip on the back of the mantle. Read it together.
Put glue on the front of the mantle's small tab. Press the tab on the back of the rounded end of the whirlwind, so the mantle hangs down below it.
A grown-up pokes a hole with a sharp pencil through the black dot above the oval. Push the yarn through the hole and tie the ends together to make a loop.
Tell it: hold the whirlwind up by the yarn. It opens and turns, and Elijah goes up in the middle, "and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11). The mantle hangs at the bottom: Elisha "took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him" (2:13).

This Elijah and Elisha craft turns one printed page into a hanging paper whirlwind. Elisha would not leave Elijah: "As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee" (2 Kings 2:2). Then "there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2:11), and Elisha "took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him" (2:13). Kids draw Elijah in the middle of a spiral whirlwind, hang Elijah's mantle below it, and hold it up to watch it turn. 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, a piece of yarn, glue, crayons and scissors.
Kids see the story move: hold it up and the whirlwind opens and turns, with Elijah going up in the middle (2 Kings 2:11).
It shows the mantle passed on: Elijah's mantle hangs below, the way it "fell from him" and Elisha took it up (2:13). God's work went on through Elisha (2:14–15).
It follows the Bible closely: no angels and nothing the passage doesn't say. The flames on the harder level are for the "chariot of fire, and horses of fire" (2:11).
It carries the verse home: 2 Kings 2:11 (KJV) is glued on the back of the mantle.

Three ways to make it

Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces, glue on the mantle and tie the yarn. Kids color, draw Elijah and hold it up to watch it turn. No scissors.
Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, draw, cut out the spiral and glue on the mantle; a grown-up pokes the yarn hole.
Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also glue three paper flames from page 3 around the whirlwind, for the "chariot of fire, and horses of fire" (2 Kings 2:11).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask what Elisha said each time Elijah told him to stay behind (2 Kings 2:2, 2:4, 2:6), what Elijah did with his mantle at the Jordan (2:8), what Elisha asked for (2:9), how Elijah went up into heaven (2:11), and what Elisha did with the mantle (2:13–14). Then read 2 Kings 2:11 together.

Tips for the classroom

Cardstock keeps the spiral springy and the mantle flat. Show kids how to turn the paper, not the scissors, as they cut around the whirlwind. For preschoolers, cut out the pieces and poke the holes ahead of time. Hang the finished whirlwinds where they can turn in the air.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Elijah and Elisha lesson and the word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Elijah and Elisha craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's whirlwind, mantle and verse strip ahead of time, and poke the yarn holes. Preschoolers color the pieces and draw Elijah in the middle. Then you glue on the mantle and tie the yarn, and they hold it up to watch the whirlwind turn. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Elijah and Elisha craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, about 12 inches of yarn, 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?

2 Kings 2:11 (KJV), "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." It is printed on the verse strip that kids glue on the back of the mantle.

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also color and cut out three paper flames from page 3 and glue them around the outside of the whirlwind, for the "chariot of fire, and horses of fire" that parted Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2:11).